Monday is quit day :)

[yelnats]

Well, I tried to cut down on my ciggies in prep for my quit day.. that only worked for a few days.. I discovered I am a "all or nothing" kind of guy LOL.. Ration of only a few smokes a day doesnt work for me.. Got my plan, and my nicotine patches ready.. I talk to every cigarette I smoke as if I am letting them know that our relationship is just about over 😕

[JonesCarpeDiem]

talking to those cigarettes is thinking before you smoke. Thinking before you smoke is what gets us off autopilot. Getting off autopilot opens up endless possibilities.

[Thomas3.20.2010]

Separation Ceremonies really do help! You can soak those last few on your Quit Day or if you're like me and "don't want to waste money!" (Ridiculous but true!) you can take an empty pack or a picture of a pack and destroy it in any number of creative ways. 

Making that Quit Day a significant Day also helps because you don't want to forfeit it for a Sickerette. There's a science called neurolinguistics that I use for my Quit Journey that really boosts my perception of Nicotine and Addiction.

CBT and ACT Psychology have also been Great Quit Tools for me! There are plenty throughout this website!

[YoungAtHeart]

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 should also do the tracking and separation exercises suggested on this site

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

[Jennifer-Quit]

It's great to see you back - and with a plan!  Stay close to the people here - support made all the difference in the world for me when I first started my journey!

[JACKIE1-25-15]

Sounds great to me. 

[NewMe]

Cutting back did not work for me. Looks like you have done some reading and preparation, so when quit day rolls around, it will be time for figure out which tools are most helpful to you in getting past the craves. Exercise seems to work really well for lots of people. I would do laps around the house until the crave went away. Also, computer games, chewing on something non-fattening (like straws, celery, or sugarless gum), coming here to read blogs, and repeating our mantras out loud - I don't do that anymore, NOPE, NEF, and SINAO.  Stay close, remember to ask for help if you need it, and you can succeed.

[yelnats]

Monday morning, I will set my clock later, that way, I dont give myself so much extra time to think about smoking.. Once at my office, it's fairly easy to stay away from it, I just keep busy, way harder at home on weekends, so need to find something to do when the urge hits me..

[cinjon]

Great job in your planning for your quit.  Keep writing your reasons for the quit and then keep adding reasons.  I have found almost every day I can add one or two more reasons.  Remember you have great resources available here so make sure you are getting on the site, for you I think in the morning sounds rather important.  It's like your morning vitamin, it will help reading the blogs, advice and also encouraging others.  When you reach out and share a positive with another you do give yourself a little kick in the butt at the same time.  Congrats on soon becoming a member of a VERY exclusive club !

[TerrieQuit]

Sounds like you are on your way! Now, stick to the plan! Have a great day!

I Won't Quit on my Quit!

[juliebrereton]

I did the same thing for over one year and realized that cutting back wasn't any better and that I just needed to hang it up and quit for good.  I'm actually embarrassed to smoke out in public anymore because of the way most people portray cigarette smokers these days.  I almost feel like a herione addict, today marks my first day of being smoke free.  I got this and so do you!  You can do it and you will feel so much better. 

Good-Luck!

[Mike.n.Atlanta]

If you're smoking just a few a day you're in constant withdrawal. That's with about 5 a day. That would be miserable. Stick with a plan & spend a lot of time here. This weekend...spend a lot of time here. Go for walks, do anything to keep yourself busy. We'll be here for ya.

Keep on keepin on,

[Summer-Rain]

You can do this.  Keep talking to those sickeretts until your quit day and then join us in being smoke free.  It's a wonderful feeling.

The journey continues

[Dotgirl_1-28-16]

How EXciting your quit day countdown! Keep preparing for your first FABULOUS SMOKE FREE DAY!!! Woohoo it is almost here! You can do this!

[elvan]

I love that you are talking to your cigarettes, that's PERFECT!  Good for you, looking forward to seeing you here as a newbie!

Congratulations!

[MarilynH]

You can and will be successful in your upcoming quit, yay for you making the best decision that you will ever make in your lifetime.