new here - 3rd day out

[apb2016]

I am new here.  I'm on 3 days (would have been 6 but I cheated on tuesday with 2 cigarettes) and, now, pulling my hair out, grinding my teeth, weird pulsing in my arms and hands...sometimes prickly, my ears are stuffed up. AArrgghhh....I just keep breathing deeply (now that i can). When does this feeling go away? I just want to go to sleep and wake up when this is all over!

I picked a time when I could stay home and not deal with the world for a couple of weeks.  Don't want to even leave my bedroom yet - though walking once a day, rest of the time I want to be in the fetal position.

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to our community!

Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking and your first three days!  You get through these early days any way you can!  If you are not using a Quit Aid with nicotine, it should be out of your body by the end of the third day.  Then it's just your body learning to live without it and relearning your life as an ex-smoker.

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

[djmurray]

Hi, and welcome to EX -- You have come to the right place.  Those early days can be awful but if you spend lots of time here, venting, reading, writing about how you feel, finding out how others have done it, you'll find that the awfulness will diminish greatly.  The Allen Carr book is AWESOME.  I smoked heavily for over 50 years and I've been quit for 429 days because when I read that book it changed completely how I felt about smoking.  For the first time ever I didn't feel deprived by not smoking.  I can't urge you strongly enough to click on the link Nancy provided and spend this evening reading.

If you educate yourself and stay close to this community you will increase your odds of making this your final quit tremendously.  As Nancy said, we'll be with you every step of the way.  There's lots of wisdom and experience here and a great deal of empathy and kindness as well.  You can do this!

[tjanddj]

Hello and welcome! Congratulations on your 3 days! You will find plenty of support here. You can do this. I also recommend reading Allen Carr's book.

[JACKIE1-25-15]

Also check out www.whyquit.com.  There is a lot of additional beneficial information to read and study.  Look for Freedom From Nicotine My Journey Home and Nicotine Addiction 101.  

http://whyquit.com/whyquit/LinksAAddiction.html

http://whyquit.com/ffn/

Both were extremely helpful for me.  Stay close to the site and learn, ask questions. Education is the key to success even in quitting smoking. Read the blogs and most of all enjoy your commitment to quit smoking.

If you should need something to do here is a link that may help

https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/JACKIE1-25-15-blog/2015/07/09/what-is-your-crave-buster

[jacks1125]

WELCOME..KEEP GOING !

[apb2016]

thank you all!  despite my crawling skin, i am happy to have this website.  Going to read Allen carrs book as well.  I had quit once for 4 years....planning on this time being forever.

[Eric_L.]

Hi!  Keep coming back every day.  I'm not a doctor but I'd say if you didn't feel uncomfortable that would be very fortunate.  The physical withdrawal should go away soon.

[GreenThumb3]

It gets better stay strong you got to put in the time read and learn first week can be a little tough craves pass just got to get through  them

[TerrieQuit]

Hello and Welcome to EX. I missed you yesterday so it's 4 days now! The nicotine is out of your body! The begining discomfort is bad I know, but stay strong and you will get to a place where each day is more tolerable! Quitting is doable and you can do it. You have been given some very good material to read above. Please educate yourself! Willingness , determination and commitment are also key! There is a daily pledge group on this site where many of us go to make a promise not to smoke. It re-enforces your commitment! Please join us! 

http://community.becomeanex.org/pg/forum/topic/8265780/march-into-march-with-a-spring-and-a-hop/

I Won't Quit on my Quit!

[Luvbug4]

Honestly, it does take time, but each day you go without a cigarette, is a day closer to it getting easier.  You want to quit so just remember that smoking now will make you start allll over and go through this again.  For me, the first 3-4 weeks were pretty tough.  It seems like a lot of time but everyone is very different and it may ease up sooner for you. Just take it one day at a time and promise that no matter what, you won't have one!  Your doing great!! 

[apb2016]

so...I ventured out today, and made it through with no smokes.  Ears were ringing, skin itchy, and breathing kind of odd today....but the big reward is that my son called and said he was bringing friends home and I didn't have to run arund opening windows and airing the house out. YAY!  

I guess next week I'll have to worry about weight gain, yet right now, happy to have gotten through another day.  THANK YOU ALL!