I go by changeling

[changeling2]

i have been smoking since i was 15. i am now 60 years young!! i have tried to quit several times and have had the greatest success with the inhaler and the lozengers  i never had support from a group however i hope i can get help through the communities i join.  My biggest triggers are depression and boredom!  i have created things i like to do this time to  help me with the boredom such as reading playing on my keyboard a game of solitaire and puzzles.  I hope when one doesn't work, one of the others will!    

[constanceclum]

Hi changeling. I saw you on the group site. I am new too but I have noticed that group participation is low. I read that most people use the blogs to communicate. I am bipolar primarily depression with anxiety. I have been smoking for 42 years and now have copd. I am 55 years old and feel desperate to quit. Stick with this site and you will get a wealth of information. My quit date is Tues. Connie

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to our community!

The most important thing you can do to start is to educate yourself on what nicotine does to your mind and body. 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, do the tracking and separation exercises, and read the blogs, responses and pages of folks you think might be helpful. You might also want to visit quitsmokingonline.com, and whyquit.com.

After you have completed the readings, it will be time to make your quit plan, including what quit aid , if any, you will use, and the crave busters you think will work for you. Then you can approach your quit day with a plan in place.  

You've found the right place for support and information.  It is really important to educate yourself on this addiction - so I cannot strongly enough recomend that you do the reading suggested.

Ask questions when you have them and for support when you need it.  We will be with you every step of the way!

Nancy

[Barbara145]

Welcome!  Yep, as they said when I began  "Everyone hangs out on the blogs"

[millerolalla]

I haven't blogged before but what has helped me (Day 20 of Quit with Chantrex) has been to come up with a list of as many things as I can to do instead of smoking.  Everything from washing dishes to deep breathing to singing to walking up the hill. 

[joyeuxencore]

Hey friend!

The day will come when you do not even think about smoking...I have had to consciously  seek ways to ‘reward’ or ‘stress relieve’ or supposed boredom relief myself for whatever…a ‘job’ well done…a cleaning project completed, the dog bathed, grocery shopping done…

Oh my goodness it seems I used a cigarette to punctuate every move I made and every feeling I had good or bad…Now  while I do not subscribe to ‘rewards’ for just living life I am an addict and if I have to ‘see’ it that way for a while and find new, healthy ways to ‘punctuate’ my life just getting through the day then so be it!

I buy myself fresh flowers, a sweet smelling candle, take a bubble bath, rent a movie, watch a special tv show, I keep coming up with fun things that make me feel good and remember that life is made up of little moments and a cigarette break is NOT one of life’s beautiful moments…It NEVER was…My addict brain thought it was good because I needed to feed the addiction NOT MY SOUL…Now I feed my soul…

Hang in there no matter what because “You are worth SO much more than a cigarette!” xo

[joyeuxencore]

This helps clarify:

http://whyquit.com/whyquit/LinksAAddiction.html  

   change·ling

  

    ˈCHānjliNG/    

  

   

     noun 

   

     noun: changeling; plural noun: changelings 

   

    
1.      
         

          

            1.     

          

           

            

              a child believed to have been secretly substituted by fairies for the parents' real child in infancy.       

           

          

         

        
   

  

What significance does you avatar name have in relation to the definition to YOU? xo

[Jordan-11-1-12]

PLEASE do the reading people give you links to!

[Strudel]

Welcome! Congrats on deciding to quit! You can do this - I smoked for 40 years and I did - so, I know you can! Read, read, read - Carr's book and the free course at - http://quitsmokingonline.com/

[danadane23]

well you well get though it i just got on my knee and ask god to remove the smoking from my body and the next day when i try to smoke i could not.thank you jesus amen. and you can do it as well.good luck

[changeling2]

thank all of you for being there.  i have been reading material to help me understand the nicotene addiction.  i am hoping that being more enlightened and having group support will get me through.  I am a very nervous person and wonder what it would feel like if i quit using nicotine will my nervous system go back to normal.  i used to be a very calm person. i think Jesus  still does miracles and my miracle is to find people like myself who struggle .  

[changeling2]

i am having a hard time finding the information advised to read.  I am also new at computers.  don't think i am stupid just that i want to keep improving my life becuse i have noticed how smoking is taking away everthing i would like to enjoy in life.  I am very happy to find this and i am very willing to do as much as possible to rid myseld of the addiction.  Thank all of you for being there.