moma1935's Status Update on 07/26/2018

[moma1935]

Quit smoking 7/22/18

[JACKIE1-25-15]

Congratulations on making the decision to quit smoking. Welcome to EX.  

[elvan]

Welcome to EX, if you write a blog (go to the little pencil next to your avatar and select Blog Post) Introduce yourself to the community and you will get more welcoming messages than you can count.  I am going to tag YoungAtHeart  here because she does a great job with a welcome comment.  I also recommend that you read a blog written by JonesCarpeDiem  some time ago that helped me a LOT when I first quit and for quite a while afterwards What To Expect In The First Four Months   When you write your blog, let us know how long you smoked and how many times, if any other, that you have tried to quit.  Let us know how you prepared for this quit...remember that quitting is not an event, it is a one day at a time journey.  Sometimes, a day is too long and then you need to do it one hour or one minute at a time.  The point is...this takes TIME, it takes education about this addiction, and it takes commitment.
​
​Again, welcome.
​Ellen

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to our community!

The most important thing you can do right now is to educate yourself on what nicotine does to your body and mind. To that end, I highly recommend Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.” This is an easy and entertaining read. You can search for it online or at your local library. Here's a link to a video here on the site which describes nicotine addiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpWMgPHn0Lo&feature=youtu.be.

 You should also read the posts here and perhaps go to the pages of folks who you think might be helpful. You might visit whyquit.com, quitsmokingonline.com and livewell.com for the good information contained there. @https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-ex has lots of blogs written by members of this site with their experiences and guidance.After you have completed the recommended reading, it will be time to make an informed choice of the quit aid, if any, you will use. If you go that route, I personally recommend the aids that don't let the addict control the dose such as the available prescription drugs or the patch. If used properly, gum, lozenges and inhalers are fine, but they need to be used only as a last resort.  I have seen folks become addicted to them if they substitute them for every cigarette they used to smoke - just trading one addiction for another.  I do not recommend the e-cigarette for three reasons: 1) the vapor has been compared to the polluted air in Bejing on a bad day, 2) they just provide another nicotine delivery system while continuing the hand to mouth smoking motion, and 3) the batteries can spontaneously catch on fire. . But – any method that you think will work well for you will be best for you. The idea is to change up your routines so the smoking associations are reduced.  Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand in a place different from when you smoked. Maybe switch to tea for a bit.  If you always had that first smoke with your coffee, try putting your tennies on right out of bed, going for a quick walk, then taking your shower and THEN your coffee! Rearrange the furniture in the areas you used to smoke so the view is different. Buy your gas at a different station. Take a different route to work. Take a quick walk at break time where the smokers AREN'T. You need to distract yourself through any craves.  You can take a bite out of a lemon (yup - rind and all), put your head in the freezer and take a deep breath of cold air, do a few jumping jacks, go for a brisk walk or march in place, play a computer game.  Keep a cold bottle of water with you from which to sip. Don't let that smoking thought rattle around in your brain unchallenged. Sometimes you need to quit a minute or an hour at a time.  You will need to be disciplined in the early days to distract yourself when a crave hits.    Get busy!  Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of smoke if you need some fresh ideas: https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instea... The conversation in your head in response to the "I want a cigarette" thought needs to be, "Well, since I have decided not to do that anymore, what shall I do instead for the three minutes this crave will last?"  Then DO it.  You will need to put some effort into this in the early days, but it gets easier and easier to do. Stay close to us here and ask questions when you have them and for support when you need it. We will be with you every step of the way! Nancy

[elvan]

Thank you YoungAtHeart

[MarilynH]

Welcome to the community please read the links suggested above me and keep reading everything you can about quitting smoking and remaining quit because there's a wealth of information here to strengthen your resolve to kick the nicotine poison to the curb and start living a life of Freedom......

[Giulia]

4 Days smoke free.  Pretty wonderful.  Day by smoke-free days builds your smoke-free house.  One day, one brick at a time.  Keep building it and know that it WILL get easier.  But it takes time.  If you're willing to put up with the discomfort (because that's really all it it is - we just tend to build it up in our addicted minds), if you're willing to stay the course, go through the required rite of passage - you WILL get to the other side where cigarette thoughts are way far away and when they arise they're like gnats that can be easily flicked away.  Hang tough.  Stay free.  Smile!