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Looking after ourselves

Rosie
Senior Contributor

Quitting smoking

Hey everyone.

 

Just reading the Sane info page on quitting smoking, and after a week of planning it, I'm going to do it.

I went and saw my GP as the health pages say to do and we talked through the aids to help to stop the habit.

I have bought patches and I feel committed to it, but also a little scared.

 

What if I can't do it?

What will I do with all those feelings of wanting one?

How will I fill in those bits of time I usually do it?

 

I will try to focus on the health benefits.

I will keep busy.

I will do my best.

 

It's tricky because I don't want to put too much pressure on myself. I have schizophrenia which I manage to keep at bay with meds and support, and quitting smoking a BIG goal to try to pursue. So why would I try to quit when everything is going well, and cigarettes serve me in some ways?

 

I kind of had this awakening last weekend.

I have gotten well and the symptoms of my MI have subsided, which made me realise I have to do a bit more.

"Do a bit more" as in begin to create my life not from the perspective of 'being and having an illness' but from 'righto, I'm well now, what can I do to create the life I want?'

 

I wrote a list of the things I am tired of, and from there, ways I could overcome them. Overall, my list on my wall includes a healthy lifestyle, or as I like to call it, a journey into body, mind and soul.

I made it sound exciting and adventurous, because it will be. I am going to undertake some things that will be hard for me, but they're all part of my own personal adventure - without having to go overseas or white-water rafting (which, awesomely, I will be able to afford to do if I quit smoking).

 

So my personal adventure began on Monday and so far I have explored the health benefits of quitting smoking, talked with people and some of their strategies on how they quit, went to my doctor who supported me, shopped at the wildly cluttered chemist full of amazing lotions and coloured nail polishes, walked in the crispy dawn, and made an appointment with a really good psychologist next week.

 

I also wrote on my list of goals, that as I achieve them, new ones will come to fruition. And these steps after steps could be really wonderful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

38 REPLIES 38

Re: Quitting smoking

Dear @Rosie 

A warm welcome to the forums! Wow look at you! A very gutsy and determined move in quitting, but also well thought out from the sounds of it. And being able to afford more exciting things like white-water rafting would certainly be a terrific pay-off and ongoing encouragement to succeed.

I've never smoked so I'm not much help with tips, but I have heard from others that it helps to work out what you will do in those "smoking" habit times (eg for some when having a drink of alcohol).

You might want to work out a way to put the money you save from not buying cigarettes into a special account so that it accumulates for those terrific longer-term goals. Most financial insttitutions have some sort of "goal" saver account, some even have bous interest to encourage you if you increase the balance by more than a minimum amount, and don't withdraw too often.

So good on you! I look forward to "seeing" you around the forums Woman Happy

Hope for going white-water rafting endures....

Kind regards, 

Kristin

Re: Quitting smoking

Hi @Rosie
I too am a smoker and have decided to give up. I told my health team that I was giving up and they were concerned about the anxiety I suffer and suggested I cut down slowly, so I only put in a number of smokes in a pack a day, I use the online ( www.quit.org.au and www.quitcoach.org.au) this helped me stay on track, I also read the Healthy Living factsheet.
You ask What if I can't do it. You take this one day at a time, think of it as tomorrow is a new day and start again.
The feelings of wanting a smoke I use a card on my packet of smokes; the 4Ds – Delay for at least five minutes, Deep breathing slowly and deeply, Do something else to keep your hands busy and Drink water sipping slowly.
I no longer smoke inside my home or the car that was the hardest because of the comfort, when I smoke outside I don’t sit down to have one.
Filling in my time with activities was hard at first but the more I did with my hands and mind the better it got. I have been doing more gardening, cleaning LOL, art and craft not to mention had money to spear each week that I could treat myself and as @kristin said putting money in a savings account.
I hope this helps
Kind regards
Pixie

Re: Quitting smoking

Hey @Pixie 

Thanks for the tips! I should definitely get into the garden soon, its time to put the winter vegies in I think. Yep, you're right about cleaning too lol.

So far so good. It's been 5 days now. The gaps of time can be challenging - between doing things. I sort of made cigarettes the "pit-stop". The hard bits are when I smoked regualry at certain times of the day, those parts of the day I am trying to play words with friends on my phone, sip on water (and my morning coffee) and enjoy time by being mindful and present - which I read @kristin 's thread about lastnight. I like mindfulness - it helps with urges and cravings. It is also really good for seeing your thoughts and letting them flow on.

 

I'd better plan something to do with spare cashola now... Hmmmm, maybe download a few songs and a new top or something. When I get to seven days I best have a little celebration!

 

I reckon I can taste and smell things better already!

 

Rosie

Re: Quitting smoking

I knew this would happen though. This feeling of weakness, of the inability to keep going, the tricky bit where there are those two steps back.

 

I had an understanding of this - my tendency to do take one step forward, and two steps back - but this time, THIS TIME I would understand it and not do it. Instead, I would take one step back and two forward.

 

I got to a milestone and and took a step back. Seven days off the smokes - and something happened that induced anxiety, so I wanted one. I had a few puffs, but talked myself out of any more. It is pretty gross.

 

I feel like I want to talk about resilience. I think this is where the powers of resilience come in. I can keep going. I haven't failed. I haven't set the bar too high either. I wanted to quit smoking because of the positive health benefits and for my personal adventure into the life I want to create. I thought lots about if I started again - how I would be sabotaging the hope that I had in my new journey. I wanted this adventure because I was sick of things going the way they were. I wanted my creativity and energy to flow better, I wanted to do something new and challenging, without having to leave the current circumstances in which I live.

 

The main point about resilience I am trying to make - is that I still do want this new and challenging life for myself.

 

And the question I guess I am grappling with is whether I can actually do it.

 

Hope endures....

Re: Quitting smoking

@Rosie

You can do it because you are doing it!!


Any cigarette not smoked is fantastic!!! Every minute, every hour, every day that you say, nah, not right now..is cutting your smoking back...

Now for something completely different, nicotine and other medications you may be taking can react to each other..so please check in with your GP if you are taking any prescribed meds, especially any to do with mental health...

Re: Quitting smoking

wow, @Rosie,

so gutsy...that's what @CherryBomb wrote, well me too!!
I used to love smoking. More than anything but I'm ex. Too.
Day at a time,
Clever.

I'm very interested in how your going. Isn't people who suffer times of mental ill health have a 20 year shortening of lives because of smoking and casual use of illegal substances??
My ex husband is trying to clean up his act but he can't quit.....even though he's seeing the GP.......
you can do it

Re: Quitting smoking

Thanks heaps @PeppiPatty !

 

Going well, going well. Still disliking those times of the day I used to have one, but I talked to the psych and we talked about urges. They often pass.

 

Smiley Happy

 

 

Re: Quitting smoking

@Rosie 

Hi rosie, sounds like you are kicking some Butt (pun intended)

Smoking is one thing i have to look forward to giving up in the future also, but not just yet, i still have a few other vices to conquer first. So glad that you are doing well, and the urges will pass, stay strong it is a really difficult habit to stop

Re: Quitting smoking

I QUIT a month ago, and havn't looked back. I have my own journey with MI but I also supervise clients with MI and all of them want to QUIT but find the urges and stress the main reasons why they can't.

I think you wrote about mindfulness, a good practice for overcoming the underlying problems that sometimes lead us to smoking. Keep it up. I will be interested to see how you progress!

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