Hi Jean -
Here are the things I did to learn how to quit. I am only two weeks into this quit, but I'm feeling really confident and good, and I think it is because of the following things I did starting weeks before I actually smoked my last cigarette.
1) I went to a bookstore and bought four books on quitting and committed to reading at least an hour a day.
2) I committed to writing in my journal, at least a little bit every day about smoking and about my fears about quitting.
3) I surfed all the websites that Google offered under "Quit Smoking." There are many approaches, and you will know inside which ones are good for you.
4) I started to try to differentiate between who was speaking in my head. Was it the real me? Or was it my addicion?
5) And most important: I changed my routines: Started listening to soothing music in the mornings instead of the news. Started walking instead of driving when I could. Changed my hair color (!). Bought healthier foods and started eating more salads. Started going to bed earlier and getting up earlier. All these things may not seem to be directly related to quitting, but they helped me to break patterns of behavior and helped me get out of my ruts.
Getting ready to quit was an important part of the process for me, and just by coming to this site and posting your questions, as you did, is an indication that you have begun the process. Keep looking for answers and they will appear with more and more frequency, but if you stop searching, the whole process will dry up. Remember that thousands if not millions of people have successfully quit smoking, and none of them is any smarter or luckier than you or me - but they kept going, kept looking for answers, kept trying. Hope this helps.
Blessings,
Dharmagirl
