new comer

[steveg3]

i have maid up my mind to quit smoking again. i have tryed before and failed. ineed yo quit.....

i have had open heart-by-pass 5 yr.ago and i quit. but went to smoking a short time after now my chest is sore all the time. and i have back promblems my quit day is mon. may18th please wish me luck.

i do not want cigs. to kill me.

[JonesCarpeDiem]

Welcome

No one who has ever successfully quit would say luck contributed one tiny miniscule bit to their success.

If you want a simple overview of what to expect, click on my cat and read my page.

It may help you understand where you are heading and what it will take.

[YoungAtHeart]

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

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

[constanceclum]

The mantra of every smoker, I don't want smoking to kill me. I'm right behind you, quitting in June. The last 2 ambulance rides I had to the hospital, the diagnosis, life threatening critical care and still I smoke. Stick to this site and take advantage of all the education.

Connie

[Strudel]

You have come to the right place! Be sure to do the reading Nancy gave you - and hang out here! You can do this! I got the support here and I did the prep work - and after 40 years of smoking I quit! You can do this! Don't go anywhere! 

[lois2]

Welcome to EX , do it you can.

[steveg3]

thank you all for your comment. i really feel good about this quit i know i can do it this time. and i will stay in touch with everyone to let u know how things are going and if i need help. thans.