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Give and get support around quitting

hilaryjo68
Member

Is it worth it?

Well I guess there are many reasons to quit smoking that are very practical such as money, hate of addiction, my health, etc.   How am I supposed to even believe that I can handle this task again when I am very unhappy and fearful, and when people really don't care.   Actually, I am under a lot of stress right now?  Is is worth it at all?  Any ideas.

I notice when I smoke I can hardly concentrate at all.  I loose sense of direction and I did not get anything accomplished today.  People try to frighten me when I smoke and I guess it looks bad.   My head and neck feel bad.  I feel tired and unfocused when I smoke.

I have to quit smoking somehow to get my concentration back.

11 Replies
Mortalzeus
Member

A lot of people will follow with some wonderful ideas and inspirational support.  This community is full of caring people who want you to succeed and share your success as you move forward!  Like you, my concentration and focus was a disaster.  I too felt like I was not getting anything accomplished while I was still smoking.  Once I quit, I regained that focus and my energy and motivation doubled   One thing that helped me continuously move forward was when I adopted the mindset that my quit was a life long journey.  It helped me slow down, focus and enjoy each day of freedom.  Is is worth it ?? Oh God YES

Stay Strong and Embrace the Journey

Darren

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GyorgyiM
Member

I am sitting here....I have no clue....what's different lately? I use to love doing "this and that".....I feel tired...am I lazy? I don't have the energy, but I haven't been doing anything different in my lifestyle.....what is happening to me? I kind of feel depressed, but I really don't have anything to be depressed about.....Hummmm? Is this hopelessness? What the heck is that? I know one thing, when my health is failing, then my mind and emotions are not processing correctly. Just as muscles and organs get weak and sick, so does the mind and soul......Does some of this scenario  sound familiar?

I feel perhaps you are ready to make a choice, make a change and take your life back.....Guess what? You can start THIS SECOND and turn everything around, you health, your thoughts, your sense of happiness and accomplishment. RIGHT THIS SECOND!!!....From your last puff of poison, every second thereafter your body and mind start healing. It's just natures way....embrace that, and reach out to those who can share those wonderful feeling and experiences with you. Each and every temporary discomfort you may  feel as you progress  is just your body letting you know its working to get you back on track with your health and mindset. You have ABSOULUTELY NOTHING TO LOOSE because withdrawal is a healing process. Which mindset would you rather have? The one that you wrote about? or a new mindset of recovery and hope knowing that you cant loose when you stop smoking. Reclaim your Mind, Body and Soul.

Why? ......because I care.....

Miles of Smiles......

G.

indingrl
Member

Welcome Hilaryjo68 and CONGRATS ON NICOTINE FREEDOM... please know you are NOT ALONE... I too had overwhelming FEELINGS... quit and use quit and use then it was SUGGESTED for ME to educate MYSELF on My nicotine addiction by reading the EXPERT ADVICE blogs by Dr Hays here and to read the ELDERS blogs here by those STAYING QUIT NO MATTER WHAT TOGETHER and to go to whyquit.com and watch videos or read article on NICOTINE addictions and MY OLD nicotine behaviors and to CHOOSE MY OWN PLAN of NEW NON SMOKER LIFESTYLE ONE DAY AT A TIME these articles and SUGGESTIONS  by Joel who has been working with nicotine addiction for over 45YEARS! ALL FREE at whyquit.com and to read the FREE book by Joel NEVER TAKE ANOTHER PUFF so I took ALL the SUGGESTIONS given here and educated MYSELF on MY nicotine addiction and I been coming back here ever since TRYING to HELP the next SUFFERING nicotine addict and to give away ALL that was given FREELY to ME! ONE day is all WE have Hilaryjo68 and please remember your feelings will come and go they are fickle please keep blogging and go read for yourself to pick YOUR OWN choices for YOUR OWN recovery plan because everyone does it a little different....just like WE all use different types of NICOTINE death sticks ...some CHOSE of their OWN free will to suck on death sticks of a non filtered or  menthol or marlboros red or rolled our own or bummed death sticks off other addicted people cuz WE needed OUR FIX QUICK! Now WE get to CHOOSE whatever WORKS for US in RECOVERY to NOT USE NICOTINE! Welcome my beloved NEW RECOVERING FROM NICOTINE FAMILY MEMBER and please take what HELPS and let go of the rest to be HELPFUL is MY only aim thank you please keep on keeping on 

It is SO worth it! In every aspect of your life! You say your stressed? Smoking actually contributes to the stress. When you quit smoking, which you will, you will notice your stress level lessen. No more stressing about when you can have your next cigarette. No more stressing if you have enough cigarettes. No more stressing if you have enough money to buy the cancer sticks. No more stressing if your car is going to blow up when the smoke you meant to throw out the window flies back in! No more stressing about littering because you threw that cigarette out the window. I feel guilty about that! No more stressing about causing an accident when trying to find that smoke that flew back in while driving! No more stressing if you stink.  The list goes on and on!

~ Kristen 907 DOF

YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

You will feel so much better, mentally AND physically, if you quit smoking.  As you learn about this addiction, you will realize that most of the stress in your life is caused by smoking.

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 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

Hang in there and spend time at the site. There is endless helpful information.

You'll find, as you read what you are feeling comes with the quitting process.

Is it worth it? you ask.....  Ask any Elder, if they want to go back to Day 1??????

If they want to be a smoker???????? No one said, the road is easy, but you can

do this 1 step at a time.....There will be plenty of challenges and unexpected surprises.

Our bodies and brains have to rewire themselves. It takes TIME....Give yourself that Time........

I'm sure it will take my body a very long time.... I have smoked since I was 17 and in my 60's.......

Takes awhile to redo life without cigarettes or dip or whatever...

May today, be easier than yesterday and tomorrow better yet!  Prairie 26 DOF

Giulia
Member

Is it worth it?  Is your life worth it?  Are YOU worth it?  You wouldn't be here if you didn't think so.  We know it's worth it.  And we know YOU'RE worth it.  People really DO care.  And we're right here.

Inner Self2.jpg

Well, first of all, it most certainly is worth it.  The money you save, the health effects.  I could go on and on.  I no longer am cold all the time and can actually do things without wheezing.  I can smell so many things that I was missing for 43 years.  Please visit Newbie Quittersand read some there and also Best of EX.  Therein contains some very useful and timeless knowledge saved to share with those that are serious about quitting smoking and also understanding how nicotine works inside our brains and bodies, /blogs/Thomas3.20.2010-blog/2014/06/18/how-nicotine-addiction-takes-over-and-what-to-do-about-it   Be sure to use the search feature on the right-hand side of your screen to find answers to questions you may have along the way.  I can guarantee you that at some point or another someone at sometime has or had the same feelings you are questioning.  We're just a bunch of former smokers helping other smokers quit and stay quit !!!! 

MarilynH
Member

I agree with everyone above me quitting smoking Is absolutely difficult to say the least but very Doable and so very worth it to be Free, it's absolutely wonderful to be able to go anywhere anytime whenever wherever and however without worrying about where to sneak off to suck on a cancer stick, it's sooooooooo worth it so make the choice to quit because there's definetly Life after Cigarettes and it's the best gift that any of us will ever give ourselves which is the gift of LIFE! 

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