How to deal with my mind telling me I need nicotine when I want to quit?

[Samanthadoom]

I really want to quit using nicotine. Whenever I try to, I get overwhelmed by so many insecurities that lead me back to using nicotine again. I am genuinely a secure person Yet whenever I try to stop using nicotine I get really insecure thoughts in my head. Any advice from an ex smoker to deal with this aspect of quitting? 

[Beck37]

I knew quitting after 37 years was going to be a crazy ride. When I smoked my last cigarette I took my time. I knew it was my last and took the time to acknowledge it. I did not make my decision lightly. I knew it would be tough. I also knew that when I survived this I would be capable of anything.

I had never experienced anxiety in my life until I quit smoking. It was over the top for the first couple of weeks. But it subsided and now it only happens occasionally and briefly.  Every time I experienced something new I googled it. It was extremely comforting to discover that it was normal and survivable.  Then it became a game for me... I felt so empowered every time I overcame the next challenge thrown at me.  It was like each thing I went thru made me one step closer to being a non smoker. 

Its been 6 months now and I am a non smoker.  The most important advice I can give is to stay out of your head. The moment you make the decision to quit you need to start thinking of yourself as a non smoker.  Be stubborn. Without shear determination to succeed you will struggle. There are so few things we have control of in our life and smoking is one of them.

You are so capable of doing this. Don’t let yourself down. Be amazing! We are here for you....

Beck

[Samanthadoom]

Thank you for your wisdom! I appreciate it!

Best,

Samantha Doom

Sent from my iPhone

[Beck37]

You are so worth it Samantha. I do not sugar coat anything. I will tell you the good and the ugly. There are no slip ups in quitting. Everything you do is a conscious decision. All of our quits are different. But I am one of those that truly believes that it is all in your head..... don’t t use the word “quit” unless you have every intention to never smoke again. 

I’m here for you when you need me....

Beck

[Samanthadoom]

Thank you Beck! That means a lot:) And congratulations on becoming a non-smoker! Your story is trying inspiring and I totally relate to the anxiety that only comes when quitting smoking. Thanks for relating to that because it is my biggest obstacle with it. Even though I meditate, do yoga, and practice mindfulness all day long every day, that little nicotine monster can make me feel like a zero. I like your approach to look at as a new challenge that brings even more challenges to beat. I do like challenges, overcoming them, and winning:) Have not ever thought of it that way before and now I am excited! I am preparing to stop on July 15th.

Two and a half years ago, I stopped smoking American Spirit Blues. That was my fave cigarette and smoked them for twenty years. To stop, I replaced cigarettes with an ecig thinking I had my addiction beat. I am still smoking this stupid juul pen like it’s a life saver. I truly consider myself a non-smoker and successful at it as I have not touched a cigarette and have no desire to.

So, this new quit is to rid myself of nicotine substances forever. I am so ready. Just have to tackle the mind part and win. There is this voice dialogue called R.A.I.N. I have been practicing already that helps with the tricky mind quirks that come up when I think about quitting nicotine. Check it out, it’s pretty cool:

https://mrsmindfulness.com/r-n-four-step-process-using-mindfulness-difficult-times/

I also listen to an amazing guided mediation by Sarah Blondin called Live Awake. She’s really good at finding the right words to conquer all.

And when I do conquer this, I feel I will have an even stronger and focused mind for it. As a creative person, strength of mind and focus is all I have. So, thank you for your support and wise words on my new journey to becoming a non-smoker. Hope my fave little mind quirk meditations find a happy place in your world too.

Have a great week!

Best,

Samantha Doom

Sent from my iPhone

[barryfleming]

Thank you Beck. Yes it's very challenging. I'm going to beat this. The cravings are enormous at times. But I must hold on.

[barryfleming]

Thank you Samantha, it's been so rough on me this far. I slipped and smoked Saturday just one. I'm going to beat this. My quit date is on the 15th. I've tried a few things to quit some help some don't. I'm staying close to the site everyday reading post from different non smokers. Thank you for the encouragement.

[JACKIE1-25-15]

If all else fails..here are a few blogs that may help you along the way .https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-ex/blog/2018/06/05/to-smoke-or-not-to-smoke?sr=sea... , https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/JACKIE1-25-15-blog/2016/12/10/words-matter.  Anytime you have a question you can do a search with the magnifying glass and use the keywords to get info on the topic.  Wishing you the best.  STay close to relearn your stinking thinking.

[elvan]

I think quitting JUUL is pretty much the same as quitting cigarettes, EXCEPT that you can't smoke everywhere or all the time so I guess that I think it might be a worse addiction in some ways.  Like smoking cigarettes is a worse addiction than using illicit drugs.  Smoking becomes so much a part of our lives...we smoked when we were happy, sad, lonely, angry, stressed, you name it.  Read everything you can about nicotine addiction, stay close to the site, read blogs, pay attention to what works for others, and most of all...COMMIT to quitting and accept that it is just the addiction telling you that you need it.  It really does nothing FOR you.  Quitting is not easy and it is not an event, it is a one day at a time journey and it CAN be done.

Welcome to EX.

Ellen

[Thomas3.20.2010]

I'm excited for you, Samantha! I know you can do this!

What helped me was this:

Thoughts and feelings - no matter how compelling - are not commands. The decision part of your brain is located in a different place. Make the decision and then respect yourself enough to honor that decision no matter what!

Trust me, your thoughts and feelings will come around - if and only if you stick with your Recovery!

Not

One

Puff

Ever!

Fill up all of that time you're using with blogs and comments here! That will help clarify the scrambled eggs for brains that we get during a quit's early days!