New to Site Question

[Iamkfaz]

Hi,  I'm new here and I'm working on my plan.  Question:  should I track my smoking for a few days before moving on to the next step?  Thank you

[JACKIE1-25-15]

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.  Go to http://www.becomeanex.org/how-to-quit-smoking.php#thl and get started and follow the steps which does include tracking.. 

We will support you. You are on your journey to freedom

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/

I also encourage you to read. Allen Carr’s book, “Easy Easier Way to Quit Smoking”.       

The link is here:  http://media.wix.com/ugd/74fa87_2010cc5496521431188f905b7234a829.pdf

 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

[Puff-TM-Draggin]

Hi kfaz.  Welcome!

I don't think it's necessary to stop moving forward with your quit plan just to track your triggers.  If you want to be as prepared as possible, I would work through steps 1-2-3 before quitting, but don't delay moving through the preliminary steps over analyzing.  Just answer the questions based on your best recollection.  You can always go back and review, update, and edit as necessary as you become more familiar with the concepts.  I think it is helpful to go into your quit with as much knowledge and information about addiction and quitting as possible.  We all feel we are quitting smoking because that is the visual but, in reality, you are going to be quitting an addiction.

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 you've 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.  How difficult it is, more than anything else, is how you perceive 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 addiction for so long, you appreciate 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.

[elvan]

Iamkfaz‌ Welcome to EX.  Really happy to see you here,  I tracked my cigarettes and triggers and I planned what I would do instead of smoking when triggers occurred, they WILL occur.  You will have good days and bad days but you have them smoking or not.  Education is a huge key to success in this quit, I was an RN for years but somehow, I did not think that the bad effects from smoking would hit me...even as they were hitting, I denied it.  You will get all of the education and support you can imagine on this site.  I used NOPE constantly, I read everything that was recommended, I read the blogs,  I stayed very close to the site.  I asked questions and I paid attention to the answers. I realized that I was getting stronger and stronger emotionally every day that I stayed quit.  Quitting is a journey, it is not a one day event...you can do this, it is very DOABLE!  It is worth every uncomfortable moment at the beginning of a quit to reap the benefits of not smoking, the physical benefits, the emotional benefits, and the new friendships you will make here.  JACKIE1-25-15‌ and puff-tm-draggin‌ have both given you solid advice.  I would also suggest going to JonesCarpeDiem‌'s page and reading "What to expect the first 140 days" and to YoungAtHeart‌'s page for suggestions and links.  Stay close by, read, commit, rinse and repeat!

Welcome,

Ellen

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to our community!

Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking.  It is one you will never regret.

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 also highly recommend Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.” This is an easy and entertaining read.

You should also read the posts here and perhaps go to the pages of folks who you think might be helpful. You might visit whyquit.com, quitsmokingonline.com and livewell.com for the good information contained there. @https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-ex has lots of blogs written by members of this site with their experiences and guidance. You should also do the tracking and separation exercises suggested in My Quit Plan http://www.becomeanex.org/my-quit-plan.php.  You can get a general idea of your cigarette use in just a few days - and then just spend a couple of days delaying each one you smoke.  I actually did not find this site until four days after I quit - and I am working on five years quit - so those activities aren't always paramount.

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. Buy your gas at a different station. Take a different route to work. Take a quick walk at break time where the smokers AREN'T.

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:

https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instea...

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

[Thomas3.20.2010]

Yes - track but more important Pay Attention! https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/message/73969-pay-attention?sr=search&searchId=1e2783ec-760f-4dd2...‌ 

There is so much wisdom here! Go to Best of Ex and READ READ READ!