I'm back... again...

[Brittney4]

Hello everyone! This is my third time coming back to this site determined to quit once and for all.  Some of you know my mom Kellie and maybe even remember me from a long time ago.  I was very successful in my first quit, I made it over a year. My second didn't last more than 24hrs at a time. This time is different. My health has declined substantially and I need to feel better overall. I am a very different person than I used to be and I think that will help me in this quit! I'm trying to play catch up and read everyone's posts; you all are so encouraging! You'll be hearing from me often as I find this a great tool!  Nice to be back

[ccrider]

Welcome home!

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome back to our community!

I am going to give you my newbie resources - because you are a newbie again.  Please do the prep and planning work - even if you've done it before.  This is a fresh start; let us help you make it your final one!

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

 You should also read the posts here and perhaps go the the pages of folks who you think might be helpful. You might visit whyquit.com, quitsmokingonline.com and quitwell.com for the good information contained there. @https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-ex has lots of blogs written by members of this site with their experiences and guidance. You should also do the tracking and separation exercises suggested in My Quit Plan http://www.becomeanex.org/my-quit-plan.php

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. If used properly, gum, lozenges and inhalers are fine, but they need to be used only as a last resort.  I have seen folks become addicted to them if they substitute them for every cigarette they used to smoke - just trading one addiction for another.  I do not recommend the e-cigarette for three reasons: 1) the vapor has been compared to the polluted air in Bejing on a bad day, 2) they just provide another nicotine delivery system while continuing the hand to mouth smoking motion, and 3) the batteries can spontaneously catch on fire. . But – any method that you think will work well for you will be best for you.

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. Buy your gas at a different station. 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), 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.    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

[elvan]

Welcome back, I hope you will read Nancy's comment carefully because she has given you a great foundation.  Do you have a quit date? Plan for your quit, figure out what happened that made the other ones not succeed and be ready for that.  You said you are a different person now, we all learn a lot from quitting, we learn a lot about ourselves.  This really is a journey, one day at a time, one step at a time.

Ellen

[Giulia]

Great that you're back to give this another go!  Though sorry your health has declined.  Hopefully your renewed pursuit will help achieve better health!

[freeneasy]

Welcome back!

[Brittney4]

Yes I did read and yes I do have a date, April 1st. I'm on chantix. I just started. I have PTSD, Lupus and CFS/ME so willpower is a struggle but I'm giving it everything I've got!

[CommunityAdmin]

How's your quit going? Don't forget to update your Stop Smoking | Set Your Date to Quit Smoking: BecomeAnEX.

Mark
EX Community Manager