I am quitting smoking - but I feel a strong urge to smoke

AstroRocket

You're doing really great don't give up now. I know its really hard at first, but once you get past that wall its smooth sailing.
I went cold turkey, haven't had a ciggy in 2 years? My uncle is finding it harder to quit so he used the gum? Maybe that's something you can try?

A_Warrior_Princess

I love all of the advice. Today is my Day 1 of quitting smoking and I am going to use your advice to help me get through this!!

emsoquena

I first decided to quit smoking about six months ago. I was doing well for about a month, then I did it again. But I wasn't a chain smoker or anything, I didn't even do it daily.

I decided again to quit smoking two months ago and so far, so good. Not a single stick has touched these lips. What motivated me was my goal to lose weight by exercising and training. I can't train harder if my lungs are not functioning properly, right? Yeah, I think that's good enough motivation.

jxspxr

Thanks! Well I really think it was hard when I wrote the OP - I was quite desperate and very close to giving up - but now that time has passed, my body forgot about nicotine - I hardly have any cravings anymore.

This is great and I think this is the same for most people - nicotine addiction requires nicotine as a fuel - when the flow of nicotine stops for more then 7-10 days, the addiction is gone.

What's left is the memory that smoking is a nice thing to do - that is the thing I am challenging right now. I don't have any good reasons to smoke left. The other thing that's left is the occasional craving in extreme situations - for me under extreme stress. These are the moments that I pick up smoking again. Well, now I know that those cravings are coming back during the rest of my life, but they will be only a couple of minutes long. I am willing to pay the price of the discomfort of those short cravings, intense how they may be - smoking would create so much more discomfort in my life, it is in no a solution to those rare uncomfortable moments.

What I've also learned since starting this thread is that the solution for me is just to chew gum, take a walk and/or drink some water - those actions actually help to keep stress low, smoking doesn't. I actually believe smoking may increase stress.

So, it's going well!

Good to hear that others quit too (emsoquena, Iludeking, kloekiss, beachgod, alienredqueen). Great to hear! Keep on going, never let your guard down! Iludeking - good to hear that the advice helps you and that you started to quit! Feel free to keep on posting! The first week will be tough, but remember after that it will be so much easier! I hope you get there!

Seeker64

Hi Kate, you may want to try this to help you quit smoking for good - a better alternative - something natural, non-chemical (medication) and relaxing to stop / quit smoking - http://www.energetixhealing.co.za/content/stop-smoking -
I hope this information helps!
Best wishes

Seeker64

Well done! You have strong will power

KANGOOJUMPS

I quit
but I always want one

Seeker64

Yikes ... that's hectic! Hope you've quit smoking for good now?

Lochlyn_D

I quit 13 months ago, cold turkey. I quit marijuana at the same time too. For me, I was just done with it. I am 27, smoked since I was 13, weed since 16. I was just disgusted and mad and done with it. I quit and on day three I had a puff which made me want to vomit, and I knew I would never go back. In 13 months I have never craved one. I am around smokers all the time, and pot smokers. It's never even a thought in my head.

I think you just have to want not to smoke more than your body wants the nicotine. You're on day five, so all the cravings and urges are in your head. Mind over matter: If you don't mind, it don't matter.

Here is a surefire way to quit. Buy a pack of cigarettes. Lace one with arsenic or something equally deadly. Have a buddy mix it into the pack so you don't know which one it is. Then every time you go for a smoke, remember that it could literally be the one that kills you.

Seeker64

Hi Lauren, as you want to quit smoking, try this natural, non chemical and relaxing alternative http://www.energetixhealing.co.za/content/stop-smoking - I hope this helps you to reach your goal. Best of luck

jxspxr

Thanks everyone for your posts!

I must admit that I smoked another cigarette about 1.5 week ago. And a cigar 2-3 weeks ago. Quite stupid, on both occasions I saw people I knew smoking and we had a good time, but I should have resisted.
The good thing is that I haven't thought about smoking since and before those "sins" I didn't smoke for 2 weeks or so.

Smoking is really not on my mind, I don't feel a need for it in my everyday life; smoking seems like something I did in a previous life.

Now I am doing a lot of sports and I feel that exercising help to remove the need for smoking; exercising gives good feelings, reduces stress, it's a time alone to think, or a social time when doing sports alone. All of these things I also had while smoking, but instead doing sports is healthy - so the idea to go smoking again is really ridiculous to me. If I feel stressed, I just take a walk or a run - works a lot better.

Jim_1960

YOU CAN QUIT. Stay strong. I used an electronic cigarette to help me :-)

^^^ This. I am over a month with mine and haven't felt the urge to smoke at all.
In fact I have reduced the nicotine level in the e-liquid and am now investigating no-nicotine liquids.

It does get easier. Hang in there the benefits are amazing.

angiewf

Please try to keep it up, smoking is so bad for you! My mother died at only 58 because you had emphysema and wouldn't stop smoking.She got pneumonia and coupled with the emphysema it killed her.
IN Britain the NHS promote October as 'STOPtober' month for smokers. If you Google STOPtober you might find some good advice.

kak1018

I quit 4 years ago. I have a mother who is on oxygen and had several health issues from smoking, it scared me straight. The first 3 months were all about changing habits, chewing gum in the car, talking on the phone after dinner, making a nice cup of tea during a time I would smoke. For me it was like breaking up with a friend, so I had to find ways to fill that time and void in a sense. Once I established new habits and routines it got much easier. I avoided alcohol and smokers for that three month period too which I found can be triggers. It gets easier but cravings still occur for me occasionally. I love being a non smoker so every time I think about starting again or buying them I smell my hair or my coat, go for a run with ease and remind myself to never look back. Good luck to all of you! Watching my mother suffer from the effects of smoking and the guilt she is tortured with for doing this to herself is heart wrenching. Keep at it and don't look back, establish healthy new habits, you will never regret it!

zarazuss

I always admired people who were able to 'just quit smoking'. I tried several times, but ended up gaining weight, loosing concentration, feeling terrible, and switching back to cigarettes. It's all about having the will, and making it a must for yourself (finding enough reasons to quit) - I guess I never managed to do that.

But what I did manage is to switch to electronic cigarettes. I know it's not the same as quitting, but I feel like I never smoked in my life. I regained my fitness and condition, my skin looks great, my teeth are white again, I breathe with all my lungs...

I reduced the amount of nicotine to minimum, and am planning on switching to 0% nicotine now. There was no stress, no side-effects, no weight gain…

I'm not trying to say that e-cigarettes are better than stopping smoking, but they are definitely better than going back to regular cigarettes. So if anyone is having doubts, I would recommend giving them a try.
The best brand I tried so far is V2 ( http://ismokehealthy.net/ ), although there are a lot of quality brands available on the market today.

Either way, I hope you stick to your decision to stop smoking and bring your life to a new level.

Cheers,
Zara

yogapoli

I've known several people who have told me the same thing about their new life with electronic cigarettes. Not all of them have agreed, though. So it appears the reviews are mixed. My dad used to smoke and did a detox program that was quite successful. Especially considering that he had quit three times before and ended up smoking again (each time was different, but it was within six months to four years later). So it seems the detox program on http://haltsmoking.net was the thing that helped him stay a non-smoker for good.

cmira5ol

Good for you. My first day without a cigarette was May 22, coming up to 6 months soon. Some of the benefits are, I feel cleaner, I don't stink like cigarettes, health, etc.

I used the patch to take care of the physical part, like nicotine withdrawals. For the behavioral part, I chewed on cinnamon toothpicks, sucked on sugar free hard candy, stopped going to the same smoke break spots, and I told everyone as to keep me accountable.

Again, good for you and hang in there. You may be irritable and uncomfortable but go ahead and be irritable and uncomfortable.

rduhlir

I have been smoke free since December of last year. I did it with Chantix and I still had cravings. I have cravings to this day sometimes. And you will too. And that is okay. The key is to recognize them as cravings and just try and control yourself. The cravings will get easier to combat and won't last as long the longer you have been quit. You just have to find a way to combat them. For me it is thinking about how picking back up smoking will basically be me tossing the half marathon I just did into the trash and chosing instead tar filled lungs.