Hello!

[michele62]

Hello everyone! Yesterday was the day I joined and my first quit date. I have been setting up to quit for a couple of weeks and stumbled on this site yesterday looking for more info. I am so glad that I did!  I made it 28 hours without a cigarette and then broke down last night. Good news is it tasted like crap and I did not enjoy it at all. Not to sound like an excuse, but I mainly did it for the anxiety. IT'S KILLING ME! I am not cranky or mad, just very anxious! I have tried the gum, patches, losengers and even the e cig and non are for me. Patch gives me rashes. Gum, losengers and e cig burn the hell out of my throat and make me instantly ill. So, for me it will just be chewing on straws and doing it cold turkey. In the past the cold turkey method worked the best anyhow for me. Anyway, any suggestions on the anxiety?

[promise_judy]

Try meditation or just old deep breathing. Be good to yourself and take a long bath or shower. Put on nail polish or just go for a long walk. Something about being outside in nature seems to help.

Maybe you need to do some reading? If so go to "my page" by clicking on my avatar. Lots of links there that may interest you.

XOXO

[Polynha]

I used to chew on straws all the time, you have to keep busy, if you can excersise, go for walks, take a nap, brush your teeth often, read, draw, dance, jump, meditate, watch a comedy......there is thousands of things you can do but you have to be strong an not give yourself permission to smoke, after a couple days it will get better but you have to go through the hard part knowing that no matter what, smoking is not an option for you. You can do it!

[Deena-A-Yenni]

I always tell newcomers to go to jonescarp aka dale's page and read his blog.  It's an easy read and will mentally prepare you for your journey.  Perhaps instead of reaching for that cigarette (get rid of them) you could drink a tall glass of water.  It always worked for me.  As you'll find out in the readings, the cigarette doesn't help with anxiety at all but enduces it thinking about it.  Welcome aboard and prepare yourself for your next quit.  You can do it.

[michele62]

Thanks Judy for the suggestions. I will certainly try those. I am not sure I will be able to focus to read but I love reading and will give it a try. I found myself holding my breath on my drive to work today. I guess I just need to exhale and learn to breath again. Sounds weird huh?

[michele62]

Thanks Deena for the warm welcome. I will try the water also! I got rid of my cigarettes. My husband and daughter (20) both smoke (ugh, I know). My husband is also quitting but in a completely different way. I took one of my daughters last night. Now to convince her to quit also.

[michele62]

Great suggestions Polynha! Thank you!

[JonesCarpeDiem]

willingness makes a winner.

if you are willing, you will not be fighting yourself.

it very well could be that the need for the dopamine release nicotine initiated is the cause of your anxiety.

exercise, laughing, chocolate will do the same thing.

[Ms.J_11-10-2013]

Welcome Michelle ~ you have to educate yourself about this addiction and figure out the best way for YOU to beat it.  If you can get past the first 3 days (72 hours) the nicotine is out of your system.  Do all the reading that is suggested, come to the site often and read, learn and blog.There are others here that are just starting out and You could maybe help each other.  I did alot of deep breathing when I was anxious, deep breath in...... hold it...............deep breath out.   Deep breath in......... hold it..............purse your lips and deep breath out.  Keep that up and it will pass.  You have to keep in mind that it is YOU that has the controls here, not the nicotine anymore, let it know whos boss and that it cannot get to you anymore!  Hope to see your aroung here alot and welcome to the family!

Jackie

298 DOF

[Ms.J_11-10-2013]

PS

After reading one of your blogs above you must inhale... then exhale......they kind of go hand in hand.  Can't have you turning blue and hitting the deck!  Also, I hope your daughter and husband respect this life changing decision you have made and do not smoke around you, and support you!

Jackie

[michele62]

CHOCOLATE! You are giving me permission to eat CHOCOLATE! you have become my new best friend, hahaha. Thank you for the advise. And thank you Jackie! I do beleive I need to read more on the addiction part of this.

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to our community!

I actually used a frozen Hershey Kiss with my coffee in the morning to replace that cigarette.  Hey -  whatever works!!!!

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 distract yourself through any craves.  You can take slow, deep breaths, go for a walk, play a computer game, do a crossword, bite into a lemon (yup, rind and all).   Here is a link to a list of 100 things to do instead of smoke if you need 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 CANNOT be:  "I want a cigarette.  No!  But - I WANT a cigarette!”

Instead, it needs to be "I want a cigarette.  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!

Stay close to us here; ask questions as you have them and for support when you need it. We will be with you every step of the way.

Nancy

[sparky26]

​ hi Michele , congratulations on your desire to quit smoking. These first few days may seem impossible to get through without a cigarette but you can ,I know you can. We all know you can. Stay close to this site, like everyone has told you read the suggested material. keep telling yourself I am not going to smoke today , one day at a time.

[JonesCarpeDiem]

Music releases dopamine for most, being involved in working towrds something that the end result gets your head involved like a hobby, or intimacy also releases dopamine.

[suzanne41]

Sex, chocolate and rock n roll... sounds like a plan!!  🙂

[grizzmax]

Michele, 

9/3 was my quit day too. We are non-smokers! We ARE DOING this. I am helped by visualizing my day ahead of time. I use deep breathing along with trail mix, candy, and gum to help me through the cravings. As soon as I identify a craving I visualize it going away. This morning I felt like I was having a 2-hour long craving but after it passed I felt proud and confient. Stay positive and treat yourself!

[marilyn_marmac]

   Hi! Welcome to Ex! I'm glad you found us. NRT's work great for some but cause reactions in others. Like you, I had reactions to NRT's so went cold turkey. At the time, I thought the quit would be so much easier if I could have used some form of NRT. However, it didn't take long to realize the people using NRT's had to go through withdrawal when they came off the NRT's as well. Not putting down NRT's I think they are great for some people, but for me, I'm actually glad cold turkey was how I went. So...This is your own personal journey and you have to do what works best for you.

   What I have discovered in the last year, the more you prepare and educate yourself, the easier it will be to quit and stay quit. Everyone will send you links to educational information. There's a reason for it. The educational links will help you understand the nicotine addiction, the withdrawals you will go through and how to beat them. Start in the How To Quit Smoking section, where you’ll look at your smoking triggers — those things that make you want to smoke — and re-learn how to handle them without cigarettes. Then go to the links listed at the bottom of the blog. Here are a few helpful tips:

  

   
• Prepare yourself mentally. Don't allow yourself to think negative! If you allow yourself to think you are going to fail, you probably will. Put a solid "I'm Going to Win!" in your head. Write it down and tape signs everywhere to remind yourself that failure is not an option!
   
• Keep a good attitude. Your thoughts are your reality. Your mind is a powerful tool. Use positive affirmations and let your subconscious mind help you quit smoking
   
• Practice “delaying” your cigarettes, smoke in different places than you normally do, and try and break some of the associations. (smoking in your car for example). OK to cut down, but don’t go below 5 a day, as you will be in constant withdrawal.
   
• When you have an urge, do something! Don't allow yourself to continue to think about it or tell yourself that you want a cigarette. Tell yourself this is nicotine addiction raring it's ugly head and DON'T give in to it. The urge WILL PASS! Just fight it while it's there. Remember, the only way to actually quit is to NOT give in to the urges.
   
• Make a 'quit kit' that contains a list of distraction techniques and things to help you through the urges. Add cinnamon sticks, crunchy things (carrots, celery, chips some hard candy, lots of water), lemons…biting into a lemon or sticking your head in the freezer and taking a deep breath really does help you get through.
   
• Take it 1 minute at a time! Those minutes will turn to hours and hours will soon turn to days. Before you know it, you will have a few months under your belt and will rarely even think of a cigarette.
   
• Don't allow yourself to get hungry or thirsty! Drink a glass of water and eat a healthy snack if you feel an urge coming on.
   
• Don't allow yourself to get overly tired. Your body will actually need more rest as it tries to heal itself from the addiction.
   
• Beware feelings of anger or feeling lonely. Remember, you are not alone! Every member of this group has been exactly where you are and we will be here to help you in any way we can. If you feel that you are about to break, come to us FIRST!! Let us help you through it.
   
• Ask for his help but hold yourself as the only person accountable for your quit.
  

   http://www.whyquit.com/whyquit/linksaaddiction.html - nicotine addiction 101

   http://www.quitsmokingonline.com/

   http://media.wix.com/ugd/74fa87_2010cc5496521431188f905b7234a829

[freeneasy]

Congrats on your decision to quit! You found the right place. Stick around here read blogs, stay positive-remember you are not giving up smoking you are taking back your life. Here is a link to a blog that another EX community member wrokte describing a quit technique that you may find helpful:https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/SkyGirl-blog/2013/07/20/a-smart-turkey

[michele62]

Thank you everyone for the support! It is really helping me get through this day! Suzanne1957, I like the way you think!

[Sammy.J]

Congratulations on your decision to quit. This site is God send I couldn't have done it without this site and my family on here. Keep checking in everyday as much as you can.

[johio]

Join the gym.....Join a maritial arts class.... Start Jogging....any physical activity where you can focus your anxiety with physical efffort. It helps.

Combine this with meditation......Even if you are not quitting smoking, this combination will help with anxiety

[moody_9-18-13]

Figure out what you will DO instead of smoking. Let's think, what do non-smokers do with themselves? 

Hummm...they watch tv, go for walks, read, educate themselves, cook a new dish, go shopping, call a friend and they do it without smoking. 

You can too, just realize smoking is a choice. Not smoking is a better choice. 

One day at a time, just promise yourself, today I choose not to smoke. Suddenly, you will have two days smokefree, then another day! Before you know it, a week, then two weeks will have passed and you didn't die from your choice to keep those smokes away from your face! 🙂 

[michele62]

I am starting to wonder if I can do this! We hosted cards at our house last night and everyone smokes. I gave in...AGAIN! So frustrated with myself. I actually guilted some friends just to have a smoke. How sick is that! Got up this morning and started over again. I just dont want to fall into that trap of always starting over.

[Brenda_M]

Okay, you have to make a quit date, and then COMMIT to it. If that is this morning, great, but if you aren't READY, you're setting yourself up for failure. Do the readings; that's really, really important. Lots of good reading is recommended above. This is an excellent way to start!

[Giulia]

If hosting cards is that big of a trigger for you, then you need to not be there at that time.  Period.  During the early stages of our quit we must forego those triggers that we can't handle.  Doesn't mean forever, but it does mean until we have enough quit time under our belts to feel secure.  Quitting has to become more important than most everything in our lives for a time.  For some of us that means sacrificing some of our normal routines.  I gave up coffee for the first few days and drank tea instead.  Eventually I got my coffee back.  If you're willing to make the commitment,  those sacrifices along the way aren't that great.  And believe me - they'll pay off in the long run.  Keep working it.