hello anita and welcome to the group. i am at 61 days. what i can advise is get yourself a lot of distractions. drink a lot of water. go thru old posts here. they are really helpful and stay close to ds.

i smoked for 22 years and used the patch and i feel great now. we will all be here for you. i wish you the best of luck.

hugs sweetie..you can do it...Cigs are way expensive here...a pack of marlboro are over $6 the governor wants to tax it after the governorment does it is going up another $1 or so...
But truthfully you need to change your thought of thinking...the price going up should not be the reason you are quiting....everyone here is saying that and no one is quitting...
try focusing on something that will get you more will power....like your helth...
are you on meds...I didnt know if you are on meds...that the nicotine absorbs some of your meds..so you are not getting the full affect of the med....I never knew that til I quit....
Stop all smoking in the house and vehicles...
try to cut down and then smoke...while you are cutting down...try to substitute..with maybe gum, lollie pops, hard candies....etc
someone from the group said licorice was real good to have...hey I use dum dums by the after the lollie pop is gone i bite on the stick...you can do it...think possitive, occupy yourself, and if you start to feel weak or you are going to give in come on here and vent...we are here for you...hugs

I'm excited for you Anita, you have made a wise decision. CT is good, you only feel discomfort for 3-4 days and then you are on your way to freedom. Your going to feel so good you will wonder why you waited so long to quit. Keep us posted Dear.

Thank you all so much. You have been so encouraging and supportive. I am so glad I made the decsion to stop and glad I am in this support group.

Welcome to the group its a wonderful decision you have made regardless of the reasons, my advice use the group well I found that to be the key to me stopping smoking, every-time I had a crave I went on to my computer and had my rant in the group, and by the time I had finished the crave was gone, so good luck on your quest for freedom. Viv

Hi Anita and welcome to DS.

You have made a great decision to quit smoking, whatever your reasons.

If you haven't already quit then set youself a date. Get yourself prepared. Get all the things you might need and clear out all smoking material. If you haven't got it you can't smoke it when a crave hits.

Go to this link for some great old posts which you might find help you

http://dailystrength.org/groups/good-posts

Don't forget to come to DS every day and join in the rollcall and pledge. They really do help.

We have all been there and we are here to help.

Hi anita and welcome to the most supportive site on DS as far as I know. I'm on day 4 so I' m sure we can be friends!

WELCOME

Hello Anita.. I'm also on day 1, using the patch.. but not following the steps on it- just using a step 2 patch...

Anyways- good luck, and dum dums are good ideas. I was going to buy some last night, but do to other events I never made it to the store...

Anyways- good luck! If you find anyting else that helps, please let me know! 15 hours smoke free for me now...

Welcome Anita- and Timesare too!!!!

I too quit after smoking for 38 years and truly believe the info, support & friendships I made here made all the difference for a final successful quit for me.

Distractions are very important and so is a positive attitude. I found tootsie pops, gum & black licorice especially helpful along with crossword puzzles and watching humorous sitcoms as my new relaxation break. Also- reading Allen Carrs book "The Easy Way to Stop Smoking' helped me w/my attitude about quitting.

I agree w/Viv that if you log on here when youire having a hard time- you get good support and stay focused on your quit. Knowledge is power so read up on all the old posts here- it really helps.

And for me- I had a daily (sometimes hourly) mantra that I used and posted it all around my house - SMOKING IS NO LONGER AN OPTION.

Good luck and stay strong- you CAN do this.

Congratulations! Looks like there's a few people on Day One today! There are about a half dozen people still on the board who quit within a few days of me -- and we all just celebrated our first birthdays! The time goes by fast, and it's amazing to share every step of the journey with others.

I heard a pack just went up to $7 this week. Gawd!

All good advice above. I used nicotine gum as my "crutch" -- I think everyone does it a little different. Do whatever works. All it takes is whatever it takes! And take it a day, an hour, a minute, a craving at a time. Don't worry about tomorrow. Stick close to this forum -- it helps a lot!

Good luck!

hi Anita. I think the cigarette increase may be nation wide because I read about that here in Pennsylvania. Perfect time to quit. Never thought I could quit either but have been smoke free since 7-25 after smoking for 35 years! Instead of lighting up, I would (and still do) sign on to this group, drink lots of water, exercise and stay busy with projects. First and foremost I made the promise to NOPE (not one puff ever). you can do this and we will be here for you!

hello and welcome!!! im a cold turkey person myself!!! it works the best for me, i prefer to detox quickly so i could start working on the psychological part of breaking the addcition. its all about retraining your brain to live addiction free...DEFINITELY check out this link (i think dunsmokin posted it for you as well):
http://dailystrength.org/groups/good-posts
it is a collection of old posts from wise memebers here on this group, plus links to other helpful sites and reads....remember the D's, have plenty of tootsie pops and straws on hand, visit here often, and do NOT forget to reward yourself every single day. it is a very important part of recovery...it teaches your brain to find a "happy reward" in something other than a cigarette.

Welcome Anita
Gosh here in New Zealand a packet of 25 costs between $12 and $15. Our government is determined to stamp out smoking, which is a good thing but i wish there was more support for those of us trying to quit. Good on you for being smokefree for a day and I hope you will be smoke free for many more days your wallet and your body will thankyou for it
regards
Deb

Welcome Anita, yes cigarettes are expensive in more ways than one. I am happy that they keep raising the price because I know several people will quit every time the price goes up so I say keep raising those prices. I quit for many reasons and I feel blessed that I found this group and now have 326 days of freedom under my belt. We will be here for you if needed, there is a ton of good info and support here!!!!! Stay strong you can do this!!!!

Okay 24 hours smoke free. The cravings seem to be stronger today. I have been trying to do this without any aids except for dum dum lolipops. I am thinking about going to the drugstore today and get the patch. I think I need a little help. Thanks to all of you for being so supportive.