Community Forum

Many people use visualization to help themselves achieve their goals. Visualization is a technique that we can use to create a powerful mental image of a event or situation in the future. We can imagine ourselves achieving success and becoming smoke-free. Like Bob Proctor said: “If You Can See It In Your Mind, You Can Hold It In Your Hand.”

By visualizing and practicing quitting and being smoke-free, we can build the self-confidence we need to accomplish our goal and keep our motivation strong throughout our quit journey. Here are the few things we can do to improve our visualization skills:

- Write down in details what we want to achieve and how our daily smoke-free life will look like.
- Use the five senses to visualize and imagine the emotion as if we have already accomplished our goal.
- Imagine and picture ourselves being smoke-free and enjoying all the benefits of a tobacco-free life.
- Accept that there will be roadblocks and setbacks on our path to success and imagine how we will deal with them.
- Create a vision board with pictures and words that represent our goals and dreams. We can place this board somewhere we will see every day. That way, we will be often reminded of what we are working towards and aspiring to achieve.
- Use meditation regularly to help us feel calm, relaxed and focused. This will help us with our visualization.
- Use affirmation daily to help us get into a positive mindset and program our mind for success.
- Make time for the visualization. For example, we can take 5 to 10 minutes in the morning to visualize and another 5 to 10 minutes to do the same before we go to sleep.

Many professional athletes and celebrities use visualization techniques to achieve their goals and everyone can benefit from those techniques. See yourself enjoying a beautiful smoke-free life filled with joy and happiness!

Lean on your loved ones. Be transparent and honest in your communication with them. Tell your support person / people how you are feeling, what you need from them, and what you expect might happen during your Quit Journey. In telling your family, friends, and people you are close to that you are trying to quit you not only reaffirm your own motivation but you allow others to be there to support and encourage you along the way. In those moments that you may fight the temptation to light up again these are the times those people will already know what goal you are fighting to achieve and can be that motivation to help you through the challenges. The more support you feel you have in your Quit Journey the higher the likelihood you will meet this goal with success. Let your cheer-leading squad build team spirit around your goal and inspire you to keep moving through the challenges and triumphs of your quit until you reach being Smoke-Free!

Quitting again every 3 hours to 7 hours. Sometimes a few days. I've learned a valuable tool for this quit. Don't dwell on the thoughts. You are a non smoker now. Rebuke anything tobacco or nicotine related. Craves are easy to bypass by not dwelling on it.

Today I am at my 2 year mark of not smoking. I honestly thought I would be smoking for the rest of my life, but am thankful that I finally made the decision to kick the habit, No more coughing and hacking up that awful gunk every morning and throughout the day, No more worrying about when and where I can have my next smoke. The stress is gone! I was diagnosed with COPD in May and am on medication that really helps. I knew for a long time that something was going on, but told myself that I was just getting older and it came with the territory. Denied it for a long time and told my Dr. that I wasn't having any problems when I was clearly wheezing and out of breath. Told many lies to myself. I am truly grateful that smoking is no longer a part of my life. I was so scared to quit, cried on the days leading up to the quit date, but I did it anyway. There were good days and bad days, but the lozenges and deep breathing was effective for me. To those of you considering a quit, I encourage you not to delay, the sooner you do it the better. Wishing you all the best!

It can be difficult to quit alone. To ensure you feel supported and that you are not alone in your journey, we offer various support networks for you including our community forum, the opportunity to speak with a Quit Coach, and our group support sessions.

Our group support sessions occur every first Monday of the month at 7pm and they are on a different topic every time. You can ask questions, engage in a very informative discussion, and hear other peoples' quitting journeys.

The next group support session is on October 2nd at 7pm and is on 'Mental Health and Quitting'. We hope you can make it!

Registration is not required, but we prefer that people register for the Group Support sessions by calling a Quit Coach at 1-877-455-2233 so that we know how many people to expect.

To call into any of the Group Support sessions, please:
Call: 1-877-385-4099
Enter Participant Access Code: 4356609#

For more information on our group support sessions, please visit the following link: https://quitnow.ca/find-support/group-support-sessions

Haven’t set a quit day yet. Currently cutting down to under a pack a day from having over a pack for ages now. Desperately want to be smoke free, but I worry about my mood. Did anyone else cut back first, and if so, how did you go about it? Thanks people! ❤️

Just joined the forum … super scared because of how addictive this stupid stuff is:( I’m so ready to quit and I hope I can do this

Why is it important to give some time and thought to our true feelings towards smoking in our preparation to quit smoking?

Most times once we make the decision to quit smoking we are normally at the point that we recognize smoking is no longer providing us the benefit we once received through smoking. Whether that initial motivation to Quit comes from a health diagnosis, and upcoming event that we aim to be smoke-free for, or finally tiring of the financial burden that cigarettes / vapes put on our wallet; there are still always going to be feelings surrounding our quit that need to be explored.

Once we have identified our 'Why' we no longer want to smoke, to give ourselves the best odds for success we also need to identify what are some of the triggers and emotions that cause us to turn to smoking as our method of coping. When we neglect to do some planning on what coping skills do we want to use to replace smoking when we feel strong emotions, or highly stressful events we are much more likely to have a slip or relapse to smoking.

When we are replacing our smoking 'coping' with healthier coping skills there are key elements to implement to cope effectively with high stress, and strong emotions. These key elements are all functional, self-soothing behaviors. The first being positive affirmations. Giving ourselves the positive messaging affirms our confidence in our ability to overcome cravings and achieve our goal of becoming tobacco-free. Second is visualization. Having the ability to close our eyes and create the scene or situation we aspire to in our mind can have an extremely calming and motivating impact when coping in a challenging time of our Quit Journey. Another self soothing strategy that is effective in your Quit Journey is having a mantra you repeat easily to yourself; for example, N.O.P.E, Not One Puff Ever. You can write these down on note cards and leave them in places you may find triggering, like your car, or relaxing chair. Repetition of positive messaging toward you meeting your goal assists greatly in your ultimate success.
Try some of these techniques once you have identified your 'Why' and your 'Triggers' and let me know how your Quit Journey becomes a little bit smoother for you.

How do I get the free patches to quit smoking

Hello dear friends. Seven years, six months ago, I joined the forum. From the very beginning I knew I'd come to the right place and it was a decision that I'll never regret. Since then I've faced some bad times but not once did I go back to smoking. At 71 years of age I think I figured out how to beat the nicodemon at his own game. He's no longer a part of my life and you really can divorce yourself from him as I have. The secret to doing so is, "Never give him a chance to defeat you". Easier said than done, you say, but think of the alternatives. Would you rather deal with all that is associated with smoking, cancer, heart disease, stroke, emphysema and the list goes on or would you rather have a healthier and longer life. I think your answer will be the second choice because you're much smarter and stronger than you give yourself credit for. Listen to your intuition, it may be a hard knock situation but you and only you can decide. Please don't wait too long, there are so many here that want to help you move in the right direction. This community, is family and like brothers and sisters alike share a bond that is inseparable. We all share our disappointments, our fears and our challenges. Take a moment to share what keeps you from doing what you want to. Never say never, it's a long process but I guarantee it's worth it. So look to a brighter healthier future, live up to your expectation and give yourself a huge pat on the back because you deserve it. I've made so many friends here over the past seven and 1/2 years, too many to name but they know who they are and I thank each and everyone of them for their support and advice over the years. They have never let me down and neither will they ever let you down. Use all the tools available to each and everyone of you, reach out to the many wonderful quit coaches and support one another through your quit. If you can prove me wrong, then please do so. I promise I won't be offended as I care more than you think. I'm older and wiser than I once was. Take care and enjoy the fruits of your labour. Hope this brings all the new quitters together in their quest to quit smoking as I have. Lucille.

Well it’s been awhile since I’ve been on here but I finally set my quit date, 7 days

Well I made it through my first week! I have been using the patch a low dosage. I take it off at night , first thing I do in the morning put it on. 48 years of smoking not heavy . Just breaking the habit of when you want one can be hard.I started a head of time before I quit changing it up. Family have been really good and helpfull, This was my first weekend without smoking founf that hard. I,m very proud of to have made it 7 days with no smoking . Never done that before, just keep saying I got this .It can be very easy to talk your self in to having one , that is when i go for a walk and clear my head.Bring on day 8!!!

Are you wondering how mental health impacts your ability to quit and your smoking habits? We all know that becoming smoke-free improves our physical health. Your dedication to a smoke-free life is also proven to boost your mental health and well being: it can improve mood and relieve stress, anxiety and depression. Do you want to engage in a thought-provoking and informative discussion to increase your knowledge on smoking and mental health?

Our next group support session is on 'Mental Health and Quitting' and will take place on Monday, October 2nd at 7pm PST.

There is an association between the emotions, thoughts, and behaviours related to depression and nicotine withdrawal after quitting smoking. Join us to learn about the impact that nicotine withdrawal can have on the body and brain after quitting, as well as practical coping techniques. We will discuss a variety of ways to take care of overall mental health when quitting or reducing nicotine use.

Registration is not required, but we prefer that people register for the Group Support sessions by calling a Quit Coach at 1-877-455-2233 so that we know how many people to expect.

Hi everyone,

Happy Monday! Let’s start this new week off right with this wonderful quote:

“Your Monday morning thoughts set the tone for your whole week. See yourself getting stronger, and living a fulfilling, happier and healthier life.” —Germany Kent

Today is the start of a new week with new beginnings and new opportunities. This great quote is a good reminder that our thoughts can influence our daily life and highlights the power of visualization.

Let’s make this Monday an awesome day and may this new day bring you joy, laughter and happiness. Please continue to stay strong and committed to your goals and see yourself living the life you want. Wishing you all a wonderful Monday and a great smoke-free week ahead!

i have been trying stop smoking for 6 hours of my day before my quit date in October. My quit coach Karrie is very helpful and the text tips are also helpful.