What to expect with physical withdrawals. Need help and input

[Christian Ferguson]

Hello!

 

I just created a profile for this site. I am a 31 year-old man, and have been a chain smoker since age 23 or 24. I recently attempted to quit nicotine cold turkey. I made it 3 and a half days, then bought a pack and started up again. I have tried nicotine gum in the past, and have found it unsuccessful for me. I am very interested in quitting cold turkey.

 

My intention is to attempt a quit again within the next week or so. I think where I stumbled with my most recent attempt was in not having a clear timeline, as far as moving past the most intense physical withdrawal symptoms. I've heard varying accounts of the timeline - some say it gets easier after day 3, day 5, one week, etc. I know that the physical withdrawal symptoms eventually go away - but I need to be fully prepared for however my own body adjusts. Patience will be key.

 

I desperately want this year to be the year I quit smoking for good. If anyone out there has input about their own smoking histories, and how it affected the length of time of withdrawal, I would very much like to hear about it. Thank you.

[despair not]

Its not the length of time you smoke for that counts. You need to realise its a nicotine addiction you suffer from. You will always be an addict and your brain will always to a greater or lesser degree try to persuade you to smoke.

 

The only way to stop is to realise this and decide you will never take another puff.

 

The worst symptoms last 3 days once you achieve this they will reduce gradually over the weeks months years.

 

Once you decide never to smoke again you will be mostly there.

[Sazerac]

Welcome to our jolly band of quitters, Christian.

 

The most important component to a successful quit is Education about nicotine addiction.

You must read, read, read and absorb the information.

 

This makes your quit easier too, because you understand what you are going through.  Everything makes sense.

So, take the time and educate yourself.

 

Quitting is a matter of initially, short term physical withdrawals.

The real work comes in changing our patterns, re-programming our reward system, and learning to live FREE.

All this is a highly individual matter but, in general it takes about a year to weed through all the craves and seasonal triggers.

 

This isn't a year of full on craziness...just a year of consistently paying close attention to a commitment to NOPE (Not One Puff Ever).

Once you understand addiction, this makes perfect sense.  We must always stay committed to NOPE.

 

I am a cold turkey quitter.  I didn't want to prolong my suffering and didn't want to spend any more ducats on nicotine.

Stock up on fruit juices and small rewards.

 

You may find this post (and the many links embedded) helpful to you.10 Ways To Effectively Use This Forum To Help Yourself Quit Smoking

I smoked for 40 something years.  Addiction is addiction, nobody is more addicted than anyone else...or less addicted either.

 

There is no reason to continue to smoke, Christian.

Once you make the decision...GO FOR IT !

You will never regret quitting and your whole life will change for the better.

S

[Sazerac]

and a great page of resources from our friend, Joel Spitzer

 

What Withdrawals Should I Expect From Quitting Smoking

[notsmokinjo]

Sadly there ya no hard and fast rule...as the others have said accepting you are a nicotine addict and learning how this addiction works are the keys. I very much just took it as 1 day at a time. I only ever worried about not smoking for the single day.

 

So the way my addiction works is that the habit and the emotional addiction was stronger than the physical addiction. I needed to break those to feel comfortable in my quit. So this time I used NRT gum and it helped get me passed the hurdle...do I wish I had quit cold turkey, sure, but it wasn't my reality. 

 

What I can tell you is cold turkey, hypnosis, Champix, NRT there are no short cuts...you have to go through the hairy days to get up those hay days. 

 

Biggest tips....

1. Only quit for one day at a time, don't worry about tomorrow, just focus on today. 24 little hours.

2. Keep you fluids and blood sugars up...drink juice, it Kilda two birds with one stone.

3. Learn, learn, learn....how the addiction works, what it has done to your brain.

4. Have some placebos, hard lollies (sweets/candies) to suck on, normal gum to chew, mints to suck, a pen to "fake" smoke. 

 

Anyone can quit, including you, it doesn't take a miracle, or a super power Nd definately not luck....all it takes is promising yourself never to put anything in your mouth and set it on fire and smoke it and fighting to keep that promise. That's it.

Edited October 7, 2019 by notsmokinjo

[Sunshine59]

Treat your brain as a separate entity .

It always needs smoke , it will be always asking for a smoke  to fulfill its strange needs  . In my humble opinion  its so used to that firing

 

And start fighting with your brain .

 

Every time you crave for a smoke , just remember it is the brain that needs the smoke and not you .

 

Life is going to be really dull in the first 2 weeks , that will slowly change , you will feel more and more fresh as time passes by .

 

 

[Sazerac]

As you put your nicotine addiction to sleep, your brain re-wires itself,

 

of course, it can be instantly re-activated which is why NOPE (Not One Puff Ever) is so important to internalize

 

but, once you start retraining your brain, your thoughts and reward system  become your own again and not the addictions.

 

Your brain will not always be actively asking/demanding nicotine,

you can awaken it and must stay somewhat vigilant 

but, it leaves your conscious mind after a while.

You won't be thinking about smoking or nicotine every 20 minutes like you did when you smoked and also when you first quit.

 

[Reciprocity]

You have received a lot of great information Christian! Make your mind up to quit no matter what comes your way. As others have said, there's the physical withdrawal  which doesn't last all that long (a few days of really strong carvings at times) but then there's adjusting your lifestyle to no longer include smoking. That's what takes a lot of patience and time. There will be triggers that make you think; "Hey! I should be having a smoke." because that's what you have done for years and years but now, smoking is completely off the table for you so learn new rewards to give yourself - not a smoke anymore. Quitting is a marathon, not a sprint. Stay firm to your commitment and be patient. It will happen if you follow the process - just NOPE! (Not One Puff Ever)

[jillar]

Welcome Christian and congratulations on deciding to quit. For me the first three days were actually the easiest. I still had nicotine in my system but come that fourth day and I started to struggle. But since I was determined to succeed I stuck close to home and only ventured out when my never smoker husband could go with me because I didn't trust myself to not stop and buy a pack. 

It wasn't until I found a forum with others who also gave up this nasty addiction that I started feeling better and more confident in my being able to do this. Being a part of a group who knows what you're going through and supports you are key. At least for me and hopefully you'll find the same true for you.

Everyone's quit is different but the same. We all have to go through the misery, some worse than others. Having the right mindset and your young age on your side will help a bunch

[Martian5]

Welcome Christian you are making a great choice in quitting.  Those above have already given great advice.  The physical withdrawals only last a few days and are a pain to get thru but can be done with focus and commitment (and some cold water and deep breathing techniques).  The work comes after that in re-educating yourself on living a smoke free life and getting thru the craves. Coming here and going thru the site can help with that be it education, asking for advice, or just socializing -- it really can help.  Keep strong, this can be done!!!!

[JimHannoonen]

8 hours ago, Christian Ferguson said:

My intention is to attempt a quit again within the next week or so.

 

 

If you're "attempting" something, that means there is a chance of failure. You need to change your mindset. Either you smoke or you don't smoke. If you quit, you've made a decision to not smoke anymore.

 

If you were getting married, you wouldn't say "I'll attempt to stay faithful" to your wife, would you? I would hope not.

 

If you're committed to never smoke again, you won't smoke again. It really is that simple.

 

 

 

 

[Doreensfree]

Welcome aboard..

Everyone is different ....your quit will be different .....

My advice ....why wait ...why put more nicotine in your body ,just to get rid of it ,a little later...

Our brains can be our worst enemies....

Quitting is easier than thinking and fretting over it ...

Think positive not negative....

I went cold turkey...having the threat of losing both my feet due to smoking ,was all it took for me ...

Take smoking off the table ...no matter what ...

Of course your body will be a bit topsy turvy ...you've been feeding it poisons for decades ...

Just take your seat...and probably save your life ..

[Lilly]

Being here and interacting is a good start. I was welcomed here when I was still smoking and it made me desperate to be a quitter like everyone else. Stick around and post lots.

 

I did jillars thing of not smoking in my regular places. It meant I was breaking a lot of associations before my quit even started which helped ease the bigger triggers. 

 

I also found my own thinking affected my quit. If I went around like a miserable I miss smoking mess my quit was hard. If I oozed happiness at being quit it was just so much easier. 

 

Planning is the easiest part. It's simple to say I'm going to quit while you're still smoking. As your quit gets nearer you start thinking up reasons why you should put off the date. The deadline you'll never meet if you're not smoking, the party you've agreed to go to etc etc etc. Quit and stick with it. 

 

You'll find lots of support here so use it.

 

Good Luck