Need to quit

You have come to the right place! I'm new but have 20 days smoke free under my belt thanks to the support of the elders in this community. You're going to get a lot of information from them soon. Read everything they tell you to. In this particular battle, knowledge is power. The first thing they are going to tell you to read is The Easyway to Quit Smoking by Allen Carr. That book changed my thinking and this group keeps me in that mindset. 20 days and I like my life so much better already! 

Welcome to the Ex.   Have you picked a quit date yet?  The important thing is to educate yourself about this addiction and prepare for your quit.   It's the key to success.   I'm sure Youngatheart.7.4.12 will be sending your information for new quitters.  But there's plenty of information on this site for you to be successful.   We're here to assist you.  Just reach out if you need help.

Barb

Welcome to our community!

(Thanks for the heads up, Barbscloud )

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-instead-of-smoke
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

Hi and Welcome to Ex’s...glad you want to quit smoking...Read at My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX to  make a quit date and to become knowledgeable in the quit process.  You will spend much time preparing for your quit day like no other...We are in this journey together, keep close to the support site...You have some great information above me...now get working...~ Colleen 202 DOF 

      Hi swinns, sounds like you've been given a quit or else (health? job?).  First of all, welcome to Ex--a strong quit community that will be here for you as much as you want it to be. Take a deep breath and try to realize that people are quitting successfully every day. Many have been long term smokers who by the time they decided to quit felt that they were giving up everything by quitting. Turns out that with a little help and time in not smoking, smoking really doesn't have to be everything. Stick with Ex, read, get invested in your quit. It is not the end of your world...not at all.

While I agree with all the resources and support here, I want to add that Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) is also a very valuable option as well.  Many here could not have done this without it.  I feel it is downplayed a lot and don’t want to see possible success stories lost because it is not offered to new people as just as viable option as cold turkey.     It’s no cure, per se, but it does help many stick with it that would give up.  There is no escaping withdrawl symptoms and it does take longer, but for some that can be preferable as the goal is the same.

Welcome to Ex, your in a good place now sit and stay....and learn

Welcome and CONGRATS to YOU! WAY TO GO! EDUCATION is the key- reading reading reading - taking what HELPS and let go of the rest- to be HELPFUL is MY only aim - thank you- Yahoooooooooo for loving yourself to live and FACT - 3 days NICOTINE -  is out of your body - physically -  the rest is renewing YOUR mind - NEW learning skills - NEW ideas -  NEW ways - NEW thoughts - YOUR OWN choices just for YOUR PERSONAL NON SMOKER life style to choose by reading all information here and the blogs by ALL those sharing their experience and HOPE and also at -  whyquit.com -  there are videos to watch- IF you choose to watch them - gentle hug.❤

Glad you're here.  Personally I believe it's an addiction.  Habits are more easily broken through behavioral changes alone.  Addictions aren't.  She said, not having a degree in psychology or anything else for that matter.  I'm simply speaking from my own gut and the knowledge I've gained from having been on this site for 11 years.  From what I've learned, our brains have been changed physically by smoking.  We've increased our nicotine receptors.  A couple of videos on the subject:  What is the Single Best Thing You Can Do to Quit Smoking? - YouTube   and Nicotine and Your Brain - YouTube .    So, it's really a combination of both, to my mind.  It's the behavioral and physical/chemical aspects that cause us to remain in NEED of a cigarette.  An example:  I used to bite my nails as a youth.  That was a "habit."  I don't think it changed my brain.  So it was fairly easy to stop doing that.  

Anyway, it doesn't really matter whether you conceive of your slavery to cigarettes as an addiction or simply a bad habit.  The point is you want to discover the means to rid yourself of the NEED to smoke.  And you will discover that as you proceed on your journey.  Quitting is a Skill that CAN be Learned  If it helps you to think of it as a bad habit - go with that.  If you aren't succeeding with that thought - change you thinking.  Part of this journey is learning to change our thinking.  And so the more open minded you can be, the better chance you have of making this life-altering move.  Most of us have found that we learn so much about ourselves in the process.  It's actually rather thrilling.  Hope you find that true for yourself.  Stick around.

Welcome to EX!  You've gotten a ton of excellent advice and resources here, many of which you have already been given.  My small 2 cents worth is that you will not be successful by saying you "need to quit".  Barring any medical problems, I've found that the only time a quit has been started in earnest is when we want to quit.  Wanting something is a goal we work harder to reach and until we really want it, the "need" to quit attitude may not be enough to go the distance.  This site is a true God send for everyone's quit journey and I'm looking forward to seeing you around and hopefully offering some help when you need it!  

Julie

I am going on 1610 days because I came here, learned what I could and did as I was instructed!!!  You may notice that I am still here!  Go for it my friend, choose to live.

Welcome to Ex. It is great place.

You are on track, want to quit. some way through on new life. 

Make the "resolve", I am quitting....quitting...quit. Resolve is half battle won.

Decide the day, read Allan Carr book on how to quit smoking, (if not yet read through), and stay on the resolve. Your progress to quitting will be awesome. 

All the best !

Congratulations on recognizing that you need to quit and welcome to EX.  This community is amazingly supportive and educational...those are two things you are going to find very, very helpful.  The last thing is your commitment, don't smoke, no matter what.  I used the mantra NOPE, Not One Puff Ever that I got from this site.  I cannot begin to tell you how valuable I found this site and after more than five years, STILL DO.

Ellen