Lifelines! The Keys to a Successful Quit!!

[pir8fan]

There are a lot of new people here, and this is also a reminder for those who may have forgotten! Always remember your lifelines!

If you should have a serious craving use all of your lifelines before you smoke!

#1. Ask The Audience! Come here and tell us that you are in danger, and why! Wait 15 minutes for us to respond! Give us that opportunity to help you! That is why we are here!

#2. Phone A Friend! Befriend someone here that you feel you can trust! EXchange phone numbers with that person! If you are in a situation that you can not handle on your own, call or tEXt that person!

#3. 50/50! Make two list! The first list should be all the reasons you should not smoke! The second list should be all the reasons you should smoke! Now take the second list and mark out all of the "EXcuses" to smoke! EXcuses and reasons are two very different things! If there is anything left on the second list let me know!Keep your first list handy. Read it, if any of the "EXcuses" try to steal your quit!

This message was brought to by: The Freedom Train! "IF YOU ARE NOT RIDING WITH US, YOU ARE MISSING THE TRAIN"                  Tommy

[IrishRose]

That mindset of it being easier to smoke a cancer stick is not true.  It's your brain already making excuses for you to smoke.  Be strong, and stay busy, but don't back up.  Give yourself time to reap the benefits of being smokefree.  LIFE is one of those benefits. 

You need to stay close to this site!

(((((hug))))) for you!

Irish Rose 

[KTQeeyore]

Yeah, junkie brain in overdrive! Go yell at the TV, beat on a pillow, suck on a straw, whatever, just don't smoke!

Maybe get back on Chantix. Quitting smoking can disrupt sleep like a son of a gun! You can do this! 

[elvan]

Mroseforte‌ Take a deep breath in...hold it, and exhale very slowly with your lips pursed.  Just as if you were smoking a cigarette. Smoking will do nothing FOR you but it will do lots TO you.  There is no such thing as one and every person here has been where you are.  We have all gotten through tough times by hanging onto each other and LISTENING to the advice of those who have gone before us.  NOPE is not just another word...NOT ONE PUFF EVER!  Drink ice water, eat frozen fruit, exercise if you can...that releases dopamine and will help you to get through craves.  Remember that no crave ever killed anyone...NO ONE can say that about smoking. Quitting smoking is a gift to yourself...a gift of freedom.  Please introduce yourself to us so we know something about you.  Smoking is an addiction and as addicts, we used smoking to stuff our feelings, try to remember that it is normal to feel...it is NOT normal to smoke. Stay close to the site, read everything you can about this addiction...I have never taken chantix but I know a lot of people who cannot sleep when they quit smoking...are you sure it was the chantix?  Have you tried anything else?  Don't give up.  This is not an event, it is a journey and it cannot be rushed...it is one day at a time.

Welcome to EX,

Ellen

[lillyn55]

 Today is my fifth day and feels a lot harder 

[lillyn55]

Thanks so much I really needed that this morning on my  fifth day with no support fighting a battle in my head on why I don’t need cigarettes 

[elvan]

lillyn55‌  You are not doing this alone...please try to see it as a journey and not a fight.  You cannot win a fight against addiction but you CAN grow stronger one day at a time, read blogs, pay attention to what is working for others.  I strongly suggest that you read JonesCarpeDiem‌'s blog /blogs/jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007-blog/2011/06/26/what-to-expect-in-the-first-four-months and these two by YoungAtHeart‌ as well,

For Our New Years' Quitters (and community members, too)  and /blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instead-of-smoke   Write a blog, introduce yourself to the community, there are lots of new people here as well as people who have been quit for some time.  You CAN do this, it HAS to be one day at a time or one moment at a time.  No crave ever killed anyone but no one can say that about smoking.  We are here for you and we have all been where you are.

Ellen

[Giulia]

lillyn55‌  Each day will be different.  Some days will seem like a breeze and then on other you'll be slammed all day with cravings.  Just take this one day at a time.  The battle really is just within our heads.  Here's a little play I wrote about our quitting inner dialogue.  Perhaps you'll recognize a bit of yourself in it.    You will see that as it progresses it gets easier.   /blogs/Giulia-blog/2016/09/06/a-quit-dialogue-in-iv-acts?sr=search&searchId=b5abbd6b-ff73-4919-977c-...‌.  You don't NEED cigarettes.  You simply want them.  Think of yourself as a child being weaned away from thumb sucking.  A couple of videos that can help you understand the nature of this addiction:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z16vhtjWKL0 and 

Nicotine and Your Brain - YouTube   The more you know, the more able you are to overcome it.

[YoungAtHeart]

This quit smoking is akin to a roller coaster ride with ups and downs and twists and turns.  If you do the recommended reading and hang out with us, it can be easier to navigate the hard parts.

Hang in there - it DOES get easier - I promise!

Nancy

[Mroseforte]

I don’t understand how to stay close to this site it’s all over the place

[elvan]

Mroseforte   Read blogs every day...when you sign in,  if you go to EX Community and then click on HOME, you will get a list of recent blogs and recent activity.  You can also "follow" people and you will be notified if they post a blog.  It takes some getting used to but if you come here in the morning and the evening, there is ALWAYS activity on the site and you can find a LOT to read.  We are here to help you in any way that we can.

Ellen