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Daily Pledge, Bonfires and Quit Celebrations: Traditions born from the members

CommunityAdmin
Community Manager
Community Manager

8/9/19 Celebrations

We challenge you to respond! Reply by Email or login and comment with your Days of Freedom. Let's show the world that we've overcome or will overcome and not let nicotine win. 

 

It appears that you've reached the milestones listed below based on the quit date that is appearing on the site. Please login and say hello!

 

Congrats on your progress if the date is correct. If it isn't, read below for directions on how to get your quit date updated! This is a judgment-free zone. It's important to quit and we're here for you!


sandi8 3800 days!

FLORIDALJT‌ 3000 days!

md1971‌ 7 years!

mary242 and shellmats 2400 days!

marilyn_marmac‌ 2200 days!

kevinherring 4.5 years!

AbasKid‌ 4 years!

barrypittman 1300 days!

DEFJamBaby and oreo77 2.5 years!

Kellybeth‌ 900 days!

Den1745‌ 800 days!

joannocera2000 2 years!

Joey3210 nanberg ric8671 1.5 years!

jbollweg Sammy.J and Truztie11 500 days!

CW3 Drprudence80 Grimlinkmama3953 Smedley995 and Tawny 400 days!

Rc77 1 year!

cmemelindaHanglinlizzysmomstacyjlollis‌ and suzieque213‌ 300 days!

123Harold chaveezz Cheryl55bailey cmarie1971 dallasstarsfan Garcia19 kplummer9 MarineMoM0214 MistrBrown01 Mtzdunn nancyz56 pappnp Tinalbowser vladd and xanastreasures 200 days!

heatherettemich and Logiebear 6 months!

401Adien Ashleybrown33 Auschl77 badbee1824 ccallowa0413 cleeross Flawless Kayla0427 lizmcauley LynnDA50 michigan33 riverafaith Sweetsarah and Usgreen 150 days!

1smokerless babymeepling brewjosh buddhabhai1976 c.j.yeager Christine06066 Cowtownqootie dana1975 Dezholliday diane1971 Donaldwilsarion Ejwaters gourdlady johnsonmrg kgreninger khudson kimber_txrh KitKat813 Kowaboggs16 lgallenberg lockdealnow ltd2chic1 Mariechini mmunson25 MrsFenwick patriciaporem2 rickneisha Rielle rosamun2016 Suzidavis62 tammytabby Tanuaj Tanuaj13 Tbasner tjandz tsluiter Twiggster wmiller  100 days! Welcome to the Triple Digit Quitters Club!

Esiah Junewillis and touchbyangels 50 days! This is the first of many celebrations for you. Please come back every time we celebrate you and confirm your quit date.

If you have a celebration, whatever the period of time, feel free to share and celebrate in the comments! Not sure of your Days Of Freedom? Use the →EX Quit Calculator← or check out My Quit Plan to see your DOF.

 

If you're just joining us, the above members are just a small sample of people who have quit with the help of the site you're on and the amazing support. Let that be motivation that you can do it too.

 

67oldbabe belliott138 contactggretel Coralreefs914 Easy1057 Jenn2019 kathrynbyrnes kelly.young miracle_63 pallywally1166 PDTOE1964 rndersafe sarahkstrange and ttorres73 today is your quit day! Congrats, if anyone has quit today and for starting your journey with us as well. Be sure to journal your experiences today with a personal blog(← Click to get started) so you can look back on it and reflect where you started. Tag the post "TheDayIQuit". This way others can see what they can possibly expect as they start their quit journey. Before you know it, you'll be celebrating with people like those mentioned above. To see more Quit Journeys for days 1 thru 100 click the link.

 

Mark
EX Community Manager

 

If I've gotten your quit date wrong, be sure to update it and then go through the steps to sync it to the community.

 

Please check your Community Profile to see if you've indicated how many cigarettes on average you smoked per day. Then go to the My Quit Stats tab in your profile to see how many cigarettes you have avoided or put the mouse over your username and then click the little "ex" button in the lower left of the hovercard pop-up.

EX Community Admin Team
Tags (1)
8 Replies
LynnDA50
Member

I’m in need of prayer! Tomorrow I plan to become an ex smoker!! If you

have any suggestions or just some positive words, they will be greatly

appreciated!! lynnatkinsagain3@gmail.com or 662-889-0433

0 Kudos
LynnDA50
Member

Not really sure how to use the website yet?!?

On Fri, Aug 9, 2019 at 3:36 PM Lynn Atkins <lynnatkinsagain3@gmail.com>

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sweetplt
Member

pastedImage_1.jpgCongratulations to a great group...Celebrate and Enjoy your Freedom ~ Colleen 249 DOF 

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elvan
Member

Congratulations to everyone with special shout outs to marilyn_marmac‌ for 2200 days, AbasKid‌ for 4 years, Sammy.J  and  jbollweg  on 500 days, you all deserve kudos.

LynnDA50  Go to the top of the page and click on the pencil next to your avatar and write a blog introducing yourself to the community.   Tell us how long you smoked, what you have done to prepare for this quit, and what we can do to help.  I strongly suggest reading a couple of blogs written by JonesCarpeDiem‌ that I think you will find helpful, I am going to link them here:

/blogs/jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007-blog/2011/06/26/what-to-expect-in-the-first-four-months  and https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/thread/6040-my-welcome-to-new-members-12-years-of-watching   I am hoping that YoungAtHeart‌ sees your comment and gives her usual welcome.

A successful quit requires education about nicotine addiction, support from others who know exactly what you are going through, and your own commitment not to smoke, no matter what.  I came here every morning and every evening when I quit and after over 5 1/2 years of freedom, I am still here most days.  This community thrives because we take care of each other.

Welcome to EX,

Ellen

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indingrl
Member

CONGRATS EVERYONE and Yahoooooooooo GOOD JOB!

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YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

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

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Barbscloud
Member

Big congrats to all celebrating milestones

Barb

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Barbscloud
Member

Welcome to the Ex and congrats on your the first day of your quit  How is it going?   If you need help reach out.  We're here for you.

Barb

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