You've been quit for pretty close to a year now Dutchess66 but, how long did you smoke for? 10 years, 20 years ........ longer maybe? Every single day of those years there were little imprints being made on your brain every half hour or so of your waking moments - every day of those years. Smoking related thoughts were with us all those days even though most were bubbling just under the surface of our conscious thoughts.
A short year ago, you decided to quit smoking. Your brain was suddenly super focused on all those smoking related thoughts you have battled successfully
It isn't surprising to me at all that any of us would have an occasional dream about smoking. It also doesn't surprise me that us smoking in those dreams would seem so normal because somewhere in your mind being a smoker is still much more "normal" than being a non-smoker.
Of course it's a shock upon awakening with those images of yourself having smoked still there in your mind but take heart ..... it's YOU that's at the controls here in the waking world and a year ago you made the right decision to quit and you have chosen to follow that path ever since. I fully expect the in the waking world, you will continue along that path - why wouldn't you right? The longer you are a non-smoker, the further back in your mind those smoking imprints will be stored and I suspect they will fade to nothing at some point and yes, it's good to remind ourselves from time to time what we have done for ourselves and how important it is to maintain our new lives as non-smokers