New Here-When does it end?
Hello all. Just found this group so thought I’d jump right in. I
just passed my 7th month smoke-free but am having TERRIBLE cravings
last week and this. I’ve also just begun to have the smoking
dreams. They don’t alarm me only seem to made the cravings worse.
Any insight? Thanks. Connie
PS-I’ve been smoking/drinking for 30 years and gave up alcohol two
weeks before the cigs (quitting both so closed was unintentional, I
assure you!)
October 22nd, 2004 at 5:16 am
Wish I could tell you but I am still smoking! Grrrr…the weekends
are so hard for me, if I get at all bored it’s like I can “give
myself something to do” by smoking. Yes, I know it is stupid. But
it is like a freind to me, and I feel like I am in mourning because I
am losing that friend. The Zyban still does not seem to be curbing my
urge to smoke though I would definitely say that the lack of appetite
and dry mouth side effects are already kicking in.
From my previous quits, I don’t remember having bad *physical*
cravings past the 2 week mark, or are these more psychological? Well
done on quitting both cigs and alcohol, that must have been *very*
tough!
Marian
— In CognitiveQuitSmoking@y…, “austingirl56″ <austingirl56@y…
October 22nd, 2004 at 12:31 pm
— In CognitiveQuitSmoking@y…, “austingirl56″ <austingirl56@y…
Hi Connie and welcome to cog quit - its the best group I know of and
I’m really glad that I found it at the beginning of my quit.
I’m Indi and I’ve been quit now for 10 months and can really identify
with your ‘terrible cravings’.
Now you and I both know that these ‘cravings’ are not actually
cravings for the nicotine as our bodies are well used to being
without the substance.
By the way congratulations on giving up drinking and smoking that is
some achievement.
I gave up drinking some years ago and don’t think, in fact know for
sure, that I couldn’t have given up smoking as well - not unless I’d
found cog quit of course.
I had some terrible cravings a few weeks ago but thanks to this way
of thinking I was able to identify that what was happening to me
wasn’t really cravings cos I sure didn’t want to smoke - smoking does
not appeal to me in any way shape or form.
There is nothing I can think of that is pleasurable abut smoking, it
is of no benefit to me, won’t change the way I am feeling/thinking so
there is no point to it at all.
Early on in my quit I made my foundation statement which said
something to the effect that I had made a decision to be a non smoker
and that no matter how uncomfortable things got smoking was not an
option.
This has helped me to deal with these ‘cravings’ - now drinking is
another story because if I did drink then it would alter the way I am
feeling/thinking!!!! BUT for me again it is not an option as
although it would alter my perception at the time I would have to
wake up and face whatever was going on for me. And I certainly don’t
think I could deal with the after effects of alcohol now.
I had a thought today about this ‘wanting’ something and thinking it
was a cig I wanted.
I was stripping the walls and ceiling in my bedroom (decorating
again) and got hit with the ‘want a cig’ thingy from Warren!!
Now I knew it wasn’t a cig I wanted, that wasn’t what my body was
telling me. It was a break I needed but all of my life I have
resisted just ’sitting/lying/being and doing nothing. For some
reason it seems wrong to me - so when it is break time I believe I
need to be doing/having something in order to justify me having that
break.
Since I quit smoking, in the beginning when I took a break it usually
involved putting something into my mouth like chocolate - hee hee.
But now I am learning to accept that I can have a break and just do
nothing if that is what I choose/need to do and that its ok to do
nothing.
Honestly 10 months into my quit and its still like a light going on
when I realise things like this. So I’ve gotten through my day
of ’stripping’ by taking my regular breaks to just do nothing, making
sure I stopped to eat and drink and apart from the first time there
have been no more ‘cravings’.
Hope that helps Connie - but no doubt Steve will come on later and
put it all so succinctly cos I do tend to ramble on a bit.
Once again well done on your quit and nice to have you on board -
make sure you read the files - join us in spinchat - most of us have
some sort of instant messenger and talk to each other when we can.
I’m in the UK so not sure of time difference where you are but feel
free to contact me off list if you want to.
Namaste
Indi