Triggers

[Kron1971]

Seems like alot of things trigger me. I never realized just how much I was smoking.  Sometimes out of habit or boredom. Now I've quit its like learning to do everything new without smoking as a crutch. Grounding meditation and deep breathing have really helped me more than I ever thought it would. I'm starting to see the benefits of my not smoking and all in all I feel good.

[CommunityAdmin]

Hello @Kron1971! My name is Quiana, and I am a part of the EX Team. Congratulations on your decision to quit! I wanted to reach out and personally welcome you to the EX Community! We are so excited you have joined us. This is a very supportive community so feel free to keep us all posted on your quit journey reach out and let us know if you need anything. You may find our Daily Pledge page helpful to make a commitment not to smoke on a day-by-day basis. Posting there will also bring visibility to your journey to others who take the pledge daily.

Here are some articles that might be helpful as you prepare for your quit date: 

https://www.becomeanex.org/ex-resources/about-quitting/get-ready-to-quit/right-before-you-quit/

https://www.becomeanex.org/ex-resources/about-quitting/get-ready-to-quit/3-ways-to-get-your-support-...

Quiana, EX Team

[ReallyReal]

Dear @Kron1971 Congratulations, if I am right, you have almost been quit 2 full weeks--,That is great!!  I am so glad you have found some tools that are helping you stay away from nicotine.  Grounding exercises helped me a lot too and now I still use them just as a part of my every day, smokefree life.  It truly is amazing when we quit how we find we have so much more time--when I smoked I made everything imaginable a reason to go light up so that when I quit at first I was so surprised how much free time there was.  I had to learn new behaviors to fill in all that extra time.  You sound like you are doing well, grounding yourself and breathing.  And so glad to hear you are already experiencing some of the benefits of quitting.  Well done, keep on keeping on.  You've got this!!!

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome!

Congratulations on your decision to quit and making it through H#ll and (almost) Heck Weeks!  Glad you are already reaping some benefits.  Keep going; they will keep adding up! I will offer some information and tips that will hopefully prove useful going forward.

An important thing you can still do is to educate yourself on what nicotine does to your body and mind. I was amazed when I learned that the stress reduction you feel when you ingest nicotine is caused by the brain receptors calming that have gradually built in volume jonesing for their next fix!  I highly recommend Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking”  that brings light two other things you might not know.  You can purchase a digital version online or borrow it at your local library.  Here is a video to inform you further about nicotine addiction: Nicotine and Your Brain.

To better deal with the habit part of the addiction, change up your routines so the smoking associations are reduced.  Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand in a place different from when you smoked. Maybe switch to tea for a bit.  If you always had that first smoke with your coffee, try putting your walking shoes on right out of bed, going for a quick walk, then taking your shower and THEN your coffee! .  Take a different route to work. Take a quick walk at break time where the smokers AREN'T.

After you have eliminated as many associations as you can, you need to distract yourself through any craves.  You can take a bite out of a lemon (yup - rind and all), do a few jumping jacks, go for a brisk walk or march in place, play a computer game.  Keep a cold bottle of water with you. Don't let that smoking thought rattle around in your brain unchallenged. You might visit Games: The active ones are at the top of the list going down the left side of the page.

Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of smoke if you need some fresh ideas:

101 Things to Do Instead of Smoke - EX Community

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.

You might want to join other site members by taking the daily pledge when you quit. It helps to hold yourself accountable and also accountable to others here. Find it at Home (top left), then first box titled Take the Daily Pledge.

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

[Barbscloud]

@Kron1971  Welcome to the Ex and congrats on your quit.  You've come to the right place for information, advice and support.

I see you've had some health problems that contributed to your quit.   I finally quit after 50 years when I learned a had mild emphysema. 

Many things come into play when we quit smoking.   There is the physical aspect and the psychological.  Here's a post from the Mayo Clinic on triggers that you might find helpful.

https://www.becomeanex.org/ex-plan/ex-tools/beat-your-tobacco-triggers/

We're here for you, so reach out anytime we can help.

Stay busy and stay close.

Barb

[champsin97]

It will only get better from here.  You've made it through hell week and heck week which is a major accomplishment.  Keep on doing what works.  Stay close and stay strong.

[biscuit9]

One day at a time and TWO WEEKS free of nicotine is outstanding.  Be patient and allow your body to heal and it takes a while.  Keep using your tools, as they are replacing the nic.  Your mind will still want nic, so stuff that jolly rancher in your mouth, long walk, fancy baths, etc.  I wrote alot during this time.  You CAN do this.  Stay vigilant and since one puff always leads to another, for an addict, do not smoke.

[McMoney]

Congrats on TWO WEEKS! Stick with it! Keep the quit!  You are doing awesome!  I agree with everyone else, it gets easier and you are well on your way if you have a plan to not smoke no matter what and do something else (or lots of other things) in place of smoking. When you change your habits you change your whole life. It's the little things. You are winning one day at a time. Keep going!