When I started down this quitting road about two months ago, it was with some level of reluctance and even less planning. I'd be prescribed Champix almost by accident and hadn't really considered giving up something which I was convinced I enjoyed.
I ticked off in my head what I'd need if I was to succeed: will-power, information, education, determination, weeks of putting up with being miserable, some sort of substitute for nicotine etc etc and never really planned to succeed, but could at least say I'd given it a go. At the time I didn't consider that the most important factor in my quitting and staying quit would be down to about 30 people I'd never met at that point and in fact still haven't.
If I could give one 'tip' to someone starting off, it would be to seek support from others who are sharing your experiences, both the ups and the downs - and be prepared to give back support whenever needed.
Family and non-smoking friends are generally supportive, but if they have never smoked they can't really understand what you're going through. Plus they tend to be directly in the firing line for when the bad moods hit. Having a quit partner whom I knew on a day to day basis wouldn't have worked for me. At the first blip, I know we'd have talked each other into sharing a pack of 10.
The advantages of using a forum like this are many. There's anonymity - no-one is judging you - there is one common motive - there's no distractions - it's focused - it's available 24/7 - it's single-issue - it's available at your convenience - and most importantly, everyone knows and understands what your going through and everyone wants you to succeed.
There are also the many non-smoking support groups which offer advice and peer support, but of course they are only going to available for an hour or so every couple of weeks.
In the first few weeks, I got a lot of support from the 'older' members of the forum who, in my eyes, had been there, done it and got the T-shirt. The fact they were still prepared to give their time, advice and experience to newcomers was more than welcome to me.
However, what really made the difference to my quit was a peer network. Several groups of this type exist here, in our case we are the Octoquits, for no other reason than we all started quitting in October 2009. Therefore we are actually going through the same things at the same time, but not, fortunately, at the same moment. When one person is down, there is always someone else who is up, for every good day some-one's having, there's someone else having a bad day. Virtual friendships form and suddenly a team-spirit develops.
I think one of the most significant factors in keeping us off cigarettes, is that no-one wants to let the side down. A failure for one, would be felt by everyone. Equally, everyone can join in with everyone's successes. Personal milestones can be recognised by the group and applauded as such.
Advice can be obtained from personal experiences, whatever one person is going through, chances are someone else experienced it last week and has come out the other end.
This is not meant to be a plug for the 'No Smoking Day' site or any other similar one. I've more than a passing interest in the development and dynamics of online communities and this is one area where the positives far far outweigh the negatives, and the advantages of online communities are transferred directly as benefits for individuals.
Right, I'm rambling now., This started off as something for the 'Tips' section - so here it is. Ask questions, absorb information and get involved. Seek out advice from those who have been there already, give advice to others who can benefits from it....and most importantly, when you are just starting your quit, seek and give support to your peer group. Use the forum to find people who are at a similar stage to yourself either in terms of time or means...and go through it together.
Blips, Slips and Relapses
