Brain Fog - The Eighth Level of Hell

[Diane R]

Joe how are you this morning? 

[Eight-Toe Joe]

Tough few days,Diane. Going through sleep disruption. My body clock is completely screwed. Knowing that all this crap is temporary is the only thing giving me the will to press forward. How about you,my friend? Any easier for you? Be proud of those 5 days !!

[Diane R]

Here is a app I use it helps me. Funny I used it my last quit. I never took it off my phone. I knew I would quit again. 

 

QuitNow! Achievement unlocked: First five, No smoking for 5 days via @QuitNowApp #QuitNowApp

http://quitnowapp.com/download

[Eight-Toe Joe]

Thanks,Buddy.   You Can ! You Will ! You Must !
                                 One day at a time.

[jillar]

@Eight-Toe Joe, one thing you may want to try that I did was take a night time Bayer. Just one was enough to help me get that much needed sleep  

[Eight-Toe Joe]

Copy that Jillar.......Night -time BAYER...off to the pharm. Trying no caffeine after morning cup today as well . Thanks,my friend will do !

[Diane R]

As  a matter fact I took two Aleve PMs last night and I slept till noon today. Lol of Course it was almost 2 am when I took them. Had a little back pain. 

[Eight-Toe Joe]

See....this is why this forum is so valuable. Helpful advice from like-minded peeps !   Thanks guys !

[Doreensfree]

Keep at it Peeps ...your doing great ...your achieving something wonderful !!!!

[MLMR]

And get up when you can't sleep. Distract your anxious brain for a while  with a soothing cup of tea, glass of water. Snooze a bit on the couch or favorite chair. Sleep will come again!

[Eight-Toe Joe]

Thank You MLMR !  It has come to my attention that I need to be ok with the state of " Not being ok ". I think I need to stop beating myself up about not feeling normal yet. I read that the nicotine is flushed from the system after 3 days. After that, it's all psychological. But it doesn't really matter if it's physiological or in my head  , it's all too real. I'm going to do whatever it takes to succeed in this nightmare. The fact that this is the hardest thing I have ever attempted in my entire life, should make the ultimate victory so very sweet.This is like being marooned, so I 'll drink a little rum, enjoy the view, wait for the better days to come and allow myself  to be ok .....with not being ok.

[MLMR]

I totally get what you say, Toes! Being ok with not being ok, is one of the bigger challenges with quitting.. but, a challenge that will give you so much, along the road. Soon you'll be experiencing short moments of joy, about what you are doing. I started having them around one month in. The trick is to totally utilize these moments: squeeze every bit of joy out of it, celebrate and plant the tiniest victories in your head, even when it seems a bit... grotesque. It is huge what you are doing,  the best thing you could do for yourself. 

 

Whish you sleep!

[jillar]

21 minutes ago, Eight-Toe Joe said:

After that, it's all psychological

 

I beg to differ on that because there were a lot of recovery symptoms I went through. One of them being insomnia. Also my gums bled, tongue was super sore, the infamous brain fog. These were not psychological. They were actual things that happened while my body tried to repair itself!

[MLMR]

By the way, I remember @Sazerac provided an article about nicotine being in your system far longer than 3 days, i think it said it was found in hair cells after several weeks even? 

[Eight-Toe Joe]

Yes ,I disagree with that statement as well. But it seems to be stated all over the place, not here,but in the literature.There is no way that this brain fog and sleep deprivation are  psychological. These are legit physical symptoms .

[jillar]

What happened to your ticker @Eight-Toe Joe ?!

[Doreensfree]

11 hours ago, Eight-Toe Joe said:

Thank You MLMR !  It has come to my attention that I need to be ok with the state of " Not being ok ". I think I need to stop beating myself up about not feeling normal yet. I read that the nicotine is flushed from the system after 3 days. After that, it's all psychological. But it doesn't really matter if it's physiological or in my head  , it's all too real. I'm going to do whatever it takes to succeed in this nightmare. The fact that this is the hardest thing I have ever attempted in my entire life, should make the ultimate victory so very sweet.This is like being marooned, so I 'll drink a little rum, enjoy the view, wait for the better days to come and allow myself  to be ok .....with not being ok.

Your right on Joe,this is the hardest thing you will do ..so be kind to yourself...be gentle ....

Little rewards for all your hard work....doesn't matter what it is ,as long as you think it's a reward....

Patience....we tend to think once we have quit ,that's it ,

Well after all I don't smoke any more!!!!!  Noooo !!!

We hammered our bodies and brain for decades with a ton of crap everyday...is is any wonder it's gone a bit crazy ..

Day by Day...it gets better ...we retrain ourselves to live without our fix....

That's why we call it a Journey with lots of curves along the track ..this is a amazing ride...a once time trip,if you never smoke again ...

I smoke 52 years..I sat my backside on this Train ,and never moved ...

Freedom is worth fighting for ....your no longer a slave to the cigarette...

[Boo]

12 hours ago, Eight-Toe Joe said:

Thank You MLMR !  It has come to my attention that I need to be ok with the state of " Not being ok ". I think I need to stop beating myself up about not feeling normal yet. I read that the nicotine is flushed from the system after 3 days. After that, it's all psychological. But it doesn't really matter if it's physiological or in my head  , it's all too real. I'm going to do whatever it takes to succeed in this nightmare. The fact that this is the hardest thing I have ever attempted in my entire life, should make the ultimate victory so very sweet.This is like being marooned, so I 'll drink a little rum, enjoy the view, wait for the better days to come and allow myself  to be ok .....with not being ok.

 

I really like this passage from author Mark Manson and think it is applicable here: "Everything worthwhile in life is won through surmounting the associated negative experience.  Any attempt to escape the negative, to avoid it or quash it or silence it, only backfires.  The avoidance of suffering is a form of suffering.  The avoidance of struggle is a struggle..."

 

Getting accustomed to temporary discomfort in pursuit of a worthy goal is one of the best lessons the process of quitting teaches us.

[Sazerac]

On 7/20/2019 at 4:56 PM, MLMR said:

By the way, I remember @Sazerac provided an article about nicotine being in your system far longer than 3 days, i think it said it was found in hair cells after several weeks even? 

 

When Nicotine Leaves The Body

[Sazerac]

There are also a shit load of chemicals in cigarettes that need to be considered.  These may have a longer life than nicotine.

 

The Great Tobacco Plague

[notsmokinjo]

Rewards....super, dooper important. It doesn't have to be anything big but rewards for all the little milestones are important, you don't just have to detox mate, you need to rewire your whole brain... It's all part of it....so for decades every time you did something you rewarded yourself by having a smoke..so you have conditioned your brain that the way we celebrate an achievement is we have a smoke... When I was Smokin'Jo a game if softball would go..caught a dig, came off nicked behind the dugout for a gasper, had a bat, got home, smoke behind the dugout...you get the idea...so my first season quit every time I would have smoked I had a hard lolly (boiled sweet/candy) but I made it something good...so for me they were these raspberry lollies I had to drive 100km each way to get (62 miles?)...anywho...in my early quit...I'd have one if these for all the milestones...2 hours smoke free...finished that account rec at work, won't go outside for a smoke to congratulate myself...nope I'd have a Sovereign Hill Raspberry Lolly....the thing was every time I did something other than smoke to reward myself a nicotine receptor in my brain was rewired....before I knew it all those habits and rituals I had built around smoking were changed and altered. I now don't need a treat to celebrate the milestones or little achievements but it took time. So reward yourself... It might just be a few minutes outside in the sun deep breathing, or a sit down with a cuppa ....but make sure you give yaself those well done moments.

[Ankush]

@Sazerac yea, i think lead also stays in the body for a long time (not sure how long), but then again lead ends up in our body from other sources (such as air pollution and pesticides in food) as well. Not sure as to how long other chemicals (from cigarettes) last in the body. However, those other chemicals may be the reason why it takes long for the body to recover from chances of heart disease and cancer.

[Doreensfree]

You ok Joe ?????

[Sazerac]

2 hours ago, Doreensfree said:

You ok Joe ?????

 

 

 

[jillar]

Hope he wasn't forced to walk the plank!