New attempt little Sos cold turkey DAY 2

[juanrmartino]

Hi all im back, im doing ok, or not so, everyone on college smokes, specially during breaks, its like we have to smoke.

 

Somewhere in the back of my mind i just wanna have 1 cigarrete

 

Somewhere in my mind i think they will calm me down.

 

I had a huge fight with my mum today. really hurt her feelings... i feel really bad about it... all because of this...

 

I need a hug... 

 

Johnny 5 i really love your opinion on this.

 

I ll be here

 

Thanks

[Frezflops]

Juan you do not want a cigarette they will not do anything for you....you know this!! Take some deep breathes dont take breaks with the others Now I am going to say something motherly just because they are smoking doesnt mean you have to if they were all jumping off a cliff you wouldnt do it also right? ..........Now for the gentle hugs you can beat this crave to the curb .......deep breathes, drink lots of water, go for a jog around campus, anything and whatever helps you stay quit

{{{{{Juan}}}}}}

[Jenny]

Juan, you need to try and take your mind off it.  Distract yourself.  eat something or drink something. 

[Tink]

Juan they have to smoke because they keep feeding their addiction so the cycle is always at peak

 

they (not you) also want to smoke

 

you dont do either you quit - you are breaking the cycle and you do not want to smoke - you are different to them!

 

day 2 juan - keep going and do what ever it takes but stick to NOPE

 

here is your (((hug))) you can do this juan you need to want quit more than you want to light up

[Jenny]

If you really think about it, what has having a cigarette ever done to help you when you're feeling mad, sad or stressed? Nothing.  You think it will because you're an addict and your mind will justify any means to get a fix.

[Ladybug]

Oh Juan....I know you don't want to smoke anymore. I know you are trying hard and please don't get discouraged.

 

I quit after 35 years...if I can do it...so can you! 

 

First of all her is a hug ((((Juan)))

 

And this was my quit A-B-C   it's still pinned over my work desk!

 

My smoking A-B-C’s and D’s

A friend sent this to me in the early stage of my quit and it became my guide! I don't know who wrote it and I don't know if it has been posted here before.....I apologize if it is a double post...but it helped me a lot and I thought I share! 

 

The A's:
•Avoid situations you know you cannot handle 
•Alter your response - change the flavor of your coffee, sit in a different room, meet your friends in a neutral (nonsmoking environment) 
•Accept that some days will be tougher, and that by sticking it out you will get stronger. 

The B's:
•Believe in yourself....you can do this.

•Behave! You don't have to be a total brat....it's not going to kill you.

The C's:
•Cope with it and write down how you feel.

•Calm down. There is no reason to panic you don't need cigarettes.

The D's
•Delay your next craving for as long as possible by:  
•Distracting yourself - keeping busy is extremely important. Go for a walk, or pull out your guitar. 
•Drinking lots of water or some herbal teas, keep it in your mouth for a while, enjoy the sensation. Chewing gum can help too.  
•Deep breathing. An easy way to relax. You might have done this 200-300 times per day when inhaling smoke.

 

Emergency Coping Plan:
 
AVOID the situation. 
Identify the situations when you normally smoke or chew, or feel cravings. For most, high-risk situations include work breaks, finishing meals, having coffee or being in a bar. Plan how you will avoid these situations for a few weeks. Plan for alternate activities.

LEAVE the situation. 
If you find yourself in one of these high risk situations, leave if you can. And, leave before you get a craving.

DISTRACT yourself from the craving. 
If you find yourself in a situation you can't leave and you get a craving, distract yourself from the craving by: Thinking about something else, like your Benefits of Quitting (or how much money you’re saving every week, how your body is healing itself). Doing something else to distract yourself like drinking water or deep breathing exercises. Thinking about an upcoming event in your life, such as a vacation.

DELAY acting on the craving 
If you can't keep your mind off it, then make a deal with yourself that you will wait 5 minutes before you give into the craving. The craving will usually pass in a couple of minutes anyway. If you delay, the craving will go away.

Use SELF TALK 
A craving may be accompanied by negative thoughts about your ability to resist it. Use positive self talk statements to combat your negative thoughts. Talk loud if you have to

[Colleen]

You do not have to smoke Juan.  So, when others go on break and smoke do something different.  Go for a walk or a drink of water.  Are you getting any exercise?  It can be a huge help in so many ways.  

[TAC]

Hi Juan, I am a cold turkey quitter too, but when I am confronted with cigarettes I walk away and when I'm alone again I pull out a picture I keep in my wallet of a smokers lung, yuk. That usually does the trick.

 

Otherwise, I'm a newbie as well to quitting smoking, and rely on the support of the veteran members here when I'm feeling myself slip.

[AmberDawn727]

Juan, your doing great on day 2. Quitting is hard and even more so cold turkey. Just think one more day and all the nicotine will be gone. I know it is hard right now, but be strong, you are doing so well. Good job on posting an sos, it is a great system.  Great post from Ladybug ;) You can do this, you have 2 days down, try to remind your self you do not want to do those days over again.

[action]

You absolutely do not have to smoke Juan. No one has to smoke. You can only choose to smoke. Are you able to do something else while everyone is smoking? Go for a little walk, check this site using your mobile phone? I know it is a little unsocial, but it could really help.

 

And yes, you are in a high state of nicotine withdrawal on day 2, so you probably will loose your temper with people. I am sure that your mum will understand when you speak to her again and explain it.

 

How is your brother doing? Is he still quit? What did he do when everyone else was smoking? Can he give you some tips?

[Frezflops]

Juan how are you doing? are you still here? let us know how it is going for you?

[Colleen]

Juan do you use anything to help with the oral fixation?  Gum, straws, Twizzlers?  Perhaps when you are in a situation like this, you could pop in a piece of gum.

[juanrmartino]

My brother still is still quit COLD TURKEY after 3 months. So im trying to follow him. Thanks everyone for replying... i feel better with you on my back

[leahcaR]

You can do this Juan.

[juanrmartino]

I sucking some mints it helps with the cravings

[leahcaR]

That always helped me. Especially wint o greens from lifesaver

[Soberjulie]

For the first while of my quit, I had to stay away from smokers when they took their smoke break. I had to go elsewhere.

There is a saying: "If you keep going into the barbershop, you will probably end up with a haircut"

Go to the library Juan.......stop going in the barbershop. :)

[AmberDawn727]

yes lifesaver mints are awesome for cravings, yum. Or i would eat a big meal.

[BAT]

Hang Tuff Juan. 

[Nicole Diver]

Juan, always have to start somewhere.  This is my 4th quit, so I am no stranger to "try, try again."

We do have your back.  Sending positive vibes your way.

Sounds silly but something as simple as deep breaths sometimes got me over some rough parts. 

[action]

My brother still is still quit COLD TURKEY after 3 months. So im trying to follow him. Thanks everyone for replying... i feel better with you on my back

I'm glad he is still smoke free - it is great that you have someone close to you to help you. And we are all here for you too Juan - that is exactly what we are here for :)

 

I'm glad you are feeling better

[Jonny5]

Juan, sorry I'm late to the party, It's late her in England but luckily one of the other mods got hold of me :-)

 

It sounds like you have received a lot of very sensible support already, that is wonderful :-)

 

as for my opinion, I have a feeling you asked for me because you know that I'll support that part of you that is fighting against the nonsense that your inner junkie is making up.

 

You are so much stronger than you think, and more importantly you are so much more smarter than you think.

 

I think that you may be getting overwhelmed by all the smokers around you, I think that the thought of successfully quitting forever has panicked you.

 

at times like this it is often good to break it down in to little bite sized chunks, it makes it easier to get through each moment until you are feeling more able to embrace bigger chunks of what this quit means.

 

eventually you become strong through proving to yourself that you have got what it takes, then you start to look at a whole bright future smoke free.

 

but for now, baby steps, and try not to focus on your brothers 3 month quit.  this can make you feel inferior.  If you can, apologise to your Mum, you will feel better for it :-)

 

right now I want you to remember how awesome you are :-)

 

You got this Juan, and I've got you, along with all these other wonderful people :-)

[action]

Enjoy your pizza Juan. Please let is know how you are getting on when you get the chance.

[MarylandQuitter]

Hi all im back, im doing ok, or not so, everyone on college smokes, specially during breaks, its like we have to smoke.

 

Somewhere in the back of my mind i just wanna have 1 cigarrete

 

Somewhere in my mind i think they will calm me down.

 

I had a huge fight with my mum today. really hurt her feelings... i feel really bad about it... all because of this...

 

I need a hug... 

 

Johnny 5 i really love your opinion on this.

 

I ll be here

 

Thanks

 

Hi Juan, as you know, as nicotine addicts, we can't have "just one".  You know as well as I do that the reason you think that smoking a cigarette will calm you down is because you still believe that smoking offers you some benefit.  I know you're well aware, but I'm going to remind you anyway that smoking increases your heart rate, sends adrenaline coursing through your bloodstream and is physically impossible to have a calming effect.

 

I understand the sadness from the fight you had with your Mom.  Smoking will not help that and it will only add guilt.  Get through this without smoking and you will have proven to yourself that you can win.  You can beat this.  You must win.  Beat this now as you're still young and you don't want to be where you are right now 15, 20, 30 years down the road.

 

During the smoke breaks, why don't you take your Allen Carr book and go to a quiet spot where you can focus one chapter of that book.  Read each paragraph and think about what it means. Think about how you can apply it to your quit.  If your breaks are short, then all the better.  Focus on one or two paragraphs and fully grasp what the message is.

 

Once you expose the lies of smoking to yourself and fully understand that you don't get a single thing of benefit from smoking, you will remove the desire to smoke.  It's with this realization that when you get a craving or experience a trigger, that the struggle to stay quit is no more.  The desire to smoke will be that of wanting to take a hammer and smash your knuckles with it.  You won't want to smoke a cigarette anymore than you'll want to pick up that hammer.

 

You have 2 very helpful tools in helping you accomplish your sticky quit:  Your Allen Carr book and this support group.  The people here know what you're going through as we're all nicotine addicts and between all of us, there isn't anything that one of us has not gone through or felt before. 

 

You can beat this, Juan.  We will guide you through the forest and bring you to the road of freedom.  Please check in as often as you can.--MQ

[juanrmartino]

Thanks guys, thanks MQ, unfortunately the copy i have is an adobe reader ebook in the computer copy the allen carr book. I don't have a real copy. i will look for a real one to take with me. Thanks for taking your time with every answer im going to bed soon its 10 pm in argentina so im finishing day 2.

 

Thanks Johnny loved your post! And thanks everyone