Preparing to Quit

[Music4Me]

I am undecided about medication to help with quitting but this past week I decided to see how long I could go without smoking in day.  So instead of my usual 6 to 8 cigarettes a day I was able to drop down to 4 to 5.  Should I consider this an accomplishment?  Is this a small step towards quitting?  

[JonesCarpeDiem]

As long as you don't feel you are torturing yourself it's a great step,

I went from a pack a day to 5 a day in 4 weeks.

I never counted how many I was smoking a day.

I never denied myself.

I told myself "I'm going to wait a little longer" every time I thought of smoking.

After those 4 weeks I had proven I didn't need to smoke just because I thought I did and I was ready to let smoking go.

I bought my last pack and set my quit date for the following Tuesday which was the day after New Years.

I saved one cigarette for the morning I quit in case I felt deprived or anxious.

I smoked it at 7:15 and at 10, I went and bought a pack of patches. 

I used 11 patches over the first two weeks and when I forgot to put one on two days in a row, I put one in my wallet with a promise to use it rather than smoke.

That was over 17 years ago.

[Barbscloud]

@Music4Me Everyone's quit is unique.  If it's working for you, that's what important. Havr you been reading about quit aid options?  They have helped many quitters be successful.  

Along with some aids, I cut down the week prior to my quit.  My was more structured.  I started with one every hours, then every two hours, etc. until I was down to one cigarette the last day.

Keep preparing for that quit date!

Stay busy and stay close.

Barb

[CommunityAdmin]

Hello @Music4Me! My name is Quiana, and I am a part of the EX Team. Congratulations on your decision to quit! I wanted to reach out and personally welcome you to the EX Community! We are so excited you have joined us. This is a very supportive community so feel free to keep us all posted on your quit journey reach out and let us know if you need anything.

Here are some articles that might be helpful as you prepare for your quit date: 

https://www.becomeanex.org/ex-resources/about-quitting/get-ready-to-quit/right-before-you-quit/

https://www.becomeanex.org/ex-resources/about-quitting/get-ready-to-quit/3-ways-to-get-your-support-...

Quiana, EX Team

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome!

Yes, cutting back is a good idea.  It helps maybe for you to think a bit more about each one, why you want it, what ELSE you will do then after you quit.  I like the previous mentioned method where you just give each one smoked some thought, put it off a bit

If you decide to use a quit aid, I recommend those that don't let the addict control the dose such as Rx drugs and the patch. You gradually reduce the nicotine over time with the patches.  Lozenges and gum are fine, but don't sub them for every cigarette you used to smoke.  That will simply be substituting one addiction for another.  You will need to have a plan to reduce use over time (we can help with that if you need it).  Each cigarette you smoked contained about 1 mg of nicotine. If you use more than one form of NRT, be sure you aren't getting more than when you smoked.

Understanding the addiction and having a PLAN going forward will reduce the anxiety of quitting.  Get busy learning and preparing, and I think you may actually start to look forward to this journey!  You will do this one day at a time, so don't be looking further ahead than that. 

An important thing you can do right now is to educate yourself on what nicotine does to your body and mind. I was amazed when I learned that the stress reduction you feel when you ingest nicotine is caused by the brain receptors calming that have gradually built in volume jonesing for their next fix!  I highly recommend Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking”  that brings light two other things you might not know.  You can purchase a digital version online or borrow it at your local library.  Here is a video to inform you further about nicotine addiction: Nicotine and Your Brain.

To better deal with the habit part of the addiction, 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 walking shoes on right out of bed, going for a quick walk, then taking your shower and THEN your coffee! .  Take a different route to work. Take a quick walk at break time where the smokers AREN'T.

After you have eliminated as many associations as you can, you need to distract yourself through any craves.  You can take a bite out of a lemon (yup - rind and all), 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. Don't let that smoking thought rattle around in your brain unchallenged. You might visit Games: The active ones are at the top of the list going down the left side of the page.

Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of smoke if you need some fresh ideas:

101 Things to Do Instead of Smoke - EX Community

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.

You might want to join other site members by taking the daily pledge when you quit. It helps to hold yourself accountable and also accountable to others here. Find it at Home (top left), then first box titled Take the Daily Pledge.

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