Hello everybody!

[Rasdaan]

TL;DR: My name is Jordan, and I look forward to meeting people on this forum who can help give advice about quitting, so that I can overcome what feels impossible, and live a healthier life.

 

Hello everyone! My name is Jordan, I am 21 years old, and I started smoking about 2 and a half years ago. Youth of my generation were educated on smoking enough to where there was no way you could start without knowing what the risks were. So why did I start? At 16 years old, I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Feels like it was 1-1/2 to 2 years before we found a medication that put me into remission. Around when I was 17-18, I was at 110lbs, and still losing weight. I thought I was going to die. I didn't realize that there was a long list of medications I could still try that would likely work, so I started smoking because I was curious about it, and thought I wouldn't be around much longer anyway.

 

Well, one life saving drug and not dying later, I found myself smoking. It was something that I used to comfort myself, which is one of the best ways you can get yourself addicted. I had convinced myself I wasn't going to smoke long, but its already been longer than I am proud of. Truthfully, I want to quit because I am scared. My Crohn's disease is treated by medications that suppress my immune system, so I am already at greater risks of undesirable things. I don't want to put myself in a spot where my family has to watch me slowly die again. 

 

I have every reason to quit, but even though that is the case, that doesn't make it easy. I have tried e-cigarettes, which I have decided I need to steer clear from. They just break too easy, and make you think of tobacco. The furthest I have ever gone without cigarettes was about 5 weeks in the time I have been smoking. At my worst I was at half a pack a day. I have cut down to as little as 3 cigarettes a day, but as easy as cutting back felt, actually giving the sticks up is another thing. I recently went back into smoking after 4 weeks tobacco free, and I want to give it another try. This time, I have an app that should help remind me why I am doing this, and now I am joining this forum hoping that I can meet people with experience, and advice that can help me get to where I need to be. Not smoking cigarettes again.

[Reciprocity]

Hello and welcome Rasdaan

Yes, we can help guide you through this quitting process but to be very clear, only YOU can actually do the quitting. Personal commitment and education about this addiction are key to beating it! You have that advantage of only having smoked for a few years but, you are still a nicotine addict just like all of us. Cutting down is not an option. You need to quit all together and Never Take Another Puff. We call this the NOPE pledge which we do every day on the NOPE pledge page. NOPE stands for Not One Puff Ever!! That is the key to beating back your addiction. You can never take another puff.

 

Read all you can here and watch the Videos by Joel. They will help you understand what this addiction is all about. Stick close to this board too and post as much as you can. It really helps. Not only helps you but helps others too.

 

Looking forward to following your quit journey

Edited March 26, 2018 by reciprocity

[WeegieWoman]

Hi rasdaan, welcome and nice to meet you. Ive been quit 141 days and absolutely loving being smoke free. You have came to the right place for support, information and we have a laugh too. So welcome to the gang, we are all in this together. What i did early on is give a lot of thought as to why i want to quit. And then read up a lot about all the damage smoking does to you. But also how your body recovers itself. Reading that over and over really drilled everything into my head. I no longer get cravings and no longer stink of smoke. I used the patches and lozenges for the first 3/4 weeks and they worked brilliantly for me. Are you going to use nrt or going cold turkey? 

 

Ps we all wish we d quit at 21. Youve got an opportunity now to quit right now while you are motivated. If you dont do it now you could so easily be back here in ten. .twenty years time and have smoked for all that time. Im 33 and wish id quit much sooner but most people here have smoked for twenty....thirty....forty years. Its so easy to do. But a little hard work now and that wont be you

[johnny5]

Welcome to QuitTrain, Jordan.  It is good to have you here.

 

I'm sorry to hear about your health issues but hopefully things continue to get better for you.

 

Regarding smoking, I also tried to quit in the past by cutting down and also by using e-cigarettes and would strongly advise AGAINST both those options.  E-cigs lured me into a false sense of security and I think I was actually consuming more nicotine that way than by regular cigs.  Cutting down drove me nuts and I could never get below three a day.  I think both are not good ways to quit.

 

Reciprocity put it best. Cutting down isn't an option, you need to quit right away.

 

There is a lot of support and knowledge you can gain here to help you quit.  I thought quitting would be impossible but the help you can get from others at support groups like this can really make a huge difference.

 

Read and participate often here.  It can really help you quit for good.

[Lust4Life]

Welcome Jordan.  You're doing  great service to your body quitting at age 21.   Read up on addiction in the content here on this site.  Reach out, as you did, when support is needed.  Quitting when you have a chronic condition can add extra challenges.  Educate yourself and you'll be a proud, healthier, nonsmoker! 

[Lin-quitting]

Welcome Jordan. We are all here attesting to it being possible to quit and quit for good. Not easy, but it's very possible. Read read and read some more (see the sticky pages at the top of this section) and/or watch videos - education about the addiction is key toward overcoming it. And staying active here on this board will be a huge motivator and help also.

 

Wishing you well with your health problems. Quitting smoking will be the best thing you could ever do to help with them.

[Sslip]

Welcome to the forum Jordan. Stay close, read and post plenty.

 

Hope to catch you around.

[Rasdaan]

Thank you very much to all who took time to reply to this thread!

 

I should have been more specific, I have cut back in the past, but today I can say that I have tore up the package I currently have. I do fully intend to give this another shot.

 

Currently I am using an app on my phone that seems like it will be helpful. It keeps track of the time you spend smoke free, the money you are not spending on cigarettes, and keeps track of what parts of your body heals during the time frame (one example is that it keeps track of how long it takes for my sense of taste and smell to return). I feel that it will serve as a good reminder as to why I am doing this.

 

EDIT: I also intend to quit cold turkey in this attempt. As I said in the past, I have managed to cut down to 1-3 cigarettes a day. That being said, I feel I cut down to a point where I have more anxiety about the habit than actual nicotine addiction. I bought a big box of gum at Costco to pull me through oral cravings.

 

 

Edited March 26, 2018 by Rasdaan
Adding info

[notsmokinjo]

Hey ras I use an app like that. It was great in the early days to get the frequent messages with what I was achieving.

 

Sending you strength to stay strong and keep your quit.

[Whispers]

Hello, read read read and educate yourself early on... Welcome

[Sazerac]

Welcome Rasdaan,

Cutting down on nicotine is torture...terrible torture.

Cold turkey is completely do-able.

Educate yourself about your addiction

and join us in the fun here....good distractions, information and camaraderie.

[jillar]

Welcome Jordan and congratulations on taking back your life. I had never joined a forum before but found the support I received from other quitters instrumental in my success. I stayed glued to the site daily posting, supporting, celebrating socializing and playing games and found it really helped me keep my mind off my misery. 

We have a link to the quit train tickets that you can post into your signature for even more encouragement

[beazel]

Hi Jordan & welcome! Good advice already given..educate yourself about the addiction...focus on the positives...commit to the quit....

 

Smoking Is Not An Option.......no matter what!!!!!!

 

I, too, have Crohn's Disease - you can only be helping your health by quitting!

[PeaceTrain]

Hi Jordan. Welcome to the quit train!  Congratulations to you for quitting now,. As time goes on and your body adapts more and more to smoking, it gets more difficult to quit.  Doing it now will save you the agony of quitting after more years as a smoker. You also are aware of many of the dangers of smoking. Continuing to educate yourself about nicotine addiction and the health risks caused by smoking will strengthen your resolve. We're here if you need to vent, distract yourself or read through some of the old threads that interest you. Just don't pick up another cigarette.  Ever.  NOPE is the mantra around here. If you stick to it, you'll be successful and free to lead a happier, healthier life..  Looking forward to seeing you around here. 

[Boo]

Welcome aboard Jordan.

 

Quitting at age 21...good call.

 

Commit to the quit and proceed to freedom.