Quitting and Progress

Well, I jumped ahead of my plans. I threw away the roller. It was a last minute decision  after becoming disgusted with the taste & smell as well and feeling like having easy access around all the time was too much temptation. I needed a more motivation to finalize the goal. I’d been at 4 cigarettes a day for a few days , and finding I don’t have as many triggers. Today I barely wanted even 2 so successfully tapering. The gum works just fine most of the time and once that last cigarette is gone, I will order more 14 mg  patches. They really seem to help, unless I smoke one while on them -then I get nauseous.So i have been trying them every few days.

It’s odd. I am actually beginning to prefer the gum over actual cigarettes. Maybe that’s a good thing.It’s certainly better than smoking. I am not inhaling toxic chemicals, I don’t “stink” all the time ( nor do my clothes, breath or car), and I never have to fumble around looking for a lighter or trying to remember to roll smokes before I go somewhere.( I never even take them with me anymore.)With gum, I don’t have to get my coat on, stop everything I am doing and head outside in the cold to get my fix. There are no ashes or tobacco all over my floor or clothes, and I can chew it anywhere–restaurants, grocery stores, even while I hike or walk. I don’t have to be embarrassed to chew gum either. Kind of a win-win. The one downside is that I get tired of chewing. That’s when I need another substitute.

Yes, I know. I am still “addicted” to the nicotine. But I feel better about that than having my lungs all black ,being out of breath, coughing up phlegm and all of the other toxic shizzle smoking does to your body , as well as your appearance. Eventually I willwean off of it as well but  I’m not stressing about it just yet. One thing I did was look through some before and after photos of smokers. Eye opening. Before- greyish skin tone, yellow teeth, more fine lines and even a certain glassy eyed, tired look. Afterwards, some of that goes away with time( although some is permanent damage).

Anyway, here’s the tips I have SO FAR for anyone thinking about it or having problems. P.s.- I am NO EXPERT and I have yet to completely quit .Some days are good, some aren’t. Some of this is stuff I never heard anywhere before though and I just figure it can’t hurt to share since I feel it’s been helping me.

1. BAN ALL SMOKING INDOORS, THEN -BAN IT IN YOU CAR. This was the number one biggest help I have had.
2. Then START your quit in the cold weather ( it really helps to deter you).
3. Stay wet. If you are doing the dishes, taking a shower or washing things down by hand you can’t really keep that cigarette dry.
4. Did you know you can chew up to 24 pieces of nicotine gum a day? I was worried I was chewing too much at 12 pieces usually but, apparently I am safe.
5. Reese’s pieces, Hershey’s kisses, skittles- handfuls during a craving or at trigger times. Warning: this may become a “new habit” , but I’ll take it.
6. Cut a straw in half , inhale the oxygen through it like a boss.
7. Sleep ( or meditate) as much as you can. Lots of naps Hard to smoke when you sleep, unless you sleep walk. If you do, put any cigs somewhere very difficult to get to before you lay down. Like , outside or on a shelf you need a ladder for.  Put the ladder on another floor of the house.
8. If you slip and buy a pack, and maybe even smoke one… run water over the rest of the pack( they are expensive and you will waste a lot of money every time)
9.   keep ‘one’ in a lock box– freeze the key inside a large ice cube that cannot be easily broken. You can’t even microwave that( metal). Sure- you can heat it up some other way, but it will take a lot of effort and maybe you will think harder about it before submitting to the craving. (I tried keeping mine in a safe before but it didn’t work because I had a combo lock and a key.)
10. Get rid of EVERYTHING related to smoking..i mean throw it out -take it to a public dumpster if you have to– ashtrays, rollers, tubes, tobacco, lighters…ALL of it. You will have to re-invest if you wanna smoke.
11. Wash all your clothes, your bedding , clean out your car. Spray your stuff, even furniture with febreeze. If you slip, use mouth wash every single time( don’t leave that smell or taste around- it just perpetuates cravings.. plus you will stink!)
12. Do NOT start chewing tobacco…yuck! You get the same toxins, it will give you mouth cancer, and you will have really disgusting looking teeth & gums. Not to mention how gross spitting is.
13. Don’t “vape”- it’s just as bad for your lungs. All vape juice has a glycerin base. Glycerin is not naturally found in the lungs. Many people wind up having more coughing and other health problems from it. Also, this perpetuates the hand to mouth thing.
14. Use other forms of NRT for as long as you have to, don’t worry about the addiction to nicotine at first. Just deal with the hand to mouth habit.
15. There are some really cool nicotine free alternatives out there also.. many i didn’t know about- research it- lozenges, inhalers, smoke free cocoa bean sticks, creams, sprays, – even natural ‘patches’. 
16. I quit before( for 10 years) using Smoke Away- at that time it was an entire package of vitamins, supplements, and liquid drops. Might not help everyone, but upping your nutrient game can’t hurt.

1. Know your triggers and avoid them like an STD. Yeah, you can’t stop eating, but you can have dessert instead of a smoke.. take that mini cupcake or fun size chocolate bar to your usual smoke spot and leisurely enjoy the sugar. If your trigger is social stuff.. like your friend popping outside for a smoke, you can just stay in but-you don’t have to be anti-social.. just keep  bag of pretzels sticks or veggie straws in your purse to take out and munch on while you chat. In the mornings I plan to drink a cup of decaf or have my last meal ( dinner ) at home instead of work, then hit the bed for some awesome meditation time.

1. Watch “Breaking Bad”- Walters chronic coughing and problems breathing etc. with small cell carcinoma make you think hard about how awful life could become. Yes, he didn’t get it from smoking, but it’s the most common in smokers. 

1. FORCE FORCE FORCE yourself out the door. Walking, hiking, or even just driving around with the windows open if that’s all you can manage. Fresh air and exercise are your friend. You will cough more the first few weeks as your lungs self-clean. But it’s a good cough!

You could also try getting a job at a gas station and wearing highly flammable gloves. Or have someone drop you off on a deserted island for a year. Or donate a lung to someone.. just sayin’…do whatcha gotta do…lol..

Ok, now my disclaimer: I STILL haven’t figured out how to get past that first one when I wake up. I love my coffee, coffee triggers me. I don’t like tea, juice or milk. what I used to do as a non-smoker is get my coffee and sit to watch a half hour of news then get right to my bath, then make breakfast & off to work.  I’m not really sure now what to do now, I don’t like the news anymore and podcasts aren’t cutting it. . But I have found a park that is open and well-lit until 11p so I have been getting out as soon as possible everyday -walking as much as I can. Every hour without temptation is a successful hour.

Thanks for reading, and if you have any other helpful tips i would love to hear them!