Im absolutely scared outta my mind as i approach my quit date of 01/01/2018

[Sjackson9]

I desperately need some encouragement as I approach my quit day. 01/01/2018. Am I THE only one who has or had anxiety before my quit date?

[JonesCarpeDiem]

Well, I'm Dale and you know me.  🙂

The majority will not succeed the first time although there are quite a few here who have.

I believe it's in the way you approach it. I myself spent a month telling myself to wait a little longer when I wanted to smoke. After 4 weeks I was down to 5 a day and knew I didn't need to smoke just because I thought of smoking.

I was ready. never counted. never planned. I set my quit date at the counter when I bought my last pack. That was a Friday, I quit the day after New Years 11 years ago. I

I played guitar 10 hours a day and joined website when I got off the patch at two weeks. I asked questions and did my own research online.

I've been helping others ever since.

[susan_m]

Ivan_EU‌, I was a cold turkey quitter and quit only once. After I made it 24 hours, I knew I had quit forever.  The smart turkey blog that Giulia referenced is some of the best reading on this site, along with /blogs/jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007-blog/2011/06/26/what-to-expect-in-the-first-four-months by JonesCarpeDiem‌.  I read it over and over the first few days of my quit.  

You can do it, you really can. 

[Giulia]

Ivan_EU‌  My first quit lasted a year.  Second couple lasted only 3 month each.  I've always been a cold turkey quitter.  Except the last time I was a https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/message/30772-smart-turkey  quitter.  That was almost 12 years ago.   Once I understood the addiction and had support I was able to finally break free.  Support is what  actually did it for me.   And I plan to never going back to another Day One!

[jrgar1]

        Failures to quit nicotine were way of life of mine for twenty years. The good news is each and every failed attempt led me eventually to the miracle of a permanent successful quit when my sixty birthday happened. Nic replacement therapy, chewing gum, the patch,acupuncture, hypnotized, freeze pops, tootsie roll pops and lozenges of every flavor and brand... Altoid ginger being a favorite,were all parts of the many failed quits. Someone told me, nobody ever died from cold turkey withdrawal from nicotine, but to continue smoking would be a death sentence and bitter end to my life... now better understanding the consequences enabled me to endure and accept the 3 days of physical withdrawal from the nicodemon. That seemed almost too easy..  A bit of bad news reality here is the mental and emotional battles of addiction will now haunt and nag, pester and lie to convince you to use nicotine again. The will power that may have worked for the physical withdrawal will be useless for this battlefield in the war with addiction. This is where the abstract part of the solution to the problem of addiction occurs.. We now must find and navigate on our own just what the mental emotional and spiritual issues are allowing us to give so much power to addiction. Take powerful action against addiction with the even more powerful human freedom of CHOICE. Choose to accept  the challenge,change for the better and take action to defeat and conquer addiction. O.D.A.T. N.O.P.E.  Allll Aboard the Freedom Train!

[Ivan_EU]

Thank you guys, this helps so much.

Psychologically, can you describe how did you felt better? More energy, less depressed?

[elvan]

Ivan_EU‌ Psychologically...less stressed, less depressed, an increase in self esteem...it's all tied together, smoking never did anything FOR me, despite the lies I told myself.  Whatever negative feelings I had while smoking, I still have but now with less intensity and I have given myself permission to be angry some times, to be sad some times, to feel stress some times.  I shoved all of those feelings down when I smoked, now they are being recognized as normal...what nonsmokers learned to feel as they grew up.  

Ellen

[Giulia]

Ivan_EU‌  My mind was on FIRE - in a good way.  All my creative juices started flowing.  Cravings are crazy making.  But if you harness them and use them to fuel your imagination, you will find an abundance of energy.  More curtains have been washed, cupboards cleaned, floors waxed, walls scrubbed.... during the initial stages of this journey than ever done in the course of a normal day.  I think part of that fuel for me was having tapped into a support group.  I had never been in an on-line community before and it was exciting to talk to people and learn from them and play with them.  And my writing skills increased, along with my imagination.  I HAD to figure out ways to beat the cravings and in the process developed more of a sense of humor.  I figured since cravings were making me crazy, I might as well do imaginatively crazy things to combat them.  It was either that or sit there and be morose!  lol  Oldbones began a story about the caravanmaster, Greg - his playground analogy, Tommy started the Freedom Train, etc.  So many traditions began during the craving times.  Plug into that kind of psychological creativity and you replace the "high" you initially lose when you quit smoking.  Quitting can be a most enlivening time!  

Also psychologically there's a boost you get by each day's accomplishment.  Yes, it's hard.  But when you wake up having conquered another day - that's pretty exciting.  

[Ivan_EU]

It is so fascinating to hear all this. And to be in this support group

So setting a deadline should be number one step, correct?

[maryfreecig]

Hi Ivan, To your question--not really, deciding to quit is step one. It's not a deadline, it's a date to let go. My two cents worth only.

[jrgar1]

      Making decisions is the most passive and non-committed behavior we humans and addicts do in the course of our everyday lives. Deciding to do something does not make it happen. We need to make a plan of action to achieve the results required to bring our desires wants and needs to fruition. Deciding a quit date is only a commitment to a deadline. Deadlines are finishing the story, the end of the job so to speak. The effort, challenge and adventure only now begin for us. The quit date deadline comes and goes. Now we face the quitting head on with the urgent and immediate course of action required to attain a permanent peaceful quit. Events happen before we need to make decisions. Such as, car will not start. Out of gas?  Dead battery? Need a tow truck? Solutions will come with different levels of difficulty and will all require action. Maybe you made a decision to replace badly worn tires. Take no action to replace them and pay the consequences of an accident on snow covered roads. So it goes events also happen after we decide something.. to be a doctor.. skydive.. learn another language.. We must take on the challenge of committing all our efforts and energy to conquer our addiction to nicotine. Our awesome human freedom power of choice will enable us to take the action needed to realize success, satisfaction and purpose in our quitting. Never quit quitting! We can do this! You can do this! O.D.A.T. N.O.P.E.  Alll Aboard the Freedom Train