Lost : 1 sense of humour

[DizzyD]

If found please return ASAP. Greatly missed by owner and family. 

Free to any home : Brain Fog and General Grumpiness 

So how long did it take for you to feel “normal” again? I know it’s not a quick fix and varies but would be interesting to know. TIA

[jillar]

Hello dizzyd, by your post I think you've still got your sense of humor, at least some of it Everything you're experiencing is normal at your stage of quit but the good news is that it's all temporary. 

As far as the brain fog, I found eating sweets helped with that. For me it lasted almost a month I'd say. My grumpiness lasted a bit longer and I think it was honestly around the six month mark that I started feeling better. 

It's important to remember that we are all so different in our quits so time lines for me won't necessarily be the same for you. I also quit more because I had to and not because I wanted to so that makes a huge difference in how your quit goes too.

I think you're doing awesome, congratulations on being done with hell week. That's the hardest week of all!

[Mona]

Hi DizzyD,

 

When I quit cold turkey several years ago, I thought the first month was pretty difficult.  After that, things started to slowly get better.  After one month, I still had temper tantrums and mental meltdowns once in a while, but the general everyday grumpiness was gone.  It took me a while to learn how to deal with my emotions as a non-smoker.  Things could improve quicker for you, we're all unique.  Hang in there!

 

Regarding brain fog, I didn't have that problem.  I actually felt like the fog lifted when I quit.

 

Mona

[Rozuki]

DizzyD,

 

Congrats on getting through Hell Week! I found the 1st day, 1st week and 1st month to be the most torturous! As the days add up all the craziness starts to fade away....where's your ticker? 

[Reciprocity]

With me the brain fog lasted I would say a couple of weeks and was still there a little for a week or so after that. I have heard people say it could be that your blood-sugar level is lower than when you smoked and that drinking fruit juice can help boost your leves. Not sure if that actually works or not. General crankiness and having a short fuse was probably the longest lasting symptom for me. That lasted off and on for a good 6 months I would say. Now, that wasn't constant or all the time but it did show itself from time to time. I think that was just me being impatient with the whole adjusting to being a non-smoker process. That symptom can vary hugely based on what your personality is to begin with I think. Many say "embrace the suck"and "focus on the positives" which is very true in reality but not everyone is able to do that. It does help though to step back from time to time, take a few deep breaths and think about the big picture - your end goal of having a healthier life and one free from being a slave to your addiction. Those are pretty big prizes so it''s no wonder there's some ugliness involved.

 

Keep going and congrats one your 1st week! There's the worst one done and in the bin!

[JimHannoonen]

I had pretty bad brain fog for a few months and a general sense of irritability and grumpiness for long after that.

 

I'd say around the 9 month mark was when I realized I felt "normal".

 

2 years later, it's all just a blur -like it never happened. Stick with it and know that it will get better and will all be worth it.

 

 

[Martian5]

Oh yes, quitting is a process and it takes time to go through that process.  It takes a few weeks to get rid of that "foggy feeling" (though as said above it varies from person to person).  After about 2-3 weeks you will begin to notice some positives, small and large, from quitting -- focus on those victories, they will carry you through until you feel close to "normal" and that will just sneak up on you and slap you in the face like it did me last fall.  In short work through the process and celebrate each victory and each day and you will benefit greatly and see that it can be done!!!!

[catlover]

Ride with it.... Watch a funny movie, listen to chill out music, eat popcorn or whatever lol, anything to make you feel better. Plenty of treats, dont worry about the weight gain, just focus on you. I had brain fog and severe lethargy first few weeks, my electric blanket and a good movie comforted me. Id say about month 4 i started to feel a bit better, then much better and confidence  improved around month 8. Time seems to stand still the first few weeks, but honestly, it then seems to accelerate... and that normal feeling returns.

Hang in there....

[ClaireP1973]

I hardly think about it anymore, even when leaving airports after a flight - I would spark up as soon as I got outside!

 

For me the process was:

 

Week 1 - hell on earth!

Month 1 - as above!

After 2 months, I was still getting triggers when I got in the car, off a train etc

6 months - the triggers were fewer

9 months - as above

1 year - so chuffed and felt liberated

Now at nearly 2 years  - I would never ever want to smoke again and the thought of it makes me feel rubbish

 

I was on 30 a day, so if I could do it, you all can!

[Still winning]

Oh a March quitter like I was and uk based!!  Look at you go and heading for your month, not long now    Mind you I was March cause I screwed up the new year quit lol. I digress though.

 

The fog is a real thing huh. I seem to recall feeling better, getting the odd bitch slap but better after 6 weeks. Much clearer after month 3 and although that sounds like a world away it really isn't if you just put one foot in front of the other for a while and start to educate yourself on the reality of what smoking does to us.  Although everyone is different I seem to remember folks on my level reporting about the same. Try having a run though, even if you don't run...it's fab how much further you can get already (I got about 500 yards but prior to that I would have had to massively cough and regroup now run 3k comfortably without any training).

 

You may feel cranky and grumpy, but what you are giving yourself is a real gift. Not just the quitting but the self respect and the ability to trust yourself to dig deep in future - the unexpected gains from quitting. Keep going. xx