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Give and get support around quitting

Brown112
Member

Newcomer

This is my first day with become an ex.  I set my quit date for August 19.  I am 62 and reallyyyy need to quit for my health.  I have quit a couple of times in the past for two years each but it has been a long time like over 10 years.  I am hoping this site will help.

4 Replies
YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community! 

Both of your posts are up.  Sometimes you need to refresh the page for them to show (home page, then "Latest Updates") will solve that - or in the top left of the page you will see a circular counter clockwise arrow.  That should also work (I think!).
 

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

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elvan
Member

Welcome to EX.  PLEASE read everything YoungAtHeart‌ has written, please stay close to the site...by close, I mean come here every morning and every evening if you can...read blogs, comment, ask for advice and listen, it is all given to support you.  There is not one person here who does not want you to succeed.  I smoked for 47 years with the exception of pregnancies when I quit and then went right back.  I have not smoked in 4 1/2 years now and it is largely because of the support I have gotten from this site and all that I have learned from these amazing people.  I suggest that you read a blog written by JonesCarpeDiem‌ that helped me a great deal...https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007-blog/2011/06/26/what-to-expect-...   I have COPD and if you have it or suspect that you have it, you should read everything written in the COPD group...COPD  A great deal of research was done by Thomas3.20.2010‌ and he has generously shared it with us.  I was an RN for many years but I have learned more about COPD  from him and from my own health and changes than I ever learned working. 

You CAN do this...obviously, you HAVE done this in the past.  You need to really commit and allow nothing to get in your way.

Best,

Ellen

DonnaMarie
Member

hello.gifHowdy! I quit July 23 and turned 63 on July 25. It's really kind of a coincidence that my birthday was 2 days after my quit day, but there you go.

Love that you're doing prep work and getting ready for day 1 and beyond. I'm on day 9 and day 1 was just yesterday for me. I've quit more than I care to admit, but am making this my last quit. Come here often and belly ache, crow, cry, laugh, brag, whine, whatever you need. This particular community has been a life saver for me, literally. 

Continue your countdown till August 19. Who knows? You may decide to throw those cigarettes away before that

CommunityAdmin
Community Manager
Community Manager

Welcome Brown112‌!


Since you have two very similar posts I'm going to close this one for future comments.  If anyone wants to respond to this one you can do so here: Newcomer: Anyone see this? 

Community Help has helpful documents on how to do things on the site or you can check out our  Getting Started Guide as well.

Mark
EX Community Manager

EX Community Admin Team
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