How is it after half a year?: Hi there guys... - No Smoking Day

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How is it after half a year?

NicFirth profile image
NicFirth10 Years Smoke Free
14 Replies

Hi there guys and gals,

how do find the desire to smoke after 6 months?

I know that when I quit previously I craved regularly, and eventually caved after the best part of a year. Then I had quit for other people rather than myself which I have this time, which is what seems to be making it easier not saying its all plain sailing though.

I wonder how others feel on a day to day basis once they have quit, and how long it takes to get to a point where you no longer think of smoking?

Cheers

Nic

Written by
NicFirth profile image
NicFirth
10 Years Smoke Free
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14 Replies
nsd_user663_2981 profile image
nsd_user663_2981

Well I quit five months ago yesterday and I still think about smoking everyday, although not in a longing way.

When I wake up in the morning it is no longer the first thing in my mind nor is it still in me to want to smoke after a meal. I truly feel like a non smoker now and (quote) still can't get over the joy of being free! I'm so glad I made the decision to stop and stuck at it, even in the testing times.

I no longer have to remind myself I don't smoke either. For a few weeks I would forget and go looking for my ciggies but that never happens now. I can drink alcohol now too.

It's weird but I believe everyone can feel like this if they really want to.

Tomatpots profile image
Tomatpots10 Years Smoke Free

I quit nearly nine months ago and the only time I normally think about smoking now is when I log on here.

I knew from very early on, that I would never smoke again because I educated myself and got my head in the right place.My brother in law still craves after 4 years! He gave up for his young children, very noble but I believe you have to WANT to give up

nsd_user663_3554 profile image
nsd_user663_3554

i gave up for myself.i still have urges to smoke but i do not dwell on them.i smoked my most of my childhood and all of my adult life so not to smoke takes some getting used to.i set a goal in my head for a year.figured if i could do it for a year i will be done with them...

PrudencePotts profile image
PrudencePotts

Unfortunately I still think about smoking on a daily basis. I quit CT but I did read Allen Carr which helped.

I am 59 and smoked from 13. That's a long time. I love being someone who doesn't smoke. I don't consider I am a non-smoker. Too many years for that. I go day to day, week to week, month to month ..NINE MONTHS TODAY

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE .......... ALL YOU YOUNGSTERS ........STOP NOW!!!!!!!!!!

NicFirth profile image
NicFirth10 Years Smoke Free

Well that confirms its a long haul.

I suppose its with you to a greater or lesser extent for ever, the nicodemon is sitting on your shoulder trying to get your attention.

Thanks for your replies.

Its always best to know your enemy.

Cheers

Nic

nsd_user663_3356 profile image
nsd_user663_3356

I quit nearly nine months ago and the only time I normally think about smoking now is when I log on here.

I knew from very early on, that I would never smoke again because I educated myself and got my head in the right place.My brother in law still craves after 4 years! He gave up for his young children, very noble but I believe you have to WANT to give up

I totally agree Tomatpots!!

I will have stopped 6 months on Saturday and i rarely think of ciggies. I reckon its because of the reasons you give above, education and "head right" for the quit!!!!

nsd_user663_1733 profile image
nsd_user663_1733

I quit Jan the first this year. I think about smoking everyday but like pru said im 51 and been smoking since i was 17 so its not going to go in a few months. But when I hit some stress now its not the first thing i think of. But saying all that I do hope by next new year im not thinking about it Every day HEHE xxxx

nsd_user663_2892 profile image
nsd_user663_2892

I've just hit my 6 month yesterday, and feel marvelous, don't miss the fags at all, and know I will never smoke again :)

The longest I had stopped previously was 8 months, and earlier on in my quit, I used to think, "Once I get past the 8 month mark, I'll know I've cracked it " .... (excuse me) BOLLOCKS!

In my previous quits, I believed I was "giving up" something good, therefore I would always crave that which I had sacrificed.

This time, I am one of the ones who have read, read, read, and totally re-educated myself on the subject of quitting. I am giving up nothing, sacrificing nothing. I am doing what I really want to do - ie, be a non-smoker.:D

easy peesy :;)

nsd_user663_2981 profile image
nsd_user663_2981

I love how this thread has brought out the feistyness in people.

The common thread running through the relatively painless and (so-far) successful quits (nothing in life is certain except death and taxes) is to read read read, and although i've said it to hundreds of members I doubt the majority take that advice. I suppose there will always be those who want to suffer, prove their point to whoever and then happily go back to smoking their brains out.

The best thing anyone can do is get their heads straight, understand addiction and then stub out yer stinkin fag and get on with your life. Never doubt the decision. As soon as you doubt it, it will turn to sh1t, so realise you are doing yourslf a favour.

Good Luck to anyone who is thinking of quitting - trust me it ain't so bad. There are worse things in life and it gets soooooooo much easier far quicker than you would think.

nsd_user663_3356 profile image
nsd_user663_3356

I love how this thread has brought out the feistyness in people.

The common thread running through the relatively painless and (so-far) successful quits (nothing in life is certain except death and taxes) is to read read read, and although i've said it to hundreds of members I doubt the majority take that advice. I suppose there will always be those who want to suffer, prove their point to whoever and then happily go back to smoking their brains out.

The best thing anyone can do is get their heads straight, understand addiction and then stub out yer stinkin fag and get on with your life. Never doubt the decision. As soon as you doubt it, it will turn to sh1t, so realise you are doing yourslf a favour.

Good Luck to anyone who is thinking of quitting - trust me it ain't so bad. There are worse things in life and it gets soooooooo much easier far quicker than you would think.

Both WkdFairy and Onemoretry have mentioned it and i have been advocating it since i joined the forum. I would like to know from anyone else who thinks that EDUCATION about your quit is one of the key factors in a successful quit!

Please let us know what you think on this as we may just have found out something important. :D

nsd_user663_3554 profile image
nsd_user663_3554

It took me years to educate myself that i was a bloody idiot shovelling chemicals down my throat that had a very good chance of killing me sooner rather than later.

When i decided last January that enough was enough i decided to quit there and then i did not set a date or read up on quitting i just dived in head first.

Later in my quit after i joined the forum i did have a look at some of the quitting help sites actually I'm glad i did not go into them before i quit or they would have put me off.In my opinion most of the sites made quitting sound much more difficult than it really was.The biggest help for me was this forum i was with people going through exactly the same thing as i was i could relate to them.I did nothing but post stuff on here for the first few weeks admittedly most of it was crap but it was a tremendous help.

Good post Phil very true....I know I will never go back to smoking again...

nsd_user663_2981 profile image
nsd_user663_2981

Well the difference between this quit for me and previous quits is that in the past I truly believed I was 'giving up', it wasn't until this quit that I busted the myth.

For example, I always believed that smoking relaxed me. An example is when my boyfriend was ill and I had to call the doctor to the house. I had to do this a number of times. I believed that by continuing to smoke I had something to 'relax me' during those tense moments. When I thought about quitting I always thought 'what if it happens again? what will i have to relax me and calm me down?'. It was like i believed the cigarettes were doing something for me, now i understand that the stress of the whole situation causes my body to lose nicotine faster, thus making my cravings for a cigarette worse and hey presto! better the reward when I got my hit! In the times since quitting I have had stressful times and by prop a*n*a*lysis I have been able to ascertain that the situation would have been improved had I not smoked because i wouldn't have had the extra bloody problems with nicotine addiction.

There are no doubt people on this forum who couldn't understand heroin addiction, don't know why people 'need' to do that.

Well I am no rocket scientist, but I know that smoking actually raises your blood pressure for 20 minutes so the relaxation is an illusion from the start.

Once I had busted that myth (thanks to AC books) I decided to investigate the rest of the illusions and gradually began to understand the nature of nicotine addiction. You wouldn't do anything for a smoke, if someone evil came from outerspace and told you told you that your childrens heads would all explode if you took another puff then i have no doubt that you would 'kick your habits' pretty fast!

I'll keep telling people to read, but there are the whingers out there who love to suffer and don't want to stop.

If you do then read.

nsd_user663_2497 profile image
nsd_user663_2497

Unsurprisingly I'm also a big afficianado of the 'read read read' school of thought. I cant be anything but, after it worked so well for me.

Its funny, but I didnt particularly intend to do anything like that, but thats how it turned out. Initially I read, and completely fell for, Neil Caseys The Nicotine Trick, and boom, that set me on the road. I've read two Allen Carr books and lord knows how many editorials, opinions, articles, e-books, and news items ever since then. For basically a whole year in all truth. If there was Smoking classes at Universities i'd deffo pass with Honours.

After four months quit I joined here in November and it itensified again really, due to the nature of posting here. It sounds daft, but at some point when you understand as much as you can and know your enemy inside and out, something clicks in your mind. See Neo finally understanding the Matrix at the end of the film. Honestly, its a hard slog, and some people cant sit at a computer for looooong spells reading stuff, but in the end its worth it. You cant pass an exam without studying, so to speak.

Just read.

And then some more.

PrudencePotts profile image
PrudencePotts

Along with Supervillain, I too read Neil Casey and then someone gave me Allen Carr's book as a birthday present (!).

I work on the theory contained in both books that "i haven't given anything up.. it is something I have stopped doing"

I don't have a problem with any of this. I KNOW I won't ever become a smoker again but there is no doubt, something niggles and I DO still miss it - in a very perverse way.

Perhaps it is getting time for me to stop logging on ... Is it just keeping it to the forefront of my mind?

PP

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