Keeping your fingers crossed is a GREAT idea! You can't light or smoke a cigarette with them that way!
Congratulations on your one week quit! To be long term successful, I hope you will educate yourself on this addiction. I will give you free ways to do that!
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 highly recommend Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.” This is an easy and entertaining read. Here is a link to a free PDF version of it:
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 whyquit.com and 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:
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!
Welcome to the site, do the recommended reading above me because there's a wealth of information here to get you through the rough patches and keep your quit strong so you can keep stacking up your precious smoke free days, say I can succeed and you will succeed. N.O.P.E - NOT One Puff Ever will give you a beautiful smoke free life.
Welcome to EX, dclev! Just remember that luck has nothing to do with whether or not you will continue to be successful as a non-smoker. It's actually about making the decision to be a quitter and to stick by that decision regardless of circumstances that may occur. You are going to LOVE being an EX-smoker!
Hello, and Welcome to EX! We are so glad you are here! Congratulations on 1 week!This is a great place to quit smoking. You have been given links to great information and good advice above. Please do the readings and listen to the Elder's (folks with 1 year + quit) They know a lot about this addiction. 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 (that is featured on our home page) 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 and take the person's hand before you and promise not to smoke! You can state your # of days, post a picture or whatever you want! This is your quit be proud of it! Please join us!
