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Give and get support around quitting

DaniDesi
Member

How best to get rid of urges to smoke?

I'm on day two of not smoking and its a real struggle at the moment. Only reason I haven't given in is because I have nothing to smoke. I'm trying to stop thinking about it and I'm chewing gum and stuff but its so hard.

7 Replies
Maki
Member

The five Ds 

Discuss , Delay , drink water , Deep breathing . Distract . 

Ask yourself 

Halt 

Are you hungry angry , lonely , tired ? 

Walk .

Oranges helps with cravings as does cinnamon . Having a warm cup o in your hands to sip on or a cold squishy ice pack might help to keep in your hand . 

Write a list of Mantras you can relate to help you .

Write a good bye letter to cigarettes . 

Make list of things to do when craves overwhelm you .. those are distractions  , 

Research and educate . 

Read profiles , quit quips at the bottom of the page and other posts . 

Take up guitar or a musical instrument , learn on line . 

Take up a new hobby .

Just a few ideas . 

Some put an elastic around their wrist to keep grounded . 

Congrats on quitting .

Best idea ever ! 

maryfreecig
Member

Welcome to Ex. You've come to the right place for support!!! OK Urges happen, especially during the first few days. One way to deal with urges is to stay busy...and you will need to choose to do stuff--like read, walk, clean, whatever. You get through the urges one at a time until they are gone. It doesn't take forever--so please don't get discouraged. And remember, come to Ex, read, blog, comment--join in whenever you want to. 

You've chosen to quit which is a strong thing to do. Take it one step at a time, be proud of every hour you have not smoked. You earned it. You can get past the addiction/dependency--keep working it.

https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-ex/blog/2008/05/03/things-to-do-instead-of-smoking  posted by Nancy

YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to the community!

Your decision to quit smoking is one you will NEVER regret!  Congratulations on making it through Day Won.  This process takes education, support and commitment.  We can help with the first two.  I'm glad you are here!

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...

An 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.

 

You didn't mention if you are using a quit aid, so I will give you my thoughts on them  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.

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

JACKIE1-25-15
Member

It is a mental thing.  In the beginning,can not get rid of the urge to smoke but learn what to do when the urges come.  A quick tip is to drink lots of water and learn deep breathing exercises.  Have a plan of what you will do when the urges come.  Find out what are your triggers it is how you deal with it that makes the difference.  Planning, Preparing, and Practicing what to do will cause you to win.  Be willing to make the commitment that no matter what is happening in your life you will not smoke.  NOPE, not one puff ever. Educate yourself about addiction to nicotine.  There is a lot of material just on this site that can be helpful.  Education is the key to a successful quit.  Know that in time the urge will decrease only if you do not smoke.  You have to be willing to go through the rough side of things in order to get to the point that an urge is like a little gnat flying in your face.  You have come to the right place for support.  Read all of the suggested material. 

sweetplt
Member

Hi and Welcome to Ex’s DaniDesi 

Ah good theory because ... You can’t smoke what you don’t have...however, you need some better plans because you can go get the smokes.  You have received some good advice above me.  Read and do the work...also, come here often for help and let us know how you are doing...we are here to help.  Congratulations on Day 2 of Freedom...~ Colleen 525 DOF 

elvan
Member

You have gotten the best possible advice already, welcome to EX.  Do the reading, take the suggestions and know that you are not alone.  Not having anything to smoke is a GREAT beginning.

Ellen

Kdot1st
Member

I've found munching a few Hot Fries do a very good job of erasing an urge at the time. 

Karen

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