Tips, distractions for not smoking?

Hi Jen
Heres a few virtual sweeties for you. Hang in there!

Another tip is to brush your teeth when the cravings are bad. Also get yourself some chewing gum later today.

Make little notes about why you are giving up smoking and stick them around the house.

Finally go out and treat yourself to some small thing today as a reward - doesnt matter what it is, just make sure its something you wouldnt normally buy for yourself. If you arent going out - use the net to purchase!

Hugs and best of luck
Joan:rose:

Hi Jen,
Long time no talk to. LOL. I am going to quit soon too. After smoking for 33 yrs. You've inspired me to give it a go! Is the insiration helping you any? :hehe: I have a new grandchild on the way, due in March and he/she will be living with us for about six months while the mom & dad get on their feet. I would like to quit before the end of November.
That way Christmas will smell like its supposed to and I'm past the worst of the cravings prior to all the parties!
The cinnamon stick thing sounds like a really good idea! I love the spice. Yeah, I would definitely see the first thing in the morning being the toughest. I sit and play at the computer for at least an hour each morning with my coffee and the "blanks" while the worst of my pain and tightness eases.
I've heard deep breathing is supposed to be good too.

Hugs of Encouragement!

Michelle aka: mama

A good friend of mine who quit after 30+ years of smoking also had to quit in order to have a surgical procedure done in her mouth! She listened to a hypnosis tape, and would use a straw cut up to the length of a cigarette and when she felt a need to puff she'd puff on that straw and would hold it just like a cigarette. I sat out with her and talked with her while she did that and it seemed to help her quite a bit. After about 3-4 months she no longer needed the straw...

She said so much of it is just getting into a new habit... and it is so automatic to smoke during certain things/certain time of the day. She would come up with replacement things to do with her hands to keep them busy as well (like cross stitch while watching TV or something). Having a few tic-tacs or other small mint when the urge was strong. I'm forgetting some of the things she used that helped her... I should call her and ask her tonight for any tips!

Another thing you can do is put the money you're saving into a jar and use it to treat yourself to some little luxury in life when you've saved up enough (pedicure maybe?). With the prices these days, it probably won't take long to save up enough!

Best wishes to you for a successful and LONG lasting smoke free life. Quitting is very likely to help your lupus too...

((((HUGS)))) Stay strong!

Flutterbye

I'm planning to give up, but know that I won't succeed at the moment, so will wait until things are a bit more settled.

My advice is if you manage not to smoke for a few days/weeks/months, don't fall into the trap later of thinking 'Well, I can just have one.'

I gave up for 2 years, but a really stressful experience led me to have one cigarette, which was absolutely disgusting, but it still led to another, and now? I'm smoking as much as before I gave up...

When I gave up before I did buy myself pressies as Joan suggested - jewellery and shoes for me.

Good luck!

Sammy

I have some chewing gum, but can't work out how to mash it up and get it into a *** paper :rotfl:

Har har Futerbye:rotfl: this really made me laugh:rotfl:

I gave up smoking last year and i wont say it was easy but i did it so you can too

I have saved over £3,000 pounds !!!

I was a total addict, really i used to smoke all the time. The first thing i thought about was having a *** as soon as my eyes opened !!! I had been smoking 20-30 a day for 25 years.

The best thing i ever did I love it when i go out now...i dont have to worry about when my next fix is going to be and i dont have to stand outside in the rain

Best of luck to you x

My approach was to really get under the skin of the term 'addiction'.

Basically I psychoanalyzed myself to death. I read up on addictions(I knew a little bit beforehand anyway).
I did'nt differentiate between any kind of addiction in my approach and observation of what I was experiencing in the process of giving up.

All addictions have the same hallmarks.

Kept underlining that fact 'they are all the same'.....A smoker is no different from a substance addict. The attitudes, denial, potential consequences, routines of a smoker a basically the same.

Of course there are variations and extremes but an addict is an addict.

Smoking is just more socially ( less as time goes on) acceptable.

Then I kept in mind all the positives that I was aiming for.

Not to stink and stink smokers do.

To see my skin tone change.

To stop those smokers lines around the mouth and the rest of my face before the damage is done.

To increase energy ( ok I didnt know I had lupus:hehe

To feel liberated,free, more in control and the dignity that comes with having the strength to overcome the addiction.

I could go on

Then there is the con trick...that a smoker buys into....' it helps me with stress' . The deceipt of that is marvellous..
Just like any addiction you need to smoke to keep the withdrawal symptoms away. There lies the stress. Smoking does not help with stress , it adds to it.

My children....whether they would or would not smoke in the future, I didnt want to be the one who took the risk that my behaviour would influence them in a negative way.

Bet your thinking ,,,,,,,goodness this girl is serious, I only wanted to have a few hints and tips

There was also the element of pre diagnosis , that I thought or wondered if the doctors would take me more seriously if I did not smoke regardless ,rightly or wrongly.
I also wanted to be serious about it as well. Wont we do what we can to feel better?.

I did not want to pay those who made loads of money out of people who are addicted at their expense. It began to seem really really corrupt to sell a product that had such serious potential.

Now I have bored you senseless....I just want you to know one thing.

Which is....

I could go on and on forever

If you really want to give up you will..

Anyone can , and you can learn to enjoy all those things you think you never will without a cigarette and you will feel better about everything knowing what a positive thing you have achieved

Here endeth the lesson

N

Hi Jen


Oh that first thing in the morning one !

Try the Nicorette inhalator which is like a cigarette holder. They have the little capsules to put in it but often the inhalator itself is enough to tide over the urges for the real thing. I am on my third try this year and have learnt to take it ten minutes by ten minutes. Also to do my visualisation and relaxation deep breathing act exercises.

I started with the gum. All that chewing has loosened my very expensive top teeth and I can't even bite into a peach skin without worrying they will all drop out.

Now they are getting at me for my weight & size, all these perfect tichy people.
I could be skinny as a rake and be sozzling myself silly. They never ask about that do they, oh no. This whole country is awash with booze, drugs and STD's.

You make life real hard for yourself Jen so give yourself merit points galore for making the effort. If you succumb just forgive yourself and stop again. I am not sure that forgive is the right word because it sounds like a sin.

I need to be able to stop because of the cost and self esteem, social pressure and consideration of my family, but a very important part of my personality doesn't give a fig. The most helpful thing to me would to have the chance to discuss those psychological ins and outs. I realised that I have had to spend most of my life not caring what people thought about me in various regards accepting being different, as a means of survival. It's not easy to let ****** into that sort of well constructed defensive position.

Good luck Jen and many hugs but go down to the surgery and see what support they are offering. My practice nurse was very helpful and understanding , not preachy or lectury " you bad, silly girl " at all.

Clare

I quick 9 1/2 years ago but I used the patch to stop. I was having breathing problems and it was really the fear emphasema that allowed me to quit. My sister passed away 3 months after I quit (I think I was still on the 7 mg patch at the time) and I could smell the smoke on everyone. As badly as I wanted to smoke, I didn't. When I made it through that experience (4 days straight at the hospital, funeral etc.) I knew I would never turn back. It wasn't always easy, but I did it..and you can too.

My husband quit 4 years ago and he did it with the help of a newsgroup. There are some awesome people on there who are wonderful and very knowledgeable about smoking and how to stay quit. If you create/or have a google account you can access it through google groups. The newsgroup is called alt.support.stop-smoking. They refer to it as AS3. One of the members runs this website I believe called www.quitbuddies.org Check them out if you like. My husband goes my Marvin/Marvie...not his real name of course!

I know first hand how hard it is to do this, but I know you can do it. Keep telling your self "I don't smoke" or "I am a non-smoker". Sounds silly maybe, but it helps. There are lots of other tips as well. Believing in yourself will take you the furthest though.

Hope this helps.

Nutty

Hiya Flutterby

Just wanted to let you know I have everything crossed for you. I 'failed' at my first serious giving up attempt earlier on in the year. Think I got told off by Nicky or somebody else for calling it a 'failure' too.

I intend to try again soon - keep procrastinating ... !

I do remember it being a struggle, but i was surprised that it wasn't as bad as I expected until insomnia crept in.

I did not know insomnia could be a side effect of nicotine withdrawal. I ended up waiting for the shops to open on my 3rd morning of no sleep.

So - good for you - you were up around 05.00 hrs thinking of cigarettes and you did not give in!

I feel inspired to give it another go for all the reasons outlined by yourself and others.

Keep it up - oh, to smell clean and fresh!