Decided to quit smoking today

[GM456]

Thanks all for your wonderful support to others who are trying to quit smoking

 

I just found this forum today while googling and gone through few topics and its really helping/motivating me . i am 38 years old male and started smoking from 19th age . oh  more than 19+ years am smoking . initially 2 or 3 cigarettes per day but last 9 years it went to 13 to 15 per day . .   I  tried champix but unfortunately I could not complete the course with that it didn't help me in  any case.  

last one month i have been thinking when will be my day to stop smoking . till yesterday not decided WHEN and just was waiting ... decided OK  today is my day to quit . I am seeking your help/support for my initial days settling. I will keep you updated here with my status . 

 

 no champix/patch   

 

God bless you all 

[jillar]

Hi Gm, welcome aboard! And congratulations on deciding to take back your life You will find amazing support here so reach out whenever you need us, post often, read everything you can and we even have a great socializing section to help keep your mind off the craves  

[Reciprocity]

Hi GM456! Welcome aboard the Quit Train  You are giving yourself the greatest gift of all by quitting this horrible addiction. Please read all you can here and watch some of the videos too. Educating yourself about nicotine addiction is very important in your effort to quit.  Hope to see you around more once you start your quit.

[c9jane29]

Congratulations on your decision to quut smoking for good! It's the best thing you could ever do for yourself!

If you've been reading around here then you know I'm going to tell you to learn all you can about nicotine addiction; there is lots of good info pinned at the top of each board.

These first few days are tricky, but do-able! Be prepared for "cravings" and down time associated with quitting--these pass but are hell on wheels the first week!

Happy you are here!! 

And, if you get a chance pop by the celebrations board, it's the site creators 5 years smoke free party today and every one is invited!!

[Whispers]

Hi and welcome to the train...

 

How do I get through the rough spots after I stop smoking?

 

 

For the first few days after you quit smoking, spend as much free time as you can in public places where smoking is not allowed. (Libraries, malls, museums, theaters, restaurants without bars, and churches are most often smoke-free.)

Take extra care of yourself. Drink water, eat well, and get enough sleep. This could help you have the energy you might need to handle extra stress.

Don’t drink alcohol, coffee, or any other drinks you link with smoking for at least a couple of months. Try something else instead – maybe different types of water, sports drinks, or 100% fruit juices. Try to choose drinks that are low- or no-calorie.

If you miss the feeling of having a cigarette in your hand, hold something else – a pencil, a paper clip, a coin, or a marble, for example.

If you miss the feeling of having something in your mouth, try toothpicks, cinnamon sticks, sugarless gum, sugar-free lollipops, or celery. Some people chew on a straw or stir stick.

Avoid temptation – stay away from activities, people, and places you link with smoking.

Create new habits and a non-smoking environment around you.

Get ready to face future situations or crises that might make you want to smoke again, and think of all the important reasons you’ve decided to quit. To remind yourself of these reasons, put a picture of the people who are the most important to you somewhere you see it every day, or keep one handy on your phone.

Take deep breaths to relax. Picture your lungs filling with fresh, clean air.

Remember your goal and the fact that the urge to smoke will lessen over time.

Think about how awesome it is that you’re quitting smoking and getting healthy. If you start to weaken, remember your goal. Remember that quitting is a learning process. Be patient with yourself.

Brush your teeth and enjoy that fresh taste.

Exercise in short bursts (try alternately tensing and relaxing muscles, push-ups, lunges, walking up the stairs, or touching your toes).

Call a friend, family member, or a telephone stop-smoking help-line when you need extra help or support.

Eat 4 to 6 small meals during the day instead of 1 or 2 large ones. This keeps your blood sugar levels steady, your energy balanced, and helps prevent the urge to smoke. Avoid sugary or spicy foods that could trigger a desire to smoke.

Above all, reward yourself for doing your best. Give yourself rewards often if that’s what it takes to keep going. Plan to do something fun.

 

https://www.cancer.org/healthy/stay-away-from-tobacco/guide-quitting-smoking/quitting-smoking-help-for-cravings-and-tough-situations.html

 

 

 

 

Read, educate yourself as much as u can with free time....

[Boo]

Welcome aboard GM.  Congratulations on making a great choice.

 

Enjoy the ride here on the Train.

 

15 minutes ago, Whispers said:

Exercise in short bursts (try alternately tensing and relaxing muscles, push-ups, lunges, walking up the stairs, or touching your toes).

 

Those quick exercise sets done to exhaustion got me through the toughest craves I experienced during the early days of my quit.  Push-Ups.  Jumping Jacks.  Squat Thrusts.  Exercise that gets the heart rate up, the muscles pumped, and the lungs burning were instant crave killers.

 

On the calmer side of things...deep breathing exercises helped a lot as well.

[Sazerac]

Welcome GM, 

I am so glad you have joined our merry band of quitters.

Congratulations,  you have made one of the best decisions of your life, 

YOU JUST QUIT SMOKING !

 

You may find these threads useful

10 Ways To Effectively Use This Forum To Quit Smoking

and

Your First Days, Nicotine Free

[Mee]

Welcome GM.  You have made a wise decision.  You have stumbled across a wonderful place to do your quit.  Read as much info as you can and bop around the forum.  As you begin to read other posts and some of the blogs,  you will find the courage to continue.  We are all at different stages of our quits and are happy to help and support you through yours.    

[johnny5]

Welcome aboard, GM!  You've made a great decision in quitting smoking.  Stick around.  There is a lot of support and education you can gain here that can help you stay quit for good.

[NADA]

Hi GM.  Glad to see you're browsing through some posts.  That's a good way to see what's in store for you and how others handled those situations.  It's all about knowledge and commitment.  You can do it.

[Martian5]

Welcome aboard GM, you are making the right choice.  There are good people here that will give (and have given) good advice.  Cannot add more to what has been said, though what really helped me was lots of cold water (to drink), deep breathing techniques, and the daily NOPE pledge (it really does help). !!!!!

[garry mhudson]

Welcome aboard GM. Great decision and your still young enough for your body to get over a lot of the bad stuff. Stick close to the site and post if need be. Keep busy and think positive. Wake up and show a positive attitude and gratitude for the day. Best wishes.

[notsmokinjo]

Welcome GM.

 

Congratulations on making the choice to quit. There is some wonderful advice here. It is best to have a plan on how to deal with craves but I'll tell you a secret... if you can not smoke for 24 hours you can quit. Because once you have done it once, you know you can do it... no silly voice in your head can proove otherwise because you have done it, you have the evidence that you have done it. Then all you have to do is not smoke the next day. Its only another 24 hours your not smoking. You know you can each day gets easier, even if when your in the thick of it you don't think so. Its like a child, when you see the child every day you don't notice them grow, but if you only see the child once every few weeks you notice how much they grow each time you see them. So each day it is getting easier and easier even if you don't feel like it at the time, I promise it is true. All you have to do is last 24 hours. Every day I get up and say to myself... today I am not going to smoke for 24 hours, I did it yesterday and the day before, I know I can do this... and I do and every day it gets so much easier.

[Rozuki]

GM, welcome aboard! You have found a wonderful place to start your quit....and you have been given great advice by all of those above!! Educate yourself about the addiction by reading everything you can here and then reading it again! Watch the videos! Participate! Take things one day at a time...and remember to NOPE every day!!

 

See you around!

 

 

[MLMR]

Hi GM, welcome and thanks for introducing yourself. It would be great to read your progres here!  

 

My tip: find something new to do, to learn. It helps to get your mind off smoking and will benefit you in rewiring your addict brain. 

 

Take extra good care of yourself these coming days

[GM456]

Thanks all !! nice comments and supportive . 

 

how is my first day experience:

 its little tough though mind is saying don't smoke ......:)  just cheat brain 

 

@pottanramu :

 

i even tried champix some years before and patch etc.. but didn't work out .  

[notsmokinjo]

Champix didn't work for me either .... so don't ever think that means you can't quit... you can GM.

 

Make sure you drink lots of water and also keep your blood sugar levels up... it really helps... you can drink fruit juice because that will keep your fluids up and your sugar levels.

 

 

[Doreensfree]

Welcome aboard GM...

Congratulations in ridding yourself of this killer addiction.....

You have had some great advice....

Join our daily NOPE thread....this is a powerful tool...and a great way to start the day...

You have been given great advice above....

Those that stay close and post often ,are usually the winners....

Looking forward to getting to know you better ...

[c9jane29]

7 hours ago, GM456 said:

how is my first day experience:

 its little tough though mind is saying don't smoke ......:)  just cheat brain 

 

Cheat brain is the worst!! I'm glad you stuck with it! Even one day is more than most still smokers...it will get easier and the constant thoughts do stop; I promise. Just keep redirecting your thoughts to NOPE. Take care of yourself and make time for breaks so you do not get overwhelmed.

 

[Sazerac]

Each day of Freedom, no matter how gruesome, is one hundred times better than remaining a slave to nicotine.

This sentence from @Sirius  is excellent,

"Next time a craving plunks down on your face ask yourself, "What price you are willing to pay to own yourself?" 

[Doreensfree]

Good work.... Keep at it...some things are just worth fighting for ...

Hour by hour...or minute by minute...whatever works ....

[GM456]

"Each day of Freedom, no matter how gruesome, is one hundred times better than remaining a slave to nicotine"

                   love this quote .. yes I was slave to nicotine from past several years . 

 

OK . My first day status:

 

I didn't tell anyone family,friends  am in the process of quit smoking as saw many folks who say this is my last ciga and next day they carry new packs  .I want to avoid that and didn't carry single cig to work so guy who come with me always asked where is your pack , said no and  didnt' bring today . then he offered me a cigarette  which tempted  me . had two puff or half cig . mind was chiming  throw away and go out from that place .....done and told my friend I am quitting this . 

 

some  puff made guilty but positive thought is, able to reduced 15 numbers to half cigarette ? so I can completely quit.  mind control is  tough though  

 

thanks for your support .. God bless you all

 

 

[Sazerac]

Look/See/Understand how ONE PUFF affects your brain.

 

 

This is why we commit to NOPE (Not One PUFF Ever) because one puff re-establishes addiction.

 

Education is the best tool in fighting nicotine addiction.

Please avail yourself of the great resources here

and understand that we are behind you All The Way, GM

S

 

 

[Christa326]

20 hours ago, GM456 said:

Thanks all for your wonderful support to others who are trying to quit smoking

 

I just found this forum today while googling and gone through few topics and its really helping/motivating me . i am 38 years old male and started smoking from 19th age . oh  more than 19+ years am smoking . initially 2 or 3 cigarettes per day but last 9 years it went to 13 to 15 per day . .   I  tried champix but unfortunately I could not complete the course with that it didn't help me in  any case.  

last one month i have been thinking when will be my day to stop smoking . till yesterday not decided WHEN and just was waiting ... decided OK  today is my day to quit . I am seeking your help/support for my initial days settling. I will keep you updated here with my status . 

 

 no champix/patch   

 

God bless you all 

Hi there!

Welcome!! I too have also smoked for a while (a few years longer than you) I have to say being here on this site, for me, is literally a game changer. Read as much as you can. I found reading and watching videos of those who sadly have fallen ill from smoking helped me...i do not want to ever be in that situation - no one does. It is just such a terrible addiction. You can do this! If i did and so easily--so can YOU! 

Mind over matter

[Mee]

GM At least you realized it is not what you want and you are here.  I think riding to work with someone that smokes is going to be a challenge.  The first couple of weeks are the toughest because you are going through withdrawal.  You might have to put some limitations on this by not allowing smoking in the vehicle.  It is uncomfortable in the beginning but you can do it.