I really loved you. You were my friend. You made me happy. But you also made me sad. I will miss you, but I would rather be healthy than addicted to you. Goodbye.
@kymblar Welcome to the Ex. Great good-bye letter to begin your journey. The system has your quit date as July 1st so you have 36 days of success already? That's fabulous.
It's not to late to educate yourself about nicotine addiction and create a quit plan. Many have found success with knowledge and preparation. It took me 50 years and many attempts to finally get it. I went into my quits blindly and was never successful. In addiction to some aids, I found the Ex a week prior to my quit. For the first time I learned how to quit and had the support that was always lacking.
Make the commitment and you can do this too. We're here to support you on your journey. So reach out anytime you need help, want to share your experience or to support fellow quitters. We're all in this together.
Join many of us on the the Daily Pledge. It's a great way to stay on track on day at a time.
If the 36 days is accurate, you may find this helpful.
Great good-bye letter, but I must call to your attention the fact that cigarettes were not your friend. They were designed to make you THINK so, and thus create your addiction to their drug. I hope you will do some reading to better understand this addiction.
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.” You can purchase a digital version online or borrow it at your local library. Here is a video to inform you further about nicotine addiction: Nicotine and Your Brain.
I quit over ten years ago , and I base my overall recommendations on my experience and that of others over the years. if you decide to use a quit aid, I recommend those that don't let the addict control the dose such as Rx drugs and the patch. Each cigarette you smoked contained about 1 mg of nicotine. If you use more than one form of NRT, be sure you aren't getting more than when you smoked.
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! . 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), 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. Don't let that smoking thought rattle around in your brain unchallenged. You might visit “Games”: The active ones are at the top of the list going down the left side of the page.
Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of smoke if you need some fresh ideas:
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.
You might want to join other site members by taking the daily pledge when you quit. IT helps to hold yourself accountable and also accountable to others here. Find it at Home (top left), then first blue box.
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!
So true isn’t it how we thought of them as friends and put them on this pedestal crediting them for our happiness and so much more .
We knew there was always this sadness each time we smoked and it that never really made us happy at all . It was just a temporary comfort to get through that we longed for , and it needed to be fed over and over again . I’m glad you’ve seen the lies and we’re ready now to post your good bye letter and share that with all of us and those to come . Congrats on 36 days quit .
congrats on your quit. Today I am ten years quit. I used to smoke three plus packs a day. Cigarettes mean different things to people and I smoked until I could see a different way..a way out. Everyone’s journey is different. Once I had made the decision to quit in order to be successful a mantra helped me..several mantras but not one puff helped,spending time in the Ex community blogging helped..hard candy and crunchy things. Congrats on your journey! Moe Unfiltered
When I started my quit journey, I thought just like you did....I'm losing my friend, I love to smoke, etc. Most of us nicotine addicts were fond of smoking, at one time. I had withdrawals, but I had made up my mind that I wanted nicotine out of my life! I am on quit day 323 and it is not by accident. I put in the time and effort and have not regretted it. STARVE that monster.
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