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Give and get support around quitting

Randyp
Member

Help with how to quit chewing

Hi folks, new here but I am wondering how others have overcome the need of chew.... I guess my hardest part is finding something to replace this habit. Any and all suggestions are welcome!

6 Replies
sweetplt
Member

Hi and Welcome to Ex’s Randyp 

Glad you found out site...we are all addicts either from smoking, vaping, ecigs, chewing, etc.,  I suggest you read at My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX and while reading replace smoking with chewing.  Then, make a quit date and plan for that date like no other.  Educate yourself in addiction and delaying the urges.  Replacing chewing with healthy activities (drink water, chew gum, suck on hard candy, meditation, take a walk, etc.,)...in the beginning you have physical and mental withdrawal, once the physical is out of your body, you are dealing with the mental.  Mental withdrawal is changing up your routine and what you will do besides chewing.  Keep close to the support site.  We are all in this together....You can do it...now get working and know we are here for you...Colleen 485 DOF 

Randyp
Member

Thank you, just seeing the responses with support makes this seem possible!

YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to the community!

Chewing tobacco is a nicotine addiction, not a habit.  No matter the delivery device, the way to break free is the same.  this welcome was written for smoking, so you will need to replace that reference with "chew" as you read!

 

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 easy and entertaining read provided a world of good information about nicotine addiction, most of which I was not aware.  I credit it in large part with my success at quitting.   You can search for it online or at your local library.


 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 obvious reasons.

 

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

Randyp
Member

Thank you for all the tips!

0 Kudos
Barbscloud
Member

Welcome to the Ex and congrats on your decision to quit.  Pick a quit date and educate yourself about nicotine addiction.  Remember it's not  a habit, it's an addiction.  Creating a quit plan helps to be make quitting possible.  There are some other chewers on the site.  The link below has additional posts you may find helpful.

Barb

https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/chewing-tobacco?sr=search&searchId=e40015f4-6eba-48b0-a25e... 

Randyp
Member

Thank you!