Day #1
I’m new to this group and to be perfectly honest - today is my QUIT
day. Day #1. I feel terrible too - that’s why I decided to look on
the ‘net’ for assistance. I’m using the patch, so hopefully in a few
weeks, months and years, I’ll be one of the one’s who can sucessfully
say that I’m a ex-smoker. To be honest I swear I wish I never even
started. Why was it important to me then to try and be cool -
especially since there’s nothing cool about smoking. Nothing at all.
Well enough of my “monkey on the back” talk.
For all of you ex-smokers, how long did it take for the cravings to go
away? At least the serious deep ones? You know the ones associated
with Day #1, #2 and #3? Any advice for a Day #1 ex-smoker? Believe me
I need all of the support and assistance that I can get.
If I feel like this from cigarettes, I wonder how alcoholics and drug
addicts feel?
January 21st, 2007 at 5:19 pm
<< For all of you ex-smokers, how long did it take for the cravings to go
away? At least the serious deep ones? You know the ones associated
with Day #1, #2 and #3? Any advice for a Day #1 ex-smoker? Believe me
I need all of the support and assistance that I can get.
Like Cori I have been quit for about 6 weeks.
My experience has been similar in many ways
to hers, although I never used the patch.
The advice I would give is the same… use the
techniques and take advantage of Steve’s
fantastic, generous coaching and the support of
people on this list. I really never thought I would
be able to quit. Yet it has been incredibly easy,
surprisingly.
What has been most difficult for me is the emotional
withdrawal, ie, breaking the association of using
cigarettes as an emotional comfort, as I have been
going through a difficult time in my life circumstances.
It’s my understanding that there is some kind of
grieving, a real sense of loss, if you have smoked for
a very long time (for me it was about 20 years).
As much as I may have hated smoking, in many
cases for me it felt like “my only friend” — (some friend)
— when going through difficult times.
It has helped me very much to accept and expect
this emotional part, and continue to breathe through
any urges which arise. As Cori wrote, the urge lasts
only a couple of seconds. I have discovered there will
usually then be many hours beforeI get another urge –
in fact, many hours before I even remember that I
was ever a smokier.
The deep breaths and stretches really DO satisfy
the urge for a smoke. At least for me, this is so. My
body wants air, it wants focus, stress relief. It does NOT
want smoke, carbon monoxide, tar, nicotene, heavy
metals, poisonous additives, and all that. It just wants
air. I am SO happy to have quit. Even when it has felt
hard, I have felt SO glad. I do NOT want to be a
smoker! This is my rock, this understanding. It is
very doable, for anyone who wants to quit.
Annie