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Give and get support around quitting

Jeanmarc19561
Member

New here

Hi Everyone, Just want to introduce myself.  This is my quit day! Mind you, it's not my first quit day but I am determined to make it the last of many. Just a little background, I'm 62 and have been smoking since 15 and that is a very long time. The irony is that I jog 2 miles every morning, use an elliptical and rowing machine on rainy days and ride my bikes often yet I smoke. I'm tired of the hassle, the expense, and the dependance.

Quite frankly I'm tired of the quit/relapse merry-go-round. So I've come here to look to you for support and hope that I can offer you support gleaning from years of trying to stop. Good luck to all of you. John 

18 Replies
MarilynH
Member

Welcome to the community John you've made the best decision that you'll ever make in your lifetime and it's definetly the best gift that any of us will ever give ourselves which is the gift of LIFE, I smoked for 40 years with at least a half dozen failed attempts at quitting smoking smoking BUT now with the help of this community I'm headed for 5 years of Smokefree living in July, please read everything you can about quitting smoking and remaining quit because there's a wealth of information right here on this site to strengthen your resolve to kick the nicotine poison to the curb permanently it's not easy by any stretch of the imagination BUT it's absolutely Doable and totally worth it to be Free tonight your Day ONE is going to turn into DAY WON with many more to come you can do this quit believe it deep breaths and know that we're all here to help you in any way we can .

YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

This CAN be your final quit.  Although you have joined us after your quit date, you will still benefit by doing the reading I will recommend....and the advice that I have gleaned from my successful quit and that of others over the 6 1/2 years since I quit. I actually believed that if I ate a healthy diet, exercised EVERY day and kept my weight at a healthy number I could negate the bad effects of smoking.  A vascular surgeon apprised me of the foolishness of my belief!   It would be helpful if you told me if you are using a quit aid so I might give you the best advice.

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.” In it, he explains that all we thought smoking did for us is a lie!  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

Bree19
Member

Hi John.

I'm so glad you've found the right place to be educated about this addiction and how to beat it. 

Here you will be given support, advice and tough love if you need it.  

You now have your own cheerleading squad to travel with you on your quit journey.

And it is a journey - not an event.  We are here for you.  

Please stay close.

Love and blessings

Bree

sweetplt
Member

Hi John and Welcome,

You sounds like me...hubs often would say for someone who works out so much and so hard and yet you smoke. Almost told myself, I could smoke because I work out and eat healthy. Not ... anyways this is third quit for me and soon 60 days Free ... I am approaching this as I am no longer a smoker and I want the quit so bad.  Keep it here John, we are all journeying and helping each other.  You are not alone.  Might I suggest you read and write on My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX  (Develop your quit plan) A lot of helpful information. Now Welcome to Day 1...Colleen 

Beck37
Member

Welcome and Congrats!!!! Let’s face it, the only way you will succeed this time is if you are truly determined. Quitting is all about mindset. It is all about the choices you make. If you decide it to smoke you will smoke. If you tell yourself “smoking is not an option, no matter what” you will not smoke. It is all up to you.... 

There are no accidental slip ups. There are no good excuses. If you truly want this to be the last time you quit then it will be. It’s all about you and your attitude. Stay out of your head. Don’t swell on the fact that you no longer smoke, just move on. 

We are here for you.  If you can jog 2 miles a day after smoking for 40 years you’ve got this!!!

Beck

maryfreecig
Member

Welcome to Ex. Sick and tired of being sick and tired is an awesome motivation. Support helps many, including me. I hope it works for you  too. Not only is Ex active 365, its full of caring people. Yes you can, one day at a time.

elvan
Member

Welcome to EX...education about nicotine addiction, support from others who have been through the beginning of a quit and are watching it grow, as well as your own commitment, will ensure this is your last quit.  Like you, I also worked out and watched what I ate and thought I was going to get away with smoking.  Well...I DIDN'T, I have COPD and I am reminded every single day by my shortness of breath, that I made poor decisions and I have LOTS of damage.  Smoking does nothing FOR you, only TO you!  This is a journey and it is one day at a time, it is sometimes one feeling at a time, one event at a time.  Learning from past lost quits is very helpful.  You have come to the right place.

Please do all of the reading recommended by YoungAtHeart‌, you can't be too educated about this addiction.

Ellen

Mandolinrain
Member

Welcome John! You are going to love the support here. Stay near the site and come here when craves are bad, we can help you through it! So glad you're here!

Jeanmarc19561
Member

Good morning everyone and thank you for such a warm welcome. I've obviously I've come to the right place. Thanks for the boost and hope I can do the same for you. Have a great day! John