Quit journey Nov.2 18

[Cergin73]

So. At 10pm on Nov 1 2018 I smoked my last cigarette. Took a shower and then placed a left over patch from 2 years ago when I quit last time.then washed my clothes and went to bed. I awoke about two hours after sleeping due to being to hot and nauseated. Unable to go back to sleep I found this website read bit and then fell back to sleep. Day one seemed ok kept really busy then when got home I was exhausted and took a nap. 

Day 2.really irritated short fixed.. Kept busy. Just telling myself this to shall pass. Good luck peeps.. One day at a time your worth it. Deep breathes keep on going. 

[Mandolinrain]

Nancy will be along within a day or so to give you some info, meanwhile, welcome to EX!

This site is the place to be. Fill your brain with info herE. read-read read BLOGS! Congrats to you, looking forward to getting to know you

[Barbscloud]

Welcome to the Ex and congrats on your quit.  Stay close to this site an education yourself on everything you can; it really helps.  If you need support, reach out. 

Barb

[SaraCorinne]

I took a LOT of naps in the beginning of my quit.  I figured, you can't smoke when you're sleeping!  I tell myself, I don't do that anymore when a craving hits or simply say NO, it really does work/help!  I'm glad you stumbled across this site.  It's been a life saver for me!  The people here are so wonderful and full of ideas & suggestions.  Everyone here has the same goal, to free themselves from smoking!  Don't be a stranger and let us know how you're doing!

Sara 78 Days Of Freedom

[maryfreecig]

Welcome to Ex. You are in the right place for information, support and good community. Stay strong, keep reading.

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to our community!

Some people find they cannot keep a patch on overnight...you might try putting a fresh one on in the morning, instead of at night.

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 is an easy and entertaining read. You can search for it  online or at your local library. Here's a link to a video here on the site which describes nicotine addiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpWMgPHn0Lo&feature=youtu.be.
 
 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.
 
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

[Bandguy]

Just finished my first week, hang tough, yes it sucks but you can do it, a week into it, it I can see signs of things getting better and am more he person I want to be.

[elvan]

You CAN do this...it really doesn't have anything to do with luck.  It's got a LOT to do with education, support, and commitment.  The first two are available in abundance right here...the last one...the commitment, you need to bring yourself. You might want to take the Daily Pledge every morning to reinforce that commitment. https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/thread/19247-the-daily-pledge-november-2018 

Welcome to EX, glad that you found us.

Ellen

[JACKIE1-25-15]

 Law of Addiction "Administration of a drug to an addict will -reestablishment of chemical dependence upon the addicti... Congratulations on making the decision to quit smoking.  You have come to the right place for support.  One puff will always take you back to full-blown addiction.  Understand the law of addiction."

Administration of a drug to an addict will cause re-establishment of chemical dependence upon the addictive substance."

Therefore NOPE, not one puff ever will keep you free.  When we start this journey sometimes we have to change the people places and things for a while in order to make a change.  We have to set boundaries and let our friend and family know that we are quitting smoking.  One day a time with support quitting is doable.  

Start First, by educating yourself about nicotine addiction.  Education is the key to a successful quit.

Read: Freedom from Nicotine My Journey Home and Nicotine Addiction 101   Here are the links      http://whyquit.com/whyquit/LinksAAddiction.html   and http://whyquit.com/ffn/  Also Read   Allen Carr’s book, “Easy Easier Way to Quit Smoking”.  Which can be purchased of found pdf format on the internet. You can start here My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX  Help Community to learn how to navigate around the site. 

[Giulia]

How's it going?  Don't you give up now, ya hear?!