Today feels like i'm wading through treacle. Everything seems like a major effort and I can barely stay awake throughout the day. I'm assuming my brain doesn't know how to cope without the nicotine buzz and so opts for a kind of shut-down.
The other thing I keep coming up against are all the little gaps during my day which were previously taken up with smoking. I finish getting ready for work in the morning and then a little thought sequence pops through my head - sit down, have cigarette and then out the door. I'm beginning to realize that the addiction of smoking wasn't only about getting a nicotine hit but also about some sort of ritual that joins one bit of life up with the next.
I don't know if that makes much sense, my brain isn't functioning to clearly.
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Yes the time thing on a morning was a strange one at the beginning of my quit!!
I used to think, my god what do i do with all this time!! but now i see it as a positive, i have breakfast now-which used to be a fag and a coffee!! i am more relaxed and not rushing trying to fit in a fag!!!!
It all makes perfect sense to me. I was completely knackered for the first couple of weeks, partly because my sleep was interrupted by bizarre dreams (that's if I could get to sleep). My brain seemed to be a complete fuzz.
I agree that the ritual/habit is as hard or in my case harder to deal with than the actual nicotine addiction.
I got through by being prepared for missing out that ciggie and replacing it with something - eg a cadbury's choccie finger with a cuppa when I got home from work. Instead of the after dinner ciggie, I would wash up then switch on my laptop and catch up with what you lot have been doing.
It takes a while to break habits and re-programme your brain that has been used to these rituals for years. Don't expect to be able to snap out of the habits straight away - it takes time but its worth it!!
The others have really summed up exactly why you are feeling like you do. I also had a bad time probably the worst period was during week 2 days 8-10, worst than days 1-3.
Take comfort that im only a bit in front on day 29 and its a whole lot better now.
Hi Phil, I know how you feel. The most irritating part I'm finding in these early stages (I think I'm on day 10 as well...) is replacing those little time wasting cigarettes with something else.
Hiya - I am with you. Felt like I hit a brick wall on day 10, and came to this forum for help! Good news is that it gets a lot better from then on.... stick with it!
I know what you mean about the time. I used smoking to procrastinate. One more and then I'll do the laundry. One more and then I'll head out the door. Now I have to get things done. Also, I have no idea what to do on my work breaks. Experiencing the world as a nonsmoker is bizarre and must take some getting used to.
I know what you mean I don`t seem to have any breaks at work these days but to be honest I dont want to stand outside with the lads and freeze now I dont have too, It`s great isn`t it.
I know what you mean I don`t seem to have any breaks at work these days but to be honest I dont want to stand outside with the lads and freeze now I dont have too, It`s great isn`t it.
I still take a coffee and go to the smoking area for a chat from time to time. Can't miss out on all my breaks just cos I've quit, can I?
The good thing is that I get to choose when I go out... so not when it's raining or snowing! I do laugh at those coming in covered in snow.
The other thing I keep coming up against are all the little gaps during my day which were previously taken up with smoking. I finish getting ready for work in the morning and then a little thought sequence pops through my head - sit down, have cigarette and then out the door. I'm beginning to realize that the addiction of smoking wasn't only about getting a nicotine hit but also about some sort of ritual that joins one bit of life up with the next....
Slowly but surely the world will wake up to realise this sad, but never the less true, fact. It’s easier to quit when you know why you smoke and you don’t smoke for nicotine.
Sure, there’s summat in tobacco that physically effects us so that when we stop there are physical side-effects but minimising those effects are not the reason we smoked. Like standing on a drawing pin and then having to remove it or taking off a plaster you have to tolerate a small amount of pain to get better and the fact that we’ve conditioned ourselves to tolerate a level of poison in our system means it’s slightly uncomfortable when we stop.
That physical discomfort however can be pretty much erased over the course of a long weekend.
Stopping our compulsive habit on the other hand can take years to achieve and that is pretty much what we battle with from day 3 onwards. That’s what taps us on the shoulder when we’re drunk or calls at us from the shelves in the newsagent when we’re stressed, it’s not nicotine.
It’s easy to keep smoking when you can blame a fictitious cause and easier to justify a slip too. Once you accept that smoking just fills little holes in our lives, and they’re holes that we create, it’s far easier to find something else to plug the holes or even eradicate them altogether.
sorry you feel tired all the time am not sure your brain does miss the buzz from nicotine it is quite possible it is on oxygen overload and hasn't yet worked out how to cope
Once you accept that smoking just fills little holes in our lives, and they’re holes that we create, it’s far easier to find something else to plug the holes or even eradicate them altogether.
Don't be fooled. :rolleyes:
I'm stuck in a hole right now. Been tripping through quite a few of them today.
First time I have done any truly serious craving and it's day 10. Reading these posts fills the hole up a bit.
On a positive note: It is very nice to breathe through my nose again. Food is tasting better too.
Make no mistake, Day 10 is a bastard. Everyone says so (including me). There appears to be no rhyme or reason behind it, but it is just incredibly hard. The good news is that you only have 3 hours to get through before it gets easier.... Go gadget xx
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