I am back with my tail between my legs again!!!

[piper]

It really sucks that I only made it two weeks on my last quit, which was a LONG time ago.  I am back and three days in.  I smoked my last cigarette on September 30th 11:00 p.m.  I always seem to flip out and break down on day three.  I am trying to stay strong.  I feel agitated but I'll feel more agitated with a touch of disappointment and anger if I smoke so just dealing.  Oh and this time for some reason it seems that after 3 days I should be breathing better but it is soooo the opposite.  My breathing is very labored right now.  I hope this is normal.

[JonesCarpeDiem]

You don't need to be strong. You need to be willing and stop telling yourself you need to smoke.

It takes 2-3 weeks to get through the strongest physical symptoms of withdrawal byt the psychological addiction takes much much longer.

You have to in in it for the long haul.

[Eric_L.]

Fear won't keep you smoke free.  Willingness not willpower. 

Bookmarking my days here has changed my life.

[Zendlewise]

Hang in there and you can do it.  You need to keep clean and breathe out that poison.  It will take a little while.  This is the hardest part, you know.  Just do what it takes to get thro it.  I know it is so difficult at first...but soooo worth it.  You know you do not like breathing like this.  Remember it, and let it be your incentive for geting well.  Peace and love to you.  

[Deena-A-Yenni]

Welcome back.  When the desire to smoke arises, drink a tall cool glass of water and ride the symptom out.  It's a win win situation.  Our body is made up of 70% water so you will be replenishing as you ride the crave out.  The glass of water also curbs your appetite so drink the glass of water and be merry!!!!

[JACKIE1-25-15]

Welcome back.  Congratulations on your decision to commit to stop smoking.   Our resolve is to never smoke again.  NOPE  “Not one puff ever.”  I suggest that you follow the steps on the web page along with reading, writing, studying, researching.   This is all about you and what you are willing to do to be a nonsmoker.  Here is a link to Allen Carr’s book Easy Way to Quit Smoking an easy read, suggested by the elders which is quite helpful. If you take the time to do the work you will have success.  There is no magic pill to quitting. http://media.wix.com/ugd/74fa87_2010cc5496521431188f905b7234a829.pdf

Also check out www.whyquit.com. There is a lot of beneficial information.  Look for Freedom From Nicotine My Journey Home and Nicotine Addiction 101.  Stay close to the site and learn, ask questions. Read the blogs enjoy your commitment to quit smoking. If you should need something to do here is  a link that will help https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instea...

[TerrieQuit]

Welcome, It's good to see you! Hang around here, You won't be sorry! Read and educate yourself and tell yourself (outloud) I don't do that anymore! You have made a good choice! Hang in there!

Terrie  90  DOF

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome back to our community!

I'm glad you found us again.  Your breathing should improve - but you have to give your body some time to heal.  You smoked for a long time - you can't expect improvement in just days.

The most important thing you can do right now is to educate yourself again on what nicotine does to your body and mind. To that end, I also highly recommend Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking” linked for youa above.

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.

After you have completed the recommended reading, it will be time to make an informed choice of the quit aid, if any, you will use. If you go that route, I personally recommend the aids that don't let the addict control the dose such as the available prescription drugs or the patch. But – any method that you think will work well for you will be best for you.  Are you currently using an NRT?

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.

Let us help you make this your FINAL quit! 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

[elvan]

Welcome back, you CAN do this and it is nowhere near as hard as you think it is, just take it one day at a time.

[SkyGirl]

Welcome back, Delilah!  

You seem surprised that Day Three is so hard.  Sometimes, people forget that it takes about three days (72 hours) for all the nicotine to leave your body.  

So it makes sense that, on that third day when the last of the nicotine is leaving your bloodstream, that your body starts to realize that you mean BUSINESS.  And that is when your body starts to scream the loudest about "needing" a cigarette.  Many folks say that Day Three was a lot harder than Day 1 and Day 2. 

Please go back and read what eric said up above in the second comment: "Willingness, not Willpower".  If you think that you can quit by gutting it through and being miserable the whole time, feeling that you are "giving up something I love", and that quitting is all about "sacrificing", then you need to change your thinking.

To be successful at quitting, you must be WILLING to quit.  You don't have to WANT to quit.  Heck, few of us really WANTED to quit.  Most of us felt we HAD to quit or we NEEDED to quit, but didn't really WANT to.  And the difference between those of us who quit and those who did not quit is that we were WILLING to quit.  We were able to see that quitting was FREEDOM, not sacrifice.  We were willing to go through the physical and mental discomfort to become FREE from nicotine addiction.

I know you've read Allen Carr's book.  But you read it way back in 2014,  it says on your blogspot page.  So please go back and read it again.  It will help you flip your thinking around so that you can see quitting as something GOOD that you are excited to do!

Please stay in close contact with us this time.  Come here every single day for the first few days and for as long as you need to.  Take it one day, one hour, one minute at a time.  And promise yourself that you will come here and blog for "HELP!" before you pick up a cigarette.  Okay???

xxxooo,  Sky