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Give and get support around quitting

Quit Day

Tomorrow is quit day... any tips?

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8 Replies
sweetplt
Member

Hi and Welcome to Ex’s,

Welcome to Day 1 Quit...let it be Day Won...I hope you prepared for this day...if you didn’t already read at My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX ... will really help keep you busy, but also allow you to think about some different things when quitting smoking.  Drink lots of water, keep busy, etc., read here, help here, get help and support....anything just don’t smoke...we are in this journey together...Gotcha in my thoughts ~ Colleen 161 DOF 

Alicatsam
Member

Get all the support and encouragement you can find. This site is awesome, 24/7 help.

Don't forget to celebrate each success, each day or even each hour you go without smoking, give yourself a "yay, me!"

Keep your eye on your motivations. Pictures help if it's kids or pets.

Good luck. I'm on day 6. If I can do it, you can do it!

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Alicatsam
Member

And remember, you can do hard things!

Sorry, couldn't help myself...

YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

Congratulations on your decision to quit. It is one you will never regret!  Although my welcome assumes your quit is in the future, the information will come in handy, anyway - and the readings make great crave busters!

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. If you do nothing else to get ready for your quit, please do give this a read.


 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. Here is a video to inform you further about nicotine addiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpWMgPHn0Lo&feature=youtu.be.

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 after you have tried to delay and distract.   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.  You need to start out with a plan to reduce use of them over time - which the patch does by decreasing the dose contained in them..  For the gum, you can start by cutting each piece in half, then in quarters, then sub regular gum of the same flavor in between, adding more and more regular gum.  For the lozenge, you need to start subbing a mint in between to begin, increasing the number of them over time.  I do not recommend the e-cigarette for four 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,  3) the batteries can spontaneously catch on fire and 4) you can become addicted to that and it has not yet been proven safe .
 

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

AnnetteMM
Member

Can't help it, I was laughing at your question. Any tips?  ...From a quit smoking online support group?

I suggest starting with the whyquit.com website to learn LOTS about addiction!  Then come back here for 

#101 things to do instead of smoke‌ and lots of other great things. 

elvan
Member

I have to admit that I was a little taken aback that you want tips the day before you quit...not a planner, huh?  I suggest you do all of the reading that was suggested by YoungAtHeart‌ and that you read anything and everything about nicotine addiction because this IS an addiction.  Go to Whyquit.com and check out discussions and blogs there too.  I came here every morning and every evening when I quit and I read as many blogs as I could, I commented, if someone gave me advice, I LISTENED, I accepted the fact that quitting is not an event, it is a one day at a time journey.  The last part of success was and still is, commitment not to smoke, no matter what.  I quit so many times in the past and lost those quits because I did none of the things I am advising.  Now, I have over five years of freedom from smoking...I started and ended my day on EX.  You CAN do this and we will do everything we can to help.  We all want you to succeed.  I will not tell you that it is easy because that was not my experience.

Ellen

Barbscloud
Member

Welcome and congratulations on your decision to quit.   Education about this addiction and preparation are the key to success.  Read everything that's been advised and stay close to the site.

Barb

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Alicatsam
Member

Good morning!

Just checking in with you. How'd your 1st, and I guess your 2nd, day go?