September 24, 201411 yr Hello QTrain, What helped you through your First Week without Nicotine? For me, it was: Watching The Clock and seeing 'craves' lasting a shorter and shorter time. Breathing purposefully. Satsumas. Water Saving the daily money for a pack of smokes. I kept it in a big jam jar and watched it pile up. Jumping Jacks , Dancing Wildly. House Cleaning. Determination and Desire for Freedom. I 'discovered' Joel Spitzer's videos. Daily Quitting Lesson Guide I had a suspicious (show me) attitude but, was quickly chastened and ultimately enlightened. It was during my First Nicotine Free Week, watching Joel, that I started to educate myself about Addiction. Denial was no longer my modus operandi. I started to face reality.
September 24, 201411 yr I just posted this elsewhere, actually seeing smokers really helped my quit like this: When you have to, really watch them smoke. Mentally note how there's a "catch" in their throat and then a cough. Remember, they are inhaling poisons and chemicals (70 of them proven as cancer causing!) with that cig. Also note they do not look blissfully relaxed, they are not smoking cause they are lovin it - they are smoking because they are a nicotine addict and after 20 minutes from putting out the last cigarette, the craves are beginning and get bigger until you remedy it with yet another fix of nicotine, complete with chemicals and poisons. Ice cold water A list of all the reasons I didn't want to smoke clicking my fingers Posting all over the board NOPE shuffle - switched from foot to foot shouting loud or in my head Nope A mantra - "For milly and I" Hard boiled cough sweets (I just like them lol) Dancing Nobbys chilli peanuts! SOOOOO good, averaged 3 packs a day and then had to wean off them haha Cleaning, specifically mopping was my big crave fixer. Crystals, dalmation jasper necklace and a tumblestone that I would touch if I craved. I needed a lot of distraction :) So worth it though for what I have today. One other thing, I found I couldn't talk on the phone...every call I would spark up, I just stayed away from the phone like others avoided alcohol. Most triggers I decided to face head on, which worked for me. x
September 24, 201411 yr Eating everything and anything, mints, sleeping/really early to bed, singing, treats at the end of each day, It's mad but I can hardly remember, I wish I had done a journal!!
September 24, 201411 yr Sleep... Lots and lots if sleep! (OK I was sick, but because I was asleep 90% of the time I didn't have much time to crave)... After about a week I downloaded an app which told me how my health would improve, how much money I was saving etc... Sorry this is much help to most, but starting a quit when you are sick can really work!
September 24, 201411 yr Wow I feel great to be able to contribute in this post LOL :D Water, water, water...in amazing amounts Naps Posting here, reading posts, all about the board Reading and watching youtube videos about nicotine addiction Drawing Deep breathing, baths and relaxations techniques The ticker that tells me how well I´m doing One on one conversations
October 17, 201411 yr Staying close to the board every chance I got....reading everything I could.....and then some.... Listening to what was being said to me....believing it.... Allen Carr....easy way.....it made me see the addiction,what what it is..... My punching pillow ..my I pod .. I have never considered my self as a drug addict...he made me reolize I was.... Serious health issues.....my fate was much more scarier than quitting....
June 22, 20188 yr Author On 9/24/2014 at 12:25 PM, Sazerac said: Hello QTrain, What helped you through your First Week without Nicotine? For me, it was: Watching The Clock and seeing 'craves' lasting a shorter and shorter time. Breathing purposefully. Satsumas. Water Saving the daily money for a pack of smokes. I kept it aside and watched it pile up. Jumping Jacks, Dancing Wildly. House Cleaning. Determination and Desire for Freedom. I 'discovered' Joel Spitzer's videos. http://www.quittrain.com/topic/2096-joel-spitzers-quit-smoking-video-library/ I had a suspicious (show me) attitude but, was quickly chastened and ultimately enlightened. It was during my First Nicotine Free Week, watching Joel, that I started to educate myself about Addiction. Denial was no longer my modus operandi. I started to face reality. For Tammy
October 28, 20187 yr Another good read for new riders!! The first week chocolate and positive self talk. Also, I read everything I could about my addiction and found out WHY things were happening.
October 31, 20187 yr In your first week, especially if you quit cold turkey, eat small meals so that your blood sugar levels do not go low. When you were a smoker, every time you smoked a cigarette the nicotine caused your liver to release sugar into your blood. When you stop smoking, your body has to learn how to adjust your blood sugar levels by itself, without nicotine. It takes some time for this to happen. Because of this, low blood sugar in your first few weeks of your quit can become a physical and mental trigger and create craves. Avoid these triggers by eating these small meals. If you do have a strong crave, it is very useful to eat something very sweet immediately like cookies or candy. After 5-10 minutes, your blood sugar levels will go up, and this higher blood sugar level plus just the passing of some time, will help your greatly to manage your crave. This advice is also very, very useful when a member posts a SOS message on this forum. That is always my first recommendation. Cristóbal Edited October 31, 20187 yr by Cristóbal
December 30, 20187 yr Author On 10/30/2018 at 8:18 PM, Cristóbal said: In your first week, especially if you quit cold turkey, eat small meals so that your blood sugar levels do not go low. When you were a smoker, every time you smoked a cigarette the nicotine caused your liver to release sugar into your blood. When you stop smoking, your body has to learn how to adjust your blood sugar levels by itself, without nicotine. It takes some time for this to happen. Because of this, low blood sugar in your first few weeks of your quit can become a physical and mental trigger and create craves. Avoid these triggers by eating these small meals. If you do have a strong crave, it is very useful to eat something very sweet immediately like cookies or candy. After 5-10 minutes, your blood sugar levels will go up, and this higher blood sugar level plus just the passing of some time, will help your greatly to manage your crave. This advice is also very, very useful when a member posts a SOS message on this forum. That is always my first recommendation. Cristóbal
December 31, 20187 yr Setting a stopwatch when the craving started. It'd usually pass and I'd forget I'd set the stopwatch. Eating something, sometimes healthy, sometimes sweets. Posting an SOS or a pre-SOS and writing out my analysis of what I was experiencing and thinking about. Took my dog for a walk. Started a blog and used that for a private SOS--i.e., not something other QTers would necessarily respond to. When craving was (is) at it's worst, it was usually at the end of the day. I'd go to bed early to fight the impulse to end the quit. More than half of the time, I was able to be online at QT during a craving. Without this connection, I would have given up and started smoking again. Thank you, all.
February 25, 20197 yr Icewater. Yelling in pillow. Allowing myself to go through the crave, feel it and then after few minutes push myself to detach from it. Writing and reading everything, in hopes vital information was stored. I think it was Walking walking walking. Around the house, during lunchbreaks, powerwalks as well as long, tiring km's. For a period of one month I put myself on tomato/cucumber/egg/nuts snacks. To prevent myself from treading one addiction for another. It worked. Vital for me was (and still is!!) 1. examination of my junkie thinking and 2. finding out what's underneath: something in me is crying for attention. What is it and can I provide it? If not, how do I handle this without smoking <- because that should be your ultimate goal here. Oh and one of the angels here kept reminding me about forcing myself to look for beauty. Even if the whole world felt like there wouldnt be any beauty, like EVER, and everything was a big pile of stinky messy sadness. Thanks for that.
February 25, 20197 yr Wait. This topic is about the first week. I just described my first months. Slept all the way through first week. Don't remember much ?
February 25, 20197 yr Sleep Sleep Sleep, eat, Sleep Sleep Sleep, eat, watch Joel Spitzer Videos, Listen to relaxation and hynosis on youtube, sleep some more, live on here educating yourself, and posting...Sleep ? Edited February 25, 20197 yr by catlover
February 25, 20197 yr The first week I quit was all due to my having a stroke and being in hospital (I was yelling for the NRT patch!!) awaiting a carotid artery stenting procedure...slept when I could, played solitaire when I couldn't, drank water and did a lot of deep breathing! I didn't have any online support at all until about 3 months after I first quit....
February 25, 20197 yr 5 minutes ago, Rozuki said: The first week I quit was all due to my having a stroke and being in hospital (I was yelling for the NRT patch!!) awaiting a carotid artery stenting procedure...slept when I could, played solitaire when I couldn't, drank water and did a lot of deep breathing! I didn't have any online support at all until about 3 months after I first quit.... And yet you still found a way to get it done Finding a way rather than an excuse is the key to success!
March 13, 20197 yr Author On 10/30/2018 at 8:18 PM, Cristóbal said: In your first week, especially if you quit cold turkey, eat small meals so that your blood sugar levels do not go low. When you were a smoker, every time you smoked a cigarette the nicotine caused your liver to release sugar into your blood. When you stop smoking, your body has to learn how to adjust your blood sugar levels by itself, without nicotine. It takes some time for this to happen. Because of this, low blood sugar in your first few weeks of your quit can become a physical and mental trigger and create craves. Avoid these triggers by eating these small meals. If you do have a strong crave, it is very useful to eat something very sweet immediately like cookies or candy. After 5-10 minutes, your blood sugar levels will go up, and this higher blood sugar level plus just the passing of some time, will help your greatly to manage your crave. This advice is also very, very useful when a member posts a SOS message on this forum. That is always my first recommendation. Cristóbal
August 2, 20197 yr Tip: Take the daily NOPE pledge, acknowledge that the crave exists but do not submit to it. Edited August 2, 20197 yr by Ankush
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