I need help!

[cdj7412]

I am struggling. I want to quit, but the advice I get is to just do it. 42 years I have been smoking. No one has told me anything helpful. No one has told me anything that helps at all! 

[MarilynH]

I'm so sorry @cdj7412 I'm just seeing your post! Welcome to the community 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 at time deep breaths and pick your quit date and when your day ONE 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. 

[Anonymous]

Yes, I had people tell me the same @cdj7412  Just do it they would say . Hearing those words made me smoke more , don’t know about you . We at Ex understand that it isn’t helpful and it’s not easy and that we need help , support and understanding .

I think you will find the Ex very helpful .We have many quitters such as yourself who have smoked many years and are now doing so well .I’m sure they will see your posts and be excited to share with you that you can do it too . 

There will soon come along others to welcome you into the community with some very good links and tips and info to help you get started . 

Welcome to Ex .

[maryfreecig]

No one has told you anything that has helped at all? If you've gotten advice from people who never smoked that might be the reason why. It's also possible that you might be hoping for a magic solution. If so, I get it. When I quit, I felt like I was dropping off a cliff. Now that you have joined Ex read blogs and info on the information pages. When you see ideas and suggestions that make sense to you, write it down or keep it in mind.

Many of us had to plan our quits. Not so much the day we'd quit, but what we'd do other than smoke. Many who are thinking about quitting get all caught up in feeling distressed about quitting, but focusing on an action plan is really important. This is your work. If you also want to use Nicotine Replacement Therapy, it's important to understand that it is only a tool, and it is important to follow the instructions. 

One step at a time, you can figure out when and how you will quit. While you are doing that Ex is here for you 24/7.

[Barbscloud]

@cdj7412  Welcome to the Ex and I 'm excited for your desire to quit.   Quitting can be difficult.  It's  so easy to begin a quit and then block out the reasons we wanted to quit to begin with. That pretty much defines an addiction-the urge to do something that is hard to stop. 

Quitting can be scary.  After all, we've smoked with every activity and emotion in our lives.  It's time to find a new way of coping.  

I have numerous attempts at quitting and it finally took me 50 years to get it right.  What was different this time?  I had a quit date, an aid, a class and cut down for a week. Sounds like a road to success.  I was fortunate to find the Ex a week prior to my quit.  I learned about nicotine addiction and that I needed a plan that would prepare for what I was going to encounter on my journey.  And for the first time, I had the support of fellow quitters.

Take the time to learn how to do this.  Part of it is mindset and part of it is hands on work identifying triggers, what tools you'll use, what associations you'll create instead of vaping, etc.   Spend time on the site, getting as well as giving support.  The early days take commitment so why not have other quitters to help you deal with the up and downs of this journey.

Consider taking the Daily Pledge to stay on track one day at a time.

This link is a great place to start

https://www.becomeanex.org/guides/?cid=footer_community_linktobex

We're here for you so reach out anytime we can help.    Going for walk is a great way to refocus your thinking and get an added boost of dopamine. 

Pick a date and begin your journey.  

Barb

[21yearsisenough]

I was a hard core smoker.   It didn’t matter if I was sick, If there were no smoking signs, if my family was begging me- I had to smoke all the time.   And now I don’t.  And I’m happy about that and at peace.  I’ve quit more times than I can count over the past 30 years and especially over the past 15.   I am now happily free of smoking and nicotine and not just white knuckling it and hanging in there.   The things that actually helped.  1) Allen Carr’s book.   2) this site 3) exercise 4) max keirsten’s quit smoking now hypnosis app 5) podcasts by michael singer.  6) watching a cigarette burn the entire way down, looking at the ash left over, the fire burning singeing lungs, and watching all that smoke, taking apart the filter, really facing how nasty they are and finally getting revolted and repulsed by cigarettes so that I can’t even touch them.  I don’t miss them because I hate them now.   Peace and freedom feel better than cigs ever did.  

[Kiki]

I wish you peace with your decision to quit cigarettes.  It’s not an easy change to make.  I was a smoker who tried to quit more times than I can count.   I believe one has to think of the benefits from not smoking more than the intermittent discomfort of quitting.  Frankly I got tired of the smell and waste and inconvenience of smoking.  I do think for me it’s a lifelong challenge to not have even one.  Kind of like AA but for smoking.  I wish I could have been successful just having one in appropriate settings but that always led me to relapse.

It’s quite liberating to not worry about non smokers being offended by the smell of my smoke whether it’s around me or on me or on my clothes or home; to not worry about accidentally leaving a cigarette “going” when I leave my house; to not worry about running out of cigarettes at a bad time; and to not worry about wasting my money by burning it to ashes.  I could go on but hopefully I made even one point that resonates with you.  Personally I have better luck with making any change when the pros outweigh the cons for me.

There are some cons to consider but they are temporary, intermittent, and none are worth sacrificing our ability to breathe freely.

i have had the best success with NRTs, specifically nicotine gum.  There are a number of options to consider and probably an Ex coach is in better position to help guide you with that.

i wish you peace with your decision to quit and success in doing it.  Cheers to all of us quitters’ continued success!

[Justdeda1]

thank you for rescuing me just now