Tomorrow is the day.

Discussion created by jamieroden1 on Nov 17, 2019
Latest reply on Nov 18, 2019 by jamieroden1

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Tomorrow will be day 1. Again. Last year I quit for 2 months and let myself give in. I dont really know why, but i definitely regret it. I read a thing that said "If you quit now, you will be back where you began, and when you began, you were desperate to be where you are now." That resonated so much with me! And it is 100% true. I never thought I could make it day, much less 2 months. So now I am back at it. I started at 12 and am 33 now. Its beyond time. I really hope this one sticks. I was so happy for those 2 months, but it did feel like I was missing something. It's going to be hard to retrain my entire life. Here's to hoping this community can help when I get shaky in my resolve!

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sweetplt Nov 18, 2019 8:24 AM
Hi and Welcome to Ex’s jamieroden1

I am so glad you found our site....You can make Day 1, Day Won...May I suggest, if you haven’t already .. read at My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX ...also, drink lots of water today and keep busy...infact, here is a list of to do’s instead of smoking 100 Things to do instead of smoking! Keep close to the support site for help and to encourage others on this journey...You can do this...~ Colleen 350 DOF
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- jamieroden1 @ sweetplt on Nov 18, 2019 9:14 AM
  Thank you!
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Youngatheart.7.4.12 Nov 18, 2019 9:17 AM
Welcome to our community!

The important thing you can do right now is to re-educate yourself on what nicotine does to your body and mind. To that end, I highly recommend you begin with 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. Understand that there will never, ever be such a thing as "just one" to an addict...it will ALWAYS, maybe not right away but ALWAYS, lead you back to being a full-time smoker.

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
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- jamieroden1 @ Youngatheart.7.4.12 on Nov 18, 2019 11:06 AM
  Thank you! I did buy the easy way book a while back and have read it about 3 times now. It is super helpful. And I am not using any replacements. As long as I stay in this mindset, I think I will be good. But it definitely challenging. Thank you for your response and suggestions! I will definitely keep them in mind.
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Cousin-Itt Nov 18, 2019 9:41 AM
Hi jamieroden1 Glad you are trying again. First use the great advice people above have given you
   Use your last quit as a learning experience. Look back at what caused you to smoke and what you can do to avoid or handle differently the situation again.
As far as feeling like you're missing something, I felt that what helped me is it was suggested to me I'll suggest it to you Write a list of all the good things smoking gives you    Write a list what smoking takes from you and be honest
I found my list of good had zero things wrote    my list of what it takes from me I could have kept writting
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- jamieroden1 @ Cousin-Itt on Nov 18, 2019 11:09 AM
  Yes! I have gone over why I gave up so many times! But it has helped prepare me for this time. I am definitely more determined than ever!
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Tomorrow is the day.

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