NRT users still need a quit kit

Discussion created by virgomama on Oct 1, 2018
Latest reply on Oct 6, 2018 by elvan

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Just posted my day one quit blog. Just a heads up for those of you thinking about using NRT. If you think it's going to be a replace all. It's not. Get your quit kit together and do your research on this addiction because you are definitely going to need it. The nicotine patch did keep the edge off the cravings. But they were still there and I still needed to grab for a way around/through them. So don't ruin your quit by thinking NRT is going to do it all for you. THEY'RE NOT!!! Learned that my very first day. Thought I"d pass it on .

Outcomes

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YoungAtHeart Oct 2, 2018 10:25 AM
You can change up your routines so the associations and triggers are reduced. Keep a cold bottle of water handy from which to sip. Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand. Find new routes to drive to your usual places. Move the furniture around in the place you used to smoke - face it in a different direction. Stay busy! Clean out a drawer, or a closet. Play a computer game. Here are some other ideas:
https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instead-of-smoke
This takes effort and planning in the early days, but it gets easier and easier to do.
You are absolutely correct! NRT's are not going to quit FOR you. They allow you to concentrate on the associations/triggers and put off the nicotine withdrawal until later. If you use the patch correctly, you will gradually reduce the amount of nicotine so the withdrawal from it totally is not so onerous.
Great blog!
Nancy
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elvan Oct 2, 2018 2:18 PM
virgomama NOTHING and NO ONE can quit FOR you, a quit kit is essential, you need the support of this site and your commitment along with your quit kit which I am pretty sure is well stocked!

Great advice for newbies...and everyone else.
Good for you,
Ellen
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- BabyBooBoo2u @ elvan on Oct 6, 2018 6:15 PM
  What is and , how do i make a quit kit? Thank you
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  - elvan @ BabyBooBoo2u on Oct 6, 2018 11:02 PM
    I worked today and came home and fell asleep...sorry it took me so long to get back to you. A quit kit is your plan for when triggers occur...what will you do INSTEAD of smoking because you KNOW those triggers will occur. Check THIS out: My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX
    My name is Ellen...YoungAtHeart is on vacation but she gave me permission to use her welcome for newbies....I think you will find it incredibly helpful:
    
    Welcome to our 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-exhas lots of blogs written by members of this site with their experiences and guidance. You should also do the tracking and separation exercises recommended here on the site.
    
    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-instead-of-smoke
    
    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
    
    Welcome aboard, you CAN do this.
    
    Best,
    Ellen
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NRT users still need a quit kit

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