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Give and get support around quitting

Gwenivere
Member

New member needing help

New member here.   I’m trying to do a gradual quit with use of nicotine replacements.  It’s easy to replace the nicotine, tho not at the level as when I was smoking more so I know I having withdrawal from that.  My question is, having done some research into it, is someone also withdrawing from some of the addictive additives used in tobacco?  

5 Replies
Sootie
Member

Hello- I would suggest as a first step to read everything you can on this addiction to help you with your quit. I particularly like whyquit.com but there are many other really good informative sites. AND, there is information right her on the EX site.

I can't advise you on nicotine replacement because I quit cold turkey. I'm not a "Gradual" kind of person and it was easiest for me to just jump right in and quit. We are all different so your method may work better for you.

But whatever the method....you need to arm yourself with information and knowledge to get through this. It's difficult....but not impossible. And you are on one of the BEST sites for support!

Welcome to EX....we are all here for each other.

Stay Strong.

indingrl
Member

CONGRATS AND WELCOME! The elders SUGGESTED to ME to educate MYSELF on MY NICOTINE ADDICTION-i watch the videos at whyquit.com with Joel teaching day 1-2-3-etc and I read his FREE book called-NEVER TAKE ANOTHER PUFF EVER and watch tons of videos of NICOTINE ADDICTS EARLY DEATHS FROM LUNG CANCER- Bryon's video brought ME out of MY denial- see I believe cancer happens to others-i was very ignorant of what was in cigs-i stayed on recovery sites the first 90 days here and at whyquit.com-i took all the ELDERS suggestions-to blog BEFORE I use MY choice of drug NICOTINE- to blog just to vent-to read all the blogs and to help the newbies just like i was HELPED-most important it SUGGESTED to ME- I gotta want to be NICOTINE FREE for ME and to put as much into MY recovery as i did into using MY drug of choice NICOTINE-so I did what worked for ME and i keep coming back to HELP so please keep blogging thank you!

elvan
Member

Welcome to EX, I usually get YoungAtHeart‌ to offer her welcome but she is on vacation and she gave me permission to post if for her.

My name is Ellen, I am happy to see you here.  The following is Nancy, YoungAtHeart‌'s welcome:

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-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

Strudel
Member

Great minds think alike Ellen! And - we really do miss YoungAtHeart

virgomama
Member

I cant attest to whether I was withdrawing from additives in tobacco because I used organic tobacco.  But I am using patches and still experience withdrawal symptoms.  The patches just take the edge off.  Cravings and triggers are still there for me to deal with.  My goal in using patches was to be able to deal with the triggers of smoking first.  i.e  after meals, mornings, etc.  To that end I developed a quit plan with the information I found on this site and I use it religiously.  It has saved my quit several times already.  I use the patches as recommended, but as I said, they do just take the edge off the craves.  The QUIT is in your hands.