Quitting is VERY HARD

[Jewel]

Good evening! I hope everyone is doing very well tonight! Winding up another successful, rough day! I'm so glad it's close to bedtime & I've had a very long day! The mind is powerful & I really need to leash it for my benefit! It is not working for me since I've decided to quit & seems to strongly be opposed! Random, strong thoughts, some lasting, some not but definitely not on board w/quitting! Going to make some sleepy time tea & sip on a couple cups. Hoping to distract self til I fall asleep!

[Doreensfree]

Your doing great Jewel...

In the early days ..all I managed was shouting NOPE all day..that and...

Take smoking off the table..I understood this..this addict is not to smoke no matter what was happening..

Keep climbing the rope ..x

[Dee]

Welcome Jewel been MIA for a few days and just saw this glad you found the Train. Good support and great people around this station

[Jewel]

Good afternoon! I get great feeling for a sec when i think I've quit smoking! Then some random crazy addicted thinking steps in... I've recently rcv'd a couple dxs due to a multitude of random symptoms, including brain fog & high anxiety. Quitting is going to be tough especially if I cant get other stuff in check, mainly the anxiety. Either way, I'll have to deal w/the anxiety, etc just not smoking little rough & hard. Seems my blood shows stuff being filtered out that i need & dangerous stuff not being filtered out that should. Like I said I'd rather not know some of the stuff going on but it got bad enough I had to get checked. And of course, Not Smoking is beneficial to everything wrong. Pending more tests but I've decided to wait to do. Rather blame it on quitting... I'm glad I found this group & sorry much of the time I'm kinda a basket case lately. Thank y'all! Tips on detoxing & quitting are Very Much Appreciated! ♥ NOPE ♥

[Doreensfree]

Quitting.. It helps our bodies..in ways we never thought of....

Some of the beniefts show almost right away..one of the biggest things I notice is the boost of energy I have..

I can do more now ..than I could 20 years ago...

Be patient itnwillmstart to get better...

Well done jewel...

[Reciprocity]

Good afternoon! I get great feeling for a sec when i think I've quit smoking! Then some random crazy addicted thinking steps in... I've recently rcv'd a couple dxs due to a multitude of random symptoms, including brain fog & high anxiety. Quitting is going to be tough especially if I cant get other stuff in check, mainly the anxiety. Either way, I'll have to deal w/the anxiety, etc just not smoking little rough & hard. Seems my blood shows stuff being filtered out that i need & dangerous stuff not being filtered out that should. Like I said I'd rather not know some of the stuff going on but it got bad enough I had to get checked. And of course, Not Smoking is beneficial to everything wrong. Pending more tests but I've decided to wait to do. Rather blame it on quitting... I'm glad I found this group & sorry much of the time I'm kinda a basket case lately. Thank y'all! Tips on detoxing & quitting are Very Much Appreciated! ♥ NOPE ♥

Everything you're feeling at the moment is completely normal and in line with early quit symptoms so trust us that you are completely normal in that regard. That brain fog makes things difficult but it will eventually clear. I had it bad too :)

 

For the really anxious moments (and there's lots of them early on) try some deep breathing. 8 or 10 long, slow deep breaths. This will slow your breathing down and relax you even if just slightly. Also, makes you focus on the breathing rather than the urge to smoke. Give that a try and see if it works for you.

 

You're doing great. Just keep pushing forward through these tough early days and soon, things will be come more manageable. It seems very intimidating in the beginning but you are stronger that the addiction is - or at least, smarter :)

[Jewel]

Hi! Yes,it's still hard! Actually much easier than first week! I'm still taking the easier, softer way w/nicotine patches. So I get to go through detox eventually. Consider the medical issues, I'll take it! Also stopped by another discussion & became interested in learning about copd. So, I'll continue on the nrt path & try to be glad everything will get better w/o smoking. It's very difficult & feeling little depressed. Glad I found this group. Finally I'm starting to realize away the horrors of smoking & totally unsure if I can stay quit! I just have to get through this minute by minute. Take care of my health & things will get better! Thank all of you for coming back & being there for newbies! (like me) Right now is all I do anything about & things always can be changed for the better. One more smoke free day! Cheers! Hope y'all have a great weekend!

[Jewel]

Darn, this is very hard! Without the patch, I really realize this is HARD, I still have much worse ahead & become very fearful of not being able to QUIT!

[Doreensfree]

It gets better ahead..just keep pushing forward...are you rewarding yourself.????

Treats are so important....it's your big pat on the back ,for all your hard work ...x

[Jewel]

No rewards. Up very late or real early having snacks for the 10th time,

instead of sleep. Really wanted sleep, was up til 6:30 this morning then woke up every 20-30 minutes after falling asleep...

[Doreensfree]

My sleep was really messed up too..after a few weeks it settled down..it can be draining..

Try some relaxing excersises...

Hope you get some rest tonight ..x

[Reciprocity]

Quitting does mess with our entire body and brain but it all works out in the end - you just have to trust us on that. I quit end of January this year and had a pretty serious sinus issue as soon as I quit, which was weird I thought. That lasted until just this month so almost 5 months!! It played havoc with my sleep patterns and that sucked big time but now things are getting better for me. You just have to power through the issues until they work themselves out. And, they always do so if you want to be smoke free for life, just stay quit!! Nope one puff ever. That's all there is to it.

 

You have enough time logged in now as a non-smoker, I guarantee you that if you put a cigarette in your mouth and lit it up, you would feel absolutely horrible within a minute of smoking it. Your mind thinks it needs a cigarette but your body is sooooo glad you have stopped putting those toxins into it!

[Boo]

Darn, this is very hard! Without the patch, I really realize this is HARD, I still have much worse ahead & become very fearful of not being able to QUIT!

 

Don't let doubt and hesitation creep in and chip away at your commitment.  Staying quit is a simple matter of never putting a cigarette in your mouth and lighting it on fire again.  Everything else is a continuation of the lies and conditioning perpetuated by addiction.

 

To smoke or not to smoke, the choice is yours and yours alone.  No reason to fear something that is entirely within your power.

 

Every quitter hits a point where it just clicks.  It is pretty much all smooth sailing after that.  The only way you get there is by relentless forward progress.

 

No looking back Jewel, you're a nonsmoker now.

[Jewel]

Another day coming to the finale! I hope everyone had a great day! My day was pretty good for the most part! Started dozing off after 6:xxa & every 20-30 minutes I would wake up until around 10a & I got up. Didn't sleep much & did effect some of my day. Anxiety medium to high most if the day.Starting to realize not everything is I feel is a craving/urge. My feelings, urges, etc, need to be differentiate. At first, I attributed everything to cravings & grab a lozenges or tried divert attention elsewhere. Usually lozenges & distraction. Now I'm realizing some anxiety or other feelings aren't always cravings. Although most of the feelings cause cravings! It's real important that I learn how to determine what I feel; a feeling or craving & how to deal w/it.Did any of you use anything to help you through the quitting process? Herbal supplements? (skullcap, lobelia, kava, etc) Vitamins? Nicotine Replacement? Vape? Prescriptions? If so, what, how did you use it & how did it work? I'm doing vitamins, supplements, NRT, mints, juice, anything I think will help.I'm going to lay down while waiting on my grandson to come home from party. It was great visiting & hope to talk w/you real soon! Until, have the the best of the bast, you deserve

[Jewel]

Thank you for your attention & replies! I love thinking I'm not a smoker. Although I feel like I need to have more time or do something to have that honor. Crazy... I have a lot of stinking thinking & have to be careful if it's actually a realistic thought or my addiction out for destruction or sabotage.

 

Physically, behaviorally & psychologically addicted, each & every one of those areas of my life are affected by my quitting!

 

Woohoo! Hip, hip, hooray! Celebration! 3 weeks ago today, I took the most important step & didn't smoke! Yay! I'm excited!

 

Thanks for being here & you a great listener! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

[Doreensfree]

One more week jewel... And you have 1 month done and dusted...

This is a massive achievement....what your accomplishing is flippin Amazin...

You are strong ..you are fighting ...

Can you imagine how horrible talking a puff would be now..your throat would burn..your lungs would hurt..

You would be devastated..no.keep marchin..

[Jewel]

Good afternoon! It's hard! I'm not filling my lungs w/smoke! I'm not killing myself slowly by breathing in nasty smoke! Nope! Not easy but working on it! Ñot today...

[Doreensfree]

 

What about the beniefts..can you smell things better...can you taste food better...

My nose had been dead for 52 years..I still get a buzz when I get a strong smell...cut grass..fab...

[Reciprocity]

Things will start to settle down a little more over the next while for you I'm sure as you're almost a full month into your quit. Your battle will not be over for sure but at least more manageable for you. Hang in there and you'll be fine. As Doreen said, think about the positives you are realizing and remember; always remember that smoking did nothing good for you. The whole time you smoked, you were just feeding an addiction in an endless cycle. Now you've broken that cycle - Good for YOU!!

[Jewel]

Good evening! Nearing the end of another SmokeFree day! It really does feel good to say that! Thank You All So Much for the encouragement! I'm really dealing w/a lot & quitting is more than enough alone!

Haven't felt very good today & didn't make it to the store for sleepytime tea! But on a high note, felt so bad I only had a couple lozenges! That's great, I've really been using a lot of those & even when I was sick I'd smoke! These are great!

Anxiety up & down today, another plus. Entering into late evening winding up unfortunately.

Taste & smell, things may taste little different but haven't noticed much change yet. I'm oversensitive to smell when smoking.

I hope you all are having a wonderful Monday & get a great night sleep! Its still early here but I'd love to be able to call it a night!

[Jewel]

Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose!

[Doreensfree]

Hope you feel a bit better today... Some of us sail through it all..some of us not so..

I felt kinda battered for a while..but knew I wouldn't give in...no matter what...

I down loaded Allen Carr the Easy Way to stop smoking on my I pod...so in between music ..I would listen to him..

He kept me grounded...I had a punching pillow pillow too...

I drew a face on it..not saying who...but had so much fun ..punching it across the room...such fun...

I was like a wound up spring...

Find what works for you...it might be a nice relaxing bath with candles...

[Jewel]

Good day! I'm so glad to be here & not smoking! I believe this although I miss much of that ugly smoking habit, o including the nasty taste! I remember many times not liking it & wishing I didn't have it but I miss it. Strange but true. I'm off to another SmokeFree day! It's amazing how easy it was to give it up but yet SI HARD. Weeks, months, years of thinking about it but never making decision that would end it! I have much work to do still to be free from the nicotine & it is so hard dealing with the anxiety I feel. One step, day at a time & I'm still doing minutes & seconds to get manage to make it through the day.

Off & running! I'm glad I don't feel quite as alone! It's a little bit easier & I look forward to seeing replies. Please share your experience, it would be much appreciated! Enjoy a beautiful non smoking day!

Free yet not...

[Doreensfree]

Jewel..

Well done ,having another smoke free day..this is how we all did it...taking it day by day..

Keep reading here..all old posts too...fhere is always something that hits home...and the information sticks...

I remember repeating NOPE.. At least a million times a day..

I can only promise you..the magic will happen... Different stages for different folks..but it always happens..

You have you keep your precious quit of course...

[Jewel]

Darn cravings are really strong today! Only cravings!!! Pesky little devils & quite possibly very convincing! Really want to take the fast way to be total free from addiction! Honestly I never pictured myself as non smoker & as I've stated everyday, 'it's hard'.