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Give and get support around quitting

KristyLynne
Member

My Quit Day

I've prepared for 6 weeks. I have my patches, cleaned out my car and shampooed the carpets, bought gum and bottled water. I'm ready! Wish me luck!

9 Replies
maryfreecig
Member

You have something better than luck on your side, all your preparation. Make a list, if you haven't, of things you will do rather than smoke. Remember craves come and go, they don't have to overwhelm, just stick to your plan. Congratulations on your decision to quit!

JACKIE1-25-15
Member

I wish I could wish you luck but luck has nothing to do with quitting smoking.  Quitting smoking takes the willingness to do whatever is necessary not to smoke no matter what is happening in your life.  It takes a commitment to educate yourself about nicotine addiction.  On that note 

Start First, by educating yourself about nicotine addiction.  Education is the key to a successful quit.

Understand the law of addiction."

Law of Addiction 

Administration of a drug to an addict will cause re-establishment of chemical dependence upon the addictive substance."

Read: Freedom from Nicotine My Journey Home and Nicotine Addiction 101   Here are the links      http://whyquit.com/whyquit/LinksAAddiction.html   and http://whyquit.com/ffn/  

Also Read   Allen Carr’s book, “Easy Easier Way to Quit Smoking”.  Which can be purchased of found pdf format on the internet. You can start here My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX  Help Community to learn how to navigate around the site. 

YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking. It is one you will NEVER regret.  You didn't say if you also read about this addiction, so I will give you lots of things that you might use as crave busters going forward.  I might add that I won;t wish you luck because there is no luck involved in quitting smoking.  It is mostly about committing not to smoke another cigarette NO MATTER WHAT.  This isn't easy, but it IS doable.

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.
 
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

Lauralives
Member

KristyLynne, we are here for you!!  You have prepared well and stay close to this site.  BREATHE!  Finally you will be able to breathe deeply and actually appreciate the clean air taken into your lungs.  Don't listen to the addiction and look to all the good advice given here.  Sending you love!!  Laura

AnnetteMM
Member

Welcome! Like we all say here, you don't need luck.  You need the mind of a quitter! 

"I don't do that anymore."

"Smoking is not an option."

"Not one puff ever."

...And my personal favorite:  DO or DO NOT. There is no try.

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elvan
Member

Welcome to EX, sounds like you have prepared and made an informed decision, good for you.  Remember that quitting is a journey and not an event, there will be ups and downs and good times and bad times.  Keep in mind that those things happened when you smoked too.  I quit after 47 years of smoking and I found that the education and support from this site were life savers for me, coupled with my own commitment, it has been much different from other quit in my past. Stay close to the site, read, pay attention to the advice you have already been given.  YoungAtHeart‌ has offered you a welcome that really contains everything you need to make this a successful journey.  

Again, welcome.

Ellen

KristyLynne
Member

Thank you all for your support. This is my 8th (?) try. I have read alot about nicotine dependence/addiction. I smoked for 22 years. Just typing that I am amazed that this has gone on for so long. I'm on the patch - day 5. Today has been the hardest by far! I keep saying to myself "Just smoke so you can quit thinking about it". Then I remind myself that I'll still be thinking about the next one either way. Luckily, I recently separated from my husband. It's good because I have a whole new routine, house, ect. I've started working out and eating better as well. I feel good. I worry about when my friends want to go to the bar though....I'm thinking at least a few months before I can drink again. Ok!Craving seems to have passed (3 minutes ). Thanks for letting me vent!

YoungAtHeart
Member

You can still go to the bar with your friends - try ice water, or gingerale - and don't go outside with them when they smoke!  If you think you will be tempted to do either, then you are wise to stay home for a bit.

elvan
Member

You sound amazing, I do believe that you have got this!  Great that you have a whole new routine and job and are working out...exercise is really helpful for killing craves.

Ellen