Boy do I want cigarette

[Amy]

Don't get me wrong this is not an SOS.  Night 8.  I left work at 5 pm- wanting a cigarette.  It is  6:30 an hour and a half later and the freaking crave is still there.  I did not buy cigarettes and I will not ask the neighbor.  I just don't understand why it is an hour and a half and I am still thinking about it.  I will not smoke.  I am a non smoker.

 

I just wish this would go away.  I am keeping busy as always.  The hot tub is maintained, the laundry is in, I just have to clean up the dishes.  I was wondering when this would happen and here it is.

 

Thinking about it and I am pretty tired today maybe this has something to do with it. 

Actually sitting here typing and breathing seems to be helping. I am happy to be here

on the quit train I wouldn't of quit otherwise.

[Tink]

yes Amy tiredness can bring it on as your body is craving something and you automatically think its a cig craving, the same can go for being thirsty or hungry etc - try a big glass of water

 

also you are at 7 days which is a big first milestone - so take a moment to think to yourself:

 

are you abstaining(ie fighting but really still want one) or have you quit? (never want one ever again)

 

you have to be honest with the answer to be able to move forward 

 

This will pass xx

 

 

edited to say - I asked the abstaining question because of your title and I was abstaining for 6 weeks and put myself through unnecessary hardship xx

[Ladybug]

Lean back.........smile...and don't fight those cravings too much. They will pass!

 

Did you eat? Did you drink enough...maybe some water and some juice?  Treat yourself nice....pamper yourself and be kind to yourself.

 

There is the saying "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger"    that goes for quitting as well "every time you don't give in your quit becomes stronger"!

 

It will pass and it will get better! You are so strong! I am very proud of you Amy...if I may say that!

[Ladybug]

My A,B,C's and D's for Amy!

 

 

The A's:
•Avoid situations you know you cannot handle 
•Alter your response - change the flavor of your coffee, sit in a different room, meet your friends in a neutral (nonsmoking environment) 
•Accept that some days will be tougher, and that by sticking it out you will get stronger. 

The B's:
•Believe in yourself....you can do this.

•Behave! You don't have to be a total brat....it's not going to kill you.

The C's:
•Cope with it and write down how you feel.

•Calm down. There is no reason to panic you don't need cigarettes.

The D's
•Delay your next craving for as long as possible by:  
•Distracting yourself - keeping busy is extremely important. Go for a walk, or pull out your guitar. 
•Drinking lots of water or some herbal teas, keep it in your mouth for a while, enjoy the sensation. Chewing gum can help too.  
•Deep breathing. An easy way to relax. You might have done this 200-300 times per day when inhaling smoke.

 

Emergency Coping Plan:
 
AVOID the situation. 
Identify the situations when you normally smoke or chew, or feel cravings. For most, high-risk situations include work breaks, finishing meals, having coffee or being in a bar. Plan how you will avoid these situations for a few weeks. Plan for alternate activities.

LEAVE the situation. 
If you find yourself in one of these high risk situations, leave if you can. And, leave before you get a craving.

DISTRACT yourself from the craving. 
If you find yourself in a situation you can't leave and you get a craving, distract yourself from the craving by: Thinking about something else, like your Benefits of Quitting (or how much money you’re saving every week, how your body is healing itself). Doing something else to distract yourself like drinking water or deep breathing exercises. Thinking about an upcoming event in your life, such as a vacation.

DELAY acting on the craving 
If you can't keep your mind off it, then make a deal with yourself that you will wait 5 minutes before you give into the craving. The craving will usually pass in a couple of minutes anyway. If you delay, the craving will go away.

Use SELF TALK 
A craving may be accompanied by negative thoughts about your ability to resist it. Use positive self talk statements to combat your negative thoughts. Talk loud if you have to

[beacon]

Amy, it is normal to have these craves and it looks like you are doing the right thing: acknowledging it and knowing that smoking is not going to be the answer. You also seem calm and quiet which is great as I was a tad bit cranky at your stage :) Here is something I listened to allot for calming meditation in the beginning and still now from time to tim. Great job on your first week

 

 

http://youtu.be/5dbvckNVbK4

[sharonsiff]

Hi Amy

 

You seem solid so that's fabulous.

 

I was reading about this yesterday and if you are having thoughts that are not you, that you don't want it is your subconscious chatting (addict as it's known round here) only deals in black or white, no grey.

 

Take control and give you conscious (human) brain an airing. Please don't dwell on the addict voice and give your logic and reason head voice a turn. It is there, I promise....just your addict voice is holding court. It's had an airing so now silence it. Perfectly normal...research the limbic part of the brain..once you understand why, I really think it will help you manage that voice.

 

You're doing fabulous.

[Amy]

Thanks Beacon I am going to listen to this when I am finished with everything that I have to do and can relax started to sounds awesome

[Amy]

Hi Tracey,

 

Abstaining or quitting is a really good question... I am a quitter I cannot only abstain I can never smoke again.   I will graduate to training wheels but I have to make sure that I am ready. I don't want to fall.  Honestly- this is helping.

 

Thanks! :)

[Colleen]

Amy,

In the beginning it is common for us to confuse a crave and a thought.  Craves don't usually last beyond 5 minutes.  How about exercise?  For many of us, we were not very active, but exercise turned into a new habit.  For me, I couldn't sit still and starting riding my bike.  It helped a lot, plus once you are active it seems completely ridiculous to smoke.

 

Whenever you feel the slightest bit of a struggle, come to the board to read or post.  It can make a huge difference.  By the way, I think you are doing really well with your quit.  

 

Anytime the Nico-monster tries to mess with you, visualize the image below.  That dragon is the Nico-monster and you are the toddler kicking it's butt...er stuffing.

 

[Tink]

Hi Tracey,

 

Abstaining or quitting is a really good question... I am a quitter I cannot only abstain I can never smoke again.   I will graduate to training wheels but I have to make sure that I am ready. I don't want to fall.  Honestly- this is helping.

 

Thanks! :)

Amy I understand completely and you wont fall we are all here to support you and making posts like this is the best way to work it through - keep posting and it will all come to you hun, I was absolutely no different to you xx

[Nancy]

Amy, I don't know if we have mentioned HALT to you...when first quit it is important to avoid being:

 

Hungry

Angry

Lonely

Tired

 

So take care of yourself, and treasure your quit like a precious newborn baby...

[action]

Amy you are doing really great. Like you said this was bound to happen so it's great that you are recognising this for what it is and that you came here and you do not want to smoke.

 

Really proud of you and I think you are just doing swell :)

[Rain Forest]

You are going thru what I call a fixation, not a crave... craves do end after a short time, but sometimes we become so fixated on the thought that we just won't let it go.

 

This is when having a hobby comes in really useful.  When I first quit smoking, I started doing a lot of cross-stitching and played a lot of WOW... it keeps your mind off the cig. :)

[Nancy]

You are going thru what I call a fixation, not a crave... craves do end after a short time, but sometimes we become so fixated on the thought that we just won't let it go.

 

This is when having a hobby comes in really useful.  When I first quit smoking, I started doing a lot of cross-stitching and played a lot of WOW... it keeps your mind off the cig. :)

Rain, I had never read that distinction, before...makes perfect sense!

[comrade simba]

Amy, you said:

"I just wish this would go away."

 

Oh yeah, I hear ya there. The void, vacuum, crave, whatever you want to call it is annoying as hell for me fairly frequently. It's like some pesky and persistent telemarketer robot that just will not stop calling three or four times a day. It is said the instances fade in intensity and reduce in frequency, so okay, anytime it wants to get a move on it's fine by me!

[Paul723]

Nicotine has a big head start in training your brain and affecting the dopamine receptors, your rational mind needs to be in charge and remember, a crave is not a command.

[Nicole Diver]

Glad you posted and you have gotten some great responses here!

Amy we are all rooting for you and sooo happy you got your freedom back.

Every single one of us have been in your spot and I rarely promise things but I promise this all goes away.  (Something, as a smoker, I never imagined possible.)

[Leanna]

Hey Amy,

 

I know everyone's said this already... I'm kind of late. Sorry! 

 

Distractions are key to a quit. I probably wouldn't have been successful without something to keep my mind busy. However, you seem to be much more confident in your quit, definitely more than I was. Distractions are still good though, because struggling with the thought of smoking can be exhausting on anyone.

 

Read a book, eat, drink lots of cold water, take a walk, watch a movie, post on QT (just like you did). 

[IamDoingIt]

How are you feeling Amy? I hope you were able to distract yourself or just go to bed early.

[babs609]

you are doing fantastic amy...so proud of you!

 

I always said..."I may want that 1 cigarette...but I don't want the thousands that follow, so forget it"

 

I also felt like the more I obsessed about the craving....the more I obsessed about the craving ;)

so...i started accepting the craving....watch it come....watch it go....as you get more quit time...the craves come less and less

 

you will never be on day 8 again....every day you don't smoke...you are stronger!!

 

great job!

[El Bandito]

Hey Amy. You are right. These do come along. They are annoying. They do go away.

 

I used them as times to do a little work on reviewing why I quit, the benefits of being quit, and why I could not have 'just one'. A little brain training if you will.

 

You are doing brilliantly. Keep it up.

[Still winning]

Hey Amy, I was sleeping and now you are so late to the party and I'm sure it's over for you now.  I had exactly that at the same time day 7/8, 3 hour straight craving I think it was and posted and let the guys just keep talking to me too, you are exactly where you are supposed to be honey. I say this cause it marked a turning point. You now know that no matter how bad it feels, you didn't actually ever want to smoke did you. I mean your brain threw thoughts and smoking would have stopped that but you'd already understood it does nothing for you. Gosh I hope this makes sense lol, it's early for me.

 

My overall point is by fighting that bad crave you are big time re-training your brain to a non smoking thought process, which ultimately is all we are doing. Know today and always that a crave is merely a thought, no matter how powerful it is new thoughts can and will overtake it. Brilliant job with the quit! x

[Pippa]

Hey Amy - just saw this - how are you doing ? So glad you posted and keep remembering we at all here if you need us

[JackiMac]

Hi Amy hope your doing ok, some really great advice above but just want to add that what you were feeling was completely normal, its the nicotine ninja tapping away trying to remind you he is still around, but its just a thought, don't allow it to grow and it will soon disappear, as said if you fixate on it it will become more intense, so loud music please and lets all do the shuffle.................

[rww]

For me - the worst craving hit me at either day 7 or eight. I was surprised and unprepared, since the hell week was a breeze for me in comparison. I got through it but took me a half of the day and I was still shaky at the end of it. It happens, it will pass, tomorrow will be a new day :)