Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 16

Day 16 - As each day passes, I am thankful to have made the decision to stop smoking before I turn 40.  To anyone out there that reads my Blog, understand that if you smoke, I have been there, I know how hard it is to finally make that decision to quit smoking.  My titles for this Blog right now are quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ, but once I am done with the patch the title will change to reflect how things are going since being of the patch.  The patch is the tool I use to quit smoking, this may not work for everyone.  Whatever you choose to use to quit smoking follow these simple rules:

1. Don't set a date to quit.  I have tried this in the past and it never works, you will just keep adding to the date.  When you set your mind to quit, you will just quit.
2. You have to want to quit.  If you don't have your mind made up that you want to quit, you will not be able to quit.  Understand there is give and take when you decide to quit.
3. If you know someone else that wants to quit, do it at the same time.  This will give you someone to help support through the hard times.  There are also other support avenues you can get online, like Blog your day such as I am.  When people comment, it gives you that good feeling of support you may need.  Read other Blogs or forums to help support you in your quitting.  Help is out there, you just need to use it.
4. Realize you will still have urges.  I am on Day 16 and I still have urges, but the key is knowing how to ignore the urges and get your mind on something else.  The urges do pass, some quicker than others, but they do pass.
5. Don't turn to food.  When you decide to quit, remember, most people turn to food to offset the need for a cigarette.  Try to include vegetables or fruit into your day to fill you up during the times you may feel the need for a cigarette.  Make sure to include walking in your daily routine, it has really helped me and it helps to curve the urges for a cigarette.
6. Last but not least, refrain from hanging around people that smoke for at least 2 weeks.  I did this and I tell you, it makes it a lot easier to deal with if you give yourself some time to cope with not smoking before being around others that smoke.

You will learn that when you stop smoking, your daily routine changes and you just need to make sure you find others things that you can do to keep your mind away from your original smoking routine.  One hard one for me was, I drive 45 minutes to work everyday and I would always smoke going to work.  I could not change this so I made sure I had life savers to cope with the need for a cigarette and in time the urges to smoke while driving have gone away.