Life as a non-smoker

[Pippa]

Hi Vic - just realised I haven't said welcome - sounds like you are doing a great job of getting through those first tough days - love that you are posting as I really think it helps. Looking forward to reading more of your posts

[El Bandito]

Morning Vic!

 

How you doing today?

[John_Doe]

Woohoo! I'm officially over the 72 hours mark! First 3 days are done with. And I must say that today's morning was just hellish. I slept only for 3 hours and was moody, tired and depressed. Had several cravings, or should I say one big craving consisting of lesser ones. Inner demons tried to tell me the stories about smoking from my past. How I spent a lot of good time with a cig in my hand, and how it 'helped' me to go through difficult situations. Physical side of this craving was very weak, it was more of a last attempt to reason with me and to bring me back to smoking. As you can see, it failed. First milestone is done for me. Now we're going for the week! 

[SanDar]

Keep going! You can do this. 

I see we are very close in  quit time so we can compare notes, lol :)

[Still winning]

Brilliant!!  Every time you say no to a crave or triggers it weakens the hold over you. Distract yourself if they last too long, it's easier to go and start to do something and it seems to get weaker. 

 

Nicotine is now clear of your system, so it's a brain game. You can absolutely do this! One day at a time, whilst heading to the week!!

[Devil Doll]

How are you doing today Vic?

[El Bandito]

Great work Vic - push on through to the week now!

[ChRiSpY]

Woohoo! I'm officially over the 72 hours mark! First 3 days are done with. And I must say that today's morning was just hellish. I slept only for 3 hours and was moody, tired and depressed. Had several cravings, or should I say one big craving consisting of lesser ones. Inner demons tried to tell me the stories about smoking from my past. How I spent a lot of good time with a cig in my hand, and how it 'helped' me to go through difficult situations. Physical side of this craving was very weak, it was more of a last attempt to reason with me and to bring me back to smoking. As you can see, it failed. First milestone is done for me. Now we're going for the week! 

 

Wow... you sound like your mind is in a great place... AWESOME.

 

Hang on tight and keep moving forwar... you got this.. .but you are not out of the woods yet.

 

You are well on your way to a new and better life...congrats.

 

Keep on keepin on.

[John_Doe]

The 4th day is 'Cough' day. Been coughing and coughing and... It seems like my body tries to get everything out of the lungs. Right now there's a strange feeling that something's stuck down there and I can't pull it out. Cravings are more like memories. I'm remembering what I used to do in different situations (and I used to smoke), but I don't feel the urge to do it. I'm more at peace with non-smoking me right now. But I can't relax. I know that it can strike the moment I'm most relaxed.

 

 

Nicotine is now clear of your system, so it's a brain game.

 

I feel like a spy now, who needs to stay hidden. My brain sometimes thinks that I'm still a smoker, sends me on a journey to the balcony or commands me to choose a brand of cigs in the shop. And I go to the balcony, to inhale some fresh air, and I choose a brand of cigs just to realize how expensive they are. I don't block out all the activities associated with smoking, it's just looking at them from a different angle. Spy games at their best.

 

Hang on tight and keep moving forwar... you got this.. .but you are not out of the woods yet.

 

I guess when you get addicted to something you're never out of the woods. Gotta stay on your toes for the rest of your life.

[John_Doe]

5th day was the easiest so far. No cravings, good mood. A lot of stuff to do. Noticed someone smoking outside and was disgusted by the smell. Only my sleeping patterns are kinda strange. I sleep ~5-6 hours and have the same amount of energy which I had after 10-hour sleep as a smoker. A lot of free time which I can use to conquer the world, lol :D

[Doreensfree]

All,sounds good...well,done....

[SanDar]

5th day was the easiest so far. No cravings, good mood. A lot of stuff to do. Noticed someone smoking outside and was disgusted by the smell. Only my sleeping patterns are kinda strange. I sleep ~5-6 hours and have the same amount of energy which I had after 10-hour sleep as a smoker. A lot of free time which I can use to conquer the world, lol :D

I had to walk past the smokers outside at work yesterday, and ewww...stinky! Did it make me crave a cig?  No way, that smell was enough to make me almost vomit!

 My sleep patterns are messed up right now too. I keep waking up during the night. But I imagine that will all work out in time. 

We are doing it! Living the smoke-free life :)   

[John_Doe]

Yesterday night I had to take my granny to a hospital, cause she had some kind of seizure. It was a rather stressful experience as I didn't know if she will make it. And I couldn't stop thinking about smoking, how it would help to relax. It was just in my brain, I didn't feel any physical sensations. For more than 2 hours I had to deal not only with the situation but with a junkie thinking as well. Not a SOS situation, but rather unpleasant one. Today granny's ok, still in the hospital. And I'm still smoke-free. I need to stay healthy for my relatives, friends and loved ones.

[ArmedNAruba]

Glad Granny's doing better and congrats on remaining smoke free. Keep yourself educated and stay close to the board at the beginning. Soon you will feeling all the wonderful benefits of not smoking and your urges will get fewer and fewer. Then you will reach the point when you truly realize that smoking offers you absolutely nothing. 

 

Remember, every tough situation you encounter that you do not smoke, makes your quit even stronger.

[SueBeDoo]

Sorry to hear about your granny, wishing her a speedy recovery,

You did fantastic today, well done you, hope you treated yourself cos you really do deserve to, great stuff x

[SanDar]

Hope granny is feeling better soon! So proud of you for not smoking :)

[John_Doe]

Want to make a little update on my non-smoking situation and what I feel.

I'm over 2 weeks now, but today was the hardest day since the first week. I literally was thinking about buying paper and tobacco as an alternative to cigs, This idea looked so good to me at that time. But I managed to go past the shop. Maybe too much stress at work, or too much alcohol on Saturday (I drink VERY rarely and it was like a shock to my system), or the returning heatwave, or everything combined together. Apart from that I feel great: no cough, no headaches, my sleep pattern went back to normal. I have more energy, can concentrate better and deal with stressful situations faster. And yeah, keeping my life busy. As someone on these message boards said, it's ridiculous how I was wasting so much time smoking. Moving on to tomorrow. It will be better and I still won't smoke.

[Nancy]

Sorry you have hit a rough patch...but good for you for riding it out!  You are doing great!

 

I hope your Granny is better today...

[Doreensfree]

Well done.....you actually weighed up the beniefts of being a non smoker....

You would have been so disappointed ,if you had bought the tobacco and papers.......

Keep marchin....your doing great......look at your lovely quit......

Hope your gran is better today....

[John_Doe]

Oh, by the way Granny is fine, thanks! Hospital released her already. 

[...]

Hey there JD,

 

You are doing so fabulous !!! Keep on marching on. No matter how hard it gets, keep your eye focused on the prize. It's right there. Every day that you are smoke free, you get a little more of the prize. Quitting smoking for some of us is not an event, but a process. And your working that process. Good job.

 

I'm glad to hear granny is doing good. Granny's are special people.

[SanDar]

Sounds like you are meeting your challenges head on AND not smoking :)

Glad Granny is out of hospital and doing well. We learn rather quickly how to deal with life as non-smokers, and find out it's not so bad.

In fact it's pretty darn awesome!

Keep going, you are doing great :)

 

Sandy

[Still winning]

Sorry you had a tough day. That can happen and great job on just working through it. Every time you face down those tough triggers you secure your quit a little more.  Pleased Granny is on the mend and free now too. x