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Give and get support around quitting

12711MyHearts
Member

So today is my quit day and I was nicking so bad trying to fight the urge so I went and got me so non-menthol cigarettes is that bad?

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Is non-menthol good or bad

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marciem
Member

All cigarettes are bad.  You can't smoke and quit at the same time. I'm sorry it just doesn't work like that.

Please try to educate yourself about this addiction, and about the hazards of smoking anything.  There is no "better for you" cigarettes, they all do their damage and ruin your health, not just your lungs but virtually every system in your body is damaged by smoking.

There are multiple resources at this site and elsewhere on the net to help you find your way to a very do-able quit.

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31 Replies
marciem
Member

All cigarettes are bad.  You can't smoke and quit at the same time. I'm sorry it just doesn't work like that.

Please try to educate yourself about this addiction, and about the hazards of smoking anything.  There is no "better for you" cigarettes, they all do their damage and ruin your health, not just your lungs but virtually every system in your body is damaged by smoking.

There are multiple resources at this site and elsewhere on the net to help you find your way to a very do-able quit.

indingrl
Member

Welcome- please take what HELPS and let go of the rest - to be HELPFUL is MY only aim - thank you-  I believe in YOUR heart YOU know the answer to YOUR question and please remember - it was SUGGESTED to ME to EDUCATE MYSELF on MY NICOTINE ADDICTION - FACT-  NICOTINE is still killing people- those who CHOOSE to use it - please check out the videos at whyquit.com on early deaths from using cigarette -  menthol non menthol - NICOTINE ADDICTION is NICOTINE ADDICTION - TAKE 3 deep breathes -  instead of sucking on death sticks - YOU are worth quitting death sticks - YOU have to choose and make that decision just for YOU-  which you can DO now - if you CHOOSE to - gentle hug. 

YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

One of our more irreverent members has a saying, "If you quit smoking and you are still smoking, you are doing it wrong."  ALL cigarettes are bad for you...period.  Did you plan and prepare for this quit?  If not, I highly recommend you do it now before you start in again.  Educate yourself, prepare by getting a quit kit together, and think about what you will do instead of buying more cigarettes to get past a craving.

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 .
 

It will be informative if you do the tracking and separation exercises recommended here on the site. As you track each cigarette smoked, note its importance, and what you might do instead. Put each one off just a little to prove that you don't NEED a cigarette just because you think you do.
 

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

elvan
Member

There is no such thing as a safe cigarette.  Education about this addiction will help you immensely as will the support from this site.  You have to commit to the quit...no smoking, no matter what.  Please pay close attention to what YoungAtHeart‌ has shared with you...you CAN do this and we will help you in any way that we can.

Welcome to EX,

Ellen

Mandolinrain
Member

Is it bad, seriously? Yes its bad, there's no such thing s a GOOD one.  I am not trying to be hurtful, just truthful.

I know you know this to be true. So the next thing you need to do is figure out WHY you are trying so hard to convince yourself that an non menthol cig is okay. Please take time to read the above links provided . This is a great site and I am SO GLAD you found us. Stick close. We will help you through the. It is SO HARD, but it is SO DOABLE. Okay

DonnaMarie
Member

A wise woman said recently that if you're smoking when you're quitting, you're doing it wrong. (paraphrased elvan‌)

A cigarette is a cigarette is a cigarette. I have cravings a lot lately. I'm not going to bust my quit and give in. I'm done with stupid smoking and you need to go ahead and decide if you're done or not. All cigs are bad.

Donna

Day 167

elvan
Member

DonnaMarie‌ I can't take credit for that because it came from JonesCarpeDiem‌ and not from me.  I just thought it was a great thing to say.

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Giulia
Member

Was it good or bad?  If you want to quit smoking and you buy some cigarettes, it probably wasn't the wisest of choices.  Right?  I mean, what's the point of you being here?  You want to quit.  So the fact that you switched from mental to non-mental is at least a step in the right direction.  You're now putting a cigarette in your mouth and inhaling it and hopefully it won't be as satisfying.  Right?  The problem is with this addiction, that your nicotine receptors are still happily charging along.  Whether you're free-basing into your brain by smoking menthol or non-menthol.  Check out this video.  It may help you to understand the nature of our addiction.:  https://youtu.be/IpWMgPHn0Lo

Don't think in terms of "bad or good."  Let's just say any excuse to smoke is not helping you achieve what you want to achieve - which is quitting smoking.  You have to get down and dirty with yourself during this process.  Be utterly truthful with yourself.  Today was your quit day.  You went and bought a pack of cigarettes.  So - today was not your quit day.  Ya know?  Think about it.

======  just editing this, I realized I said "switched from mental to non-mental"  What a RIOT!  Obviously what I meant was menthol.  But this really is a mental process.  And when you can switch to the non-mental side of things, you'll be much happier!  lol ================

notch9
Member

All cigarettes are bad for you.