It takes time & committment

[MarilynH]

When I was in the throes of the horrendous cravings and moodswings and lack of sleep I'm so thankful that I had this awesome community to come to vent and once I stopped and really thought about how many decades I smoked which was 40 years of roughly 30 smokes a day then it made perfect sense that it was bound to take time to relearn life without the crutch of cigarettes it didn't make it any easier in those early weeks BUT I knew that I was going to get through the roller coaster ups and downs and into that good place in my quit and so will all of you that are struggling, you can do it! Believe it stick with N.O.P.E and vigilance which guarantees you a Smokefree Life it's not easy by any stretch of the imagination BUT boy oh boy it's so worth it to be Free and besides anything in this life worth having takes time and effort and our lives literally depends on us to stick with our quits N.M.W - No Matter What ......

[sweetplt]

Hi Marilyn...the struggle is real...but keeping with NOPE helps NMW...Have a great Saturday...I hope everyone is having a good time in Virginia Beach...maybe someday we can join...Hugs ~ Colleen 166 DOF 

[YoungAtHeart]

'Morning, Marilyn!

I brought COFFEE!!!

[sweetplt]

Me too...LOL

[SimplySheri]

Good morning, sunshine   What a lovely way to start the day....reading a Marilyn post full of hope and positivity!!  Thank you for your dedication to this site and to us, my friend!  You are so appreciated and loved

[Christine13]

Good Morning sweet Marilyn!  I am enjoying the morning and helping myself to coffee.  I hope you have an awesome day!  You are wonderful!

xo

[Deena-A-Yenni]

Gooooooood Mornin' VietNAM.  Saaaaaa-Lute Miss Marilyn!!  NEEDED the good word today.  Thanks for all that you do and you do it well.  SMILE.  Yes please on the coffee!!

[anaussiemom]

Good Morn.

[razzelbal]

Like your blog they are upbeat and helpful.

[Mossie]

I find you blog very helpful.  It is nice to just know that others have struggled and made it.  I am trying very hard to stay with the plan.  The quote about repetition was a nice reminder that yes if we keep doing the same thing over and over, it does become easier.

THANKS

[MarilynH]

You are so very welcome stay close because we're all here to help you in any way we can.....

[Lyn444]

Smoked my last cig an hour ago. Hoping tomorrow i will get through the ups and downs. Taking it one day at a time. Appreciate all the stories and helping comments in this community. Blessings! 

[MarilynH]

Welcome Lyn444 to the community you've made the best decision that you'll ever make in your lifetime and it's definetly the best gift that any of us will ever give ourselves which is the gift of LIFE, stay close because we're all here to help you in any way we can you can do this quit believe it deep breaths and take it one precious Smokefree Day at a time or hour minute or even a second at a time and you will succeed you'll be turning your Day ONE into DAY WON with many more to come.....

[Gointotryagain]

Maybe I missed something, but what does NOPE stand for?

[OldBones-Larry]

Not One Puff Ever

[Gointotryagain]

Thank you OldBones! God bless 

[YoungAtHeart]

Here is a link to the other abbreviations common here on the site:  https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/message/217455-re-where-are-the-termsabbreviations-located?commen... 

[Jazzy326]

Hi I’m Jeff. My quit date is Sunday 4/5/20. I just found out I may have asthma or COPD. Been smoking for 31 years since 1989. I must have tried to quit 100 times. 
I feel confident I can quit but my girlfriend smokes in the house and she has COPD! The only real support I have is my brother, sister in law and a friend. I hope to get more support from this group. BTW I enjoyed reading your post.

[MarilynH]

Thank you Jeff Jazzy326 and welcome to the community we're all here to help you in any way we can I'm not real tech savvy to post links that'll help you but I'll mention a couple of people that are alot more tech savvy than I am YoungAtHeart JonesCarpeDiem this is an older post but I'm glad that you readg it, stay close and read everything you can because there's a wealth of information right here on this site to strengthen your resolve to kick the nicotine poison to the curb permanently it's not easy by any stretch of the imagination BUT it's absolutely Doable. 

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to the community!

The 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 easy and entertaining read provided a world of good information about nicotine addiction, most of which I was not aware.  I credit it in large part with my success at quitting.   You can search for it online or at your local library.

 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, quitsmoking.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. Here is a video to inform you further about nicotine addiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpWMgPHn0Lo&feature=youtu.be.

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 after you have tried to delay and distract.   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.  You need to start out with a plan to reduce use of them over time - which the patch does by decreasing the dose contained in them..  For the gum, you can start by cutting each piece in half, then in quarters, then sub regular gum of the same flavor in between, adding more and more regular gum.  For the lozenge, you need to start subbing a mint in between to begin, increasing the number of them over time. I do not recommend the e-cigarette for four 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,  3) it maintains the addiction to nicotine, and 4) they are proving to be unsafe.

It will be informative if you do the tracking and separation exercises recommended here on the site. As you track each cigarette smoked, note its importance, and what you might do instead. Put each one off just a little to prove that you don't NEED a cigarette just because you think you do.
 

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

[Tsaddik1]

Thanks, Marilyn. You give me hope!

[MarilynH]

You're so very welcome Tsaddik1 it's extremely difficult at times but thankfully with commitment and perseverance it's definetly doable and so very worth it to be Free.....