EX Community

TerrieQuit · ‎06-23-2015

hi everyone i'm new. my quit date is july 6th. i'm just getting used to the site and wanted to say hi! I have smoked for 45 years I had quit a few times years ago, it didn't work. i smoked between 2 and 3 packs a day. My last quit date was May 13th 2015. I quit for a week and then started 3 cigs a day or less. Thats where i am right now. I like this site and look forward to meeting some of you.

djmurray · ‎06-23-2015

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 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 174 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!

Summer-Rain · ‎06-23-2015

Welcome to the site. We are here to support each other so stay close to the site.

The journey continues

Em_12 · ‎06-23-2015

Glad that you're here! The information that djmurray posted (above) really helped me out during the early stages of my quit. And Summer Rain is bang on - we're here to support each other! Staying close to this site has made all the difference in the world for me. Reading and writing blog posts has been a great way to stay connected and a healthy way for me to receive and offer peer support.

I look forward to hearing how things are going!

Terri103 · ‎06-23-2015

Glad you are here! If you are willing to do some reading, make a plan, and come here for support, to ask questions, blow off steam......this will be your very last and forever quit!!! I can't tell you the number of times I came close to blowing the quit, but I would come here and someone always had the right thing to say. I have to give myself some credit, after all, but lots of thanks goes to the wonderful people here who will never judge you, will listen, and care about you!!

Go for it!!!

YoungAtHeart · ‎06-23-2015

Welcome to our community!

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 also highly recommend Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.” 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. You should also do the tracking and separation exercises suggested on this site. If you are keeping yourself to only three a day, you should just quit - like right now. Smoking that few is effectively keeping you in constant withdrawal with no end in sight.

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. 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.

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

Strudel · ‎06-23-2015

Welcome to the site! Be sure to do the reading Nancy and DJ gave you above! Then hang out here for the support - it is wonderful! I smoked for 40 years and I quit - so, I know you can also! Please - stick around!

OldBones-Larry · ‎06-23-2015

3 or less a day? Throw them away. You are only putting your body through constant withdrawal if you are smoking 5 or less per day.

Larry the Caravan Master

SkyGirl · ‎06-23-2015

Hi, grandbunn! (I can't wait to hear what that name means!) Welcome to EX! You will find amazing support here from real people who are going through (or have already gone through) the quitting process. The way to find your Forever Quit is to LISTEN to all the advice that you have been given above, DO THE SUGGESTED READING even if you think it doesn't apply to you, and FOLLOW THE ADVICE of successful Quitters. Become a student here on EX. You CAN do this, grandbunn. You know how I know this? Because your addiction to nicotine is no stronger and no harder to beat than any of our nicotine addictions were. And if WE can quit, so can YOU. Don't look at it as "losing" something. No indeed! Look at quitting as GAINING your freedom from this horrible addiction that is ruling your life!

Stay close to EX. Come here as often as you feel like it. Blog about anything and wait for responses. Be yourself, so we can know best how to help you. Make friends and share your feelings and frustrations and joys. This is an amazing place, grandbunn, and we are so happy that you have found us!

Sky

godschild619 · ‎06-23-2015

Welcome Grandbunn 🙂 I am new here myself, I smoked fir 38 years and am on Day 5. I am not however going cold turkey, I am using the nic gum. That has really helped me in the past, and is helping me now. You can do it!! I am glad to have support from people who truly understand how hard it is to quit, so many people, even ex smokers tell me to just put them down, but it isn't that easy for everyone. I already take meds for depression, and when I quit, I go into bad depression and anxiety . I am glad you are here and look forward to seeing you more !!

Barbara145 · ‎06-23-2015

Welcome! I smoked for 52 years. Because of this site, I quit 620 days ago. You can do this!

TerrieQuit · ‎06-25-2015

Thanks for the comments. I like!