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I decided to give it some thought on how to reduce the cravings and here are some of my thoughts.
A lot of people say when they give up, food becomes a substitute so they prevent cravings by eating, well I have taken this one step further. I have Went on a diet at the same time. The craving for food far out weighs the craving for nicotine, Craving for food is normal and I am able to handle it better.
For a smoker not having and ciggies is a cause for panic, so I have a pack sitting here. Just a case of using will power not to have one. that way I know they are here , I just need to work on will power not to have one.
Anyone else gave up and wish to share some tips.
Also, If you are a smoker why not give up with me!
Mack.
I really want a cigarette now.
If I light one, the craving will go away immediately...
...and then I will want another one just as badly later.
However, if I do NOT light one the craving will go away in a while...
...and I will not want one quite as badly later.
So either way, whether I light one now or not, the craving will go away sooner or later. But if I choose to wait it out, it will be a little less difficult the next time.
Been working well for years so far. :)
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BTW... :) Congratulations! Sounds like you're off to a great start.
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SN
<shocked>
Hi kilroy. I think I will stick with the direct aproach for a week then maybee get patches. That way the patches will give a boost. If I can last the first week OK then perhaps I wont need them.
Mack.
[edited by: mack at 11:51 pm (utc) on Sep. 2, 2003]
LOL. that's great. A good approach, too.
My mom decided in February that she didn't want to be fat anymore. My sister's getting married next May, and she didn't want to be a fat mother of the bride.
She lost sixty pounds in about five months.
Now she's one dress size larger than I am.
So, I hope you're as successful as she is. You sound like you're off to the right start!
I only even think about it now on rare occasions when I've been drinking. Then sometimes I'll ask for a drag from my boyfriend, choke, and be amazed at how I ever picked up such a nasty habit in the first place.
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They physical withdrawls should be just about over for you now... I think it's 3-4 days until you are officially no longer *physically* addicted. Don't do patches now! From here on out, it's all in your head!
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I gave up over a year ago.. 15 months now I guess. Never regretted it. Feeling better, pocket a lot healthier too.
just didnt feel like having one. decided to quit for once and for all.
I reckon that's the best possible start you can have - your odds of staying quit are really high in that case. I quit two or three times for up to 3 months before I finally succeeded. The difference was that the first attempts were always at someone else's behest, or because I knew I 'should'. Problem was that I just enjoyed smoking too much. The last time was like you though... I just woke up one day and said 'nah, don't feel like smoking'.. and quitting became a non-issue.
I didn't quit. I just kept not feeling like having a smoke. Suddenly it was a no pressure sort of situation and I could feel good about it.
There were a few days over the course of the first three months where cravings drove me nuts.. but I felt so good about how far along I was I really didn't want to throw it away. So I went and bought a pack of cigs (20s or 25s)... chainsmoked 2 or 3 until the craving was sated... and then ceremoniously tore up the rest of the cigarettes.. crumbled em.. and flushed em down the loo. (To be honest I didn't trust myself not to go and fish them out of the rubbish tin if I just threw the pack away - gawd, can't believe I'm admitting that!). Then I chastised myself for throwing away $10 that I didn't need to spend for about two minutes.. forgave myself.. and carried on. Made a point of taking note how crappy my mouth felt in the morning though. On the other hand, ometimes I just went for a walk.. distraction and changing the situation/location to get rid of the craving.
Socialising was the hard part. Unfortunately it meant avoiding some people and situations for a while. Friends who smoked heavily inside their house I couldn't visit for a long while.. couldn't cope with sitting there with an ashtray inches away.. too tempting. Friends who smoked, but only in the back yard were ok, because I could distract myself for 10 minutes while they went out for one.
Going to the pub was awkward.. I had to find things to do with my hands. :) Ended up twiddling a set of keys with one hand.
Quiet moments at home were awkward.. those times between doing things.. or relaxing watching tv. I ended up taking knitting back up to occupy my hands.. boring. These days though I contact juggle - much cooler than knitting, wish I had started it back when I first quit. Occupies the hands and the brain, or you can just twiddle a ball back and forth without thinking about it while watching TV or whatever.
Oh.. I chew gum incessantly now. Sugarless of course.. that took care of any food replacement issues.
lawman
I would not allow that pack around the place though, thats what always fails for me. I gae up for 5 years then someone left a pack in my flat and I was down one weekend .. I was down they were there .. and I became a smoker again ... that was some years ago .. and I have not succeeded in ridding myself of it since ...
I recently tried a hypnotist .. was not really psyched up before hand just decided to try on the off chance ... I did come out of the session feeling great and like a complete non smoker ...
however there were two packs in the glove compartment of my car and ashtrays at home etc lighters about the place ....
BTW I was mainly very pleased with myself for not falling asleep on his couch :-) but it did have some suggestive effect I am sure .. I needed 2 sessions at least he said and needed to break the link between cigarettes and coffee which I usually have together.
Well stupidly I decided I may as well finish the last packs .. never again ....
Next time I decide to do it .. the house and car are getting cleaned out before ... all paraphenalia is being dumped before .. fres air fumigated etc ... there will be no temptation available ... next time ..
seriously if you can do it like that power to you ..
And the best of luck, it really is a stupid habit
I'm starting to feel the physical effects. My eyes feel like they're gonna pop, literally.
It's 2am again, and I finished doing anything usefull at 12.. since then I've basically been waiting for the next few cents... over and over... it's pathetic.... I'd make more money per unit time cleaning toilets...
SN
Go for it Mack, and keep at it.
Jim
[edited by: lawman at 12:33 am (utc) on Sep. 3, 2003]
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I won't be joining you anytime soon. The cigars in my humidors smell so good...
Problem is, I have been using the gum for nearly 3 years.
Well done on giving up mack, gl with sticking to it, and don't go out getting drunk ;)
One more thing I have found out. The worst time is without a doubt at night when you're lying in bed trying to get to sleep. I recon stay up as long as possible, So you are more likely to fall asleep fast.
Mornings are actualy a lot easier than I had thought. I always figured the cravings woudl be at their worst then. The one massive difference I have noticed is I seam to wake up a lot earlier lol. I think the lack of morning craving is due to me not eating much, like I said the craving for food far outweighs the craving for nicotine. Right now it's 06.28 am .Wonder If I can last until lunch time for food :)
Mack.
Mack
Problem is, I have been using the gum for nearly 3 years.
Me too. However, I now use the lozenges. Much better and no sticky gum to get rid of.
Mack.
I havent had a cigarette for 6 months now after smoking for 12 years. I went on the patches for about a month and they really helped. They also gave me wild hallucinogenic dreams which was quite fun too :)
It helped that I gave up just when i moved house, job and country so my daily routine changed completely.
For a while i got cravings that lasted for 20 minutes or so, now when i get them they vanish after 20 seconds or so.
I feel much healthier for giving up and I'm saving an absolute fortune (i lived in the UK and cigarettes were egtting on for £5 a packet)...
i do have a pack of nicotine gum sitting around just in case the cravings get to me ever, it's kind of reasuring having some backup, but i wouldnt want a pack of cigarettes lying around..
One thing I have noticed is that my attitude to seeing people smoking has changed a lot... I dont like to be around smokers at all really - and this is something that really surprised me as i thought it wouldnt bother me at all.
I live in Spain now and a LOT of people smoke here. I get quite irritated sometimes when i see people smoking in supermarkets (at the fresh fish stand no less), in shops, in the queue at burger king, in every restaurant and pub...
It's almost impossible to stop smoking when you go out for drinks. The two just go together perfectly...
actually for me, when i realised that my hangovers are only 10% as bad now that i have stopped smoking, it was quite easy to have a beer without wanting a cigarette..
anyway congrats again! one last thing that keeps me going is that i smell way better... my clothes hands, hair everything... and my girlfriend doesnt comment on the taste of tobacco every time she kisses me now ... which is nice :)
You'll need to substitute behaviours. When you feel the need for a cig, then go out into the garage, or into the basement and pound the heavy bag that you'll buy with your cigarette savings. At first, you'll only go a few rounds. But after a while, you'll just keep pounding. That way, you get into shape also. Just keep telling yourself that you'll beat the cra* out of cigarettes.
You could also substitute SEO for a punching bag.
BRAVO!
Its ten o clock now so i better go for my cig break ;)
I quit smoking 2 years ago and the first couple of weeks were a horror. Specially going out for a drink. Then I realized that instead of having a cigg. I could take a big swig of my drink. Worked like a charm, after a couple of hours going like that I couldn't smoke... Well, I had, and still have very understanding friends, but I can't really recomend that approach when you are going out with colleagues or the boss:).
Good luck and keep up the good work
... and a great way to do it too.
i think if you're intelligent it's pretty straight forward, just think through the consiquences of having another cig each time you have the urge.
and seriously, think about mental illness and dilusion, the genuine physical withdrawal from cigarettes is over in a few days, after that it is pure delusion and mind tricks (spare a thought for those poor people who have to live with that stuff all the time - you only need to kick the habit for it to go away - some people live with that insane voice in their head all the time)
You're a heavy smoker and you want a cigarette but you can't have one. You suffer from nicotine withdrawal the hard way, and you're really pissed off about being in this condition.
You know that smoking played a big role in putting you in this situation.
You do make it and you swear you're never going to be laying there like that again and you're not going to let another smoke help put you back there. So that's how I quit five years ago. I dare not, and I will not, light up a single smoke, and actually I haven't missed not having one since I left the hospital.
You can quit the easy way, Mack, or the hard way. Either way, one day you'll quit.
Terrible.
