People, and thoughts have lead me to believe it is wrong to quit, please help me.
People, and thoughts have lead me to believe it is wrong to quit, please help me.
Well, I did smoke today, smh.I’m about to throw my cigarettes and lighter away, again. Wish me luck. Thank you for the feedback.
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That's your addicted brain leading you to believe that. I promise you that it isn't true, and with some quit time under your belt, you will feel just the opposite.
Like beazel said, take the time to research as much as possible on the site. Nancy Youngatheart.7.4.12 will be along later to give you a bunch of resources. Welcome to EX!
Tom
Thank you
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Welcome to our community!
When you do the reading I will recommend, you will come to understand that smoking cigarettes does nothing FOR you, and so very much bad TO you. I would not listen to anyone discouraging you from quitting (including your addict's mind right now!) It is the single best thing you can do for both your physical and mental health.
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-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 for the reading material, I will definitely read it.
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Hey, I've seen your question and that you had a cigarette. I'd just say, it's a really good idea to read Carr's book, BUT don't rely solely on that to quit. It helps to start realizing that this is drug addiction, as stated in that book, and to treat it as such, but I think it's also necessary to start positive routines, i.e. exercise, a decent diet, etc. Have you set anything in place on that end to start a positive feedback loop? That's what I'm trying to help make this most recent quit the last.
Is the idea crazy that quitting smoking is bad for your health? Yes. Believing it does not make you crazy, it just makes you a typical smoker ---truly dependent on the addiction.
Bottom line, quitting is not bad for your health.
I quit over five years ago. I would have smoked 43,000 cigarettes if I'd stayed a smoker, but I didn't. I don't miss one of those cigarettes. But I had to come to terms with the fact that my smoking days were over.
Ex is here to offer you as much support as you ask for.
I did end up buying a pack this morning, I just threw cigarettes and lighter out, I’m gonna try this again. Thank you for the feedback.
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Reading the Carr book that Nancy mentioned taught me that smoking had never given me anything! Nicotine had brainwashed me into thinking that it was giving me so much! I was SO wrong! You can do this and you can end up being very happy doing it! Stick around!
Don't just throw those cigarettes away! Put them under running water and then break them into mushy pieces. You don't need the temptation. Keeping even one around is giving yourself permission to smoke it!
See you tomorrow!!!
"People, and thoughts have lead me to believe it is wrong to quit,"
Wrong? In what way? Then I would ask you, why are you here? Something within you knows better. Trust that better instinct.
"Why do I feel like it’s not the right thing to do, by quitting? Like things will get worse, health wise." Because quitting is scary. And our addiction does everything it can to perpetuate itself. Including lying to us. Step aside from your fear for a moment and really think about what you've just said using your logical, intellectual mind, as opposed to your emotional needy mind. Things will get worse, health wise? Really? In what way? Please list the things you truly believe will get worse health wise by quitting smoking. A lot of us would like to know. And maybe we can help alleviate those fears from examples from our own quits.
It kinda like having a messy room, you clean it than you notice how messy it was, my lungs, I quit smoking, than my body notices how messy it was.I’m losing my mind just a little.Plus I feel like, it’s a mental issue, maybe a shrink?I have an alcohol problem too, it’s like I can’t quit unless I fix something else too.Btw, I’ve had noooo support, till now. My whole family smokes, and they act like it’s good for them, it’s unreal, like they don’t even try to quit, smh. I’m throwing my cigarettes and lighter away every day, than I buy more.
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Well now you have quit support!
Thanks, I’m trying
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I have done the same many times.
Just wanted to respond here, too, since I saw the thing about the alcohol. I struggle with mental health issues, and get switching from one negative thing to another, or overall feeling that you're an easy target for "vices". That's why I'm thinking it'd help to start a positive feedback loop with some good habits.
I never thought cigarettes were harming me as much as they were. Easy thing to think when I was young. I was immortal of course. Things started changing 20+ years later. I didn’t recover from colds like others, often getting bronchitis or pneumonia. I couldn’t exercise as easily as I could. But it was habit. Now I have a pulmonologist for my COPD. I sometimes wonder if I glow at night from X-rays and CT scans. As Giulian said, that you are here says something inside you knows you can’t possibly get less healthy by not smoking.
I only disagree on using patches and other replacements even if they equal what you smoked at 1mg per cigarette if you are finding this terribly hard. I use them and plan on attacking the nicotine later. I’m at less than I was than on cigarettes as the absorption rate is less than 100%. Plus mine are 14mg (my former cig count) per 24 hours and I don’t sleep with it so knock off about 5mg. For now, it’s stopping the inhalation of smoke and the addditives have been included to keep us hooked.
All just my opinion.
Quitting is definitely a mental issue! lol A lot of us suggest that if you can't drink in moderation, it's best not to drink during the initial stages of a quit. Many of us gave up drinking during the first month or two. So abstaining from both is a good idea! And who knows, you might break the back of both addictions at the same time. Wouldn't THAT be a boon! Trust your instincts. They rarely lead us wrong. If you think a shrink would help - find a shrink. Re your family of smokers - they're just in denial. You're not, and that's good.
Thanks
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The addiction is speaking to you. Try to give it as small a voice as you can 800 times a day if need be. You can train the mind. let's try it together. I'm on day 7. Not my first quit. However, it is my last.
Coming here as many times as needed renews my strength. It may and can for you if you trust the process.
Thank you
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when you don't care that smoking is doing damage, you tend to smoke thru and ignore it.
Ya know, after about 50, I figured out it would probably be what did me in. But I persisted. Turns out that little voice was right. Now it’s repair what you can mode. Boy, we humans can be stubborn!
I'm not sure why anyone would say that quitting smoking isn't the right thing to do. Jealousy that you're quitting and they aren't or think you can't do it maybe??? Tell both others' and your brain to shut the H*** up because you CAN quit! Yes it's hard but it's absolutely worth it I promise you. You have a huge safety net and cheerleading squad here ready at any time to help you along the way. Second-by-second without smoking is even a great accomplishment and that will turn into minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour, day-by-day, etc. We'll be here for you. YOU CAN SUCCEED!
Julie
I can't say whether you are crazy or not, but I know that smoking does nothing good for you and quitting will no way make your health worse.
Quitting is one of the best things you can do for your health!!
Please take some time to educate yourself about this hideous addiction. There are many resources here to help you with that and many people to support you along the way.