I am so proud of myself for taking this journey to finally quit smoking cigarettes. This is not my first time trying, it is my fifth. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Most of my family and friends do not believe me when I told them yesterday that I was quitting for good. Please keep me encouraged to stay on the straight and narrow!
Thank you so much!
Welcome to the Ex. Congrats on our 15 hours. You've completed the first step of this journey. Most of us can say we've had multiple attempts to quit. This is my longest an final quit.
Barb
245 DOF
Welcome to our community!
Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking and your first 15 hours! This is one decision you will never regret. A lot of folks here took many attempts before their final quit, Many credit their success to the education and support they found here.
The 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, 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.
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
Thank you so much! Im using the nicotine patches now. Has anyone else experienced any itching around the site where the patch is placed? If so, what did you do for it.
Many people have experienced itching from the patch. It's recommended that the patch be moved to different places on the body. And certainly don't use it on any irritated skin or if you have eczema for exemple . Changing the brand of the patch can also help with itching problems.
Here are a couple of blogs on that issue https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/message/95897-re-intense-itching-with-the-clear-patch?commentID=95897#comment-95897 and https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/search.jspa?q=patch%20itch
When I used the patch rotated the spot of placement. right front clavicle? (I am medically dysfunctional lol) left front , then right shoulder, left shoulder and finally left and right upper back. I believe if you read the informational pamphlete it recommends you move the patch to avoid itching.Congrats on your quit. MAY THE SMOKES NOT BE WITH YOU!
High five on 15. You can stay quit one day at a time.
Now hour 17?!!!! That's how you do it.... one hour, one minute, one day at a time. Cheering from the bleachers!
Congratulations on your quit...please do all of the recommended reading and keep in mind that your best weapons against this addiction are education and support. You need to bring commitment and you have a fail safe recipe for success. We have all been where you are and we all want you to succeed. Stay close to the site, you will get more encouragement than you can imagine.
Welcome to EX,
Ellen
welcome and good personal choice to be nicotine free-one breathe at a time-TOGETHER WE CAN STAY QUIT! Yahoo!
Thanks for your help.
Congratulations!! We all believe in you!! Laura
Good luck! One second, One minute, One hour, One day, One week, One month, One year at a time! And if you get Knocked off, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over. It is o.k. to fail, it makes success that much sweeter! I should know I have quit multiple times over many many years. What it has taught me is I can never take another drag off a cigarette again! It has taken me a long time to learn that. Again Good Luck!
mrios5776 That's what NOPE, Not One Puff Ever, is about. We CANNOT take a puff or we are right back at the beginning. Day one is NO FUN.
NOPE, I will have to remember that. Thanks Elvan
Abbreviations & Expressions Used in the EX Community mrios5776 There are a lot of good abbreviations that you can plug into and chant for a day. Also perhaps grab a saying, write it out on a sticky note and contemplate/meditate upon it for a day: Quick Quips
How ARE you Kimba60? Are you doing well...you know we are here...you can get the education and support that you need but you have to bring your own commitment. We cannot quit FOR you but we sure can make it a lot smoother...we can answer questions and relate to you what has worked for us. Staying close to the site is absolutely vital...I quit over 4 1/2 years ago after over 47 years smoking. Without this site, my quit would have gone the way of my countless other failed quits. I read blogs, commented, asked questions and asked for advice and I LISTENED...I cannot begin to explain to you what a difference all of the support meant to me and STILL means to me. I have had lots of excuses to return to smoking but I recognized them as just that...EXCUSES. One day at a time...sometimes, one feeling at a time. I learned so much about myself that I never expected. Quitting is yours for the taking.
Best,
Ellen
I believe you. I'm on my 7th quit, and I knew from Day 1 that it was my final quit. I didn't tell my friends and family at first. Not because I was afraid of letting them down, but because I didn't want to hear all the nay-saying. I went from multiple times of "trying" to quit, to finally "deciding" to quit. You have every right to be proud! Welcome to EX!