Just had a small lightbulb appear over my head

[nsd_user663_2420]

After being on this forum for nearly a month (28 days tomoz), ive realised that there is number one thing that gets to people on here. It is the fact that no matter how ago you stopped smoking, be it ten miniutes or ten hours ago, you still think about having a fag. Now the thing is, because the thought is so strong and repeatative, it is interpetated as a craving for nicotine. This seems impossible as, for the people who have stopped for 3+ weeks at least, nicotine has totally left your system. It is NOT that powerful a drug to be craved past that point regardless of it being the most addictive in the world.

So boy and girlies what makes us crave so? Now im not gonna insult anyones intelligence and go on about how psyhocologial everyones addiction is etc because its unessisary. What i figured out is actually a lot simpler but is much more true to every one of us.

Its like this ...we crave smoking simply because we know what it is like. Before people start saying no shit sherlock take a sec to understand what im trying to say. Every damn thing we do in life can be done inseveral different ways. To use a ****ogy look at the foods we eat. we stopped eating for function centuries ago and most of us (apart from certain sportsmen) eat for taste. You try foods and because you know the consquenses of eating that food (taste etc) thats why some foods you try become part of your diet . My point is that everyone of us knows the consquenses of smoking but we still enjoyed the experience. We may say we hated the fact we smoked etc but at some point we coninvced ourselves that we did like it. When giving up something you once liked or love even if you hate it now is always gonna be hard. Ask any couple who have come out a long realtionship if you dont believe me - they will still have some previous memories that make them think about their partner and miss them ever so slightly no matter if the hate their guts now.

So what does this mean? that we are always gonna miss nicotine like a old boyfriend/girlfriend? errr..........no. Like i said we CONVINCED ourselves we liked to poison ourselves but the problem is even though we now think diffrently on the surface the subconsious programming is still there. When you first started smoking your mind assoisated the hit of nictione and most importantly the rush of other chemicals that a fag caused with whatever you was thinking when you lit up. This became so habitual that it got to the point that you couldnt even thik those thoughts without a fag in hand - hense the craving. Thats why a fag is used for so many different things..to aid digestion to be social etc...we were doing these things naturally but when doing them as a smoker we got a hit everytime we did them - making us believe we needed a hit to do them aka a craving

so back to my orignial point because we beleive at some level that to do certain things we get a hit we convince ourselves on some level that to funtion normally how we used to as a smoker we need that hit. That is what causes a craving well after our body has forgotten what nicotine feels like. Its the fact that we know smoking didnt do enough immediate damage (no body smoked their first fag and dropped down dead) and brought many supposed beniefts to our lives.

Now before i go on id like to point out i do think we are addicted to nicotine at first and part of giving up fags is dealing with that addiction. All im trying to say is that to be truely free we have to look at our addictive thoughts also because those are the things that can make a 20 year ex smoker pick up a box of 20 and puff away. At the end of the day i dont want to be wrestling with myself everyday not have a fag but the only way i or anyone else is gonna get to that stage is looking at why i want a fag

im sorry for the length of my post and also if my meaning isnt clear but i just wanted to give you another take on the situation. Thank you everyone for you help and comments so far - I dnt post very often because im busy with uni work etc but i still try and read everybodys posts when i can

take care and good luck with your quits

[nsd_user663_2443]

What would you say to someone who tries and succeeds to putting all thoughts of smoking out of their mind? I can do this fairly well at times, but I wonder if I should think more about it. At those times when I do think about it, those are my worst moments.

I'd be the first to admit to being a "head in the sand" type!

[nsd_user663_2541]

I feel that we also get down hearted with all the talk about 'Giving up'.

I prefer to think that I have 'got rid of' something that was killing me both in health and wealth.

When I have tried to quit in the past I ended up with a black cloud over me because I felt I was being deprived of something I liked. :confused:

This time I feel I am able to say 'Thank God that addiction is in the past'

It might only be 9 weeks since I stopped the fags but I am sure I will never go back.

Some days are better (or worse) than others but I am happy to be 'Smoke free' I do not resent it

Lex

[nsd_user663_2421]

Yea i see what you mean. i tell myself there was a point in your life before i thought i was clever to have a cig. that there was no place in my life for nic. i didnt think about it need it or even regester it existed. i realy dont know if i will ever be that free again, but i will die trying. xxx

[nsd_user663_2443]

Yea i see what you mean. i tell myself there was a point in your life before i thought i was clever to have a cig. that there was no place in my life for nic. i didnt think about it need it or even regester it existed. i realy dont know if i will ever be that free again, but i will die trying. xxx

But that point in my life was at age 14........40 yrs ago! I can't imagine myself now going back to age 14. So I'm finding myself in some kind of dream world where I'm playing a game. It is really very weird. I'm trying to convince myself that I don't smoke anymore, but wonder when the game will end and I can be myself again. Sorry to sound odd, but will there be a new me or will this stranger take over?

[nsd_user663_2231]

But that point in my life was at age 14........40 yrs ago! I can't imagine myself now going back to age 14. So I'm finding myself in some kind of dream world where I'm playing a game. It is really very weird. I'm trying to convince myself that I don't smoke anymore, but wonder when the game will end and I can be myself again. Sorry to sound odd, but will there be a new me or will this stranger take over?

Linlin, I think we all feel the same! I, although proud I don't smoke and have no desire to, still don't feel like the real me!!! I am a different person, I am now a non-smoker, and I haven't quite adjusted! - In all honesty Ifeel a bit lost, and total bore, and I don't know how to suppress the angry feelings I have (I think the cigarettes used to do that)!!

I also for no rational reason seem to "hate" my partner - or maybe I always hated his "ways" but cant suppress the anger now- I dunna - I'm confused:confused::confused: