Give and get support around quitting
I am on day 5 of my quit. I am definitely going thru the physical withdrawal.... headaches and fatigue. My mind is consumed with cigarettes! When does this subside?
Click on this freedom link above. It may have some information and links to reading material that you might find helpful. Five days is a wonderful start - but honestly that first week is hell but you are almost through it. It does get better but you must be willing to give it some time. Quitting smoking is hands down the very best decision that you will ever make. Stay in touch and ask for help if you need it!
Yes, it's hard at first. By the way CONGRATULATIONS ON 5 DAYS!! That's a wonderful achievement. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but each day really does get easier. Most who have quit know about hell week. That first week is hard. But making it through that first week is a prize!
Each day is a learning experience but each day also brings us closer to what we really want. I remember gritting my teeth, smoking air through straws, eating like a mad man. But in the end it was worth it. In the end there is peace. It's gradual, but you've already got a good start. Keep blogging if you need to. Do anything to keep your mind off of cigarettes.
ONWARD TO FREEDOM!!!
Congratulations on your awesome 5 DOF-days of Freedom , keep moving forward and stacking up your precious smoke free days, each evening is another Day WON.....
Welcome to our community!
Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking and your first FIVE days. That's awesome. It DOES get easier - but this is a journey, not an event. You need to give it the time it takes.- it won't just be OVER - but it WILL gradually be less difficult.
The most 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. Here is a link to a free PDF version of it:
http://media.wix.com/ugd/74fa87_2010cc5496521431188f905b7234a829.pdf
As well, read the sections on this site, and read the blogs, responses and pages of folks you think might be helpful. You might visit whyquit.com and quitsmokingonline.com for the good information contained there.
The idea is to change up your routines so the smoking associations are reduced. Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand. 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.
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. 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:
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
Thank you for all of the awesome information! I am reading "The Easy Guide" and I am enjoying it. I am also going to look at all of the things that you suggested! Thanks again!!!
Congratulations on your five days. It definitely will get easier but there is no timetable that anyone can possibly give you. I remember feeling just like you do and I thought that I would NEVER stop thinking about cigarettes. I can't tell you when it happened but I CAN tell you how wonderful it felt the first time I realized that I had gotten through a particularly stressful time and I never even THOUGHT of smoking. It will happen for you but there are no shortcuts and it has to be one day at a time. We have all been where you are now, keep going, it WILL get easier.
BTW, Welcome to EX.
Ellen
I love it here! Thank you!
It's up to you. The more you allow the process to flow over you the sooner you will get through to the other side and the feeling is incredible! Keep going! No quitter regrets quitting but smokers want to quit all of the time! You're doing GREAT! Keep stacking those days!
You've made it through the toughest days, congrats! Hang tough! It will get better and it's worth it. It's uncomfortable now but the discomfort will fade as you make the transformation to freedom.