5 days smoke-free

[monikablazejewska]

I have been a smoker pretty much since I was 16 years old, now I will turn 26 in few months, I recently decided to quit, and it was a sudden decision which I didn't plan to make. I saw a video on youtube of a person that had throat cancer and was talking using a hole in his neck, it was terrifying to me. I don't wanna end up like this, and throat cancer obviously isn't the only sickness that is a risk while smoking cigarettes everyday. so I just decided to quit, without thinking much about it. day 1 was fine, i felt cravings here and there but I was okay. then day 2 and 3 were a nightmare. I was just pissed off and annoyed, lethargic, sleepy, irritated and I just wanted to smoke. that's all I really wanted these two days. but I didn't because I was like screw giving up, I'm tough as hell i can do this. so here I am now, on the 5th day right now, actually I don't feel that bad, or I am not craving the smokes much, from time to time yes but not like I expected. the only thing which is scary is CONSTIPATION, i tried mild laxatives for it and they kind of helped, but i don't wanna depend on laxatives to be able to go, ya know.....anyways, i'm also breaking out on my face even though my period is not even around yet this month, and i cough a whole lot, so generally it's not all fun and games, but I want to be smokefree, so i'm ready to go through this. I dont know where I was going with this post anymore...I guess I just needed to vent.

ps-sorry my english is kinda meh, it's not my first language

[JACKIE1-25-15]

Congratulations on 5 days smoke free.  Sounds a little rough but you are really hanging in there.  Quitting smoking takes a lot of work. You seem to already have that no matter what I am not going to smoke attitude.  Here we call it quittitude. So congratulations on that also.  While you are here I suggest that you study read and research.  Education is the key to a successful quit, just like everything else in life.  So Welcome. Monika.  Hold on, stay close. Enjoy the journey.  It does get better. 

Start first, by educating yourself about nicotine addiction.  

Education is the key to a successful quit.

Read: Freedom from Nicotine My Journey Home and Nicotine Addiction 101         

Here are the links: http://whyquit.com/whyquit/LinksAAddiction.html   and http://whyquit.com/ffn/

I also encourage you to read. Allen Carr’s book, “Easy Easier Way to Quit Smoking”.       

[shashort]

HI and welcome to EX it is a great place for education and support.  Start reading what Jackie gave you to read and read lots of blogs here it will help you understand your addiction and we are here to help anyway we can.  Know the constipation won't last forever, drinks lots of water and will help flush the toxins from your body. They symptoms your having are normal your body is going through a lot of changes so be patient to yourself and rest when you need to.  Glad to hear your quitting quitting while your still young. Congratulations on day 5. You CAN do this!!

[Barb102]

Welcome glad u are with us!  You are doing great. I’m so happy that you started your quit at a young age. Good for you. Most of thought we will someday and that turned into years. So proud of you and you should be too. It’s not easy but anything worth having never is. Come to this site often, read everything you can. We are all here for you  My doctor recommended Miralax not habit forming please check with your doctor. This has really helped me. Stay on site with us. Join the daily pledge it really helps. You can and will do this. By the way your English is fine

Barb

[anaussiemom]

Welcome!!

[Daniela2016]

Congratulations on your decision and on making it to the 5th day.  I will be providing you some links put together by some of our longtime quitters, they will help you understand your quitting journey.  You made an awesome choice to rid yourself of the addiction, and this is totally feasible, and you are young, and I am very proud of you.  One thing which helped me was Allan Carr's book "The easy way to quit smoking", you can download it on Kindle format from Amazon for about $7.00.  Also here are the links for you to read, please write about your experience, ask for help, someone will be here always to help you, to guide you, to make your journey successful:

https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/thread/6040-my-welcome-to-new-members-10-years-of-wisdom-

https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instea...

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to our community!

Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking at such a young age and your successful first FIVE days!  Your body is adjusting to life without a powerful drug that it has been used to having. Here is a link to a blog which outlines withdrawal symptoms that you might helpful./blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2018/01/04/early-withdrawal-symptoms .  These will calm down after a bit.  I found warm prune juice to be an effective constipation remedy

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 also highly recommend Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.” This is an easy and entertaining read. You can search for a free pdf of it on the net (copyright enforcement won't allow me to post the link here).

 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.

The idea is to change up your routines so the smoking associations are reduced.  Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand. 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.  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

[maryfreecig]

Yeah for 5 days! Now 6. Keep em coming! And welcome to Ex.

[Giulia]

Keep that "nothing's gonna stop me!" attitude and you'll have a lasting quit.  Early symptoms like constipation, cough, mood swings, etc., they'll all pass with time.  Your body is ridding itself of the toxins of those cigarettes.  And there are MANY in them, not just nicotine.   What a fantastically beautiful age to quit.  Most of us "Elders" wish that we had quit in our twenties instead of in our fifties.   

You say English isn't your first language?  Wow.  We all should be able to write a foreign language as well as you!

This is an up and down ride.  You'll be purring along and then get slapped upside the head by a doozy of a craving without warning.  The more you read on here, the more prepared you'll be for the journey ahead.  Keep a sense of humor about you.  Let your playful heart come to the fore.  It's a good tool.  Glad you've joined us!