Is anyone struggling with a particular craving and need help/advice?

[SueBeDoo]

Newbies and well anyone,just thinking if anyone is struggling with a particular craving, like morning, after meals, sex, alcohol cigs etc post here and we can help give advice about what helped get us through each situation.

 

I found all of the above a struggle for the first few months and the alcohol one a lot longer,to be honest I rarely have a drink to be on the safe side but thankfully the last few times I've had a few drinks I've not had one thought about smoking but feel I'm always on guard in case because alcohol was always how I lost my quit.

This time last year I was 2 and 1/2 months quit and very nervous about Christmas with all the drinking and I remember a certain lad (Action) being the very same but what a difference a year makes,looking forward to a few this time round so I think for me with alcohol times a great healer.

 

Anyone nervous or anxious about Xmas or drinking,or any craving you are finding it difficult to overcome feel free to let us know and we will do our best to help you,don't want anyone else dreading Xmas like I was last year, turned out I had been stressing for no reason.

[Jclarke241]

My worst craving is still my morning cigarette. I feel like that was my big motivator to get up and get moving and now it's gone. I just lay there in bed, not wanting to get up.

 

I hate mornings.

[El Bandito]

Hey JC

 

Was a tough one for me too.

 

Changed up my mornings. Inserted a glass of water before my coffee.

 

Then an espresso and the QT.

 

Coffee tastes so much better now!

[SueBeDoo]

Yep JC the mornings were a killer for me aswell, felt there was no point in getting up if I couldn't smoke, what was the point etc

I would get up and have a shower before the kids woke up, I use to smoke a couple with a cuppa before the kids got up so I replaced the smoke with a shower and lots of nice body moisturisers, weekends I'd have a bath in the mornings,loved smelling yummy, it really motivated me to stay quit, then I'd have breakfast with a cuppa and log onto quit train for something to do with my hands and helped distract me, I would go to Costa Coffee after dropping kids to school some mornings for a cuppa and a little treat.

I really believe in treating yourself daily for the first few weeks and then every week I would treat myself to a massage or get my hair done or buy clothes.

 

Time was a great healer for me and at the 6 week mark I started to not mind getting up in the mornings and by 3 months I rarely thought of my morning cig, I swear the thought of having a smoke first thing turns my stomach now, my throat burns just thinking about it.

Give it a few more weeks and you will start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel hun and then a couple more months you will be through that tunnel out the other side and will never want to go back, I promise,

I also ate a lot more in the mornings, felt I was constantly eating but it's what got me through it and then my appetite went nearly back to normal.

Sue xxx

[Wendy]

.

[Still winning]

One of my issues is the "I'll just have a ciggie and then I'll do x,y,z" - usually a chore like ironing or whatever ... anyway I found I switched that out to "I'll just have a look at the QT and then I'l do x,y,z".  

 

Now my problem is I'm not getting much done 'cos I get distracted by the QT!

 

Now I'm sure I'm not the only one who did the "I'll just have a ciggie and then I'll do x,y,z" thing, so my question is - did you replace that ciggie with something else and if so what cos I need to get some jobs done round the house!

Deep breath and a smile...no seriously, that's what I did. Even if that smile was forced and a mental nope. For worse ones I'd switch from foot to foot like a loon saying nope. 

 

I also started writing more lists, so at the xyz I would look at the list or write one to re focus myself straight away. Double win that was as I forgot loads before lol.

 

I want to add Wendy, my house is cleaner then it's ever been. I was never a scuzzy ho but some things waited longer then they should have...all that extra time gradually devoted to bits of deeper cleaning mean it looks fab most of the time now. So it's very possible :)  However, early doors, being attached to the QT and reading is really beneficial, far more so then getting a clean house...that can come later once your quit feels sure to you..it will happen naturally if you run with it and just take a day at a time and then it'll be odd to get that xyz thoughts at all. xx

[Still winning]

My worst craving is still my morning cigarette. I feel like that was my big motivator to get up and get moving and now it's gone. I just lay there in bed, not wanting to get up.

 

I hate mornings.

Yeah, mornings were a tough nut to crack for me too.

 

Like the others, I switched my routine around as I used to sit and smoke 5 or so waiting for the kids to get up! I found if I did something straight away (mine is dishwasher and anti bacterial the work surfaces) then I could go and sit with my tea after reading qt without too many thoughts. 

 

Could you switch things around in the morning?? What could you be your new thing??

[SueBeDoo]

Wendy I definitely get more cleaning done now, instead of stopping after each chore for a smoke I'd say I'll clean the bathroom aswell or the oven etc then I'll have a cuppa and biscuit so I end up taking very few breaks with more work done and in soo much less time than normal then I go have a bath with candles as a Lil me time reward xx