Justine, smoke free as of yesterday! New.

[Justine1990]

Hello! My name is Justine and I am new to this forum. I have been struggling for a long time on quitting smoking. I am ready to take the plunge at what I'm hoping will be the final time! I haven't had a smoke since yesterday afternoon. I'm already craving but just keep grabbing my toothpick to help. If anyone has any suggestions on things to do to keep my mind off smoking while I'm driving please feel free to let me know. Thank you in advance! Look forward to having a support group! 

[Whispers]

Hi justine and welcome, watch this video so you have an idea what youre in for.

 

Tools for the First Two Weeks

The first few weeks off cigarettes can be tough, but things do improve. Though symptoms may be strong at first, they will go away. Tell yourself you are recovering from smoking, not in withdrawal. The symptoms are your body's way of telling you it is on the mend!
 

Keep busy: When you distract yourself by doing something else, the urge to smoke may go away.
 

Use positive self-talk to help you through the tough times.  Statements like, "I will not smoke no matter what," or "My body is telling me it is getting better," can help you master times of strong cravings.
 

Don't forget your Butt Jar. Keep it someplace where you can see it as a reminder you are not putting that stuff into your body anymore.
 

Don't forget the Five D's:

Delay

Drink water

Do something else

Deep breathe

Discuss your feelings

Most importantly, don’t worry about what it will be like without a smoke a month from now. Try to stay in the moment and focus on not smoking just for today. When you get up tomorrow, commit to not smoking for that day. The days will add up fast!

Hang in there. You can do it!

[Justine1990]

Thank you so much!! I will watch the video tonight! 

[Whispers]

4 minutes ago, Justine1990 said:

Hello! My name is Justine and I am new to this forum. I have been struggling for a long time on quitting smoking. I am ready to take the plunge at what I'm hoping will be the final time! I haven't had a smoke since yesterday afternoon. I'm already craving but just keep grabbing my toothpick to help. If anyone has any suggestions on things to do to keep my mind off smoking while I'm driving please feel free to let me know. Thank you in advance! Look forward to having a support group! 

Blow pops/loli pops work, i use a straw/fake cigg i'll post a pic

cut the straw down to the size of the cigg, pull on it like a cigg. When you pull if its a bad crave hold it a few secs the crave will go away. Good luck

[jillar]

Hi Justine, congratulations on taking back your life. July 3rd is a great day to quit I tackled bad craves using my air cigarette. I just pretended I was holding a real cigarette in my fingers and then went through the motions of "smoking" it. It worked great at tricking my mind into thinking it was getting the real thing. Another thing you can do is stock up on candy or gum then pop one of those in your mouth when you get a crave. 

[Justine1990]

whispers, thank you!! I didn't think of the straw but that seems like it would work great too. I'm going to try that because I have those here at home lol Jillar, thank you. I really need to make this work this time and take it seriously especially when my 4 year old asked me yesterday if I would not smoke. I would do anything for him and that includes this task. Air cigarette sounds like something I need to look into. I used to try and use a nicotine substitute but I find it hard to get away from the substitute so this time it is cold turkey. My mom and sister did it and you wonderful people so I can too! 

[notsmokinjo]

Hi Justine, welcome and Congratulations on this great decision. @Whispers above has given you some great advice.  In the early days the best thing I can suggest is to take it one day at a time only. Just get through each day as it happens, don't worry about tomorrow, or next week, or next month, just worry about today. You know you can do 24 hours without a smoke, you just did it.... so now we worry about this 24 hours. Promise yourself you will not smoke today and then focus on making the promise hold true. Go to bed tonight, wake up in the morning and start the process all over again. Today I am not smoking... taking it just one day at a time and they quickly add up. There is a heap of information and support in the smoking threads. watch the videos, read all the info because the more knowledge you have the more power you have and the stronger you will be. I found reading the SOS threads helped a lot early on too because the support and advice given to others often applied to me.

 

I wont wish you luck sweety because quitting has nothing to do with luck, instead I send you some strength and perseverence because with those two things you can achieve anything.

[jillar]

Yes Justine you totally can and we'll support you along the way We also have an introduction board if you want to introduce yourself to more people. Some don't always check out the celebrations board and I know more people will want to welcome you too

[Justine1990]

You guys are great, thank you. One day at a time! 

[Joe7]

Welcome Justine. At first when I was in the car and I got a strong urge to smoke, then I would do as Jillar said. I would simply pretend that I was holding and smoking a cigarette though there was nothing between my fingers. I would go through all the normal smoking motions such as flicking ashes. Somehow it did trick my brain into satisfying that urge. I did not need to do it often, and it was only for a few moments when I did do it.

[Justine1990]

well I'm certainly going to try that!! Thank you!

[WeegieWoman]

Hi justine and welcome. I smoked a lot in my car too. I remember early in my quit i very quickly noticed how messy my car was with all the smoking i did in it. All covered in ash on the drivers side on the outside. All ashy inside! Not to mention the stale smokey smell! One of my first treats to myself was a full valet!!!! Boy it needed it. 

As for tips, boiled sweets worked for me and listening to bbc news on the radio kept me occupied a bit. Its just a wee habbit you need to break. The more you drive without smoking, the easier it will get. You will probably get in the car and think right, fag time. But i would then just say to myself, no, i dont smoke. Try and not let your thoughts go further than that. 

[Reciprocity]

Hi Justine 1990! Welcome to our community You have been given some great advice already by others about distracting yourself in the car. I too did cold turkey. The beginning days are challenging but you will get through them with commitment and determination Any quit smoking symptoms you experience are temporary and will not last forever. The benefits from quitting will last for the rest of your life! Please read all you can on this board. Education about this addiction is key to quitting. Understanding how this addiction works on your brain so you can build tools to fight it with. Stick around here and let us all support you  

[Devil Doll]

Welcome Justine! Congratulations on taking your life back!! 

Make sure that you read as much as you can, post often (especially if you need an SOS), and remember that you CAN do this! We are all here for you!! 

[Martian5]

Welcome aboard on this journey with us Justine.  Cold Turkey can be a hard way to go but it is the best way and in the long run you may find that it has it moments but not as hard as you might make it out to be.  Remember deep breathing techniques can really help (this can be done with the air cig) and drinking lots of cold water -- also coming here and doing the daily NOPE pledge really does help.

[johnny5]

Welcome to QuitTrain, Justine.   A lot of good advice has been given.  Stick close to this site and read as much as you can about nicotine addiction.  There is a lot of support and knowledge you can gain here to help you stay quit for good..

 

It is good to have  you here.

[Reciprocity]

          Well Done Girl!