these terrible cravings

[Junewillis]

My name is JUNE WILLIS  ,,,    and i just found out last week that if i dont quit smoking now ..i will be dead in 1 1/2 years ,,,im scared ,but i just don;t know how to deel with theese really bas cravings,, i dont know how mad other peolpe get them but sometimes i wan't to beat someone  up to get oun.... thats how i feel right now.... can any one help with that  please,,,,please..

[JACKIE1-25-15]

Hello June,  Welcome to EX.

 Just like other drugs you have to go through the withdrawal.  It is not easy but doable.  You have come to the right place for support in quitting smoking. The best way to quit is to prepare and plan how you are going to go about your quit. Have you set a date?   My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX  and review the videos and tracking also learn what your triggers are so you can better prepare for the urge to smoke when it happens.  I am a firm believer that education is the key to quitting.  I was advised to read Allen Carr's Easyway to Quit Smoking which can be found on pdf on the web.  Another good site to get info which was very helpful to me is  www.whyquit.com.  There are several articles to read.  Nicotine 101 and Freedom From Nicotine My Journey Home.  To get help on navigating the site go to. Community Help‌.  Make quitting smoking your number one priority. Start by getting rid of anything associated with smoking such as ashtrays, lighter, etc. 

You can do this if you make up your mind that you can.  Relearning your thinking that you do not have to smoke is a good beginning. For a while, you will think about smoking but that does not mean you have to act on it.  You can talk yourself out of smoking.  No matter what never ever take another puff.  NOPE.  Take smoking off the table as an option and do something different. 101 Things to Do Instead of Smoke SINAO smoking is not an option.  That is NOPE concept Not one puff ever. Be willing to do the work.  Quitting is the easy part.  Staying quit is work.  Learning to protect your quit will keep on your journey forever freedom. One day at a time.  Never give up, never give in. Hang tough Stay Close.. Welcome to the EX Community and Congratulations on making the decision to quit.  wishing you success.  The best is yet to come.

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to our community!

Your body and mind are going through the withdrawal process.  It was not easy for any of us.....but you CAN be successful if you make up your mind to be.

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.

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!  Use the list of things to do instead of smoke if you need some fresh ideas:

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.  When your mind and hands are occupied, the craving should not be in the forefront of your thinking.

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

[maryfreecig]

         Hi June, my name is Mary and I quit in October 2013--cold turkey and mostly alone. I chose to quit, but quitting was difficult just the same. Going it alone made it that much harder for me. You may not want to quit (quit or else die in 1.5 years doesn't scare an addict enough because addiction means getting ones stuff no matter what) but you can. And Ex will be here for you as much as you want it to be. Let other quitters encourage you--most or many of us had to find our way out of the dependency one day at a time.

        Today, I don't think of smoking as I used to. The dependency has been broken--even though I thought I'd never get over smoking I did. This is true of most quitters. So stick with Ex, take your quit one hour, one day at a time.

[Barbscloud]

Welcome to the Ex.  You came to the right place to get the help you need to be successful.   In addition to some aid to quit, the support on the Ex made if possible for me.  I smoked for 50 years and have 15 months smoke free.   Try to look at this differently.  I also quit because  thoughts of health issues scared me, but I that didn't stop me  from quitting long ago.   Most of us are afraid to quit for many reasons, but none of them are really valid.  This is what got me through the fear.  I'm not going to smoke today.  It's a choice and if I choose to, I can smoke tomorrow.  And then tomorrow becomes one day at a time.

You can do this and we're here to support you.

Barb

[Junewillis]

Thank you I had a heart attack 2 months ago and I just found out I have emphysema  and my lungs are only working at 42% my doctor told me if I don't quit mow I won't see 50 and I'm 48 1/2 now so I'm really scared but it is so hard to quit but I'm trying everyday 

[YoungAtHeart]

Just like there is no crying in baseball, there is no trying in quitting smoking.  You must decide you will not smoke another cigarette NO MATTER WHAT  and you honor that decision every hour of every day thereafter.  None of us who have been successful found it was easy, but if you take it a day at a time (sometimes an hour at a time in the early days), it IS doable.  It gets easier as you get days under your belt.

Get through the early weeks the best you can - knowing it WILL get easier - I promise!

For you, especially, it is a matter of life and breath.

Nancy

[Barbscloud]

Most of us have tried many times and thought we couldn't do it.  But here we are!    Have you thought of using an aid (nicotine replacement, Welbutrin, Chantix?)   Talk to your doctor if you feel you need some assistance.   I used nicotrol inhalers, Welbutrin, and smoking cessation this times. But many would agree, they couldn't have done it without the Ex.  The support here is amazing.  Read what's on this site - educate yourself about the addiction and prepare for your quit.  It truly makes it possible.  Have you picked a quit date yet (soon)?   Read the material that YoungAtHeart‌ and JACKIE1-25-15  provided. It's a great starting point.   The important thing is that we're here for you.  When you need support, reach out.  This site saved my quit early on several time.

Barb

[maryfreecig]

Thanks for explaining about the must quit. Stick with Ex--because this quit community gets how confoundingly hard it can feel to quit. But there are success stories galore here and they all started with a day one. Ask your doctor and research NRT and medicines--my understanding is that these can be aids to quitting--with support you can find and make peace with quitting. One day at a time.

[elvan]

I quit because I got so sick that I could not breathe.  If someone had told me I would die in a year and a half, it would certainly have scared me BUT actually experiencing it firsthand really put things into perspective.  Education, support, and commitment are the keys to a successful quit.  You have gotten great advice above.  It does get easier, think of this as a journey because that's what it is...one day at a time, one step at a time.  Find things to do that distract you and reward you at the same time.  I ate Sour Patch Kids because they stunned my taste buds and changed my focus...I also drank gallons of water.  Stay close to the site and read blogs, pay attention to what has worked for others.  Your answer is here.

Welcome to EX,

Ellen