I am new here, and feel like I'm lost in a maze.

[DawnWalker]

I am totally confused. I don't know where to begin. Stranger in a strange land.

[DawnWalker]

This is a why bother site. Geez...………..

[maryfreecig]

      One way to quit is to start with yes I can, rather than why bother. A plan comes first. Ex is here to help you achieve your quit goal.

[virgomama]

Hi DawnWalker 

Welcome.  Just punch a title and start reading.  You might want to check out The Best of Ex blogs for starters. This is a really great site for information on quitting smoking.  Please stick around you'll learn a lot.  YoungAtHeart has a great welcome letter for newcomers.  You may want to check out her  blogs.

[Bree19]

Welcome DawnWalker‌

We are so happy you're here.  We will walk this road with you cheering you on and supporting you all the way on your journey to become smoke free.  As virgomama‌‌‌ suggested, go to the homepage and look at the last 2 blocks: "Read the Latest Updates" and "See the Best of EX".  You will come across a wealth of information including advice, the quit journeys of many people, wisdom from our Elders - it will keep you busy for days and help you to come up with a quit plan of your own.

Most of all, keep coming back here daily, even hourly, and share your moments with us so that we know how to support you.  If we're awake, we're here to listen and advise the best we can.

Hugs and blessings

Bree

[Barbscloud]

Like anything new there, is learning curve.  But it's really not that hard.  We all came here with a desire to quit smoking, so it's worth the effort.  Just start by clicking on posts and read the information members have to share.  If you need help, just reach out by Posting to My Blog.  

[Mandolinrain]

Goodmorning Dawn....this community is super friendly and helpful, hang on there. Its early on Sunday morning ,

Meanwhile go up to the top of the page here and click on 'My Quit plan' and begin there. Afterwards come back here and click on the little pencil also up on the right. You can write a blog post here and tell us a little about yourself.

It will all come together for you soon and we will all help you. Welcome to Ex!

[Daniela2016]

As recommended above, fill in your profile, so we know how to best help you, those who live nearby your state will probably respond quicker than others.  But there will definitely be someone to answer any questions, and provide guidance, based solely on our own experience, and others', but generally everything we learned here about addiction.

At the end of the comment I will leave some links for you to read.

The thing that most helped me when I quit was the realization smoking is not just a habit, it is an addiction (and a severe one at that), so I need to treat it as such.  And here, on this site, I learned how to.

One other thing pivotal at the beginning was Allan Carr's book " The easy way to quit smoking".  And you know what?  It is not as scary as it sounds, once you start on your journey.

I am approaching 1,000 DOF (days of freedom), but I still learn about the addiction by coming on this site at least once/day.  At the beginning, I was here way more often than this.

So here are the links, please read, and please come back often to ask questions, and to tell us how your quit is going.

Welcome to the community of former smokers who only want to help any current smoker who decides to quit!!!

My Welcome To New Members (10 Years Of Watching) 

/blogs/Giulia-blog/2018/03/01/quitting-is-a-skill-that-can-be-learned 

/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instead-of-smoke 

[Giulia]

You HAVE begun!  Tell us a little about your quit desires.  Have you attempted before?  Most of us have.  Do you have a plan in mind?  The stronger your preparation, the more likely your success.  Here's a great little video about this addiction.  Many of us have had our eyes opened by this:

We hope you will discover this is definitely not a "why bother" site.  We want you to succeed.  Let us know how we can help.

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to our community!

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 also 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