Welcome to our community!
Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking and your five days of success! You ARE doing this!!!
You might check on the strength of the patch you are using. Each cigarette you smoked contained about 1 mg of nicotine. So, if you are using a 21 mg patch, you must have been used to smoking a pack a day when you quit. You might try taking the patch off at night - but be sure to change up your morning routine so the nicotine has a chance to get back up to dose in your system. Not certain what to say about crying nonstop. I know lots of folks become more emotional without their "go-to" remedy for feelings............Is there something in your life that is especially hard with which to deal? If so - then this is just your body's natural way of dealing with it. We hid from our feelings behind that cloud of smoke - and you aren't hiding anymore. I suggest trying to get some exercise, or taking slow, deep breaths. Try to think about all the GOOD things that are happening in your body instead of how much you miss smoking. And know that all the things you thought it did for you are all lies. Read on to discover why!
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. You can search for a free pdf of it on the net (copyright enforcement won't allow me to post the link here).
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.
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
