I feel very stupid

[Biscuit]

So my quit date is in approximately 2 weeks. As I am preparing am I suppose to be attempting to be smoke free? Very silly question I'm sure, I thought we went full board on that quit date. I think I missed something. 

[JonesCarpeDiem]

I think people who focus too hard on quitting before they even begin often scare themselves out of starting because they are thinking too much about missing smoking. I wasn't thinking of smoking or not smoking, I wasn't counting and I wasn't denying so there was no need to build up any fear. I was changing my behavior beforehand. Youngatheart was told she had to quit IMMEDIATELY because of a medical issue so she was put in the position of being FORCED to quit.

[TerrieQuit]

Hello, and Welcome to EX! No questions are stupid. Each person has a different quitting experience. I did all the reading and prep. work No NRT but was already on Welbutrin for depression, so just stayed with that. I smoked like a freight train right up till bedtime the night before while watching quit videos. Went to bed and woke up smoke-free.Honestly, I stayed smoke-free 519 days, smoked for an evening out of impulse and thinking I could smoke 1 and smoked 50. Quit again the next morning and I now have 118 glorious days free! So always remember the NOPE! Not One Puff Ever! Your quit is your baby, guard it with everything you have!  ~Terrie~

[Biscuit]

Congratulations! You are inspiring 

[pongaselo]

Not asking would be the stupid thing. I was able to stop for 20 yrs and the info about our human behaviors, how we develop habits, how addictive nicotine is and what my brain would do to hang on to those crutches was the key to stopping. You will notice that I didn't say that I had quit. Quitting means never smoking again. Stopping is how you get to the quit. If this definition works, it means that we only quit when we die. Interestingly enough, by stopping, the time you spending continuing to stop smoking becomes longer the better you do with stopping. So our reward for stopping is a longer life of stopping until the quit. Weird concept, sort of a philosophical puzzle. 

[bonniebee]

   There are no stupid questions here on Ex ! I liked all of the answers above we are all unique in some ways and alike in the fact that we are here because we have become addicted to nicotine and want to quit smoking !

   I had tried many times in the past to quit so I already knew that cutting down without an NRT made me focus to much on that next "fix" of nicotine ! I actually began using the patch one week before my quit date and then I was able to cut down the cigarettes to 4 the first day 3 the next then 2 for a few days and so on until I was down to just 1/2 cigarette  in the morning and the other half at night my final one was just  1/2  in the morning the day before my quit date ( I chose the last to be in the morning because that was my hardest time . ) I learned how to discipline myself and get used to not smoking while having the aid of the patch and it worked for me. (Be aware that if you are on the patch you must cut way down because of the nicotine content in the patch and for me that enabled me to do so ) Not everyone would agree with my method but it was mine .

 Use this time before your quit date to figure out the plan for yourself and do the reading  and especially things like the Best of Ex etc. and keep coming here the more  you reach out the more help you will recieve.

[Daniela2016]

Wow, you got a lot of information and ideas to think about!  My experience might not help you, I knew for years I want to quit, I had a 6 months long quit lost due to ignorance about addiction.  One day last spring I got really sick, could not inhale air, let alone cigarette smoke.  So I quit one day.  What kept me quit is coming here and learning about addiction, about triggers, about how to handle the craves.

Welcome to you, do what makes quitting easier for you, if you set your mind to be happy about such great decision, you will accumulate days of freedom quickly and painlessly.

[TCBsmith]

Your apprehensions are signs of your level of commitment, bravo! It sounds as if you already know your life is about to have a profound change, anyone knowing this and not having a bit of fear is setting themselves up for failure.

 The time between now and your quit date is all bout preparation of mind, body, spirit, and everyone that is someone in your life. 5 years ago when I lived on this site there was an ole timer that provided me a little pamphlet called "Enjoy Your Quit". I lost the link but maybe someone has it here!!!! In a nut shell the cravings you are going to have all have a number and there are only so many. So, each one you have should be celebrated rather than feared. The more you have the fewer you get. Good luck, breath easy..... you got this✌ 

[Biscuit]

Thank you! I like that, looking at each craving as just a number that will dwindle.    

[IrishRose]

I saw your post on the Ex updates for April 6th and felt the need to add a comment to your post.

Before I quit, I paid very special attention to all the things that triggered my thought process is such a powerful way to cause me to jump from anything I was doing to that spur of the moment, "Oh, I need a cigarette."  It is so very important for you to be aware of those triggers that make you want a cigarette.  You have no idea how many "triggers" you have created in your mind.  One of my favorites that I created in my mind was the "escape clause".  Did not even know I had it in me.  hahahaha 

Your mind is a powerful thing.  Get to know yourself better during this prep time prior to quitting. 

[elvan]

Tracking my cigarettes and identifying my triggers was a huge thing for me and really helped me when I quit.  I had a list of triggers and things I would do INSTEAD of smoking when I felt one coming on.  I cannot begin to tell you how much that helped, some of my triggers were crazy and some of my things to do instead just made me laugh when it came time to USE them.  One day at a time, one step at a time, this is a journey that has no shortcuts.