cancel
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Connect with others living with health conditions

tammiez
Member

Hiya! New here. 7 days quit on the patch!

Anybody here?

Labels (1)
Tags (1)
11 Replies
YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

  I'm here!  Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking and your first SEVEN days!

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 it online or at your local library. Here's a link to a video here on the site which describes nicotine addiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpWMgPHn0Lo&feature=youtu.be.

 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.

 I am happy to read that you chose to use the patch - it doesn't allow you to control the dose and you are unlikely to become addicted to IT, unlike lozenges, gum or the inhaler.

The idea is to change up your routines so the smoking associations are reduced.  Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand in a place different from when you smoked. Maybe switch to tea for a bit.  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.  Keep a cold bottle of water with you from which to sip. 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

elvan
Member

Welcome to EX, you have gotten the GOLDEN WELCOME from YoungAtHeart‌ and if you pay attention, you will be just fine.  DO stay close to the site...unload on us, remember that we all started where you are and we made it to wherever WE are one day at a time.  There are no shortcuts and there is no fast lane.  One day at a time, one moment at a time.  No crave ever killed anyone but no one can say the same thing about smoking.  

Congratulations on your first week...we "affectionately" call that HELL WEEK.  You have gone through the most difficult part already, be patient, it takes time but it DOES get better, I promise.  I suggest that you write a blog instead of starting a discussion...blogs tend to get more attention and give you an opportunity to introduce yourself to the community.  If Nancy had not responded to you, I am not sure how long it would have taken me to find this discussion, then again, I am not the most tech savvy person in the world...UNDERSTATEMENT of the century.  

I do suggest reading a blog written by JonesCarpeDiem‌ some time ago...I read it over and over again.  I am putting the link in here:  /blogs/jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007-blog/2011/06/26/what-to-expect-in-the-first-four-months   My mantra came from here when I started, it was NOPE, Not One Puff Ever. It was really simple to remember and I could say it silently, softly, out loud, or I could YELL it if I needed to.  There are a LOT of people here and every one of us want you to succeed at quitting...it is a better way of life, it IS life and not certain damage to your body.

Ellen

0 Kudos
Barbscloud
Member

Tammie, welcome again.  You're on the right track now to get more responses and support.

Barb

0 Kudos
tammiez
Member

Thanks. I find this site so confusing and hard to navigate. Hope I catch on soon. 

0 Kudos
elvan
Member

I find it pretty confusing myself but I am not the fastest person to catch on to technology...I didn't even know there was a group for people with disabilities...  We migrated over to this site a year ago last January, I think...I was much more comfortable with the old platform but I tend to keep my shoes until they fall apart too.  Change is challenging, to say the least but I have accepted the fact that I will never know all of the bells and whistles this site has to offer...I just cannot possibly learn everything.  What I do is to sign in, go to the home page, read blogs and comment as I can, take the Daily Pledge, and try to welcome new people and check to see how others are doing.  We all want to help you with the site and with your quit.  Hang onto BOTH of them.  We all want to help you with your quit and with the site as much as we can.  

Ellen

0 Kudos
freeneasy
Member

Good job- We hear ya!  Keep stacking the days. You can do it!

How to Quit Smoking for Good 

0 Kudos
Roller831
Member

Hi and welcome!  I also found the site harder to navigate.  If you stick with what Nancy recommended you read, it will take you around the site a bit.  Best of EX‌ is a great place to start!  The more time you spend here, the easier it is to navigate.  Reach out and ask for help when you need it and someone will surely respond!

Welcome again!

Roller

maryfreecig
Member

I'm here. Congrats on your quit and welcome to Ex.

0 Kudos
YoungAtHeart
Member

You might find this helpful, as well:  https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/community/community-help/blog/2017/02/14/ex-to-ex-instructions .

Remember that you don't have to learn how to do it ALL immediately.  You have found the blogs - so get comfortable here,...then maybe explore something else.

Nancy