Weekends and quitting

[gpetsios]

Hello everyone! I am setting a new quit date for my 100th attempt to quit smoking lol. Unfortunately, a majority of my failed attempts have been a result of the weekend. The thing is. During the week I don’t have as much of a challenge abstaining from smoking as much as I do on the weekends. Of course during the week I am busy with work and my routine. But once the weekend comes, I’m not sure what to do. I don’t have any kids to keep me busy so that’s out. But where I really struggle is in the morning. I don’t have any routine other than brushing my teeth lol. I think I finally figured out, based on my past experiences that this is my biggest challenge in quitting smoking. I do believe that if I can make a plan for the weekends I can conquer this habit forever! Sorry for the long post. But if anyone has any ideas or has been through similar experiences, I am open to suggestions. Thank you everyone! I appreciate your help!

[biscuit9 · Accepted solution]

Based on this, I would set my quit date on a Monday morning or Sunday night.  This way, by the time Saturday comes, you will have had 5 or 6 quit days, under your belt.  You need to figure out what your distractions or "go to" will be, instead of the nic stick, that is important.  Only healthy choices going forward, no more self harm!   I don't know if you are artistic, but start an art project.  Read, journal.  I spent time watching nasty smoking videos on quitnet.com when I was gettting ready to quit.  It's hard to watch videos about how harmful smoking is, and keep smoking, so I flooded my brain with those visions.  LEARN about nicotine addiction and how it was made to addict you, because homework matters.  Wishing you all the best and I want you to stop trying and I want you to get this monkey off your back, because your health is more important.  

[Barbscloud · Accepted solution]

@gpetsios Welcome to the Ex and congrats on your desire to quit.  Creating a new routine instead of smoking is important.  What can you do instead of smoking?  Be creative.  Go for walk, take a shower, whatever works for you as long as it replaces smoking.  The important thing is to be prepared with a plan!

No matter how you choose to quit, cold turkey or with aids, you need to educate yourself about nicotine addiction and have a quit plan. Many have found success with knowledge and preparation. It took me 50 years and many attempts to finally get it. I went into my quits blindly and was never successful. In addition to some aids for my final quit, I found the Ex a week prior to my quit. For the first time I learned how to quit and had the support that was always lacking.

This link is a great place to start.

https://www.becomeanex.org/guides/?cid=footer_community_linktobex

Make the commitment and you can do this too. We're here to support you on your journey. So reach out anytime you need help, want to share your experience or to support fellow quitters. We're all in this together. So glad you found us!   Support made the difference for me. 

Start your day by taking the Daily Pledge. It's a great way to stay on track on day at a time.

Stay busy and stay close.

Barb