Quick Question

[Jackie]

Hola folks,

 

Question for you.  At what point during your quit did you forget that you were a smoker or that you missed cigarettes?  I am so ansy to get to the stage that I don't think about cigarettes.  Please tell me you eventually get there....?

 

Thank you,

J

[Nancy]

Yes, Jackie, you will get there.   For me I found it was a gradual process...first one hour of not thinking of it, then two,  and so it progressed.  You will get there!

[beacon]

Yes I agree, it was gradual. Actually my craves faded by cigarette times and places one by one.  I got used to not smoking during my breaks at work, or after meals, or at night. The hardest for me was the first morning cigarette and smoking in the car.   I think you just get used to not smoking all the time until it becomes normal for you. If you are on the patch it may take a little longer since this is a longer term detox off of nicotine. 

[Doreensfree]

I was like a toddler..learning to do everything ,without my crutch..a 52 year addiction was hard to stop..

My light bulb moment well and truly went on,when i watched the tobacco company documentaries here..

They made me so angry..I finally saw this addiction for what it was..

I think I mwas about 10 months in to my quit...

If you havnt watched them ..on our main front page ..I urge you too...xx

[joe]

To be honest, I cant point a finger at the time  I no longer thought about it.... It just happened!

 

I do remember being a couple weeks into my quit, and still having some struggles at times, and letting someone know I was quitting smoking (I was proud and would tell anyone who would listen!) ..it was that moment I asked myself when I would quit referring to it as though I was quitting....from that moment on, I stated that I had indeed quit... that may have been my Ah-Ha moment...

 

It is different time frame for everyone. I believe when you mentally accept the fact you no longer smoke, it starts to get easier to accept, and therefore think of it less often.

 

but , as stated...It DOES get better.

 

One day at a time...every morning, just remind yourself to quit for today, dont worry about tomorrow...

[comrade simba]

This last year I have truly felt like I wasn't a smoker who quit, but a real non-smoker. My mom handed me some old pictures to look through before she tossed them and the first one I looked at had me holding a cigarette. My first thought was "That's back when I was a smoker".

 

But, to hit closer to home, the last real crave I had to light up was at 8 months. That was actually the hardest month to get through in some ways, but easier because I had a lot of non-smoking momentum going on.

[Patoolla]

It will happen, honest!  But for now, stay in the moment..one day at a time.  Maybe make a crave a useful tool, a reminder that you need to do one of your distractions, like deep breathing...stretching, journal about it...what triggered the crave.  That way it can be a learning tool instead of something difficult.  You did make a list of distractions, right?   :)  And I mean actually write them down.  We don't think clearly in the middle of a crave, keep your list handy.  For an example of a list, read my profile.  Read other profiles here too, that is a good one to put on your list.  LOL  I found as I was told, the better our quit plans, the fewer the craves.  Your doing super, hang in there!  Hugs, Patoolla   

[Sonic]

Hola folks,

 

Question for you.  At what point during your quit did you forget that you were a smoker or that you missed cigarettes?  I am so ansy to get to the stage that I don't think about cigarettes.  Please tell me you eventually get there....?

 

Thank you,

J

Took me like 3 weeks :)

[Boo]

I don't know that I will ever forget that I was a smoker.  I may get hit on the head by a coconut and develop amnesia, but life rarely plays out like an episode of Gilligan's Island.  That being said, after just a matter of a few weeks the whole process really started to make sense.  The simplicity of quitting became embedded in my mind and I figured out that the cravings are just the passing thoughts of an addicted mind and have no power on their own.  Since then, it has been smooth sailing.

 

In those first few days of a quit, the puzzle pieces look like a jumbled mess.  In short time the pieces start to fit together nicely.  And eventually, the pieces seemingly fall together on their own.  Just keep moving forward and you will get to exactly where you want to be.

[MarylandQuitter]

Hola folks,

 

Question for you.  At what point during your quit did you forget that you were a smoker or that you missed cigarettes?  I am so ansy to get to the stage that I don't think about cigarettes.  Please tell me you eventually get there....?

 

Thank you,

J

 

I've never forgotten that I was a smoker and I never want to.  It's when we let our guard down and become complacent that we start playing with fire and are in danger of taking that puff that we promised we'd never take.  As far as not thinking about cigarettes, I don't anymore and I can't remember when I stopped thinking about them in the same way that I did when I was a smoker or craving them after I quit.  The time varies for each person but I can tell you that lighting up a cigarette is so far removed from my thoughts that since I've quit, I've gone through a couple of crises and the thought of smoking wasn't present.  :)

 

Will I Ever Stop Thinking Of Cigarettes?

Most people overestimate how much of a battle staying smoke free will be once they quit smoking. This video discusses how people will generally stop thinking about smoking, and much sooner than they usually think.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8310BI-euJw&list=PL8EB359C247D3FE6C&index=13

 

Complacency

Video discussing the importance of not allowing yourself to become complacent after longer term success not smoking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZSktbwotI4&index=30&list=PL4F05C03D0F9B86DB

 

I Know Too Much About Smoking To Ever Relapse

Video discusses how some people may erroneously begin to think that when they fully understand all aspects of smoking and quitting that there is no way that they could ever relapse back to smoking again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMU8ON0G4G0

[Stewie]

5 months. First 5 months i wanted a cigarrete and then i suddenly didnt anymore. Then a few more months and the romance died. Right now is basically as if i never smoked. You´ll get there.

[bakon]

who cares. just dont smoke

[ChRiSpY]

Embrass it.

[Petra]

You definitely get there!  I'm not sure when it happened.  One day, you'll be just going along, and suddenly be like, "Wow, I haven't thought about smoking all day or in a few days or a while or whatever."

 

It's such a great feeling.  :)  It won't take long.  Keep saying NOPE, and it will be here before you know it.

[sgt.barney]

By day TWO - Sarge knew he was a non-smoker for life.

 

Not so much on that first day.

 

It took about 10 more months to get comfortable with that fact and forget all about smoking.

 

 

 

Easy Peasy

[Reciprocity]

Starting to think about it less and less often each day so I can now begin to see that there will be a time in the future when the thought of having a smoke will just not be there, or at least not very often. Getting comfortable with not smoking is gonna take a little time. Understandable as it's been a big part of my life for years and years now. But it's starting to feel really good being a non-smoker :)

[Doreensfree]

Yesssssss....time ..the monster gets weaker and weaker...and you get stronger and stronger...

[Boo]

Starting to think about it less and less often each day so I can now begin to see that there will be a time in the future when the thought of having a smoke will just not be there, or at least not very often. Getting comfortable with not smoking is gonna take a little time. Understandable as it's been a big part of my life for years and years now. But it's starting to feel really good being a non-smoker :)

 

And that, friends and neighbors, is how it's done.  Be patient with the process and eventually it all makes sense.

 

Good job Rec.