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

Give and get support around quitting

Never_again
Member

Confusing

When I quit before this site was so different...I am having a time figuring a this out. Had a great day today working on my jeep. Day 2 is almost over! Have a great smoke free night!  

13 Replies
SimplySheri
Member

You'll get the hang of it.  There are even posts telling you how to navigate the site or post images/videos and other cool stuff   Congrats on 2 smoke free days!!Congratulationsagain.jpg

Never_again
Member

Thank you!

Barbscloud
Member

Congrats on your 2 days.  This is the only site I've known.  

139 DOF

YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

Congratulations on your fist two days quit.  May they lead to MANY more!

You have already figured out the most important thing about this  new site - how to reach out to others.  You only have to figure out one thing at a time.  Learn new things as you need to use them.  Here is a link to information you might find helpful:  https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/community/community-help/blog/2017/02/14/ex-to-ex-instructions 

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.
 
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

desiree465
Member

Congrats on your 2 DOF! 

indingrl
Member

Cool on non smoker life-I still get confused on this site too-you have the good way blogging-you be ok.

Giulia
Member

Doin' good.  One step in front of the other gets you to where you want to go!

elvan
Member

Congratulations on your quit...I have found that learning this site is a lot like quitting, at least for ME, it has been one step at a time, I had to learn one thing at a time and there are LOTS of things I still do not know about navigating this site...it's a journey.

Remember that we are here and that we all want you to succeed, we are all here for you.  You have another day WON!  Do read all that YoungAtHeart‌ shared with you, it will help you more than I can possibly tell you.

Ellen

Ralph1955
Member

Took me a while to figure it out. Gets easier don't worry. And Congrats!!untitled.png