Community
I smoke like crazy and I need help so I don't end up on a breathing machine.. I don't want to smoke but my body starts feeling very weird when I don't have one... So plz help me cause my future wife and two daughters need me... I'm only 34 and I smoke like two packs if u let me a day PL help
Welcome to the Ex. I'm so excited that there are so many new quitters recently. Pick a quit date, educate yourself about this addiction and prepare for your quit My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX. It's not easy, but you can do this if you want it. We're here to help you every step of the way. All you have to do is make the commitment and reach out if and when you need support.
Barb
Welcome. First, know that you can do this because quitting is doable. It does take the commitment to never smoke again no matter what is happening in your life. Our minds can fool of to believe that cigarettes help us. That is so far from the truth. We have to learn about addiction and be willing to do whatever is necessary not to smoke. The idea is to have a plan. You can start here. My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX. It is important to watch the videos and do the exercises to track your smoking. Follow the guidelines. If you have questions or need help just ask. The search engine is the magnifying glass, top right corner. Keep us updated on your progress.
I smoked about 38 cigarettes a day at my highest level of smoking. Often I controlled how much I smoked. I thought I loved them. I thought I couldn't live without them. I quit in October 2013 and I found out that I didn't love smoking that I was dependent on them. I found out I could live without tobacco, nicotine the whole thing.
Quitting takes you being willing to find your way through the unpleasant feelings of no nicotine. But all those crappy feelings come to pass. To get to that point, you have to stay smober one day at a time. Ex is here for you 365, in turn you can be there for someone else if you choose to be.
In addition to Ex, your hospital may offer nicotine addiction programs, there may be meetings in your area and you might want to look up your state's (if you are in the US) quit site. All states have quit tobacco sites.
Here's my story:Quitting Cigarettes Journal
Here's Doc Evan's classic advice on quitting Quitting Smoking is a Journey - YouTube
Here are some great reads by Exers: Give This The Time It Takes One of the greatest tools you can use
The Smithy (this blog talks about no mans land but is just as good for the first steps of quitting)
Welcome and here are the SUGGESTIONS made to ME when I first came here - please educate YOUR self by reading ALL EXteam offers here and at whyquit.com there are videos to watch that families who lost their loved ones to NICOTINE at an early age - Byron's video brought ME out of MY denial about MY NICOTINE addiction - please blog BEFORE you take that first puff - gentle hug
Hi there - glad you came here to reach out. We've all either been through what you're going through or are going through it right now. The weird feeling when you're not smoking will ease up after you quit. My withdrawal was a pain in the keester, but it had to be done in order to reach where I am now.
I've quit so often and didn't do it right until this time. I don't say I failed any longer; I learned here at EX that if I'm still smoking, I'm not doing quitting right
Anyway, you're among people who get it. Scream and holler here and get feedback. Read Allen Carr's Easy Way book (free from the library, inexpensive for your e-reader or for paperback.
Donna
Day 251
Welcome to Ex.
You are 34, and I am sure many of Ex Smokers having past life of mere 34 years of full of smoke filled lungs.
Not clear what you are afraid of, as you are 34, and if some life threatening illness is bothering you, or you are afraid of how you will be able to quit......
What ever, there is no age bar, time bar to quit smoking. And we all here to support/help you quit.
All the best !
Youngatheart.7.4.12 hadn't welcomed you yet; the us a lot of good advice to get started here! Learn about your addiction, learn what works for you, and break your addiction!
Keep the Sexy Exers close, write about your journey, and come to the community for help BEFORE smoking.
Thanks for the heads up! I often miss newbies in "Conversations" and "Status Updates" for some reason!
Welcome to our community!
Congratulations on deciding to take back your life from addiction at the young age of 34. If you quit now, you can heal from ALL the damage you have done by smoking!
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 which you can search for 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
Cjandkayla1 Hello, Did you get your questions answered. Have you set a date? How is it going? Let us know how we may help.
WELCOME, Cjandkayla1 ... You've come to the right place for help and support in your quest to quit smoking! What an excellent decision to make at 34... you're still young and hopefully have avoided some of the insidious long-term affects of smoking.
It isn't the easiest thing you'll ever do, but you CAN do it and I promise it will be one of the best, if not THE best, thing you will ever do for yourself. You will never regret becoming a nonsmoker... guaranteed!
Others will be along with some homework and advice for you to get you started. I just wanted to welcome you, and if needed I'll be watching for you and popping in with my experiences, as you go along your journey.
and YES, it is not unusual to feel odd, uncomfortable, antsy, angry, sad, weird, different, up-and-down, when you are withdrawing from nicotine. It is normal. This is an addiction, and those feelings are about the worst that it gets... not like you've seen heroin withdrawal or alcohol withdrawal portrayed, but not much fun and difficult to get through sometimes. The feelings and cravings you will have, as described above, are all temporary. Your benefits will be permanent. So how great is that?
Again, Welcome