A little help please

[tiffany67]

Started this journey last night. Got up this morning at 5:50 & managed to wait 1.5 hours to have my 1st cigarette. I've been tracking them & noting triggers. I guess I'm somewhat confused since you continue to smoke up until your quit day. Does tracking your cigarettes really reinforce and aid you in your effort to stop? So worried that I won't be able to do it. Would anyone be so kind and give an example of the structure they used to get to that goal of stopping? I'm under the assumption that I should at least try to cut back each day. Thanks.

[Breakinchains]

Many people have quit in many different ways.

Some go cold turkey, some use nicotine replacement like patches and gum.

It is up to you to decide which way works best for you.

I used the patch, since I was told not to smoke under any circumstances 

while using a patch for fear of nicotine overdose, this was a very effective 

deterrent for me. As long as I had a patch on I never smoked. In this way I was 

able to break the habit. After a few weeks I stopped using the patch, and 

found it was easier to deal with the cravings because I had gone a few weeks without

smoking. The key thing is to CHANGE YOUR ROUTINE. Come up with a new daily 

routine that does not involve smoking. Once you establish and practice this new routine 

long enough, you will find you don't need the smokes anymore. 

[JonesCarpeDiem]

i told myself to wait a little longer. never counted, never kept track. never built up anxiety, worry or stress.

Whem i got down to 5 a day, i had already proven to myself i didn't need to smoke just because i though of smoking.

try to start catching yourself before you smoke and start losing the automatic smokes

[Thomas3.20.2010]

Tracking is a learning experience. It's not about cutting back - it's about what precedes the smoking, observing oneself while smoking noticing the aftermath when the cigarette is done. 

When I started to pay attention, I learned that I really didn't need the whole cigarette in order to feel relief from my craving, I learned that I often wanted something other than a cigarette but automatically interpreted these needs as "I need a cigarette!" I learned that delaying a bit (15 minute intervals) didn't make me feel worse. I regocnized that when I was very busy with something I am passionate about - such as fixing a bicycle, or playing sports - I "forgot" to smoke. 

I used all of this information to quit just 6 days after deciding that I would quit. Cold Turkey and without agony, self doubt, internal bickering, relapse! That was almost 5 Years ago! And now I can say Not One Puff Ever! N.O.P.E.!

[Don't assign yourself limits such as 6 cigarettes a day or every 2 hours - just see if you can wait just a bit before you actually have that next smoke!]

[YoungAtHeart]

Please take Thomas' response to heart.  He is a very wise man.  

I found that cutting back intentionally (I will only smoke every 2 hours, for instance) kept smoking in the forefront of my mind and made me think about smoking MORE. In retrospect, I think I was not doing that part well........what is intended is for you to put off that next one just a bit - but only to prove to yourself that you don't need to smoke every time you want to smoke.  Just try getting busy and see if that naturally puts the next one a ways out.  It is also important to notice how many of those cigarettes are "mindless."

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 second the recommendation for you to read the Allen Carr book linked for you in response to your last blog. 

As well, read the sections on this site, and read the blogs, responses and pages of folks you think might be helpful. You might visit whyquit.com and quitsmokingonline.com for the good information contained there. You should also might continue the tracking and separation exercises suggested on this site.  Just FYI  - I was not educated enough at the time to do those exercises well.  Try them AFTER you have read the Allen Carr book and I think they will work better for you.

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. But – any method that you think will work well for you will be best for you.

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

[Giulia]

Learning about triggers, tracking your cigarettes are tools to help you understand the nature of your relationship to this addiction.  The more you understand when and WHY you smoke, the better able you are to change that when and see the truth behind the why. 

Personally I set my quit date a month ahead and then spent that month leading up to it reading everything I could on the quit site I first joined.  I listened to what the wise members said, prepared well, had a plan to deal with cravings, blogged often and jumped in with both feet on my quit day.  I quit during Lent and gave myself 40 days.  I said to myself "If you want to smoke on the 41st day - you go right ahead."  Of course I knew myself well enough to know that there is no way in hell I was gonna go through all that and then give it up and go back to another Day One on that 41st day.  That was almost 9 years ago.

One of keys that worked for me was to support others before and during my journey.  Every encouraging word I wrote on someone's post echoed in my own head and reinforced all those positives.  Suppport is a beautiful two-way street.  It's a whole lot scarier BEFORE the day you quit than after.  Courage!

[jdb21218]

Hi Tiffany,

My quit date is two days away. I joined here 3 weeks ago and use the tracking feature faithfully. I look at it every couple of days to see where my weaknesses are and that helps me with my plan. It is an awareness tool that gives me clarity on understanding where I'm most likely to slip. So in order to not slip, I have some alternatives. This could be as simple as ramping up the inner resolve or meditating or doing something to take my attention off of the strongest urge. Drinking my morning coffee and smoking is a big trigger, so I might give up coffee for a while.

My biggest irrational fear in all of this is the fear of failure. That I won't be able to stop and stay stopped. But thats just nonsense...and I'm going to face those fears and stop anyway.

For some these tools work, for others they may have other ways of managing their quit. The bottom line is that you want to quit, and you will quit when you have that unshakable inner resolve. Hang in there!

At the outset I didn't think hearing supportive and encouraging words would make that big of a difference to me. But I can say that I was wrong, and that it has. Big time!

[Storm.3.1.14]

I echo what Thomas and Giulia have shared. I will add that another purpose of tracking cigarettes is to pinpoint the smokes that seem hardest and easiest. After a few days or tracking, look at your chart to see which 2 smoke breaks were the weakest. Start practicing how you will skip these cigarettes. Will it be an ice water break? A walk to the mailbox and back? Then, pick your toughest smoking triggers and start hitting those with aletrnative activities. Cold shower? Brushing your teeth? Jumping jacks? Walk around the parking lot or around the entire block? 

You track cigarettes in order to SEE, on a chart, WHERE in your day you need to apply specific skills and efforts and alternatives.

Hope this helped.

[kloud9]

what every1 has said so far is true. i will add however that you must not listen to nico demon at all he will lie to you and try to trick you into thinkin that you need that coffin nail. but it is not true.  Yes trackin can help it will show you things about your habit that you might not have realized.

read Thomas blogs and listen to smorg,youngatheart, jonescarp,and candylance, these people are the wiseset ones on the site and they know what they are talkin about.

ALLEN CARR's Book is a must read foor anyone quitting cigarettes. here's to your success.

ps nicodemon is you !!  

[mae-mae]

I quit on the 18th. Everybody is different. I started out afraid of failing. so... I picked 2 days to have only 2 cigs-when I got up&one before bed. Well that went ok until I smoked my very last one after dinner. No bed time cig. 😞      I was shell shocked next morning... knowing it was my quit day... I calmed down & "I QUIT THOSE NASTY THINGS"!!!!  I managed to get thru the day & yesterday. no cigs. My after "a meal cig" drives me crazy!!! I chug down water!!! I decided against using e- cigs & stuff. They are a waste of money- I've tried them all-except them really expensive ones. It comes down to thinking POSITIVE & making up your mind "TO QUIT"!!!!  I read that book... I dont remember what it was called... my fears went out the window-honestly!!!! FEAR ... is our ENEMY!!!! "Good luck"!!!!!

[mae-mae]

I use to wake up every morning at 4am & have a cig. I sleep thru the night now & actually wake up feeling rested!!! I'm feeling so much better already!!!

[mae-mae]

ALLEN CARRS BOOK HELPED ME!!!!  🙂

[tiffany67]

Thanks to all for your comments. I don't feel so alone now & am gaining confidence that I can do this.

[Brenda_M]

Jeepers, you got so much excellent advice in these comments! I'm so glad you're feeling better and more confident...you can SO do this!