Give and get support around quitting
I don't think I'm using this site correctly but I'm trying. Yes, 2/27 is my quit date but it feels like the more people I tell the more angry I feel inside......does that make sense to anybody?
Mary
It sounds to me like you believe you are giving something up and you are angry about it. In fact, you are not giving anything up! It's a lie of the addiction that has you believing 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:
http://media.wix.com/ugd/74fa87_2010cc5496521431188f905b7234a829.pdf
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. You should also do the tracking and separation exercises suggested on this site
After you have completed the recommended reading, it will be time to make an informed choice of the quit aid, if any, you will use. If you go that route, I personally recommend the aids that don't let the addict control the dose such as the available prescription drugs or the patch. If used properly, gum, lozenges and inhalers are fine, but they need to be used only as a last resort. I have seen folks become addicted to them if they substitute them for every cigarette they used to smoke - just trading one addiction for another. I do not recommend the e-cigarette for three reasons: 1) the vapor has been compared to the polluted air in Bejing on a bad day, 2) they just provide another nicotine delivery system while continuing the hand to mouth smoking motion, and 3) the batteries can spontaneously catch on fire. . But – any method that you think will work well for you will be best for you.
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. Get busy! Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of smoke if you need some fresh ideas:
http://community.becomeanex.org/pg/blog/read/5711492/100-things-to-do-instead-of-smoke
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!
Nancy
Check out Community Help for getting info on how to use the site. The members responded to your post ( https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/thread/6371-re-why-the-cravings ) with some suggestions.
Why do you feel angry? While I don't know the feeling you might have inside I know there are other posts that are similar throughout the site that are similar to yours. Maybe they can help.
There are a lot of successful quitters on the site who have all quit in their own unique ways. Having an open mind and educating yourself will probably contribute to a successful quit.
Mark
EX Community Manager
So, I am almost 5 months into my quit and I still get the cravings from time to time. Geez, it's only February and it has been unseasonably warm outside...the other day it made me think of cocktails and cigarettes on the patio..where the heck did that come from? It was a craving through and through. Thank God I was driving when I had that one, it was a lot easier to ignore it. Yup, still get the cravings, however, they are not as bad now and I feel I am strong enough to fight them off.
this blog is from 2008
jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007 wrote:
this blog is from 2008
Yup. I know. mrusso3 commented, so there must have been something in it she connected with in relation to her quit. The topic of cravings is still relevant too.
Thanks YoungAtHeart for stopping in an replying to Mary.
Mark
EX Community Manager
Thanks everyone for your advice. I know that I must do this and I know that my life depends on doing this. The other day I was asked by my best friend "do you have a death wish". That made me mad. People that aren't addicted to nicotine have no idea how this feels. But then as the article from Allen Carr states.......I SHOULD NOT think of this as an addiction but more like a bad habit that given a few moments the urge will disappear and I'll feel better, look better, save money, and possibly be around to see my grandkids get married.
Mary