cancel
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Share your quitting journey

Helpful Blogs, Discussions, Comments, Videos, Links, Info Re Quitting

Giulia
Member
8 17 954

I have a file on my computer "desk top" for info that I find interesting and useful that I like to share with others.  Decided to put it up here as a document (along with some blogs of my own that I think might help others.)

Quit Smoking Apps

Quit Vaping:  Text  "DITCHJUUL to 88709."

Quit Smoking NRTs:   In order to receive free patches or gum your health plan provider or employer must sponsor you through The EX Program.   If you're logged into Becomeanex.organd you see an orange EX Coach chat bubble in the lower right of your screen you're sponsored and you can speak with them to see what you're eligible to receive. If you don't see the chat bubble then you're not listed as sponsored.    If you're not sponsored then you should check with your state's quitline (800-QUIT-NOW), your county health department or your health care provider for your options.

 

ONE PUFF STINKING THINKING

 

Slips/Resetting Quit Clock

Take what you need and leave the rest

To your future self:   Ramblings at six months - EX Community  

21 Things Learned by an Elder quitter:  13 Things I've Learned About Quitting Smoking

My Quit Truths:   Worst Day Ever! - EX Community  

Quitting Vaping EX:  Quitting E-cigarettes | Guides & Tools | BecomeAnEX 

This is Quitting - To enroll in This is Quitting, teens and young adults text DITCHJUUL to 88709.   Quit Vaping | TheTruth.com 

Quitting Vaping:  A great blog:   How to Quit JUUL (or vaping in general) - EX Community  

Unstick Yourself:   Your Guide For Getting "Unstuck" - EX Community  

Username Info:   Solved: Changing user name - EX Community  

Videos

What to do instead of smoking:   What to do instead of smoking - EX Community

Where have I gone wrong blog (read the responses):   Where have I gone wrong? - EX Community  

Withdrawal symptoms

Your five year old terrorist within:   What is it like quitting, what is it like getting ... - EX Community  

=================== 

"Lord, did I miss my happy delusion, my smokes, the whole shebang. Couldn't I smoke and quit at the same time, I joked.

 I have to admit that I did not just lose the comfort of a pleasant delusion, I gained something, too, though slowly and very grudgingly at first: an inner strength--something that is innate to most at birth--the ability to learn something new, to adjust, grow and adapt day to day. To that end, inner strength in trade for a delusion? I know I made out O.K. I made it past the addiction."   (Maryfreecig Quitting Cigarettes Journal )

===================

Why is it so hard to quit?

Cigarettes are very addicting. When you inhale smoke from a cigarette, it delivers large amounts of nicotine to your brain very quickly. This stimulates a release of dopamine, a chemical transmitter that is responsible for attention, reward, and habit forming. Particular activities like taking a break or drinking coffee, or feelings such as stress, boredom, or anger, become associated or reinforced with using tobacco. These associations can be very strong and unconscious. It might even seem like your body reaches for a cigarette before your mind even realizes it. In addition to the automatic habit, many people have uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal happens because the brain has changed, so that nicotine is now needed to produce what was once a normal amount of dopamine. Your ability to resist the habit of reaching for a cigarette and the intensity of withdrawal varies from person to person due to a number of factors, including the availability of cigarettes, life stressors, and genetics.   (Smoking FAQs)

17 Comments
sweetplt
Member

Thank you for sharing Giulia was reading at some of your recommendations...this was a very smart thing to do...plus you are very computer savvy...~ Colleen 194 DOF 

Giulia
Member

Makes it easier for me to find and edit.  It was an idea that Mark had that I thought was a good one.

CommunityAdmin
Community Manager
Community Manager

Giulia‌ Exactly!  It is kinda like the old profile pages that you can update with your latest and greatest tips and tricks. And it's versioned so you can always go back to a previous version if you mess something up.

Mark

Giulia
Member

Ah, of course.  I never thought of it as a profile page, but - YES!

baizelovers
Member

CommunityAdmin
Community Manager
Community Manager

Found the iOS version of the first two apps you list in case people have iphones.  SMKR doesn't appear to have android equivalent.

‎MLC on the App Store  

Smoke Free - Quit Smoking Now on the App Store 

*** None of these apps are Endorsed, Supported or Promoted by Truth Initiative***

Giulia
Member

Thanks Mark.

CommunityAdmin
Community Manager
Community Manager

Love how this document keeps growing/changing with information.

Mark
EX Community Manager

indingrl
Member

animated_1595959139237.gif Lady G

green1611
Member

Thanks a lot Giulia

Great information on one wall. I am sure many can take advantage of this in quit smoking journey.

Warm Regards

Giulia
Member

Thanks green1611‌.  I'm hoping so.

Cousin-Itt
Member

What a great thing to have

Thanks

Giulia
Member

Thank YOU for saying so, Carl.  If everyone created their own list like this, they could have it as a resource in their Quit Kits.  

Justdeda1
Member

@Giulia @CommunityAdmin

I’m having a lot of trouble navigating the how-to, to start posting a blog.  Can I trouble you please to direct me?

thanks,

deda

PS. I hope I used the @correctly, to reach you both /-8

Giulia
Member

@Justdeda1   You at (@) mentioned us perfectly!

To create a blog go to the main page and click on Conversations  https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/t5/Conversations/ct-p/conversations

Then click on Journals/Blogs:  https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/t5/Journals-Blogs/bg-p/quit-journals

Then on the right right side you'll see:  

Journal Dashboard

Click on Start a journal/Blog

Enter the subject, type the body and press post.

Hope that helps.  If you still can't figure it out, hollar back.  But I'm heading to bed, so if you at mention me again, I'll see you tomorrow.

 

 

Justdeda1
Member

@Giulia 

Thanks, Lady G

I’ll be off until Sat nite, my usual weekly break.  Interestingly (at least to me 😉), I haven’t smoked from Friday before dark through Saturday after full dark, for about 30 years. And I very rarely have had cravings during that period, and they pass easily if I have them.  That’s why people who know me don’t understand why I couldn’t just continue through Saturday night and beyond.  The mind is a very complex animal. 
See you when I’m back, and I’ll try the blog then— thanks very much for the directions (-:

deda

CommunityAdmin
Community Manager
Community Manager

@Justdeda1 

You can also just go to the home page (click home or EX logo in upper left from any page) and click the box highlighted below to Start a Journal. As you learn the site you will see there are sometimes a couple ways to do the same thing. Use whichever way works best for you.

Mark_0-1678456693009.png

 

About the Author
Member since MAY 2008. I quit smoking March 1, 2006. I smoked a pack and a half a day for about 35 years. What did it take to get me smoke free? Perseverance, a promise not to smoke, and a willingness to be uncomfortable for as long as it took to get me to where I am today. I am an Ex but I have not forgotten the initial difficult journey of this rite of passage. That's one of the things that's keeping me proudly smoke free. I don't want to ever have another Day 1 again. You too can achieve your goal of being finally free forever. Change your mind, change your habits, alter your focus, release the myths you hold about smoking. And above all - keep your sense of hewmer. DAY WON - NEVER ANOTHER DAY ONE. If you still want one - you're still vulnerable. Protect your quit!