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Day 5 - Need advice


16 years ago 0 1153 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Moss and all member that are experiencing strong cravings, You may be faced with situations that will trigger the urge to smoke. We call these high-risk situations. Review this emergency coping plan to help you deal with these situations. If you feel the urge, or are tempted to smoke: AVOID the situation. Identify the situations when you normally smoke or feel a craving for a cigarette. For most smokers, 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 smoking (or how much money you�re saving every week). � Do something else to distract yourself like drinking water or deep breathing to relax. � Think about an upcoming event in your life, such as a vacation. DELAY taking the cigarette. 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. Brenna, Bilingual Support Specialist
16 years ago 0 880 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Moss Good for you on the 5 days...You are doing the right thing by distracting your mind in this way. I found the act of writing to be a god send when the urge was strong and the will under fire. Always remember that this is a process. Sometimes we may feel that we are not making any progress, because we feel so driven to just have one and in that way return our minds to a more familiar state. But the need to get back to that "balance" is the very heart of the addiction. For so many years I have self medicated in this way. I no longer realized that I was self medicating. That is part of the trap of the addiction. I don't like to give advice because I am well aware that my experience may not properly reflect yours, but I do know that a large part of the addiction is that we have chosen to deal with uncomfortable matters of the mind by smoking and thereby receiving an increase in certain hormone production that rewards us with a sence of well being. Once the nicotine has done its work, we feel better and even though we have not addressed the true cause of our psychic turmoil, we believe that the cigarette has made everything alright again. We are now back in balance...But the fact of the matter is that that balance is actually an unhealthy imbalance... The only way out of this is to recognize the cycle of addiction and break it. That only happens with the passage of time and much practice...I know it is not easy and I have great compassion for your situation. I also know that this can be done...It is up to us to figure out how to break the cycle and then do it again and again and again, until the addiction becomes a thing of the past... Stay well, you are not alone in your quest and perhaps that knowledge will help you over the next hurdle... nonic [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]12/25/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 333 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 9,990 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $3,496.50 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 60 [B]Hrs:[/B] 18 [B]Mins:[/B] 48 [B]Seconds:[/B] 27
  • Quit Meter

    $66,622.50

    Amount Saved

  • Quit Meter

    Days: 1374 Hours: 17

    Minutes: 53 Seconds: 11

    Life Gained

  • Quit Meter

    6345

    Smoke Free Days

  • Quit Meter

    190,350

    Cigarettes Not Smoked

16 years ago 0 331 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Go find something to do that will occupy your time. Chores are a good one for me, although not too fun! Read through the previous posts on here, go for a walk, any type of exercise will take away any immediate cravings. Do anything to take your mind off of it. It may be hard but you have come this far, why give up now? Go for a healthy breakfast or lunch, surf the net, talk to family or colleagues. If you are not using anythign then you might want to try some nicotine gum to get through the really tough cravings. Hope that helps! Hang in there, it will get easier! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]11/12/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 11 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 165 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $137.50 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 0 [B]Hrs:[/B] 18 [B]Mins:[/B] 41 [B]Seconds:[/B] 33
16 years ago 0 1698 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Moss old buddy bite the bullet and bite it hard .The first week is the toughest thats why we call it hell weak.The second week is called heck week because it's not as tough.You have to remember this a addiction your trying to overcome not just a bad habit.So cut yourself some slack and be very kind on yourself your doing great. :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]3/20/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 248 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 4,464 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2,480.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 56 [B]Hrs:[/B] 15 [B]Mins:[/B] 40 [B]Seconds:[/B] 17
16 years ago 0 649 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Thanks Kelly - sorry about the double post ???????? I'm also a newbie to the internet. I will take your word on it getting easier. I hope it is soon. moss [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]11/19/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 4 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 60 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $10.50 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 0 [B]Hrs:[/B] 17 [B]Mins:[/B] 22 [B]Seconds:[/B] 51
16 years ago 0 1093 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hey Moss, Congrats of five days smoke-free. That is a major accomplishment! The best advice I can give you is to not give up now. You're almost there. What I did/do when the cravings get really strong is take a deep breath or two followed by cold water. That in itself usually does the trick. I also distract myself. Five days into it was tough, I remember that. I know I had to take it one craving at a time and not think about whether I was going to keep doing it forever but rather only that I was going to keep doing it for that one craving. Have a great day, Moss. It really does get lots easier real soon. :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]8/25/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 90 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,700 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $526.50 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 8 [B]Hrs:[/B] 1 [B]Mins:[/B] 26 [B]Seconds:[/B] 36
16 years ago 0 649 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hey Gang, Am a few hours in to day 5 and the cravings seems to be stronger and for longer periods of time. I think my brain thought I was just screwing around for the first couple days but the last 2 it is getting serious about missing the nicotine. I keep reading that the first 3 days tend to be the worst. Last night I had some serious doubts about going through with this, but I did not smoke. This morning I can't get my mind distracted. So here I am. Anybody out there - I need advice Moss [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]11/19/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 4 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 60 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $10.50 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 0 [B]Hrs:[/B] 17 [B]Mins:[/B] 19 [B]Seconds:[/B] 30

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