Quitting buddy

[Gmckee]

Today is my first day of quitting! Is there a way to find an online support buddy to quit with?

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to our community!

We are ALL your quit buddies  - but if you especially want to find someone going through the same things as you are, read a few of the blogs.  I know we have folks who are on day 3 and day 5.  Be careful when heeding advice from those as new as you at this.  If you don't know the answer, they probably don't, either - and might give you bad information.  Better to ask your questions to the wider community.

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  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, quitsmoking.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.
 
Have you decided on a quit aid?   After you have completed the recommended reading, it will be time to make an informed choice of the aid, if any, you will use. If you go that route, I personally recommend the ones 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

[elvan]

Welcome to EX, please pay close attention to everything that YoungAtHeart‌ has shared with you.  We really ARE all you quit buddies here...it's not the best idea to try to bond with someone who is at the same place in their quit as you are because if one of you fails...it tends to make the other one MUCH more vulnerable.  If you do the reading about nicotine addiction and you stay close to the site...you will get stronger and stronger with each passing day.  The education and support are here...you have to bring the commitment. We all had to start at the beginning and we all want you to succeed.  Think of this as a journey and not an event, it is one day at a time...I used the mantra NOPE when I started, Not One Puff Ever.  I smoked for a very long time and have serious damage as a result of that but, thanks to this site, I have been free for over 4 1/2 years.  EX works if you work it.

Ellen

[JACKIE1-25-15]

Education is the key to a successful quit:

Suggested readings:https:// Law of Addiction

"Administration of a drug to an addict will cause
re-establishment of chemical dependence
upon the a...

Education is the key to successful quit:

Suggested readings:https://whyquit.com/FFN/chapters/FFN_01_Nicotine.pdfwhyquit.com/FFN/chapters/FFN_... 

and  https://whyquit.com/FFN/chapters/FFN_00B_TOC.pdf 

Also another easy Read Allen Carr's Easy Way to Quit Smoking,

Read the blogs here.  read the articles and watch the videos My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX 

Learn how to navigate the site  Community Help‌  Take the Daily Pledge Daily Pledge‌

Stay close, hang tougher when times get tough, Learn your triggers and prepare for them.  Quitting smoking is doable. 

[SaraCorinne]

We are ALL each other's quit buddies, that's the cool thing about this site!

Everyone here is either thinking about quitting or has quit!

Even if they didn't quit on the same day as you, they know what you're going through.

Nancy, Jackie and Ellen gave you LOTS of links to click and read. 

So keep posting and reading and reading and reading and reading......you get the picture.

I just quit 34 days ago.  I practice what I've learned here on Ex:

N.O.P.E. = Not One Puff Ever 

AND

When I get to thinking about smoking, I tell myself:  "I don't do that anymore"!

Sounds like a mind game and it really is.....we have to be trickier than our cravings.

It's a BIG step, quitting smoking, but it's a step in the right direction!

We just have to keep reminding ourselves that.

I'm glad you reached out and hope you continue to do so!

Hang in there Gmckee Welcome

Sara 

[Bellegonia]

G,

You've got a bunch of them right here

Welcome to the Ex site. Congrats!

I'm quit day 27.

Belle