Hello again

[tracylynne37]

I had fell back in the trap i havent been here because of it. I am restarting again tomorrow. Just finished alan carr book while i am trying to follow instructions. I seem to have trouble keeping the right frame of mind. I get these urges and tension headaches and it drives me nuts i swear 4 years ago i had more ambition then i do now. I am working on finding ways to avoid it i smoked my last one wet the pack smashed it and did a big celebration now to stick with the plan. I have been trying to find extra resources besides here. Please dont judge i know i screwed up. The important thing is getting back on track in which i am trying. I made my vow tonight so thats step 1.

[Kimshine]

No one is here to judge you. We are here to support you. We have all dealt with what you are going through. You say that you can't keep the right frame of mind. It's easy actually, if you decide to quit, it means you keep cigarettes away from your face and never ever light another one. You may have headaches, you may cry, you may be angry, you may not be able to sleep, you may sleep more than usual you may react in a lot of different ways as did the rest of us that protected our quits but in order to quit smoking, you have to actually stop doing it.

Glad to see you back on board! Stick around, you know we are here to help you.

[JACKIE1-25-15]

Glad you did not stay away too long.  Good that you are doing the suggested readyings.  In the meantime.  Try to relax with breathing exercises.  They help a lot.  we are here for you.  Come here for help when you need it.  Do not let smoking be an option. 

[TerrieQuit]

You will get no judgement from me, only support!! Don't beat yourself up! More education and getting started again is the best thing! Making that promise not one puff ever NOPE and keeping that promise are a good thing! Just tell yourself "I don't smoke anymore" Stick with this and stay close to the site.Let us know if we can help! You can do this, Tracy. Don't Quit on your Quit!

I Won't Quit on my Quit!

[YoungAtHeart]

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.  I am glad you are reading Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.”

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.  Don't let that smoking thought rattle around your head alone.  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

[Giulia]

Keep the right frame of mind is not easy, I'll grant you.  You have to fight for it and practice it.  What helped me was reading everything I could.  Information about the addiciton, blogs, people's experiences, tips and tricks.  Support made a big difference.  But ultimately it's about agreement.  You agree to quit - with yourself.  And you commit to it.  And you stick to that commitment - NO MATTER WHAT. 

Let me ask you this:  What do YOU think is the "right frame of mind?" 

[Dotgirl_1-28-16]

Welcome! Congratulations on your decision to be strong and continue with your quit!! Smash the pack and do your happy dance because you have reason to celebrate...YOU ARE DOING THIS!!!! WAY TO GET BACK ON TRACK!!! I hope you are standing tall and proud...you have reason to be proud of yourself!!! Way to stick with your quit!!! Read, prepare, blog, continue being strong...the urge may come, it may be strong but YOU ARE STRONGER!!! You're stronger than you give yourself credit for....Way to fight for your quit!!! Never give in, never give up... just say N.O.P.E.

[tracylynne37]

Giulia when i was talking about right frame of mind i was meaning like the excitement. While I wanna quit I dont feel the ambitition or "wilpower" or the part on alan carr book when he said instead of moping be excited.that moping will prolong it I cant help to mope i try to control it.

[Kimshine]

I tried to be excited also like the book said. I wasn't. It's hard to be excited when your body and mind are going through withdrawal. You can still quit. Commit to not lighting up no matter what your frame of mind is.

You can do it!

[Connie55]

Sometimes you might feel like you are not excited to be and Ex-smoker because you may be unconsciously "mourning" the loss of your "familiar old friend". Many times we nicotine addicts romanticize smoking and look at it as a soothing, predictable thing in our life so we are not excited when its gone. Just remember, that cigarette is no friend, it is a killer. Moping is just a stage of separation you may go through temporarily in this journey. Do not let the emotions control you. Acknowledge them for what they are and find something else to occupy that moment.

[elvan]

 I honestly have to tell you that I found some things helpful in the Allen Carr book but I really felt that to say there is an Easy Way to Quit Smoking was misleading.  This is a journey and there are going to be some bumps in the road, there are going to be some real challenges but you do not have to smoke.  The thing that helped me the most, aside from this site which was a lifesaver, was to promise myself that I would be completely honest with myself.  I would ask myself if I smoked a cigarette because of pain, anger, depression, etc, would it really change anything?  If the answer was no, I wouldn't smoke.  It's been over two years now and I smoked for the better part of 47 years.  This isn't a fight, a battle, it is a journey that seems to be all uphill at the beginning but it gets better and better, it's up to you to decide what you are going to do when things are not what you want them to be.