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Give and get support around quitting

iammrswalter
Member

See a doctor?

Will it be beneficial for me to see a doctor first to aid and support my plan to quit? What can you suggest?

8 Replies
elvan
Member

I don't think it can hurt to see a doctor, there are certain prescriptions that he may recommend or give you options to us...such as Wellbutrin or Chantix, there are also a number of nicotine replacement products available without a prescription.

I think the best things you can do are to read all you can about nicotine addiction and make a plan for your quit, come to the site and read and read and read some more.  I got a great deal of support and help from the blogs here.  I read and I commented and I blogged myself, when I asked for advice, I took it.  Education, support, and commitment will do it.  You can get the first two right here, you have to bring your own commitment.  Stay close to the site, I came every morning and every evening and I adopted the mantra NOPE from here, Not One Puff Ever.  This is a supportive and amazing community and we have all been where you are and we all want you to succeed.

Welcome to EX, I am sure YoungAtHeart‌ will be here shortly to give you an official welcome.

Ellen

iammrswalter
Member

I made a pact to myself to start reading and go to this site directly whenever i have a strong urge. Hoping that reading will keep me occupied. Thank you for welcoming me as well, I am so ready to learn more than I should to be motivated. 

Thanks Ellen!

0 Kudos

I belong to the school of thought that you most definitely should use your Health Team to support your Quit journey! This is absolutely a health issue of monumental proportions. Recovery takes total commitment. Your Health Team can help give you perspective. Live long and prosper!

iammrswalter
Member

I got so lucky to bump into this website. Out of desperation and a serious crying over cigarettes I knew from my heart there is a help line somewhere. Unfortunately, we don't have this kind of help from where I'm at. We lack support from our local government regarding a huge issue of smoking. Thank You so much for responding, I am looking forward to learn more.

0 Kudos
YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

The right doctor can help you decide what NRT or Rx medication might be helpful.  I actually changed doctors when mine of many years told me to "slap on a patch, get some celery and carrot sticks" and "I would be good to go."  I found another, more supportive doctor who prescribed Chantix, told me I was going to quit in a week (whaaaaaaaaaaat ?), told me that there were more people in the U.S.who had quit smoking than were still smoking.  He then asked me if I thought they were all better than me.  I took that as a challenge and off I went and never looked back. Easy?  No.  Doable?  Yes!  I have been quit for 6+ years now.

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. 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

iammrswalter
Member

Oh wow that information is very helpful. Thank you for that. I’m planning to go Monday and see if we have those brands here. I already wrote down a long. Note on WHY ,I want to embrace the change. Honestly, it made me cry.. a realization that just strucked me. I started as early as 15 little puffs here and there., and I finally got tired of it mentally.. because I let it control me. 

I promise to keep reading. I appreciate all the input.

Tabbiekat
Member

Welcome, you have already got a lot of great information and it sounds like you got the plan in action. I too stumbled across this site when I decided to quit last year. It has been wonderful. I also went to my doctor and started on Chantix. I did quit last year, but started smoking again a couple months ago. I saw my doctor last week and we decided that another round of Chantix would be beneficial. I started it a few days ago and have my quit set for Monday the 19th. Keep coming to this site and learn about the addiction and ways to help you stay quit. It will not be easy, but it is very doable. See you around.

Tabbie

Giulia
Member

Welcome a'board Mrs. Walter!  I'm in agreement and can't add anything to what's been already said.  Just wanted to chime in with encouragement.  I smoked a pack and a half for 35  years or so.  Quit 13 years ago.  You can do this.  Chin up and have heart!  /blogs/Giulia-blog/2018/03/01/quitting-is-a-skill-that-can-be-learned?sr=search&searchId=d6475421-02...