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Give and get support around quitting

Softball67
Member

I have finally set a quit date after 30 years of never trying!!

I have set the date to Sept 5. Should I just slowly cut back or just go cold turkey that day?  Suggestions.  I have already started cutting back.  I think that's the way to go.

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18 Replies
TW517
Member

You will probably get a lot of answers on this. Everyone's quit is a little different from another's. I know some who cut back and others who smoked twice as much trying to get sick of them. I smoked my regular amount (about 15 per day) right up to my quit day, then went cold turkey. Seemed to work for me. So far 105 days nicotine free. 

Glad you're here!

Tom

YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

First, I would recommend you do some reading about this addiction.   As part of the recommended program, they will recommend you track your cigarettes and think about what else you might do instead, and then put each one off a little bit and thus naturally cut down.

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

 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

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

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mjlibbie
Member

I would suggest reading absolutely everything you can on this site as well as other stop smoking sites (just google Quit Smoking and dozens will pop up). Allan Carr's Stop Smoking the Easy Way is good too. Research cold turkey, as well as all of the NRT methods. Then decide which path would be best for you. And once you do decide, don't be afraid to tweak that method if you feel it's not working right for you. I wish I could've gone with cold turkey but it just didn't work for me. Liked the patch but wound up having an allergic reaction but rather than give in, I switched to the gum. As others will tell you though, you need to be very cautious with any NRT that can wind up as addictive as smoking (such as the gums, mints, lozenges).

MJ

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josnyder72
Member

Congratulations on setting your quit date...Keep this website close as your deadline nears...I'm sure anxiety will begin to set in (not saying this to scare you, just to prepare you and I have learned on this site that a prepared quit is a successful quit). When I quit this last time (after many attempts) just 42 days ago (so I'm still quite a newbie), I went cold turkey and before that, I cut down a bit only because I refused to buy another pack of cigarettes and needed to make that current one last until my quit date. Best of luck to you and we are here to cheer you on!!

Jo

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maryfreecig
Member

Quitting is a good thing. Follow your instinct on this, since you've already got an idea that seems right to you. Delaying especially at key times might give you pause for thought as well. Get jazzed about the renewed life that awaits you, because it is there for you to rediscover one day at a time. Heading toward a good chunk of time without the smokes and I did it cold turkey and mostly alone (came here after a good while and have stuck around). Support is a good thing, and so is sharing your experience--good, bad or in between.

Good question, thanks for asking. 

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bonniebee
Member

You have lots of good advice and a lot of suggested reading so right now I just want to say Hi and ......

                                 

                                           welcome glad you are here.jpg

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freeneasy
Member

Congrats on your decision to quit. It's never too late. I think cutting down is a good thing.Learn How to Quit Smoking (and Make it Stick) 

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MarilynH
Member

Welcome to the site, please do the recommended reading because there's a wealth of information here to strengthen your resolve to quit smoking and Remain quit and start living a life of Freedom. 

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