[sunflower55]

Before reading this, go to the "Why do I Want to Quit; List the Reasons" thread. Here's the link:
http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=100088
List your reasons there.
When you've done that, you're ready to come to this thread, in order to build on that.

One of the techniques for building your motivation to quit smoking is to collect a long list of reasons. Ask everyone you know to give you a reason to quit. When you think you’ve exhausted your list, then finish the following sentence as many times as you can: "If I didn’t smoke, I could..." You can fill in the sentence with a variety of ideas or goals that you have. Make your reasons specific and personal. Instead of saying, "I want to quit for health reasons," say, "I want to quit so I can breathe easier." Or, "I want to quit so I don’t get emphysema like my uncle."
Making lifestyle changes can help you quit and stay smoke-free. As you read the following questions and responses, think of additional things you can do to make lifestyle changes:

What will you do to make cigarettes harder to pick up?

• Avoid exposure to cigarettes. Limit time spent with people who smoke.
• Alter your daily routine. Take a short walk during a break instead of smoking.
• Get rid of all the cigarettes in your home, car, desk, or office.

What will you do to spend more time in smoke-free places or doing nonsmoking activities?

• Reduce exposure to smoking triggers. These might include drinks after work or weekend card games.
• Spend time in nonsmoking places. This could be homes of nonsmoking friends, libraries, movie theaters, health clubs, gyms, or smoke-free restaurants.
• Spend time in nonsmoking activities. You might take a walk, attend classes or religious services, or spend time with nonsmoking friends.

How can you get support from others when quitting?

• Engage friends, family, or co-workers to quit with you or to support your decision.
• Get physical! Join a gym or a team sport, such as softball. Or sign up for an activity program, such as yoga or ballroom dancing.

What will you do to manage stress without smoking?

• Use the relaxation CD (it can be ordered for a nominal fee by calling your local Lung Association office: 1-800-LUNG USA, press 1. Or print out the deep breathing exercises posted here http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=100005 and have someone read it to you)
• Practice being in silence.
• Use the Serenity Prayer: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.
• Increase your physical activity.
• Manage your time to include “Fun Time”
• Tell yourself, “This too shall pass.”
• Think of words such as calm, quiet, stillness, silence, serenity, peace…

What will you do to keep from gaining weight?

• Focus on maintaining your weight. Pay attention to how much you eat.
• Eat foods that are low in fat and sugar. Choose fewer sugary drinks.
• Balance the amount you eat with your level of physical activity.
• Understand that some weight gain may occur when quitting smoking. Remember that you can lose that weight again without going back to smoking.

What will you do to become more physically active?

• Get your doctor’s OK before beginning any vigorous physical activity.
• Start with a 2-minute walk.
• Challenge yourself to increase to 5-minute and then 10-minute walks.
• Make time for 10 minutes of moderate-intensity activities three times a day on most days of the week.

When you find yourself fighting a craving remember the three A’s:

1. Avoid the situation if you can.
   • Skip your coffee break if you usually take it with co-workers who smoke.
   • Leave the table right after dinner instead of lingering for a cigarette.
   • Stay away from bars and social events involving alcohol until your quit is strong.
2. Alter or change the situation.
   • Drink decaf tea or fruit juice in the morning instead of having coffee.
   • Watch TV in a room where you rarely smoke (such as the bedroom) rather than in your usual spot.
   • Put your cigarettes in the trunk of your car so you can’t reach them while driving. Better yet, don’t carry cigarettes in your car at all!
3. Alternatives or substitutes for smoking can help.
   • Chew sugarless gum or suck on sugarless lollipops.
   • Snack on raw veggies, such as carrot and celery sticks.
   • Chew on a straw or toothpick.
   • Use a relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing and more, posted here http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=100005 to deal with a stressful situation.
   • Keep your hands busy. Wash them, or have something available to play with or fix.

Print these lists off and keep adding to them.
Nais gadol haya po!

Peace!

[jbug]

Thanks for this thread. My quit date is nearing and I am getting nervous that I won't be able to do it. It is going to help that on Monday I will be with family most of the day and they don't approve of me smoking so I can't around them anyway. We are going on a road trip and when we do that I don't smoke anyway so it will be good that we are doing that on Monday.

Tuesday...Wednesday..Thursday..etc are going to be hard for me not to invent reasons for needing to get money for cigarettes like I did this week. I feel like a junkie when I do that. Which I know I am and I am terribly ashamed of myself when I do it.

But thanks for this thread I will be referring to it often.

Jan

[sunflower55]

Jan,
Shame is a worthless emotion when it comes to battling the nicodemon. This is an addiction. You need only to get the right tools to deal with overcoming it. Listing the reasons you want to quit is a good place to start. You can refer to it when you have a craving. And remember, a craving typically lasts 3 minutes or so. Deep breathing will get you past it and calm your anxiety too.

The smoke cessation counselor I went to years ago said that the best way to quit is to change behaviors. I have found that true for me. What will you do with all that time you now spend smoking? Take a walk, dance to the radio, start an exercise program which helps maintain weight too! That's replacing a negative addiction with a positive addiction. And the positive one will reinforce our quit.

I look forward to your quit. I have found that the anticipation of the quit is really worse than the actual quit itself! HA! It's true!
So, just take it one day at a time; heck, one minute at a time if that's what it takes. The minutes add up. And soon, you'll be smoke free.

Keep the quit and post before you puff!

Peace!