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Give and get support around quitting

laureenn_182
Member

Would anyone be willing to be there for me?

Would anyone be willing to be a buddy in case I have bad cravings etc?

15 Replies
Ralph1955
Member

You can count on me to be there for you.  Today is my 1 year quit anniversary. If I can do it, you can too.

indingrl
Member

CONGRATS ONE YEAR Ralph 1955!

sweetplt
Member

Hi and Welcome to Ex’s...

We are all here for you...you just must keep here and ask for help...we will talk you down from smoking.  Are you prepared, made a quit date, have knowledge, etc.,?  If not, please read at My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX where you will plan a quit date and then prepare for that day like no other.  Also, read and becoming knowledgeable about smoking and quitting.  We are each other’s buddies...and help every step of the way...You must keep it here at the support site...

~ Colleen 224 DOF 

/blogs/Maggie_quit_8-1-2010-blog/2012/03/19/100-things-to-do-instead-of-smoking?sr=search&searchId=0... 

JACKIE1-25-15
Member

Sure we would.  Quitting takes planning and preparation.  You can go to EX Plan | BecomeAnEX  to decide how you are going to go about quitting..Have you set a date?  Do you have a plan?  NRT, Smart Turkey, Cold Turkey? While withdrawal can be challenging, it can help if you look at the symptoms as signs that your body is recovering from the damage smoking has caused  You have come to the right place to get support to quit smoking. Education is the key to a successful quit.  Start first by educating yourself on addiction to nicotine. Foundation For A Successful Quit‌ this blog will give you a jump start.  Also, it is advisable to read Allen Carr's Easyway to Quit Smoking which can be found on pdf on the web.  Another good site to get info 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.

 

Barbscloud
Member

Like everyone has said, we're all here to be your buddy.

Barb

maryfreecig
Member

Ex is here for you 365 days of the year. Invest yourself in your quit, stick with Ex, read and learn about nicotine dependency, read other Exers blogs, comment and share. A quit is built one day at a time--you can do this. 

AnnetteMM
Member

Check out the Daily Pledge! Almost everyone needs to hold someone hand. You can do this!

YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

We ALL will be your quit buddies.  It's what we do.  Please tell us a bit more about yourself.  You might include your smoking history, your reasons for quitting, if you are using a quit aid, your quit date, and anything else you care to share.  We can better help you if we know a bit more.

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

Welcome to EX, we are ALL here for you.  Please pay attention to the advice you have been given, there are all of the answers you need right there.

Ellen