So happy I've made it three days without a cigarette

[enigmatik2]

I read all the posts on this site and I see a lot of people have been quit for a long time, so my measly three days doesn't really seem like much, but to me it's monumental.  I really didn't think I could ever quit.  The first day was so horrible with cravings and anxiety and I nearly smoked after about 9 hours, but I went and bought a patch instead.  The patch took the edge off and I didn't light up.  Now I'm almost through my 3rd day and I'm so proud of myself.  I'm just so determined to never take another puff - ever.  I love reading everyone's posts.  It really gives me strength and determination.

[Jennifer-Quit]

Three days is huge!!!!!  Read and educate yourself about this addiction.  Stay close to this site - it is what helped me thru! 

[OldBones-Larry]

Congratulations on being smoke-free for 3 days! You have every right to be proud of yourself.

Take your quit one day at a time, and you can get to being smoke-free for weeks, months, years and beyond.

You can do this.

Larry the Caravan Master

[Terri103]

Hello to Miss Three Days Free!!  ummm, think about it!  We all had our as you say, 3 measly days.  And none of us will ever ever forget how we felt on day 3.  well, I sure won't.  totally proud, amazed, exhausted, jittery with craves.  But yet, I had gone 3 whole days without a puff.   I guess if you've read the posts you know that NOPE is popular around here.   NOPE = Not One Puff Ever   I even just bought a tee shirt with grumpy cat on the front with the word NOPE under his grumpy face.  

I did the patch.  I did the whole nine yards of the patch.  That is the 3 steps of 21mg, then 14 mg, then 7 mg.  I had made a plan and a commitment and I was tempted to stop using the patch, but I decided no matter what I was going to stick with the plan and do my best to make sure this was my last and forever quit.  This is what worked for me:  the patch, drinking lots of water and having nearby at all times, and coming here.  Oh, coming here made all the difference for me.  The people here are better than family!  Love, acceptance, support, ideas, suggestions, high fives, sympathy, even a little tough love now and then.  

So I hope you will visit often, make some friends, and say NOPE as many times as you can.   I have two cats and a dog.   If they could learn to talk, they could and would say NOPE just as easily as I do because I said it aloud all the time to them!  

Welcome aboard!  Terri

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to our community!

3 days is HUGE!  Good for you!

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 might visit whyquit.com and quitsmokingonline.com for the good information contained there.

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

[lois2]

Oh i am proud of you. congrats to you.

[Barbara145]

We were all at 3 days once.  We know what it takes.  Yeah to you!

[TerrieQuit]

Hello! 3 days is great big!! I had 3 days just 6 days ago and believe you me I was on here announcing it. As a matter of fact I have been announcing it every day!! LOL    ALL joking aside that support and encouragement has been what gets me through. Coming to this site on and off every day and doing what the elders tell me, and educating myself has made the craves and urges tolerable. Hang in there!! You can do this!!

[JonesCarpeDiem]

So now you know you can do what seemed impossible.

Onward and Upward

[joyeuxencore]

Great job! You are making it through the most difficult time! Have you read the free online course:  www.quitsmokingonline.com  

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

[johio]

It's monumental to me too......Great Job......

[godschild619]

Welcome and Congratulations on 3 days  of Freedom, Way To Go!!!  Be proud 🙂

[Deena-A-Yenni]

You should be proud!!!!!

[meWisconsin]

If you can make it thru 3 days then you can make it thru 4 then 5 then 6. You get the idea, 1 day at a time. Keep up the great work.

Terry

[constanceclum]

Congratulations on 3 days and yes that is huge. The 1st 3 days are the hardest. And there are lots of newbies on here. I'm at 3 weeks. Just think, if you smoke, you will be back at 0 days.

Do everything you can that is recommended by the elders and stay close to this site. Most of us agree, we can't do it without EX.

Connie

[jeanne-06.03.13]

Great job!  3 days is huge!  Keep up the good work.  Now you have an investment of time and energy behind you.  You can do this!

Jeanne 06.03.13

[elvan]

EVERY day counts, every HOUR counts, we all started at day one so we all know where you are coming from.  Congratulations!

[Magstoyou]

Three days is great, keep going forward!!

Mag