Habit Replacements & Other Advice

[Kitsune13]

I really need to figure out a habit that I can replace smoking with. One thing that keeps happening is that my brain gets stuck like a skipping record....all I can do is think I want/I need....don't need to finish that do I?! I am so disheartened. This is my millionth quit, and I've botched it so badly every single day.

The one time I succeeded in quitting for 3 straight days was when I used nicotine patches. So I've dug those up and I'm trying again with the patch. I kept reading that the best way to quit is cold turkey, and I thought that was right, but 1 pack a day for 42 years has maybe over conditioned my body to respond in a haywire manner to no nicotine. (I seriously couldn't read! I kept trying to read different entries on this site and Why Quit but the words were soup!)

So...any pointers, any help at all would be so very gratefully received. I make jewelry and used to love doing all kinds of things...drawing, embroidering, carving etc. Yesterday I grabbed a small and valuable piece of Baltic egg yolk amber and began drilling it and plink! It cracked. So I'm leaving the very valuable things alone right now. Anyhow, thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope I put it in the right place!

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to our community!

You are in the right place!!!
 
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. 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 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

[MarilynH]

Welcome to the community please read the recommended reading above me and keep reading everything you can about quitting smoking and remaining quit because there's a wealth of information here to strengthen your resolve to kick the nicotine poison to the curb and start living a life of Freedom, you can and will be successful one precious Smokefree Day at a time or hour minute or even a second at a time quitting smoking isn't easy by any stretch of the imagination but boy oh boy it's so worth it to be Free......

[shashort]

Hi welcome to the community. Reading and educating ourselves about this addiction is a must so we know what is happening and so we understand what we are going through.  Do the reading Nancy gave you and read lots of blogs here which will help you see how others are getting through.  If you need NRT by all means use them to help you.  Start telling yourself now that you do NOT want or NEED smokes.  Tell yourself positive things like I CAN do this!! I don't do that anymore!! NOPE (not one puff ever) will be things you learn in the reading.  Start thinking of things you can do to distract yourself when the cravings start.  You CAN do this. REad and prepare for your final quit. We are here to help.

[JACKIE1-25-15]

One noticeable difference between habit and the disease of substance abuse addiction is the amount of effort and time required to change the behavior. Altering habits requires minimal effort, time, and attention. On the other hand, addiction often demands an integrative, long-term plan to treat negative physical symptoms like withdrawal as well as the emotional disconnect between body and behavior.

https://journeypureriver.com/habit-vs-addiction-4-questions-determine-difference/ 

[Giulia]

Yes, you posted in the right place.

My advice would be to think of your quit as that valuable piece of Baltic egg yolk amber.  Every time you think about smoking, every time you consider the act of it - you're putting a crack in your quit.  Essentially you are drilling into that piece of amber that is your quit and creating minute fault lines.  So don't go there.

Do not mistake.  This is not a habit, it is an addiction.  They follow hand in hand, especially with the hand-to-hand motions of smoking - but they are different.  Smoking changes our brains.  It creates new nicotine receptors where there were just a few.  If you haven't watched the videos about that - do.  They are quite illuminating.  If you don't know where they are - ask.

In my opinion you don't need to substitute a "habit" for a habit.  Nor do you need to do so for an addiction.  You need to understand WHY you smoke.  You need to understand the addiction in general.  Perhaps you've had a zillion quits because you never delved into all that "stuff."  I didn't.  I didn't know a THING about smoking - except I knew it was bad for me.  

This site will give you the knowledge you need to overcome this addiction.  Not only the plan itself, but the members here who have been there, done that.  

We all began our journey to freedom the same way - through educating ourselves about the addiction.  So stick around DAILY.  Read.  Learn.  Grow.  Try.  Trust.  DO.  We're all here walking along with you.  This millionth and one quit attempt CAN be your last.  How badly do you want it?  What are you willing to do to achieve it?  What are you willing to sacrifice?  How high on your priority list will you place it?  Are you willing to accept the journey?  At any cost?  These are questions you need to ask and answer for yourself IF you want freedom from this addiction.  This is what it takes.  You got it in you?  If "I don't know" is your answer, then you need to find the "YES, I've got it in me!"  You can find that right here by reading the blogs of those who had it from the 'get go' or discovered it along the journey.  Reading (education) is the key to success.  

[SimplySheri]

So glad you found Ex and so glad I took the time to read your post   You sound like a fantastically creative person so use that to make your quit bearable!  When you start thinking "I want/need...." finish it with "to do some artwork"  or "to change my thinking" or "a cup of hot tea".  This is your time to make everything you love more important than your addiction   Recovery is a process, not an event and it takes time to replace negatives with positives.  Do what you have to do to stay smoke free.  For me that included not going into gas stations but paying at the pump instead and avoiding the back porch where I used to smoke each morning.  Know that you can quit and remain smoke free.  It's all in your mind and you really do have control over it!!  I believe you can...now its time you believe you can.

Sheri

[elvan]

Welcome to EX...I really cannot add anything to what has been said...the biggest thing is that this is not a habit, it IS an addiction.  I have heard that it takes three weeks to get over a habit...getting over an addiction is one day at a time, one moment at at time.  I understand that you smoked for a long time and that you have quit countless times...you are NOT ALONE.  I smoked for 47 years and I really do not have any idea how many times I let myself down by smoking.  I have a constant reminder though...not cravings, those are gone now.  I have not smoked in over 4 1/2 years...thanks to this site...the people here have supported me through some of the worst times in my life and they were not smoking related.  Education was a HUGE part of beginning my recovery.  I am a retired nurse and I knew perfectly well how much damage smoking could do...I took care of many patients who died because they kept smoking.  For some reason, I thought I was unique...I thought it would not happen to me.  I am pretty sure that I expected to quit a LONG time ago and maybe that was why I was in denial.  

This really is a journey, I hear all of the issues you are having...the inability to concentrate, I had a doctor tell me once that the reason so many smokers complain about feeling disoriented or confused after they quit smoking is because they forgot how to breathe because they were substituting smoking for breathing.  Take a deep breath IN, hold it for a few seconds and exhale slowly.  It really does help with both the craves AND with concentration.  We are all here to help you and we have all been where you are, there are no shortcuts on this journey.  There are aides such as patches and gum or medications like Chantix or Wellbutrin but it all comes down to you...the smoker.  Commit to being smoke free and make NOPE, Not One Puff Ever...your mantra.  Stay close to the site and lean on all of us, that is why we are here.

Best,

Ellen