My second day

[annychantal]

This is.my second day as EX ( and my first as a blogger) yesterday morning i smoked my last cigarette.

This is not my first time as an ex: I do hope that the group will help me to stay out.

As you can see, English is not my first language, but I haven't  found anything like this in Italian so please forgive my mistakes.

Writing makes me feel more nervous though....

[djmurray]

Hi, Sandra -- your English is fine and we are so happy you're here. 

Welcome to Ex!  The very best thing you can do is educate yourself about this addiction.  The first thing I suggest you do is to read Allen Carr's book The Easy Way to Quit Smoking.  Here's the link to the free, online PDF of the book --

http://media.wix.com/ugd/74fa87_2010cc5496521431188f905b7234a829.pdf.  You can also watch a condensed version of Carr’s book on YouTube of Allen Carr discussing how to quit smoking:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDJo1vfEqlo .   I smoked heavily for over 50 years and reading that book completely changed how I looked at smoking and what it is and is NOT.  The basic premise is that no smoker actually enjoys smoking and all we're doing is satisfying the crave we created when we smoked the last one.  Therefore, quitting smoking is giving up NOTHING.  Every other time I quit I felt deprived, like I was foregoing something of value.  But it's not true -- there is no value to smoking.  Boy, has that understanding made a difference! I am at Day 199 of my quit and I know that I will never smoke another cigarette.  

Also, read everything you can find here and at sites like whyquit.com (which has a ton of really good information).  Come here regularly and read the blogs, see what people are experiencing at every stage of their quit.  We have people here who are planning to quit just like you are to people who've been quit for over 10 years and come back to reach out to the new people.  Comment on the blogs -- you will find that when you do it benefits you as well.  Write your own blog about how you're feeling about your quit.

The bottom line is that a successful quit is based on education, attitude, acceptance and determination.  Education:  Once you've learned the truth about this addiction it's much harder (for me impossible) to go back to smoking.  Rather, it helps us unlearn the connections we had with smoking.  Attitude:  Your attitude or mindset is key to whether your quit feels like torture or feels like something very doable.  If you feel deprived, if you feel sorry for yourself and just use willpower to get through not smoking, it will be torture (and you'll read more about that in the Carr book).  But if you have that attitude that smoking is nothing and you are willing to go through the discomfort that is generally associated with quitting, then you can be a happy quitter.  I am definitely a happy quitter!  Acceptance: If you can accept that you will have craves early in your quit and sometimes later in your quit than you would imagine, and don't fight them but observe them and say "Yeah, I don't do that anymore" and find something else to do you won't have as many craves.  It's true. Determination:  This is tied up with the willingness I mentioned.  You have an addict's brain, just like the rest of us.  Your addict's brain will whisper to you, scream at you and plead with you to come back.  There will be times when you find yourself thinking "oh, what could it hurt to have just one."  That's your addiict brain trying to entice you.  Determination is your ability to say NOPE -- Not One Puff Ever.  

So welcome to EX -- we're a wonderfully supportive group who've been there done that or are being there doing that right now.   There's no better resource than a good support group to get through the initial discomfort of quitting.

You can do this!

[TerrieQuit]

Congrats!! on day 2 Hang in there. and stay close to this site. It has worked wonders for me!

Terrie 12   DOF

[JonesCarpeDiem]

my page may be of help understanding the process, the concepts and the timeline of what to expec. If you click on my cat, he will take you there.

[annychantal]

Thank you both!

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to our community!

Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking.  You will NEVER regret it.

No worries about blogging.  There are no grammar/spelling/composition police here!!!  We want you to feel comfortable - so just write.  Nobody will judge you if it isn't perfect!

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" linked for you above.   This is an easy and entertaining read.

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. u.

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]

Welcome to the community! I cannot add much to all the good advise already given to you!

[godschild619]

Welcome!! Congratulations on your decision to quit, and  2nd smokefree day:) find things to keep your mind and hands busy, You are doing great!! Keep saying N.O.P.E.

[Thomas3.20.2010]

Welcome! I'm an English as a Second Language Teacher and I can assure you that your English is great! We're not here to judge how fancy people write or how many words they spell right or wrong! We just want to WELCOME you into the Community and help you launch your Quit Smoking Journey! READ READ READ! It really will help! And keep writing! We're here to show you the way to FREEDOM from Nicotine Addiction!

[elvan]

Welcome to EX, you have made a wonderful decision.  I hope you will follow the information above and do all of the reading that is available.  Education is your best friend in this journey!

[johio]

Welcome Sandra....This is the first step on an incredible journey you will never forget. Along the way...you will never be alone

Joe

[lois2]

welcome and congrats on day 2, stay close to the site.

[joyeuxencore]

Hello Sandra and congrats on 2 days of freedom and the amazing decision to take your life back! xo

Helpful in the first days:

http://whyquit.com/joel/Joel_03_21_blood_sugar.html

http://ffn.yuku.com/topic/22890/Possible-Change-in-Caffeine-Tolerances-After-Cessation