Preparing for my quit

[JJOlive]

I feel excited and scared and ashamed all at once. Excited to finally beat this, scared I am too weak as a human and will fail. I'm ashamed I'm still smoking and haven't been able to quit yet. I am ready to feel good about myself, not embarrassed by my actions. I expect to have a feeling of accomplishment. I have never actually planned for a quit before, I would just get disgusted and throw them away. This feels different, like a real plan with a community. Onward we go!

[sweetplt]

HI and Welcome to Ex’s JJOlive 

I am so glad you found our site.  This made a big difference in my quit...planning, education (knowledge about addiction and quitting), and hard work.  Also, coming here for support and helping others in this journey.  Please don’t be ashamed, we are addicts and kept feeding the monster...quitting is better late than never, and I am so happy you are having excited and nervous...that was how I felt...think one day at a time...Day 1 as Day Won...Make this your number one priority.  You can do this and we are here for you...Congratulations...1/2 the battle is planning, now to the win the war...Happy Wednesday Colleen 555 DOF 

[Barbscloud]

Welcome to the Ex and congrats on your decision to quit.  Having mixed feelings is normal.  I overcame the fear when I realized it was a choice. I could smoke again if I choose to, but only had to not smoke one day at a time.  There's nothing to feel guilty about--nicotine is an addiction and it's hard to quit.  Educating myself about nicotine addiction and having a quit plan made all the difference for me.  In the past, I'd pick a date and an aid and not put in preparation into my quit.  Of course I failed numerous times.   For some of us not doing it alone can be key.  Having the support of this community really made a difference for me.

We're here to support you.  Just reach out if you need support or share your journey.

Barb

[maryfreecig]

Hi JJOlive, welcome to Ex. Thanks for introducing yourself and sharing your plan to quit. Stick with Ex, blog, comment, read, learn as much as you want. You've already got a whole community of quitters rooting for you! 

/blogs/oldbones-larry/2020/05/08/two-sides by Larry

[Mandolinrain]

Welcome to Ex! Your at the right place. We will help you through this journey and your going t love this community! Read on the many blogs as much as you can and ALWAYS come here and ask for help if you get the desire to smoke. All in upper right corner is a looking glass for search. Anything n particular that you need help with, type in there and you will find blogs related exactly to that

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to the community!

You are getting wiser as time passes!  Education, planning, preparation, support and commitment are keys to a successful quit, and you have decided to join us for it all. We can help with all but the commitment.   AND, once you accomplish quitting smoking, you will feel like there is nothing you can't do.  That boost in self confidence is awesome!!

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 obvious reasons.

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

[AnnetteMM]

How fortunate you are that we're all human, too.  We've experienced all the exact same feelings of guilt and shame and disappointment in ourselves. It took all of us a long time to get here. Some of us have had to hit bottom first in terms of illness or disability. Some of us had "aha" moments. Some of us read the writing on the wall. Makes no difference how you got here. Welcome!

[Deena-A-Yenni]

Welcome!!  Education is key.  Read Read READ!!!!!!

[Giulia]

How's it going?  Making any progress?  Getting your head around this monster?  Have a good plan?  Keep at it.  This battle isn't won in a day.  Humans are weak but also conquer.  We just need to find the conquerer part of us.  Keep working at it.  None of us found this easy.  But many of us vulnerable souls managed to conquer it.  You can too.  But it takes perseverance and commitment.  Find it.  You can do this.