Quit Date Tomorrow

[radio_rachel]

Here I am, about to try to quit once again! My name is Rachel. I have smoked for roughly 25 years. Usually I’ve been a light smoker and a number of times I’ve quit for a few months. Right now I smoke about 5 a day. I’m going to use the patch to lessen the withdrawal and help with the process. I imagine myself as a non-smoker being physically active, eating super healthy foods, having more energy, and having better skin. I turn 40 in 3 months and I want to be smoke free when that happens. I am starting the process of going back to school to pursue a masters degree and I feel like I need to take my health seriously. A new career will be demanding and I want to be as fit for it as possible. I also hate smoking, I’m just used to it and addicted. I always feel so much better after even a few weeks smoke free. I just need to stop going back to it during stressful times. My motivations include having a new career, eventually having a family, being physically strong and healthy, and wanting to enjoy my life more & more as I age.

i can do this, but I need support. Thanks for reading! 

[Barbscloud]

Welcome to the Ex and congrats on your decision to quit  If you haven't done so already educate yourself about nicotine addiction by reading posts on this site and create a quit plan. My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX It's not to late.   These two step were key to my successful quit. Glad you realize it's an addiction--that's the first step to understanding this journey. We're here to support you, so just reach out if you need encouragement or want to share your journey.   

Barb

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to the community!

SO happy to hear you are ready to quit at such a young age.  That should allow your body time to recover from the damage you have done to it with smoking!  Sorry you didn't find us earlier, but you can still do the work to help ensure a successful quit!  Education is really important!

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.

You didn't mention if you are using a quit aid, so I will give you my thoughts on them.  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.

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

[indingrl]

 Rachel choosing YOUR NEW non smoker life style - WAY TO GO

[Barbara145]

Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking.  We are here to support you.  I tried to quit so many times and was not successful until I found this site. Most smokers need a lot of support and understanding when they are quitting.  I found that here.  It has been just about 7 years for me.  Come to this site often.  It will help you get it done for good.  It did for me.

[noetoez]

You can do this!!

I am only a few days ahead of you in my quit. I am also a hop skip and jump from 40. There is no time like the present for us to reclaim our lives, and our health. The people on this site are very supportive and successful quitters have tons of tools to help.

[maryfreecig]

It sounds like quitting is something you already feel you can handle, but the maintaining the quit part of it has tripped you up. If that is the case, you've definitely come to the right place. Ex is for quitting, and it is also for maintaining smobriety. All too often we tend to think of quitting as an event to get over. Maybe a few do it this way, but most of us have to treat quitting as a journey whereby we progress one day at a time, one step at a time.

Smobriety means learning to walk the walk, day in day out, no matter what is going on. Just because we learn to take care of our quits on a daily basis doesn't mean that we can't live fully. High five for all the work you've done and please know that Exers are rooting for you. Yes you can keep your smobriety one day at a time.

[sweetplt]

Hi Rachel and Welcome to Ex’s...radio_rachel 

I am happy tomorrow is your quit date.  We are here to help you out.  Please do the readings and advice offered above me.  You can do this...stay close to the support site...Happy Wednesday...Get ready ... Set ... Go...

~ Colleen 590 DOF 

[Barbscloud]

Good morning radio_rachel   How is it going?

Barb