Welcome New Ex-Smokers

Congratulations on taking that all-important first step with cessation - stubbing out the last cigarette and getting started.

Chances are you don't feel 'ready' to quit, and are experiencing a mixture of difficult emotions about it.

Try to relax.  You've found the best place for help. 

Getting Started with Cessation

Park yourself in front of your computer and read everything you can on this forum board. We encourage you to take the initiative to introduce yourself and post often. Sharing your journey with your new quit buddies and offering support to each other really helps.

This thread will serve as the meeting place for those of you who are quitting now, and when the month ends, we will move your 'home base' thread over to the Quit Buddies Unite folder, where you can continue to support each other. 

You can also return to the Introductions folder where you'll find the new Monthly Ex-Smoker thread for those coming along behind you.  Share the tips and encouragement that helped you during month one.  Not only will this help others, it will strengthen your resolve as well.

Start your reading here:  Homework for New Ex-Smokers

Additionally, the folder headings in gray on the left of the page under DISCUSSIONS house different topics.  Click on the gray heading to view the conversations held within.  When you finish with a folder, click on the drop down menu under DISCUSSIONS and select ALL to see all of the folders again.

Introductions/Newcomers Nook
A good place to start with numerous threads from new ex-smokers.

General Chit-Chat 
This is where you will find the daily NOPE thread.  NOPE stands for Not One Puff Ever, and members pledge NOPE on a daily basis.  Give it a try - you will probably find it helpful and empowering.

Quit Support
This is a good place to post for help when you need it ASAP. 
 
Dots(Weeks) and Stars (Months) Milestones and One Year and Beyond Milestones 
Read the accounts of people who are winning with cessation in these folders.

Quit Buddies Unite
This folder is the home base for the groups who quit together.  This thread will move to that folder at the end of the first month.

Quit Smoking Library
Here you'll find member stories and links to important articles that will inform you about what to expect from smoking cessation.

The next 4 posts will give you additional info on how to navigate/post here.  Please read them and let us know if you have any questions.

An Educated Quit is a Successful Quit

When you know the challenges that may be coming, you can develop a plan to manage them and move forward smoke-free.

Healing from this addiction is a process of gradual release that happens one day at a time.  Be patient with yourself and allow recovery to unfold for you as it will. 

Enjoy the journey and settle in here.  The light is on 24/7 in this virtual haven for quitters and someone is always available to help you when you need it.

Welcome!

The thought of quitting tobacco is very intimidating for most of us in the beginning, but take comfort in the fact that many others before you have quit successfully and they felt just as nervous as you probably do right now.

Quitting can be done - it's not an overnight event, but if you settle in and invest in the process, you'll be looking back from a place of nicotine-free comfort sooner than you think.

The following list of tips was compiled by ModJenn, one of our long-time mods.  You might want to copy it to a place where you can refer and add to it as you go.

Quit Toolbox

• Drink ice water through a straw. Repeat. Drink ice water through a straw. Repeat...
• Knowledge is power. Read everything you can get your hands on about this addiction. The more you understand about your own addiction to nicotine, the better equipped you become to get through the cessation process.
• Post on the Forum until your fingers are sore. Post, post, post. 
• Closely related: Go to the NOPE pledge daily and hold yourself accountable.
• When you come across posts that inspire and/or strengthen you ~ copy and paste them into a Word document. In this way, you can reread them when you feel wibbly wobbly and are climbing the walls.
• Distract, distract, distract. (Shhhh.....I would do jumping jacks and by the time I got to about 10-12 I was distracted -- that's for sure. Try puzzles, reading a book, anything that shifts the focus of your thoughts.) More generally, stop whatever you are doing, move, and do something else. The craving will pass.
• Remind yourself this is a journey and the more time you put between now and that last cigarette, the stronger your quit muscles become and the more you have in your quit toolbox. Take it one minute and hour at at time, if necessary, and the days will keep adding up.
• Every day you go to bed smoke-free is a good day. Be kind to yourself along the way.
• What you are experiencing is normal - "this too shall pass".
• Take a shower. Brush your teeth. Put on lotion.
• Read your quit reasons.
• Create a list of all the benefits you are experiencing now that you no longer smoke. Practice gratitude at least once a day for these benefits and life changes.
• Cinnamon flavored sugar-free gum (even cinnamon sticks).
• Chai tea (I had to avoid coffee for a while but can drink it now without a problem).
• Eat healthy snacks, such as carrots or frozen grapes (Some honesty here: I didn't always do so well with this one due to this pesky sweet tooth I developed once I could taste my food again. The good news is that as my quit felt more secure my eating wasn't as erratic.). 
• Protect your quit at all costs by avoiding situations that are high-risk for you, especially in the early part of the quit (e.g., other smokers, alcohol, etc.).
• Make a plan for handling cravings when around temptation. Do not enter potentially difficult situations without a plan.
• Remind yourself that it's going to be okay - time is your friend as you relearn every aspect of daily life.
• Keep a journal to record your journey and it's easier to see how far you have come (It gave me perspective at times when I needed to remember that I may not be where I want to be but I'm most certainly not where I used to be.).
• Reward yourself for the small accomplishments and the larger milestones (this doesn't' have to involve spending money).
• Exercise - go for walks, join a gym, just keep moving.
• Accept and tell yourself (that self-talk we have to turn from negative to positive) that the craving is actually a sign of healing and they will occur less frequently and with less intensity as the smoke-free days add up.
• Deep breathing -- take 4-5 deep breaths -- fill up your diaphragm and and make your tummy stick out.
• As ModLisa says: "When in doubt go to sleep". 
• As ModMic says: "SOME DAYS, IT IS ENOUGH THAT YOU JUST DON'T SMOKE. Some days are crappy from beginning to end, and you can kick, scream, cry, punch something, bite someone's head off...if you did not smoke, you win and a little more healing happened".
• Visualize a craving like a wave washing over you. The tide does leave. 
• Tell yourself four things: (1) Smoking is no longer an option regardless of what life throws your way; (2) I am worthy of freedom from this addiction; (3) I can. I will. End of story; and (4) I am stronger than this challenge and this challenge is making me stronger.