Grumpy A-holes (quitting cigarettes/ nicotine products) (Part 1)

This is exactly what happens when I smoked after 3 weeks. I gave myself an excuse to smoke again because Iam not drinking. But that smoke gave me nothing…
It’s so hard to get back into the momentum after a relapse. From today I start journaling everday, I hope when I have cravings and read back into my journal my mind would understand easier why I should not pick up again.
This is what helped me with the alcohol cravings before, so I don’t understand why I didn’t use this tool before with quiting nicotine :person_facepalming::frowning:

Good that you keep trying, I will do the same. Never give up! :muscle:t3::blue_heart:

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2767 days smoke free. Best decision I took in my life. Changed my life. Just checking in with my non-smoking peeps. Hope you’re all good friends. ODAAT as in all we do. Love.

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Love that pic! Yes - will not let cigs control me. I am a week away from 18 months smoke free. I keep regular mint gum on me and pop one whenever I feel like I need to smoke (it’s worked so far) along with some deep breathing…Congrats on your 2767 days - that is absolutely fantastic.

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Woohooo! Thank you for keeping on showing us the way @Mno :sparkling_heart:

I am still smokefree, 27 days. Not being complacent but it feels OK.

Was asked about how it’s going by some friends yesterday and I guess I do sometimes still miss is, when I see people out on their own having a smoke, that little bit of ‘me time’… Ofc tho don’t actually need a cig for that. Taking that as a sign that I need to build in some more little bits of wholesome me time to my day.

I feel like smoking is an old toxic friend. I can remember our time together with some fondness cos there were some good times. But still happy to have it out of my life!

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Congrats on your 27 days!!

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Congratulations! Well done on the 27 days :partying_face: :clap:

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So made the first month.

Started to have a few thoughts about smoking. Not cravings exactly. Not sure really what is going on with that. Easy enough to brush aside.

Feeling pretty motivated about the prospect of entering my sixth year of sobriety smokefree. And then of course keeping it that way haha. Just so as not to give the sneaky nicotine monster any ideas about that as a get out clause :japanese_ogre::stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

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Right so I’m going to try a thing and give up smoking. I have such crazy health anxiety since giving up drinking and I think by giving up smoking it will help my mental health ultimately.
First day tips? I tend to have set times I go out for a fag. Like after dinner and when I put the kids to bed. It’s like a little bit of quick me time and a well done before carrying on.
Im not a heavy smoker by any means just alot if of things are tied to emotion and I’m a creature of habit!

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Congrats Megan! Great decision. All success!

Here’s a repost from Quitnet, an old forum that was a great help to me when I quit smoking years ago. Best decision I took in my life.

The Quit Kit

Repost by Grammax6

Welcome Newbies! Ready to quit? Then you need a Quit Kit!

It isn’t a matter of just slapping on a patch or chewing some nic gum. Every behavior you can think of is tied to your smoking. We smoked because we were happy, sad, mad, hurt, tired, sick, bored…etc. You need to replace those habits. Take a day to make a plan.

We call it a Quit Kit. It can be anything you want. Get creative and really think about it. Some things folks have used is nicotine gum. You can buy regular gum the same size, color and flavor so you can go back and forth between the two. If you are using the patch, make sure you have an extra patch in the office, in your purse, or in your wallet, for those days when you have forgotten to put one on in the morning. It happens more than you think! Have lozenges available for those high stress / high craving times.

Have some Red Vines to ‘smoke’. Or cut up a straw into thirds…especially during high trigger times like driving. Sometimes it feels good to just hold it if you are accustomed to always having a smoke in your hand. Grab your favorite CDs or tapes to put in your car so you can put one in and sing out loud. My favorite was dancing and singing at the same time. Your brain cannot do a third thing, so thinking about smoking just disappears.

To keep your mind and hands busy, go to Michael’s or some other craft store and look for things to do. Buy something that interests you; rug hooking kits, scrap booking stuff, or Christmas stocking kits for the grand kids. Or, get some coloring books and colored pencils or felt tip pens. Stained glass, floral, tropical fish or Native American motif coloring books are available everywhere now. They make you want to do a good job. Dora the Explorer would make me want to scribble on her face. LOL!

Make a list of everything that needs to be done, or you want to do around the house. Go through each room and write down everything from cleaning out drawers and closets to painting, rearranging or redecorating. Same with the garage and yard work. Once you have your list, break it down into 5-15 minutes segments so nothing becomes overwhelming.

Make baggies of crunchy foods to satisfy your mouth so they are at work and handy to grab. Carrots, celery, chex mix, pretzel sticks (you can hold those like a cig), gum, etc. They need to be ready to just grab at any given time.

This is important!!! The Three Post Rule: When you are craving and really shaky, post and click the “I’m craving and need some help” box. Wait for at least 3 response posts before you make a decision to purchase cigarettes or to smoke. Most times, you will be fine once you read the posts (keeps you from dwelling). If not…post again and wait for 3 more.

Once you have all these things figured out you will be well prepared to handle anything and you don’t even have to think…just look at your list… Keep 1 copy at work, 1 at home, 1 in your purse or wallet, 1 in the car.

If you did one day, you can do 2. If you did 3, you can do one more. No future tripping. You can’t do a darn thing about tomorrow until it gets here. Today is a good time to quit but if you feel you can’t, then take tomorrow to put together your Quit Kit and quit the day after. Don’t set a quit date out there for 2 weeks, 1 month, etc. All you do is make yourself crazy in your head by stressing over that date. You know you can do this.

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Thankyou very much for this! This was really useful. Guna get myself prepared with a box of tricks. It’s hard to know how to handle that moment of ‘but I neeeed one now’ and break your own stubborn mind. But I’ll defently stand a fighting chance now. Thankyou x

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I found this helpful :smiley:

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Thank you so much Menmo for taking the time to write such a wonderful useful post.
I still feel the urge so this box and list is exactly what i need.
Thanks appreciate you!!!

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The further I get away from my last cigarette the more I appreciate finally finding the strength to quit!

I showed up in this thread over three years ago. I failed at quitting so I quit participating in here. The thread always kept popping up.

Just like my desire to quit.

I remember a time in My life where I had zero vices. I didnt drink, smoke or use drugs. It felt alien to me as I reflected on my past where I had no addictions. It felt impossible to ever be in a place where I didnt need something.

Quitting drinking made my mind rely on the cigarettes. Quitting felt impossible.

Since I quit smoking, I have cut down on addictive behaviors in every area of my life. Things like my phone, and the internet.

Im more efficient and I manage my time better, I’m more productive.

I still miss things about smoking. The benifits of quitting over power those thoughts.

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This is excellent news all round! So glad you kept showing up. It helped me do the same :smiley:

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Gonna give it another try starting 2 hours ago. I managed to quit for 4+ years, but started back up a few years ago while drinking. I used a little bit of nicotine gum last time, I think I’m gonna run out and pick some up tonight.

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Best of luck – You’ve done it before and you will defeat it again. I do hope the Nicorette gum helps.
if you would be open to it - i also used a hypnotic app (played it while sleeping) - not sure if you other half would mind listening to it…It only worked when I was serious about wanting to quit.
Quit Smoking Hypnosis by Surf City Apps.

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Thanks I just downloaded it off the app store. I’ll try anything. I’ll just throw my ear buds in at night and listen. :v:

Oooh perfect - at the beginning I would play multiple times in the night (if i happened to wake up) – you can pay to get the repeat function if that is of interest to you. …I started feeling affects the next day -let us know how you feel tomorrow :slight_smile:

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Thanks will do. :+1:

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