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Give and get support around quitting

Mandy9236
Member

How do I fight the sleepiness?

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It is day 3 and I am doing pretty good but I am so tired!

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MarilynH
Member

Welcome to the community please read the links suggested above me and keep reading everything you can because there's a wealth of information right here on this site to strengthen your resolve to kick the nicotine poison to the curb permanently it's not easy by any stretch of the imagination BUT boy oh boy it's so worth it to be Free CONGRATULATIONS on your decision to quit smoking and congrats on two days of Smokefree living and this evening will be another Day WON with many more to come, my daughter's name is Amanda we've always called her Mandy.......

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YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking and your first two days!

Nap as you can.  Caffeine has a greater effect when you quit smoking; so limit your intake (soda has it, too) and don't get any after about 3:00 in the afternoon.  You can try Melatonin (an herbal supplement) or warm milk at bedtime.  Be especially mindful of using electronics within a couple of hours before bedtime.  Be sure your sleeping area is cool and dark.  If you can take it, Benadryl has sleepiness as a side effect.  This WILL pass.  Give yourself plenty of TLC while going through this process

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 .
 

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

Mandy9236
Member

Thank you so much for all the wonderful advice! I’m really glad I found this website.

MarilynH
Member

Welcome to the community please read the links suggested above me and keep reading everything you can because there's a wealth of information right here on this site to strengthen your resolve to kick the nicotine poison to the curb permanently it's not easy by any stretch of the imagination BUT boy oh boy it's so worth it to be Free CONGRATULATIONS on your decision to quit smoking and congrats on two days of Smokefree living and this evening will be another Day WON with many more to come, my daughter's name is Amanda we've always called her Mandy.......

Mandy9236
Member

Thank you! I am really thankful to everyone who has been so supportive! Awww, I completely approve of that nickname. My dad was a Barry Manilow fan so back in 1983 when I was born my dad was like yup! That’s what we will call her. Lol

MarilynH
Member

Awwww that's so sweet my son Alfred was born in March of 1983. 

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Mandy9236
Member

I’m in February!

elvan
Member

Welcome to EX, please do all of the suggested reading and stay close to the site.  I came here every morning and every evening when I first quit and after over 5 1/2 years, I do my best to come here every day.  When I can't, I actually feel like something very important is missing in my life.  This community is amazing and supportive, we all want you to succeed.  Any chance you can sleep a little bit more for now.  It's often part of the withdrawal.  I was really sick when I quit so as I recovered, I HAD to sleep because of the damage to my lungs.  I know that I felt exhausted on previous quits but I also know that it passed.  I find that exercising helps immensely with fatigue.  It releases dopamine and helps my energy to spike.

Congratulations on 3 days!  You are doing this.

Ellen

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Mandy9236
Member

Thank you Ellen. I will be able to sleep more when the weekend is here but not really during the week because of my work schedule. We are working OT right now. I’ll try to nap at lunch and see if that helps. Congrats on over 5 years. That’s amazing. I really hope once this is all done that I stop feeling like something is missing all the time. My husband quit dipping 2 weeks ago so he is helping me stay strong as well!

elvan
Member

You've GOT this!