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I have been thinking alot about quitting and last night even decided I was going to do it today. I smoked my last cig last night but when I got up this morning I failed and smoked. then felt guilty and put a patch on but got irratable. I found this program online and decided maybe it would be better to go thru an actual program then to try to just do it alone. Does this program work?
Welcome Newbi!
Absolutely, it works, if you're willing to work it. No program does the work for you. You have to commit, persist and never give up. Nothing or no one can do that for you, but we can advise, support, encourage, understand and do our best to steer you in the right direction. Everyone's quit is unique. For me, one of the most powerful keys was knowledge, particularly about addiction. I'm not surprised your go at quitting today didn't stick. It seems you went at it with a lot of good intention and very little preparedness.
I've found the more you know about beating your addiction to nicotine, the easier it is to quit smoking. And that really is what it is all about. You don't really even want to smoke. Otherwise you wouldn't be here. But you are addicted to nicotine, (all of us here are, or were.) Once you are on to his nicotine's ways and deceitful lies, you will find it within you to say, "NO MORE." Not One Puff Ever = N.O.P.E.
One of the best ways to get educated, in my opinion, is to read the Allen Carr book, The Easy Way To Quit Smoking. You can find a link to the free online version here. I also recommend doing the tasks outlined on this site in preparation for your quit, (even if you've already begun your quit,) because the first couple weeks, as you probably know already, are not what most people call fun, (sorry Mr. Carr.) But if you've planned ahead what you will do instead of smoking, since you won't be doing that anymore, you will get through. Once you beat the addiction, you will still need to master the old associations we wove with dopamine highs. It is a process. It is a journey. The only way to the other side, to the freedom of living smoke-free, is through. You can do this!
There are a handful of members here we all affectionately refer to as Elders; folks with sturdy, steady quits under their belts that hang around simply to help newbies like you along. Read their blogs, take their advice, trust them. They are wise, and they mean well.
Then, hang around here as much as you can. Whine, cry, scream, (wait! hit the brakes! SCREEEEEECH!!! What am I saying?) Laugh, giggle, smile and dance your way through this journey. It really is, as much as anything else, how you look at it. You are not giving up anything. You are gaining everything, from a healthier body, to increased wealth,to greater self-esteem, to a whole new awakening on life! It truly is freedom and it's yours for the taking. Sometimes I wonder if it is not better to be an Ex-smoker than a Never-smoked. You enjoy the same freedoms as they, but having been a slave to the addiction for so many days, you appreciate the freedom so much more.
So welcome aboard. We are all here to walk this journey with you. Educate, prepare, commit, and then quit. It really is as simple as that.
I am over 60 days quit because I also came here. Read, read, read and listen to the elders, and join in the discussions. Here at Ex we do it together. If you want to quit, you came to the right place.
Thank ya'll for your comments. I have been working the program getting ready for my quit date. I took my car down yesterday and cleaned it out. it is now going to be a smoke free zone. I know driving is a huge trigger for me so I thought I would start there. if I can relearn how to do things without smoking before my quit date it will be alot easier on me. I have tried several times in the past and just didn't have the will power to follow thru. I am praying for more will power this time. As I charted each cig I smoked yesterday I found that being aware of each one helped. I only smoked 10 cigs yesterday.
You're doing it right. You have the POWER; you WILL quit.
WILL POWER each and every day!
I have gotten a fair amount of heat here for recounting the techniques employed by a pay to quit program from the 1980s. One of their routines was noting when you smoke (trigger awareness). The second Big prep help was waiting after any meal or food (15 minutes week one , 30 minutes week 2 etc.). That really kicks the chemical dependency side of nicotine addiction to the side of the road. Wiping out your need for nicotine like you are doing and monitoring the triggers is huge. I was quit for the 20 years that I was married so the program did work. The marriage didn't unfortunately. You are on the right track. Managing your mind is key to success. You have to know your enemy. The tobacco slime have worked very hard to control us and keep us spending money on their poison. The people that I fear for the most are those who are absolutely certain that they can not survive without a nicotine substitute or some other crutch. Learning that I didn't need the rewards, every day is not my own personal xmas where I would go through the day with my little trigger/reward crutches, was key.
Read Allen Carr's book, learn everything you can and communicate. It will keep you on track.
Welcome!
I'm so glad you found us.
It absolutely works. I'm on day 80 and they flashed by.
You need only 3 things for it to work
1. Commitment
2. Reading reading reading = education
3. Listen to what the elders are saying.
We'll chat again.
Bree
Welcome! Glad to have you here on this journey with us! Do read Alan Car's book it helped me out along my quit journey.
Welcome! We are all here to listen. The program works.
Follow the steps.
Educate yourself and Engage
~Jaime
It absolutely works! I had already been quit for a week before I stumbled onto this site and I can honestly say that I would not have made it 7 months (so far) on my "willpower", or desire to quit, alone. I needed the support, encouragement, and occasionally tough love from those who had been down the same road I was traveling. Society makes you believe that nicotine addiction is simply a habit and that if you have enough time away from said habit then you are "over it" and I must say that is not completely true. Education is key!! Learning about nicotine, how it traps you, how it lies to you, and how CHOOSING not to smoke is the only thing that will kill it, was the MAIN thing that helped me stick with my quit. Reading Alan Carr's book also did help a good bit as well. I don't agree with his take on using support groups (obviously) nor his perception of easy quitting is... however the way he breaks a cigarette down to it's parts and pieces, showing you that a cigarette is in no way bringing you any type of joy, happiness, relief from daily stress... it is lying to you. It has no power if you don't let it but you have to get to the point where you can see that and accept it.
Read, read, read! Blogs and links and anything anyone sends you or that you come across on here.
Someone sent me a link to a different site (I can't recall the name of) that discussed neuro pathways and how that is a big part of nicotine addiction as well. It made a huge difference!!
Keep coming back and sharing and letting us know how you are doing!
The program works if you work it.
Do the readings, read Carrs book as suggested above ( it truly was a Godsend for me), get active. Blog when your happy -sad-anxious-angry. LOOK out for H.A.L.T. ( Hungry-Angry-Lonely-Tired), many have lost there quits not protecting HALT.
By prepping yourself you will be ready when the Nicodemon comes. Hang tight to us and we will catch you....you still have to do the work, make the choices, but we have your back.
Glad your here, welcome:)
I've white-knuckle quit dozens of times. I joined BecomeanEX 7+ Years ago and never smoked again!
The "hand-full" of elders can be found here ELDER'S LIST.
I agree with reading The Easy Way.
I also recommend quitsmokingonline.com and
whyquit.com as well as here!
You'll get lots of advice so...
"Take what you like and leave the rest,
to be helpful is our only goal!"
Does support work? Yes it does. But quitting is more than a program, just like smoking is more than a habit...it's an addiction. Sounds like you're willing to quit, and are looking for support ...you've definately come to the right place.
Quitting the smokes is a one day at a time process. Relearning life without the smokes is very doable--but also a one day at a time journey.
Make a plan, learn about the addiction and give yourself a chance to accomplish your goal of quitting.
Quitting is of course a great idea. A support group is useful but complex. anyone who is not smoking right now has the solution that worked for them. Key words are worked for them. Near as I can tell, some real information about the problem (smoking) is a great place to start. Do some homework and did you really think that you would wake up and it would go away? Nope. Self medicating is not a great plan either. So get to know the enemy, work out a plan that makes sense and stick to your guns.
Welcome to EX.
Congratulations on making the decision to quit smoking. You have come to the right place for a new day and a rebirth. This is all about you and what you are willing to do to be smoke free. Quitting smoking requires hard work. It can be challenging at times but you will learn that it is doable if you adhere to NOPE not one puff ever no matter what.
Start first, by educating yourself about nicotine addiction.
Education is the key to a successful quit.
Read: Freedom from Nicotine My Journey Home and Nicotine Addiction 101
Here are the links: http://whyquit.com/whyquit/LinksAAddiction.html and http://whyquit.com/ffn/
Also Read: Allen Carr’s book, “Easy Easier Way to Quit Smoking”.
The link is here: ********************************************************************
Go to http://www.becomeanex.org/how-to-quit-smoking.php#thl and get started.
We will support you. You are on your journey to freedom
.
to EX.
Does this program work? YES!
I am on day 235 and dedicate my success to this program and our fellow EXers - they are amazing!
There is no better place to be supported than with a bunch of friends who have all 'been there' or 'are going through it'.
You will not walk this walk alone, give us a chance:)
Are you still checking out this site ButterflyKeller ? I really hope that you are and the more you read about this addiction of smoking, the more educated you are to kick the nicotine poison to the curb and start living a life of Freedom because there's definitely life after cigarettes and it's super fantastic, quitting smoking is difficult but very Doable and this is site worked for me because I read everything I could find here which strengthened my resolve to stay quit one precious smoke free day at a time.
Yes, this is the real deal. I am now 850 days quit because of this site and the wonderful people here. Welcome!
Congratulations jimmie-a-littrell on 850 glorious DOF and counting WTG my friend and fellow Exer, it's great to see you,
back at you buddy!
Hello---I don't know if you are still here and have still decided to quit but I will tell you this (and hope you see it)
I will be quit for 8 years in November 2017. I would say much of the reason that I am approaching 8 years is due to this site.
But, when someone says....does this program work....I have to add........IT WORKS IF YOU WORK IT! Nothing can quit smoking for you.....YOU need to do it. we will support you all the way, NRT's can sometimes be an AIDE....but only an AIDE.....the work is yours to do.
I will say that if you quit it will be one of the best decisions you ever make.....so I hope that you quit.
I don't think I could have quit without this site... the knowledge and support is like nothing else I had found. I had attempted to quit so many times and I was so frustrated at myself! The support and advice is really great here...the Allen Carr book was also a key tool in my quit. Let me know if I can help!!
A lot of what I was going to say (and more) is already posted above. I will say that I know for a fact that I never would have made it to where I am today without the information, support, resources, tips and yes, love that is here for the taking from the Ex community. I am logging in with about a year and 9 months quit at this time. Was it easy? I'm not going to lie to you: I struggled a lot in the beginning. And without the support and knowledge you gain by reading the recommended materials here, I absolutely know I would have caved in the first few months. So read up on the addiction. Do come here and blog if you have any questions or moments of feeling vulnerable. And if you use the word "help" in your blog title, people will come around so fast to offer advice, it will make your head spin. Welcome to the community! I believe there is no better method to quit and stay quit than you will find here.
I tracked my cigarettes and identified my triggers, I planned for what to do instead of smoking when those triggers happened...they WILL happen. I read "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking." I did not find it easy but I did get a few things from the book that helped me to stay with my quit. I had many failed quits but this site gave me what I needed to stay quit, education, support, a place to come to read what others were doing. This is an addiction and it has to be treated as such, we have to work at staying quit, just like any other addict. It is a journey and not an event. One day at a time, one minute at a time when a day is too long. Smoking will do nothing FOR you, it will do lots TO you! It will not take away pain or stress or anger or depression, the addiction will lie to you, it will not take away ANYTHING except your health.
Welcome to EX, it works if YOU work it!
Ellen
I've been quit for close to 500 days, a year and 4 months or so. I smoked for 43 years with no real period of time being quit at all. What worked for me is that I tracked my cigarettes, kept a journal of when I found myself wanting to smoke and what was going on around me, either I was hungry, tired, angry, frustrated. You'll have your own personal list. I totally quit drinking when I quit because that was my biggest trigger. Once you become aware that there is no special time where suddenly the thought of smoking or even the urge of smoking just disappears, because it doesn't. You just learn to deal with it different and deal with life in general differently. We are a unique breed. We're not the weekend warrior who only smokes on the weekend. We are dependent on it. like potato chips, one is never enough. Hop on my profile, page, and click around and read some blogs. Snoop around and read other peoples' pages. Take a look at some of the groups they have here, there is Newbie Quitters, Relapse Prevention General Quitting Support Celebrating Milestones, just to give a few. there's some blogs or what I call them articles that members have written throughout the years. And yes, this plan definitely does work
YES it definitely works, but you must be in the right mindset, and ready to quit. Educate yourself through reading articles. Find out what you do when you have an urge or craving...WAIT.30 seconds....urge will go away. Stay away from your triggers that want you to smoke. Many of us have been successful on this website, and you can too!!! Good luck, it gets easier every day. Stick with it ,you will be thankful that you did. Remember NOPE-not one puff ever!!!! put on your fridge:)
Yes, it works well. You need to learn how to quit and to prepare for it. Go up to the right-hand corner of your screen and click on "My Quit Plan" and read all the information there. Here's a link to another site that I found helpful Learn How to Quit Smoking (and Make it Stick) . There are many other sources of information. Smoking the last cigarette and waking up and putting on a patch after you smoke another one won't work. I tried it and it didn't work for me either. You can learn how to do it, commit to it and it's doable.You won't regret it. Quitting smoking is the best thing you can do for yourself.