A little Nervous and Sad

[Susan0214]

As my quit date is approaching on March 1st, I feel a little sad about it:(  Not sure why????  I've already begun to cut back- yesterday I only had 7 cigs which is an improvement already!!!  Hope I can keep it going to ZERO on quit day!!

[Barbscloud]

@Susan0214 Welcome to the Ex and congrats on your decision to quit.  Many quitters have described quitting as losing best friend so feeling sad is common.  After all, we've smoked our way through every emotion and activity in our lives.    If you approach your quit one day at a time, it will help to alleviate the fear.  Don't think about forever right now.  Your goal for now is one day.

A big part of quitting is creating new associations to replace smoking.  There's where you plan comes into play.  This link is a great place to learn about tools, cravings and creating those associations.  It's also educating yourself about nicotine addiction plays a big role in a successful quit.

https://www.becomeanex.org/guides/

We're here to support you, so reach out anytime we can help.  Also, consider taking the Daily Pledge.  It's a great way to stay on track one day at a time.

Look forward to celebrating with you on the 1st.  I'm also a March quitter and will be celebrating 5 years on the 7th.  The knowledge and  support I found on this site finally made quitting possible for me after 50 years.

Barb

[MarilynH]

Welcome to the community @Susan0214 you've made the best decision that you'll ever make in your lifetime and it's definetly the best gift that any of us will ever give ourselves which is the GIFT OF LIFE please read everything you can because there's a wealth of information right here on this site to strengthen your resolve to kick the nicotine poison to the curb its not easy by any stretch of the imagination BUT with commitment and perseverance you will perservere through whatever comes your way and you'll do one precious day at a time or hour minute or even a second time! When your quit day arrives keep your mind as well as your hands occupied and at the end of the day you'll be able to say YAY for DAY WON with many more to come stay close and reach out whenever you need to or just want to vent we're all here to help you in any way we can you've got this believe it! 

[biscuit9]

Make sure you read everthing you can about nicotine addiction.  Watch videos  about the hazards of smoking (there are no positives) and fill your brain with all the reasons you need to quit.  Quit day 147 for me.  As for the sadness you feel, you are an addict.  Most addicts don't want to quit their addiction (well, they do want to stop but they don't want to go through the withdrawal process).  We develop a relationship with nicotine and nicotine makes sure we NEED it and nicotine reminds us we NEED it, all the time  One puff will always lead to another, ad nauseum.   

[Livebetter2023]

@Susan0214 @ I think it is natural to have feelings of sadness and nervousness.   If you haven’t read Allan Carr’s book yet, it might help with this.   He addresses the need to switch from thinking we are depriving ourselves of something (which would cause sadness) to being excited about becoming a non smoker and teaches how to make the switch.  It is very simple but makes a lot of sense.  

I’m on quit day 13 and i think the book and philosophy has been really helpful so far.  Good luck on your journey!

[Susan0214 · Accepted solution]

@Livebetter2023   Thanks so much for providing the book information, I'm going to take a look at it,  and sharing your success.  Day 13, WOW!!  Congratulations:)   I'm hopeful to get there myself. Good luck to you also, keep it going!!!!

[Livebetter2023]

• @Susan0214 you can do this! I think it is great that you are posting already.   I was really surprised how helpful that it is and it is so encouraging to receive all of the support from the community! 

[Susan0214]

@Livebetter2023 THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT AND SUPPORT!!  My quit date is March 1st, but I'm hoping to get there sooner:)  Thank you again for boosting my self confidence, I need it!!

[aswift10]

My quit day is today and I'm sad about it too - I enjoy smoking...correction, enjoyed!  Can't really say why I liked it so much considering all the negatives about smoking.  I wish you the best of luck and having only 7 cigs in a day is really good!!  

[Barbscloud]

@aswift10 Welcome to the Ex and congrats on your quit day today.  Please consider posting to My Journal/Blog to introduce yourself to the community and receive some well deserved support. Welcome to the Ex and congrats on your decision to quit.  Many quitters have described quitting as losing best friend so feeling sad is common.  After all, we've smoked our way through every emotion and activity in our lives.    If you approach your quit one day at a time, it will help to alleviate the fear.  Don't think about forever right now.  Your goal for now is one day.

It's not to late to educate yourself about nicotine addiction and to have a quit plan in place.  This link is a great place to start.  https://www.becomeanex.org/guides/?

We're here for you if you need us.

Stay close and stay  busy.

Barb