Does Brain Ever Fully Recover From Nicotine?

[Angeleek]

Hey All!

 

I have read a lot about changes in brain chemistry caused by nicotine use, and the no-man's-land stage of recovery.  But does the brain ever truly go back to the way it was before nicotine addiction?  I am almost 5 months quit, and occasionally I get a moment where I feel like I used to feel before I got hooked on nicotine 34 years ago.

 

Do any of you folks feel like you're all the way back to normal and, if so, how long into your quit did you notice you felt that way?  And do any of you long-time quitters feel like you're STILL not back to normal even after having been off nicotine for X amount of time? 

 

Thanks and stay safe!

 

[Reciprocity]

I am still a nicotine addict and always will be. There is no erasing addiction. You can and will get to a point where you live very comfortably without feeding your addiction but as addicts, we never can reset our brains to forgetting about addiction. That's why we must adhere to the NOPE principal for the rest of our lives. That may sound daunting to some but it's not! The key is abstaining from smoking while you educate yourself about nicotine addiction. Knowledge helps one understand that smoking .... feeding our addiction to nicotine, does nothing good for us - nothing! That's the place we need to get to where our addiction is no longer a threat to us!

Edited June 10, 2020 by reciprocity

[JH63]

 From what I have learned about all types of addiction, I have to agree with the reply above me @reciprocity, Our brains where forever changed when we became addicted. That is why we can't have just one puff. Our brains don't work like a non smoker. When we take that one puff, our brains go right back to the same way of working as they did the day before we quit. Yes, we did do ourselves permanent damage when we became addicted. Maybe damage is too harsh a word. Let's say we changed our brain's way of working forever.

 

The good news is that this change in our brains, or mind, can be worked around by never giving ourselves nicotine again. The receptors will give up on asking for the nicotine over time. 

 

I don't think Brain Fog or No Man's land lasts forever. I think that those issues are part of the quitting process and will eventually go away. This is just my opinion, I'm not a long time quitter!

Take Care!

     Jeff

 

[Mona]

From what I have learned, the brain of a former smoker will never be the same as that of a never-smoker.  We can put our addiction to sleep but we will always be addicts.

 

Regarding feeling back to "normal", everyone is different.  Prior to this quit, I had been quit for over two years.  It didn't take too long to feel good, maybe a couple of months, but I felt different than I did as a smoker.  As a smoker, I didn't need much sleep.  I was expecting to have all this extra time as a non-smoker but that didn't end up being the case because I needed more sleep time.  It took quite a while to learn how to deal with emotions as a non-smoker, maybe 6 months.  That is also the amount of time it took to stop thinking about smoking for long periods of time.

 

Based on your comments, it sounds like you're pretty close to your new "normal".  Enjoy!  

[Reciprocity]

38 minutes ago, JH63 said:

I don't think Brain Fog or No Man's land lasts forever. I think that those issues are part of the quitting process and will eventually go away. This is just my opinion, I'm not a long time quitter!

Take Care!

     Jeff

 

You're right Jeff! Brain fog and No Man's Land don't lest forever as they are merely quit symptoms and they fade away relatively quickly. They seem like a big deal at the time, early on in your quit but, they quickly become a fleeting memory a year or two down the road.

[Sazerac]

8 hours ago, Angeleek said:

Hey All!

 

I have read a lot about changes in brain chemistry caused by nicotine use, and the no-man's-land stage of recovery.  But does the brain ever truly go back to the way it was before nicotine addiction?  I am almost 5 months quit, and occasionally I get a moment where I feel like I used to feel before I got hooked on nicotine 34 years ago.

 

Do any of you folks feel like you're all the way back to normal and, if so, how long into your quit did you notice you felt that way?  And do any of you long-time quitters feel like you're STILL not back to normal even after having been off nicotine for X amount of time? 

 

Thanks and stay safe!

 

 

 

I started smoking at 13, I think, and hardly remember what it felt like before that. 

My life was all about smoking.  I smoked everywhere, anywhere.  All the time. 

This was my life for 40 some odd years.

 

I have been quit for nearly seven years now and haven't had a crave or a trigger in six of those years. 

 

The first year had some challenges where NOPE, my commitment to myself kept me Free.  

I knew in my heart of hearts I would not smoke again but, there were temptations to address.

 

After that, I stayed current with myself by renewing my commitment to NOPE every morning and thanking myself for staying free each night. 

 

I  maintain this vigilance.  It is not a burden, it is etched into my consciousness.

 

Here are some resources that address your issues, 

 

Being An Addict For The Rest Of Your Life

 

The Differences Between Physical and Psychological Urges

 

Craves Or Triggers That Occur Over Time

 

[Doreensfree]

I smoked for 52 years !!!!!

What happened in my quit I started to think of smoking less and less as time passed by ....

Now I don't crave them at all.......

Even when I went through a tough time last year ...I never gave them a thought...

Every person is different ....and the Magic happens at different time of a quit ...

But it happens .....If you dont light up again .....it's a journey ....not a race .....

 

 

 

 

[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.

 

[Angeleek]

Thanks, everyone, for your thoughtful replies and resources. Man, how I wish I never got hooked on nicotine. I will persevere! 

 

I'm betting that my brain will get back to normal in time. Not the addiction keyhole. That may always be there. It's a feeling. How I felt before getting hooked on nicotine. I want that feeling back.  Gonna get it back! Gotta strive for it! I believe in hope. I shall persevere!

Edited June 11, 2020 by Angeleek

[JohnQ]

On 6/10/2020 at 11:54 AM, Doreensfree said:

...Every person is different ....

...it's a journey ...

So true, every person is different.

I know some people who just decided to quit 1 day and never lit up again

I also know some people who tried to quit many times but ended up smoking again

Personally I have tried to quit countless number of times, the longest was over 2 years, all it took was 1 drag to fall back into the Nicotine's trap again

As Doreen said, it's a journey, and I find this journey has many traps along the way, so you can't let your guard down.  For me, I now realize that I will probably never be back in the "normal" state of a non-smoker,  I realize that the new normal for me is to anticipate the Nicotine traps which can hit me at any time, out of nowhere, and it's NOPE all the way.

 

[Doreensfree]

Always be on your guard J.....

Even with a good quit behind you ...and you have learnt it only takes one puff to wake that monster ...

There is NO such thing as one .....

[Sirius]

There was a well written article about this very thing over at: 

https://www.verywellmind.com/will-i-miss-smoking-forever-2824756

 

Will I Miss Smoking Forever?

By 

Terry Martin 

 Medically reviewed by 

Sanja Jelic, MD 

on January 19, 2020

 

[JimHannoonen]

It's hard to say what "normal" is, since I started smoking when I was 15 and quit when I was 47.

 

Last time I was nicotine free, I was a teenager, so I don't really know what normal is as an adult.

 

That said, after being quit for almost 3.5 years,  I think I feel pretty normal. lol

 

 

Edited June 12, 2020 by JimHannoonen

[Sazerac]

8 hours ago, JohnQ said:

So true, every person is different.

I know some people who just decided to quit 1 day and never lit up again

I also know some people who tried to quit many times but ended up smoking again

Personally I have tried to quit countless number of times, the longest was over 2 years, all it took was 1 drag to fall back into the Nicotine's trap again

As Doreen said, it's a journey, and I find this journey has many traps along the way, so you can't let your guard down.  For me, I now realize that I will probably never be back in the "normal" state of a non-smoker,  I realize that the new normal for me is to anticipate the Nicotine traps which can hit me at any time, out of nowhere, and it's NOPE all the way.

 

 

 

here are some resources addressing these things, John

 

even though each quit is different, we share so many similarities with each other .

 

Everyone Is Different

 

and this one addresses your comment of never being in the normal state of a non-smoker. 

 

What Should I Call Myself

[garry mhudson]

I think everyone is different. I smoked most all of my adult life except for a few years in my thirties and although I don`t feel the craves 3 years plus down the road I can`t say that it has not crossed my mind a couple times. An addict is an addict. Perhaps I could smoke only one and walk away from it for 3 more years. I won`t take that chance. It gets better and I think most of us with a few years under our belt realize we will always be recovering addicts. 

[d2e8b8]

I can only say I agree with all the above.  I don't think about smoking any more but the thought has crossed my once in a while but it's just that ... a thought.  In the 3 1/2 years, there have been challenges but smoking did not come up as an option.  I now 'know' that it will do nothing for the challenges.  Also, have no desire to be a slave to nicotine again. 

[breath]

Yes of course the brain recovers.

There is a before smoking, the smoking years and the after years. All are different, regarding your brain's neural pathways.

Once you quit, you develop new pathways to food, routines and stress. Eventually after a couple of years you will have no reaction to the last list but life throws in funerals and redundancy e.t.c Don' smoke! and even these events will have no brain reaction.

I have quit nearly 19 years and feel like i never smoked after 15 months.

[JH63]

Thanks! That is a great thing to hear from someone who has been quit as long as you have. It gives a person hope!

Jeff

@breath

Edited June 16, 2020 by JH63

[Angeleek]

Yes, good to hear, @breath !

[Angeleek]

Happy Holidays everyone! I wanted to come back to this and answer my own question after nearly 2 years off the nicotine. I think the brain does recover 100%, or at least enough to feel like it's 100% recovered.  I guess its been a few months now that I feel like I used to feel before I got hooked on nicotine so long ago. Feel normal again. Yay! So, yes, eventually you do feel normal again after quitting smoking! Just keep that quit!

[KEL]

@Angeleek Thank you for coming back and responding. Helps those of us in the earlier stage navigate this journey. I have no idea of what "normal" is. I think those of us who are drug addicts got some wiring crossed way back when. There is a part of our brain that seeks the pleasure/pain cycle. It takes a bit to get comfortable with peace. At least that is what I sense. My prayer is that I will be back to update this thought in October of 2023 when I have two years! Thanks again...

[Angeleek]

@KEL Hey Kel! Glad that is helpful to you. Yes, it's a real concern, right. For me, normal meant a certain way of feeling and being in the world. I could remember feeling a sort of a peacefulness, or gentle equilibrium, back before I got hooked. In moments when I was pitter-pattering around my little world undisturbed, usually at the crack of dawn while the house was still sleeping. I remembered  that feeling, and it struck me that that was my normal way back when, so I wondered if I would ever get that back. I got it! It's the absence of the addiction keeping you ill at ease 24/7. You will get there and you will feel soo much better

[intoxicated yoda]

@Angeleek This is a very welcome bit of news to hear that you feel like your brain is 100% recovered.  I've read a lot about neural plasticity and remaking who you are by making new neural pathways.  A very powerful way to doing this is to visualize yourself as the person you want to be.  The difficult part is how to visualize yourself not doing something?  I think the trick is to visualize the new you absent the thing you want to eliminate.  So being smokers we don't want to try to visualize ourselves as nonsmokers, instead we picture the thing the we want and picture it so vividly that we totally lose sight of the thing that we don't want.  Glad you achieved the goal and thanks for coming back and giving us recent quitters some much needed hope.