March 7 (My Birthday) As Quit Date

Discussion created by kldavi1 on Mar 10, 2017
Latest reply on Mar 10, 2017 by TerrieQuit

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Well, I decided to quit smoking AGAIN. I had quit for 5 years, but picked it back up in 2012. This time I quit for my 46th birthday. I ended up smoking on the 7th, about half a pack, and then smoked about 3 cigs on the 8th, but yesterday I was smoke free!! I had 3 super intense cravings, but I am using the NRT patches and gum, which the gum seems to really help! I want to make the 1 year mark, then the 5 year, 10 year and 15 year. I know I can do this, but I need support. I've pretty much tried to be a closet smoker around most people, so I don't have a lot of people to tell that I quit. I'm hoping this discussion board will help. Thanks for reading!

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jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007 Mar 10, 2017 5:56 AM
Happy belated birthday.
We count our quit date as our last puff so, your quit date is actually yesterday.
"the gum is really helping" Yes, it will help you get addicted to the gum if you use it every time you would have smoked.
Funny thing about NRT's, they don't make you think of smoking any less because the psychological connection to the ritual actually becomes stronger than the nicotine addiction as it becomes ingrained in our routine and connected to all our emotions.
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- kldavi1 @ jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007 on Mar 10, 2017 8:44 AM
  Thanks! Good point about the gum. I only chewed 4 pieces yesterday and typically would smoke 10-12 cigs per day. I'll remember what you said though and make sure I don't chew the gum that often. I'm planning to stop using the gum when my box runs out.
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  - jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007 @ kldavi1 on Mar 10, 2017 8:55 AM
    What strength patch are you on?
    Each piece of gum is equal to 2 or 4 cigarettes depending on whether you are using 2 or 4mg.
    So if you smoked 10-12 per day....you can calculate your nicotine intake and compare it to those 10-12 you smoked
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jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007 Mar 10, 2017 8:59 AM
Maybe cut a straw into thirds and chew on it when your gum is gone.
Or wint o green lifesavers?
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Chuck_Quit_2-20-2011 Mar 10, 2017 12:10 PM
Dale is right! There is a risk with NRT's of becoming addicted to the thing you're using to help yourself quit. I had one quit before my final one where I was addicted to the patches for six months. I did eventually get off of the patches and lasted about a year before relapse, but in the end I caved.

And the thing about the gum is that it gives you peaks and valleys, just like cigarettes do, meaning you're still answering the craves each time. The patches on the other hand gives you a steady amount of nicotine without the peaks and valleys that the gum creates. When I used the patch I called it "quitting on training wheels" because with the patch, you still feel the craves. You still have to fight, but they do lessen the intensity of the withdrawals.

Bottom line however is you need to do whatever it takes to quit. That's the most important thing. You know what you need to do in order to quit!

I look forward to hearing of your continued success!

ONWARD TO FREEDOM!!!

Chuck
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Youngatheart.7.4.12 Mar 10, 2017 12:19 PM
Welcome to our community!

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:

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You should also read the posts here and perhaps go the the pages of folks who you think might be helpful. You might visit whyquit.com and quitsmokingonline.com for the good information contained there. I second Dale's recommendation to be careful with the gum and suggest you use it only as a last resort when you have tried everything else first. As you near the end of the box, you might try cutting each piece in half and use that size for every other, than every third to wean yourself down. Then - try to sub a gum of the same flavor in between, too.

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
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TerrieQuit Mar 10, 2017 2:17 PM
Hello, kldavi1, when you took your last puff, is when you quit smoking! Here is a great place to strengthen your commitment Spring into March 2017 with a Daily Commitment! To help you get around the community you might find this link helpful Welcome to our Community and lastly a link from one of our Elders that is full of educational information My Welcome To New Members (12+ Years Of Watching) I hope you find some of this helpful! The people in this community are very friendly, so if you have any questions just ask, someone is always available! ~Terrie~
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March 7 (My Birthday) As Quit Date

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