Three days, three days and I NEED HELP!!

[BigSillyGirl]

Today is my third day without a cigarette. 

I am using Nicotrol Inhaler for NRT but I feel absolutely crazy.  

I hate smoking.  I hate the way it smells.  I hate the way it controls me.  I just plain hate it.

I wish I could be around people that understand what I am going through and maybe that would help.  That is why I am writing this blog.  I am retired and have no one to help me thought this other than myself.  I can't keep busy because I have nothing to do.  I did ride my exercise bike for 50 mins and took a shower.  I have yoga tonight.

Any positive input from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

[JACKIE1-25-15]

You have come to the right place

Start here

First, by educating yourself about nicotine addiction. Education is the key to successfully quit smoking

Freedom from Nicotine My Journey Home and Nicotine Addiction 101               

 http://whyquit.com/whyquit/LinksAAddiction.html

 http://whyquit.com/ffn/

Read   

Allen Carr’s book, “Easy Easier Way to Quit Smoking”.       

The link is here 

http://media.wix.com/ugd/74fa87_2010cc5496521431188f905b7234a829.pdf

Go to the home page https://excommunity.becomeanex.org  click on   About EX tab and get started. 

[Thomas3.20.2010]

You did it! Now sit back and see the comments roll in!

[plug66]

you can do this silly, and believe me i was crazy on more than one occasion...this is not any easy path, but you will see the support come pouring in...thats why we are all here...i'm retired, life is boring from time to time, but...........go for a walk, join a fitness center meet new people....it will all help just don';t smoke

[Nix]

Welcome to the site, you are in the right place for lots of advice and support from the community

Congratulations on reaching day 3 without a cigarette. Well done.

Can you go for a walk? I found walking really really helped with my cravings and helped fill my time.

Read lots as well, there will be many links sent to you with really useful advice and read other peoples experiences from their blogs and as you progress on your journey and the number of days increase, reread everything again 🙂

Blog as well and ask questions and for others to share their experiences, you will get lots of really useful advice.

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to our community!

Congratulations on your decision to quit and your first three days!  I am glad you are here.  We can give you lots of information and loads of support!

I hope you are using the inhaler correctly and not substituting it for every cigarette you used to smoke.  A cigarette contains about 1 mg of nicotine - so, if you are using it often, you might  be getting more than you are used to.  The idea is to first try to distract yourself with things like slow, deep breathing or a crossword or jigsaw puzzle.....(there is a list of things to do toward the end of this response.)

The most important thing you can do right now is to educate yourself on what nicotine does to your body and mind. To that end, I  also highly recommend Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.” This is an easy and entertaining read.

As well, read the sections on this site, and read the blogs, responses and pages of folks you think might be helpful. You might visit quitsmokingonline.com for the good information contained there.

The idea is to change up your routines so the smoking associations are reduced.  Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand. 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.

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.  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.  Don't let that smoking thought rattle around your head alone.  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

[MePlus3]

Today is day 3 for me as well I'm using 2mg NRT gum. I know exactly how you feel about sickerettes. Here is the place to be! Thank God for music and adult coloring books that's keep me busy besides being on here half my day (a new positive addiction) I learned that smoking is mental for some when the thought cross my mind I immediately remember how much I hate them and continue doing something else. Watch a YouTube video or comedy show laughter is awesome. Brain freeze helps too if the urge get too bad but overall what's keeping me quit this time is my feelings towards them and the joy I feel when I'm free! You can do it keep stacking your days and welcome to ex!!

[Eric_L.]

you can do it!

[plug66]

the reading is excellent, and will really help

[TerrieQuit]

Hello, and Welcome to EX! I aam so glad you are here! This is a great place to quit smoking. You have been given links to great information and good advice above. Please do the suggested readings. Education, willingness to do whatever it takes not to smoke, determination and commitment are the keys to a successful quit!

I would like to recommend a group called The Daily Pledge Group. It's fun and will help reinforce your commitment not to smoke!

Just click on the link below and scroll down,we are on page 4, and take the person's hand before you and promise not to smoke!  You can state your # of days, post a picture, or simply pledge not to smoke, whatever you want! This is your quit be proud of it! Please join us!

http://community.becomeanex.org/pg/forum/topic/8480285/stay-active-in-august-it-may-just-save-your-q...

This link is also on my page and is also a featured group on our home page!

Hope to see you there!    Terrie

Don't Quit on your Quit!

If you would like to join the group, use the link below, and look to the left, there is a place that says join group, just click it!

https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/daily-pledge

If you have any trouble getting into the group, just let me know and I'll try to help!

[Daniela2016]

So what do you say? Overwhelmed by the responses?

It is exactly what this community will be doing for you along the way.

You have come to the right place to meet people who understand what you are going through.  We have all been through that, sometimes, unfortunately more than once.

Please read the documents indicated by our more experienced EX members, they helped me a lot, and I hope they will help you too!!!

[Deena-A-Yenni]

!!!!!!!!!!

[KMC56]

One day at a time...you CAN do this!  🙂

[Rick_M]

Hey we understand...WTG 3 days no smoke WoW....life starts after quitting the addiction...so welcome. There is no pleasure in smoking, it is an illusion of the addiction. Enbrace your quit cause you said it " I hate smoking". (So do We)  Don't smoke and stick with us.....it just gets better....Promise

[shashort]

Hello and welcome to the community.  As you can see you come to the right place for support.  We all are here to help get you through it.  Everyone of us knows what it is like as we use to be a smoker too.  You CAN do this. Just stick with us stay close, do the reading suggested above, snooping on reading other blogs is encouraged. You will find some good reading in others blogs as well as encouragement to keep going. Congratulations on 3 days good for you.

[Strudel]

Welcome! You are in exactly the right place! I bet you can tell that! Be sure to read the Carr book. Congrats on your quit! Stick around - keep on blogging! 

[crazymama_Lori]

make a list of things to do around your house/apartment, clean the refrigerator, rip off shelving paper, clean curtains and windows, rearrange where you usually smoked, learn a new hobby, get adult coloring books, play a game on your phone or the internet, do word searches, check out youngatheart's 100 things to do.  Put your thinking cap on.  I'm sure there's loads of things to do

[NewMe]

Tons of good advice above. You will find that if you do the suggested reading, it will really change the way you look at smoking. Education comes first, then come here every day and feel free to ask for all the support you need.That's how all of us made it through the early days, and you will find that people here are eager to pay it forward and help others succeed. This is definitely a great place to learn how to quit and stay quit! Welcome.

[BigSillyGirl]

I have made it to day four without a cigarette.  I don't want a cigarette but I sure wish these creepy feelings of crawling flesh would go away.

Didn't sleep well at all last night. I don't do well when I haven't slept well.  I go to sleep but wake up at some ridiculously early hour and then just lay there hoping to go back to sleep.

I tried reading the book by the British fella but without much success.  Focusing is difficult and I don't understand what he is trying to get across.  It seems like he's saying that this nicotine withdrawl process isn't that big of a deal.  I know that to be incorrect.

Thank you all for your support.  I hope you are al well.

[CommunityAdmin]

@BigSillyGirl

First off, congrats to making it to day 4!

Thanks for the update. Unfortunately everyone who has commented doesn't get notified that you have replied. It's a silly way our community currently functions.  It's best if you write a new post when the day switches over. That way what you post bubbles to the top.  We're working on a new community where it will be more user friendly notification-wise.

Mark
EX Community Manager

[Thomas3.20.2010]

So you may be thinking- I can't live like this! Well, you don't have to for very long! By next week you'll be feeling very different. The crawelly feeling will be gone, your sleep will become more regular, and you will be going nutty with thoughts of Sickerettes! It changes and changes....but it does get better! And very soon you'll feel better than ever! With time you'll go a whole day without even thinking of Sickerettes and you'll discover yourself! Meanwhile your body will recuperate!!!! As Mark said, write a Blog a day or even more!

[Giulia]

i think what that British fella was trying to get across was that it's easier to quit, and easier to go through the entire journey when we have the right kind of attitude.  Attitude plays a enormous roll in our perceptions.  And we can control our attitudes and thus how we want to perceive our experience.  We can look at a landscape and think of it as an inconquerable mountain, or we can think of it as a small hill.  It's the difference between "I CAN do this" and "I HOPE," or "I'll TRY," to do this. 

Positive self-talk is crucial during the quitting process.  If you awaken every morning and say to yourself "This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do and I HATE IT! " it will feel like it's the hardest thing in the world to do.  If, however, you awaken and say "OK, I made it through yesterday, I can make it through today too!" and look at the day as an interesting challenge from which you will learn new things - then you're not as likely to be as miserable. 

If you spend a lot of time reading the blogs (which is highly recommended), you'll see the difference in people's attitudes and how it affects their quits.  Latch onto the positives and reject the negatives and you'll have a better time of it!  Chin up!