johnny5

I smoked for about 20 years, starting at age 18. I can't remember the last time I seriously was tempted to smoke a cigarette but the occasional thought does enter my mind from time to time. It is easy to knock that thought out of my mind now though. I echo a lot of what the other posters here said, though. I may not crave cigarettes anymore but I know that would change if I lit up and took one puff. I know I would immediately go back to craving another cigarette, then another one, then another one, etc. I know this from previous, much shorter quit attempts that I failed at. Therefore, I know I cannot take another puff. I'm not sure if my mind is as "normal" as it was when I was 18 (if I was even normal then) but I know that it is NOT normal to inhale nicotine into your body. Things do get better with time but there is no concrete time frame for every quitter. Each quitter's experience getting back to "normal" varies greatly.

You are doing great @Nana20 and a lot of this is normal for someone in the early stages of their quit. Keep up the awesome work. Things will get much better.

Welcome to the site, @idontsmoke You are doing a great thing getting rid of the vapes. Stick around this site. There is a lot of support and knowledge you can get to help you on your quest for a life without nicotine.

NOPE Congrats on 7 weeks smoke free, @Mona

Congratulations on 4 years smoke free @Biggie

Congratulations on 8 years smoke free, @greenlight

Nope

Awesome work, John. Congratulations on your first week smoke free. Do something to celebrate today.

Congratulations on 5 years smoke free, @Rajag That is awesome!

NOPE

You are doing great, Jeff. Congratulations on a great start to your quit.

NOPE!

Great plan. Stick close to this site and take it one day/hour/minute at a time. You can do this!

Keep up the great work, John!

NOPE

Nope

NOPE - Not One Puff Ever

Welcome back, John. You are making a great choice in resuming your quit. Stick around. There is a lot of support and knowledge you can gain here. There is nothing positive that comes with smoking cigarettes. It is all negative. Quitting smoking is an incredible thing to do.

That's awesome @Mac#23 Congratulations on 2 months smoke free and thanks for all that you do here to help others in their quits. Keep up the great work!

Welcome back, Heather. Like you, I had a number of short quits before I quit for good....and, just like you, I kept relapsing because I felt that I was missing out on something by not smoking. The truth is, you are missing out on nothing positive by quitting smoking.....all that comes with smoking is negative. All sorts of life threatening physical risks (too many to mention but it is a huge list), throwing money away on something that kills you, feeling like an outcast in an increasingly non-smoking world, a horrible smell, always out of energy, etc. etc. etc. That supposedly relaxing feeling you get from lighting up a cigarette is just feeding an addiction. There is nothing relaxing about that process. It is actually more stressful to continue smoking. You gain nothing by continuing to smoke and gain so much by leaving those nasty cigarettes behind. Stick around. Read and participate. You will be doing yourself (and your loved ones) a huge favor by quitting smoking for good. You just need to realize smoking does nothing positive for you.