I had a dream

[greenlight]

I've posted about this before but I occasionally have dreams where I smoke like nothing has happened! I always think in the dream that huh, how the F am I smoking, didn't I quit? Then I think I must have thought I quit but obviously haven't and keep smoking away.

 

In reality I've not smoked a single puff in 8 years, I have no cravings or yearnings or anything whatsoever and never think about it when I'm awake. Why do I still dream about it every now and then? 

 

I always wake up confused and it takes a few moments to realise I've not actually smoked, my quit is real and all is well. Are these dreams ever going to stop? Is this the power of addiction? 

[Reciprocity]

That's something that's never ever happened to me - a smoking dream. Probably a good thing I suppose  

[Nana20]

@greenlight I know what you are talking about I had one in the first week of my quit and it had me waking up with a full on body and mind crave. It took me a few moments to realize that it was the dream that caused it and acknowledged the crave took several breaths as I started to make me some food. I then proceeded to shove breakfast in my face until the crave went away. But my point is haven't you ever dreamt about something that didn't make no sense and when you wake up your like why would I do that in a dream that makes no sense, whether be taking a test naked, smoking, whatever the case is. Even non-smokers dream of smoking a cigarette. My best friend who has never touched a cigarette in her life had a dream she was the girl from Grease that they show smoking a cigarette trying to french inhale. My point is she didn't think about it as a smoking dream. I think because we are smokers we automatically associate smoking dreams with a desire to smoke, when in reality it could of been a scene you saw in a movie, it might of been something you read. Hell it could even be the fact you got a newbie or this board on your mind right before you fell asleep. Because most of the time we dream about the last thing we either thought about or saw. I think that you should look at those dreams like my best friend did she didn't look at the dream and think OMG I just had a smoking dream, no she was like I had this epic dream I was this girl from grease. You see even when we are quit for 8 years our brains are still trained to associate things to being a smoker. 

 

So next time you have a "Smoking Dream" don't focus on the cigarette, focus on every other detail of the dream. Train your brain/subconscious that you are not a smoker anymore and that you will no longer associate anything whether it be a dream or whatever to smoking.

 

* sub·con·scious

 adjective

of or concerning the part of the mind of which one is not fully aware but which influences one's actions and feelings.*

 

Right under subconscious's definition is  "my subconscious fear". 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 20, 2020 by Nana20
spelling error

[Mona]

I almost never remember my dreams.  I used the patch to help me quit smoking this time around and one of the side effects is vivid dreams.  I don't know if this contributed to the dreams but I wore the patch 24/7 with the only exception being when I showered.  I thought the dreams were really cool, so life like.  I did smoke in some of them which didn't really bother me because they were only dreams.  I also spent time with my parents who are no longer with us.  I cried when I woke up from those dreams because I wished that they were true.

 

Regarding your question of whether the smoking dreams will stop, I don't think we have any control over what we dream about.  Personally, I wouldn't worry about the dreams.  What is happening while you are awake?  Do you romance the cigarette?  Do feel like you're missing out on something?  Do you think you're at risk of going back to smoking?  If the answer to any of those questions is yes, you definitely need to work on your mindset!

[jillar]

I still have the occasionally dream that I'm smoking but it's not the plot of my dream so I really don't trip on it. What's going on in my dream is much more entertaining than whether or not I'm smoking in it lol

[greenlight]

58 minutes ago, Mona said:

I almost never remember my dreams.  I used the patch to help me quit smoking this time around and one of the side effects is vivid dreams.  I don't know if this contributed to the dreams but I wore the patch 24/7 with the only exception being when I showered.  I thought the dreams were really cool, so life like.  I did smoke in some of them which didn't really bother me because they were only dreams.  I also spent time with my parents who are no longer with us.  I cried when I woke up from those dreams because I wished that they were true.

 

Regarding your question of whether the smoking dreams will stop, I don't think we have any control over what we dream about.  Personally, I wouldn't worry about the dreams.  What is happening while you are awake?  Do you romance the cigarette?  Do feel like you're missing out on something?  Do you think you're at risk of going back to smoking?  If the answer to any of those questions is yes, you definitely need to work on your mindset!

Not at all! I don’t think about smoking when awake, have no cravings or desire whatsoever to smoke ever again. I’m not at any sort of a risk to go back to it. That’s why it’s weird it features in my dreams even after 8 years of not smoking. 

[Doreensfree]

15 hours ago, reciprocity said:

That's something that's never ever happened to me - a smoking dream. Probably a good thing I suppose  

I've never had one either ....I would imagine it would be kinda freaky ....

[johnny5]

I had smoking dreams all the time early on in my quit.  I usually woke up depressed feeling like I had relapsed and it took a moment to figure out that it was just a dream.  One dream was so clear, and weird, that I posted what I remembered on QSMB, the quit site I was on before here.

 

I still occasionally have smoking dreams.  The last one I remember, I actually fought through the cravings I was dreaming about and didn't smoke.  Most of the ones I remembered ended with me smoking.

 

In the awake world, I feel no temptation to smoke.  I have occasional thoughts about lighting up but they are so weak that I can push them out of my mind real easily.  They definitely are not craves like I had early on. 

 

I guess occasionally re-living smoking in a dream is a sign of how much a part of our lives feeding that addiction used to be.  As long as you stay smoke free in the awake, real world, you are good.

[greenlight]

5 hours ago, johnny5 said:

I guess occasionally re-living smoking in a dream is a sign of how much a part of our lives feeding that addiction used to be.  As long as you stay smoke free in the awake, real world, you are good.

Yes, this is what I’m thinking too, just shows how powerful the addiction and constantly feeding it used to be. I am not worried in the slightest about my quit just to be clear, just curious about as to why this happens even after 8 years in. 

[Reciprocity]

My mother told me when I quit that she still occasionally has thoughts of smoking and she quit 60 + years ago. She said she'll just be sitting there and for no reason at all, she thinks about having a smoke. Then she laughs it off and goes about her day. Once an addict, it's always there in your mind somewhere I guess.

[greenlight]

Just now, reciprocity said:

My mother told me when I quit that she still occasionally has thoughts of smoking and she quit 60 + years ago. She said she'll just be sitting there and for no reason at all, she thinks about having a smoke. Then she laughs it off and goes about her day. Once an addict, it's always there in your mind somewhere I guess.

 

Yeah, don't start thinking you're no longer an addict! 

[Wayne045]

I’ve had a few recently.   Always the same thought inside the dream “when did I start smoking again”

[Sazerac]

Dreams of Smoking

[idontsmoke]

I'm in recovery from addiction. I abused opiates and alcohol for years....been clean and sober quite some time. I still have dreams of using or drinking, and I know countless people who have been drug and alcoho free for decades who have these dreams as well....so you're right where you're supposed to be  Better to be a former smoker dreaming of smoking than a smoker dreaming of quitting! Great job, keep on keepin on!

[Angeleek]

On 6/20/2020 at 5:11 PM, reciprocity said:

My mother told me when I quit that she still occasionally has thoughts of smoking and she quit 60 + years ago. She said she'll just be sitting there and for no reason at all, she thinks about having a smoke.

 

Way to go on a 60+ year quit!

 

On 7/1/2020 at 5:52 AM, idontsmoke said:

Better to be a former smoker dreaming of smoking than a smoker dreaming of quitting!

 

Amen to that!

 

Maybe there is a small part of you that hangs on to your smoker identity for nostalgia purposes or something.