This is hard but I am doing this!!! I am so proud!!
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excellent job Sara - you are rocking it with double digits…keep up the amazing work! 
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Which is one hell of a feat! Congrats Jason!
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Thats so awesome Jason – love seeing the numbers rise for you! Keep it up.
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Hey guys, just been alerted to this thread and it is exactly what I need! Since kicking alcohol and a heavy dose strong benzo 6.5 weeks ago, my cigarette consumption has sky-rocketed and it’s driving me nuts having to buy them so often!! Not to mention the sugary rubbish I am craving. I have significantly increased my exercising and it is helping me with anxiety that drove me to drink, but I feel like my good work is being cancelled out by the increased smoking 
I will look through the posts on this thread, but in the meantime if anybody has any great diversion tactics to stop me heading out every our or so for a smoke, I would be super grateful! Well done to all who are off the smokes, that is amazing 
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Hey @Susy set a date to quit, get rid of your stash, and be determined not to buy another pack. I took alot of hot showers. Chewed on straws. Slept. Get thru that first hellweek and it gets better!!
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Excellent plan Susy! Scroll up a little bit to my Quit Kit repost if you’d like with some great advice (imho) to prepare for quitting. Than here’s some things to do instead of smoking once you quit. All success!
101 Things to Do Instead of Smoking
Source: Terry Martin, verywellmind.com
Distract yourself and the urge to smoke will pass.
- Read a book.
- Wash the car.
- Wash the dog.
- Go for a walk.
- Knit a scarf.
- Do a crossword puzzle.
- Take a nap.
- Call a friend.
- Post a comment on my page.
- Play with the cat.
- Turn the bathroom into a spa and do all those beauty treatments.
- Listen to a relaxation tape or some favorite music.
- Go to a store and get a free make-up session.
- Give yourself a manicure and pedicure.
- Try out a new hair-do.
- CHEW SOME CLOVES!
- Go to the movies.
- Hang out at a mall.
- Do a jigsaw puzzle online at Jigzone.com.
- Breathe deeply!
- Swig down some ice water.
- Jump on a treadmill or go to a gym.
- Give someone you love a huge hug.
- Plant some flowers.
- Do some exercise - swimming, aerobics, yoga, etc. Great for releasing endorphins (feel good factor) and relieving stress (physical and mental).
- Work out how to post a picture in the forum!
- Take up a new hobby/interest - channel your thoughts into something constructive and interesting.
- Work in the garden.
- Retail therapy with the cash you saved from not smoking.
- Suck on a piece of TART candy (Jolly Rancher is my personal favorite).
- Slather on a rich, creamy hand lotion and rub, rub, rub! It keeps fingers busy, and reminds you how nice it is not to have tobacco stink on them.
- Eat a popsicle.
- Floss and brush your teeth.
- Make-out with your special someone! Hubby hated kissing me when I smoked, but now he LOVES it. Soooo, when the urge strikes and he’s within kissing distance, I plant a big one on him!
- Chew gum.
- Chew a toothpick (shiny teeth).
- Spend time with a kid.
- Give yourself a treat every day of your quit - no matter how small.
- Spend an hour filling the paddling pool in the garden on a gorgeous sunny day, only to find that the kids would rather play on the computer.
- Play several games of Internet Scrabble, and hopefully win one!
- Walk in an old graveyard with the man you love.
- Get your jammies on early, and park yourself in front of your computer for the night.
- Build a REAL closet.
- Hang the sheetrock on said closet.
- Do the mudding, taping and sanding on that closet.
- Paint the closet.
- Add the doors to the closet.
- And last…when the real closet is finished, create THE CHOCOLATE CLOSET on this site.
- Hang on dearly to a caramel apple sucker.
- Sing loudly.
- Practice smiling in the mirror (releases endorphins)!
- Make lists of pros and cons of smoking.
- Find gross smoking disease pictures.
- Play with Silly Putty.
- Whistle “Don’t Worry - Be Happy.”
- Get a camera, and take some pictures.
- Write a letter (you know…on paper).
- Clean OUT the closets.
- Crank up the radio and sing at the top of your lungs (works great for driving craves).
- Crank up the radio and dance like no one is watching.
- Make a puzzle.
- Organize your boxes of pictures.
- Alphabetize your CD rack.
- Come here and read and post.
- Go to miniclip.com and PLAY GAMES.
- Do your nails. Hard to smoke with wet nails. I’ve tried.
- Take a shower.
- Take a candle-lit bath.
- Clean out a messy drawer.
- Take a day trip.
- Try making home-made candles or soap.
- Run in place.
- Do some jumping jacks.
- Start a reward fund - put away the amount you spend on smokes every day and use it to treat yourself once in awhile.
- Write a poem.
- Go antique shopping.
- Go plant a flower for every negative thought.
- Go to church/talk to God.
- Let your husband cook supper for you.
- Call your Grandmother!
- Paint a room.
- Eat a hot fudge sundae.
- Go play mini-golf.
- Clean the basement or garage.
- Wax the car.
- Make love with your significant other.
- Scrub the floor.
- Treat yourself to a massage.
- Chop up some veggies for a stir-fry - keep your hands busy!
- Clean out the litter box.
- Check your car’s tire pressure.
- Call a radio show and request a song.
- Go ride a few rollercoasters.
- Take a walk in nature.
- Watch the sun set.
- Write a goodbye letter to cigarettes
- Donate blood.
- Color your hair.
- Make a greeting card.
- Write a list of things you are grateful for
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@Mno @Cjp Thanks heaps, all great advice. I have had to use some of these tactics to stay off the alcohol after my detox, and they do help
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Welcome to the quitting smoking / vaping club! Some lovely advice and tips here. We will be right here with you!
You can quit this addiction too
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Thanks @JazzyS it’s going to take some will power!! But if I can quit heavy drinking and benzo use, I should be able to be stubborn enough to kick the ciggies! xoxox
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I do have faith that you are strong / stubborn enough to beat this addiction. Like CJ said - set a date to quit and prepare yourself mentally for it. Love the list of ways to keep yourself busy that Mno provided.
take some leisure time to read the thread and see what other tid bids might be useful for your smoke free journey.
We got your back here love
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xoHang in there my fellow grumpy *ssholes. It’s so worth it. Quitting smoking changed my life. Let it change yours too. Love.
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That’s awesome Mno!
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okay. today is my quit day. 2.5 hours off nicotine. i have a nicotine-free vape but i feel like it’s making things worse. might get rid of it soon. i have a massage and facial today, and an overnight by myself (grandma’s got the baby). so my plan is: relax, focus, and move thru whatever comes up. i have a feeling it’s gonna be pretty emotional. i know it needs to be done though, so here i am. i’m kinda scared.
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Congratulations on the 8 years @Mno !
It’s a big deal! You could still be smoking, wishing and wanting to quit!
ODAAT you pulled yourself away from the grips of the Nicotine Monster!
Thanks for all the help and inspiration you are to others on that road! Super proud of you!
Looks like Luna is the ‘poster child’ of proud in your screen shot! 
29,000 euros, wow!
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7 waking hours without nicotine. almost cried multiple times during my massage. head hurts. hitting the nicotine-free vape occasionally but my brain is not fooled - we all know what’s happening. there’s no nicotine anymore. i’m preparing myself for even more symptoms as my body brings its chemistry back into natural balance in the absence of the highly addictive substance i’ve been abusing for a decade — COOL!! 
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