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New, Need Help Please :)

Question asked by joy14 on Jun 2, 2018
Latest reply on Jun 9, 2018 by princessdeborahd

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Help me start? I am so overwhelmed and confused.

I have made a decision to stop smoking again. I stopped before, for about 3 yrs, but took it up again unfortuneatly due to

too many stressors in my life at that time. Now, at this point, I have been smoking again for 6 yrs. I am 62 years old and

started smoking when I was about 18-19 yrs old.

I have been reading through this site since early this morning and it seems like a wonderful place. So much information, I think I got overly excited and read so much that I am just so confused now where/when to start.

Any advice would be welcome a so appreciated. I really want to do this.

Do I quit now. Wait 2 weeks until I read everything recommended? Or .....?

Help!!??

Joy

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Giulia Jun 2, 2018 4:44 PM
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Welcome Joy! My suggestion would be to spend a couple of weeks just reading on here and setting up your quit plan. (Click on "My Quit Plan" upper right side.) Quitting takes preparation for most people. We don't just jump into the water without learning how to swim first. The stronger your preparation, the more likely your success, for the more you know the less likely you are to make common mistakes. The Best of EX is a great place to begin your education. So I would set a quit date for a couple of weeks or a month ahead. Give yourself a firm basis from which to begin. I took a month, myself, to get my head in gear and gain the education necessary. You do what you think will work best for you. After all, you know yourself best of all.

Glad you've joined us!
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- joy14 @ Giulia on Jun 2, 2018 5:08 PM
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  Thank you so much Giulia. I appreciate the great advice and thanks for answering my question!
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shashort Jun 2, 2018 5:01 PM
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Hi Joy welcome to EX! This is a great group for support and education. Education and knowledge about this addiction is a must in my opinion. My suggestion would be wait read all you can about this addiction, because that is what it is. There are exercises on this site to help you figure out where to start and learning to track your cigarettes so you get a true idea of your triggers and then what will you do to conquer that trigger. If you click right upper corner click "my quit plan and click icons to get you started. There is a lot of good information on "whyquit.com. Lots of good article such as addiction 101. Read lots of information here. There are Elders which have been smokefree 1 year or more tht can help lead you on your way to quitting. give you more reading and encouragement. This is a great place I have been smoke free for little over 2 years, and will say its the best thing I have ever done for myself. It is not easy by no means but it is DOABLE when you have knowledge and support. Feel free to ask questions, write your own blogs to let us know how you doing. You CAN do it just believe in yourself , be patient and it will happen. Look forward to seeing your progress.
Sharon
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- joy14 @ shashort on Jun 2, 2018 5:10 PM
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  Thank you Shashort! I like the advice and do feel less pressure (from myself!) now. I will start reading and preparing. So very much appreciate your response!
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joy14 Jun 2, 2018 5:11 PM
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One more question. Is there a mobile app for iphone/adroid for this site?
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maryfreecig Jun 2, 2018 5:13 PM
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Welcome to Ex---as you suspect----you really are in the right place for quit support. When reading overwhelms you, stop, break ---digest. Take what you need and leave the rest is said often around here, and this saying is absolutely true. A quit usually starts with a plan (one that you make your own when why how list), and a quit usually starts and continues with education.
You said it...stresses got to you. Here in the community you can quit with support and continue to face the task of living all of lifes challenges without smoking. Nice and easy, one day at a time. That's how the work of smobriety gets done.
Keep coming back, hang out, blog as you wish.
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- joy14 @ maryfreecig on Jun 2, 2018 5:16 PM
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  Thank You Mary!!
  
  Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for Windows 10
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Giulia Jun 2, 2018 5:50 PM
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There isn't a mobile app for EX but look at this blog: Mobile app Several people have recommended an app called Smoke Free. I think it's free but to unlock all the feature it's $4.99 (less than the cost of a pack of cigs.)

"There is not, however the site is mobile responsive. Which means, it auto-adjusts to every screen size. Typically a mobile app for communities is a very watered down experience of the full site. A mobile responsive version is more feature rich.

Additionally you can reply by email for many of the notifications so you can still participate without even entering your mobile browser.

Most of the functionality of the website is available via your mobile phone. Some additional functionality is available while you are in landscape mode that may not be available in portrait mode. Check it out!

Mark
EX Community Manager"
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- joy14 @ Giulia on Jun 2, 2018 6:28 PM
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  Thank you!!
  
  Sent from my iPad
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TW517 Jun 2, 2018 6:36 PM
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I did not find this website until I was 21 days into my quit. I was going to relapse, literally on my way to the store to buy cigarettes, when I decided to go online for help first. So I guess my answer would be it is not necessary to read everything first. But I sure think I could have saved myself a lot of misery if I had studied this addiction more before beginning my quit. Just don't wait too long!

Welcome to EX!
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- joy14 @ TW517 on Jun 3, 2018 1:00 AM
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  Thank you ❣️
  
  Sent from my iPad
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Marilyn.H.July.14.14. Jun 2, 2018 7:16 PM
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Welcome to the community you've made the best decision that you'll ever make in your lifetime so once you pick your quit date and when your Day ONE arrives stay close to this site because we're all here to help you in any way then at the end of your day ONE you can look yourself in the mirror and smile and say yay for Day WON with many more to come you can do this upcoming quit believe it, be willing determined and totally committed to succeed and you can and will be successful, quitting smoking is definetly difficult to say the least but very Doable and totally worth it to be Free. ...
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Lisaml Jun 2, 2018 11:08 PM
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Hi, Joy. I’m about 5 months into my quit, so I’m a “newbie” and don’t really know the answer to your question. Only you know the best time to quit. I would say, right now- today!;-)
I feel like it helps to have a concrete understanding of this addiction. Knowledge is power, right?
It truly helped me to understand the withdrawal process, and the ways our bodies change after removing nicotine.
I would say, develop a quit plan and then jump in! The “elders” on this site devote a ton of time and energy into sharing what they’ve learned over their sustained quits. Pay close attention to what they say, as they’ve accomplished what only 6% of quitters can do!
That statistic isn’t meant to scare you, but to make sure you go into this ready for a long haul. When you’re in, you just have to commit to the process. And you CAN succeed once you understand the law of addiction.
We are heere and ready to travel on this journey together!!!
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djmurray_12-31-14 Jun 3, 2018 1:11 AM
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Hello, Joy -- you are definitely in the right place. I smoked for 53 years, thought I'd be the last smoker on the planet, and I am two and a half years into my quit. I recommend reading "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking" by Allen Carr. That book made all the difference to me in the early days of my quit. You can also watch Allen Carr on YouTube. I promised myself I would blog for the first 30 days each and every day, good day or bad day. I actually ended up blogging for most of the first year of my quit. I'm not here as often right now, but I will check in and keep an eye out for you. I know it isn't easy but it is SO doable.
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Barbscloud Jun 3, 2018 7:39 AM
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Welcome to the Ex. I'm also a newbie at 82 days. This support on this site has made all the difference for me. I also recommend taking the daily pledge to keep your quit one day at a time. They're different thoughts, but I like having a quit day to spend time preparing for your quit. Read everything you can to understand the smoking addiction. You can enter your quit date on this site and if you choose receive text message helping prepare you prior to your date. You came to the right place.
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Thomas3.20.2010 Jun 3, 2018 8:28 AM
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Hi Joy! I like to recommend whyquit/day 1.com.
There are some wonderful ideas there which helped me.
Bottom line Recovery has everything to do with you re-claiming YOU. A good start is to decide how and when to quit.
I quit cold turkey but since then I've learned about A Smart Turkey. It made sense - to me. I set my day for the first day of Spring my favorite season, because I knew it would be harder to sacrifice that date for a Sickerette. That was only 6 days after being diagnosed with COPD. I joined multiple websites and now, 8 years later I'm here every single day first thing in the morning and last thing before going to bed.
So where do you get started? Anywhere, everywhere, just be here and be open. It contradicts the addictive nature of smoking so I don't have to feel. Recovery means you will feel - lots of things. Honestly experiencing those feelings and sharing them and then learning to let them go protect your Quit Journey.
Please share with me when I celebrate 3000 days this Wednesday. I stacked each day - one at a time.
You can. too!
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- princessdeborahd @ Thomas3.20.2010 on Jun 9, 2018 2:54 PM
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  Congratulations on 3,000 days I'm a newbie...26 hours.... you inspire me. Thank you for being here and sharing your knowledge and support!
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crazymama_Lori Jun 3, 2018 9:33 AM
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Welcome aboard. Once you've completed Smoking Trigger Tracker Tool | Guides & Tools | BecomeAnEX , please visit Newbie Quitters and 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, 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 !!!!

As an add on, this site, I found, really works because you journal your progress. If you feel uncomfortable doing that in a public forum such as this, make your own journal at home for a year. After you've been quit or have been struggling, look back on what you have written. I encourage new members to make their entries here and have other members comment. Also what helped me a great deal was going back in other members' profiles and reading from back when they first joined the site. that gave me assurance I was on the right path and also gave me somewhat of a preview of what was to come.
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desiree465 Jun 3, 2018 9:53 AM
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Welcome to the site and congratulations on your decision to live a better life. I can't wait to see how you progress.
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TurboRose Jun 3, 2018 12:37 PM
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Hi joy14 and welcome to the community. You've received excellent advice and articles to read.

Finding the Mayo clinic quit plan PDF helped me and led to my finding this community which is an immense source of support. Before I quit, I spent quite a bit of time doing the exercises in order to get to know myself and my smoking pattern. Learning about addiction was a plus. It helped me to realize the struggle is real and doesn't reflect my character, willpower, willingness or level of commitment. I recognized my smoking pattern which helped because when I wanted to smoke I was able to Stop, Think about what triggered me (e.g. I always smoked when I took the dog out, before I left the house because I didn't smoke in my car and I usually smoked once I reached my destination because I hadn't smoked on the way) and Push through the craving. I used anti-depressants to assist. I took them 3 months prior to quitting and for the first 3 months of my quit. That's what worked for me.

Find what works for you. Be honest with yourself about your challenges (triggers) and know there's a community here that offers a kick in the butt when you need it, a shoulder to cry on, an "ear to listen" and the best cheerleaders on the planet. This community embraces everyone no matter how long their quit is (1 hour or 20 years) or how many times they've relapsed. Stay with us and stay connected.
TurboRose 337 DOF
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kristen-9.7.15 Jun 4, 2018 2:15 PM
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Hi! I can't add too much that has already been said. I just wanted to welcome you!
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GyorgyiM Jun 4, 2018 4:41 PM
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Just keep it simple...
Stop Smoking....
Read..........learn...........absorb.....change...
We are ALL here to take you by the hand.....
Welcome...........if WE can YOU can.

Miles of Smiles.....
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missellen Jun 5, 2018 10:18 AM
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Hi Joy, welcome to Ex! I can't add anything that the much wiser quitters above have stated, but I will say this site has been instrumental in my quit. I've quit and relapsed so many times, it's ridiculous, but I'm not 60 DOF and that is largely due to being here, being supported, reading the material, creating the quit plan, reading some more and being supported some more. It really is a remarkable place.

We're here for you--someone really is available at almost every time of a day. If you get in a jam, need to vent, have a question, etc., just create a blog with "Help" in the title and someone will pop up to help out. Best of luck on your journey.
--Ellen
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