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Give and get support around quitting

bethanyrohm
Member

How not to smoke in the morning

 I'm in the process of quitting, however I enjoy having a cigarette with my coffee in the morning. And coffee does not seem the same without it. I also go to a lot of AA meetings, for I am in recovery and they have smoke breaks in the meetings and everyone there seems to smoke. So temptation is everywhere. I've already quit one thing in my life but I'm having trouble with quitting smoking.

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6 Replies
marciem
Member

The morning coffee one was the toughest one for me... well, ok, they were all tough, but mornings I was still sleepy and more vulnerable to the "just this one" addict-lie, bethanyrohm.

For a few days I gave up coffee first thing, went with cocoa or tea.  Also I changed up my "place", instead of going outside to my patio I stayed indoors and at my computer (which I designated a 100% smoke-free zone) reading the news and my quit-support forum.  I went back to coffee pretty quickly, no sense overwhelming myself with giving up two addictions at once IMO. 

So... change your drink, change your environment, keep your mind busy with something, anything, else.  Stay in bed those precious extra few minutes instead of jumping up to feed your addiction (which is really the motivating factor in getting to that morning coffee... it really isn't so much the coffee, its the nicotine starvation your body is feeling).

Best wishes!!  You're right, quitting smoking is a process, and the first step is the decision to quit, the second one is to cease putting things in your mouth and setting them on fire!   (a quote from an old friend).

I very much admire your sobriety, and can only suggest that you stay indoors when the smokers go out (assuming they have to go outside to smoke?).  Bring a book or magazine or tablet to read during the breaks if no one else stays in to chat with.

A.N.N.
Member

Hi,

While I was preparing for my quit, I started taking at least a 1/2 hour walk each day. I tried to consider this a sacred smoke free time. Mornings were also my hardest time. I just loved to sit around drinking coffee and smoking! Now, instead I start with a glass of water, one cup of coffee, then out the door for a walk with my two adorable dogs. Since I had already started walking without smoking it was a pretty painless transition. (I also started doing this while driving to and from work for the week before quitting.) When we get home we all feel great (inspite of the really cold weather we are having in Minnesota aargh!) And, I am more focused on that than on smoking. I am two weeks smoke free, and feeling really good.

This site does a great job at helping you really look at your triggers and helping you think about how you will handle them. The more you learn and prepare, the better it will go!

Good luck!

Ann

virgomama
Member

Cogratulations on your sobriety.  That is a road you can be proud of conquering.  I would suggest a walk during smoke breaks at your AA mtgs.  Not sure what your set up is.  Down the block, down the hall, down the stairs?   A friend of mine did that for me during one of my earlier quits.  She had quit herself and knew I was newly quit.  The other two friends we were with started to light up.  Before I even realized they had she asked me if I wanted to go for a walk with her.  Then she told me, I know how hard it is when you first quit to watch someone smoke after a meal.  I thought it would be easier for you if we just walked.  What a great service she gave me.  So I'm passing it on.

SaraPeach
Member

I agree with switching to tea or hot cocoa for the first few weeks. Taking a walk first thing in the morning is also a great idea.

elvan
Member

I quit drinking coffee when I got up and switched to green tea...I HATE green tea but I wanted to avoid any extra triggers.   After several weeks of green tea, it dawned on me that coffee really wasn't a trigger for me because I did not smoke INSIDE and I did not take my coffee OUTSIDE.  Yay, coffee.  I can only drink one cup since quitting because I am significantly more sensitive to caffeine now...I USED to drink a POT of coffee every morning.  Some people suggest drinking your coffee with your other hand, a different mug...change up your routine.  If you usually took a shower after smoking, take a shower as soon as you get up.  I couldn't go for a walk because, first of all, I couldn't breathe, and secondly, I quit during a polar vortex so it was so cold that going outside was not a great idea.  I suspect that the polar vortex helped me in some ways because who wants to go outside and FREEZE to smoke?  Not that I wouldn't have done it in the past.  As far as the AA meetings are concerned...I went to Alanon, my husband has been sober just shy of 34 years and back when I went...just about everyone at the meetings smoked IN the meetings.  I was one of them, I am sorry to say.  The AA meetings were down the hall and the smoke coming from those two rooms should have set off every smoke alarm in the building.  I agree that a short walk would be a great idea...if you can bring a tablet, do that and connect with EX if there is wireless available OR play a computer game...drink water, go outside and blow bubbles, not where the smokers are but a ways away from them.  Who knows, you just might inspire someone else to join you.

Hang in there, it DOES get easier.  I was terrified of going back to work after I quit...I was working at a university and they were on break when I quit but they restarted classes after I had been quit for just about ten days and I was still recovering from pneumonia and an exacerbation of COPD.  The smoking area, had I WANTED to smoke was so far from the building that there was no way I could have made it there and back.  My very good friend an coworker smoked and she kept trying to get me to go with her.  I told her that I needed to put my quit before anything else and that when I felt stronger...I would at least go outside with her.  I remember her glaring at me.  Several weeks later, I did go outside with her, I just refused to sit on the smoker's bench or to stand downwind of her smoke AND I talked about EX NONSTOP.  I am surprised that she didn't just tell me to shut up.  I pretty much talked about EX all the time with anyone who would listen, whether they wanted to or not.

Try to think of quitting smoking as making your journey more complete...getting healthier in more than one way.  

Congratulations on your freedom from your addictions and your journey.

Welcome to EX...by the way, normally, I would ask YoungAtHeart‌ to give you HER welcome note but she is out of town.  She DID give me permission to copy and paste her welcome so I will do that and I suspect you will find it very helpful.

Best,

Ellen

elvan
Member

What follows is YoungAtHeart‌'s welcome to EX...I have been smoke free for 4 1/2 years now, thanks to this site.  I also have the constant reminder of shortness of breath to keep me focused on my quit.  In any event, I am Ellen and YoungAtHeart‌ is Nancy...

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 video here on the site which describes nicotine addiction:


 
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. 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 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:

 

 101 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