1 month and struggling

[nsd_user663_8645]

Hi People.

well this is my first post,

I am 24 years old and have smoked around 10 a day for the last 7 or 8 years.

More or less exactly a month ago I finally decided enough was enough and this quit felt different than when I had tried in the past, I was far more determined.

The first week was hard but it got easier, I started to get cravings that would pulse, one minuite I would be fine then the next my brain would tell me to go to a petrol station and buy some.

I managed to get a handle on this and the last 3 weeks were quite easy, Ive just been struggling for the last few days, not cravings as such just being obsessed with smoking all day long, its all that i seem to think about.

Ive had the mood swings around the third week and I dont fancy that again, I got really depressed but im over that now, that lasted around 2 days

Ive even thought about starting again and then giving it a few months and quitting using NRT, thinking that that way would be easier. Since I quit cold turkey. I know thats some weird craving and that to start smoking after 4 weeks would be devastating!" I have had zero slips but feel that now it isnt getting easier, i feel that I can keep on putting the weeks in but unless it gets easier I will never feel that I have stopped forever.

What I want to know is when does it get easier, I know no one can tell me the point when I do not want to buy more cigarettes but is there another stage where it gets easier like I found after the first week.?

Because I am relatively young to stop smoking, It seems to me that most people dont stop till they are 40+, I dont have as many reasons to stop as other quitters, for example. I have plenty of money to smoke if i want to, I dont have any kids to see grow up etc etc. And despite being so determined over the past month I can feel myself start to wobble a bit. although i am still strong and feel that I can do it.

I strongly believe that quitting is all about understanding my addiction, and since ive never lasted past a week before I dont know what is normal or what is going to happen after 2 months or 3 months etc

Anyone got a Magic wand?

[nsd_user663_3282]

Hi, Quitter.

I'm pretty sure that all you've written is exactly how others felt in their 1 month or so. It's a strange experience and as you've now realised not just about getting the nicotine out of your system. You have set up a habit in the time that you smoked. That needs to be dealt with and each time that you resist the craves or the wee suggestive voice you are slowly but surely unpicking that habit.

I'm sure there is no advantage to just throw away your successful 1 month for the opportunity to quit using NRT. Someone mentioned a while ago that CT quitting is a far more successful path. I'm not really sure as there are many others here who've quit using different methods. When you think about it ultimately we all have to go CT eventually.

However, there is a something that you can do to make things easier for yourself and that is to read and educate yourself as to what you are going through as you are taking this journey from smoker to non smoker. You could also have a look at the links in my sig which have helpful information on pretty much all aspects of stopping smoking.

Keep doing what you are, learn more and things will get easier for you.

Cav

[nsd_user663_4847]

Hi People.

well this is my first post,

I am 24 years old and have smoked around 10 a day for the last 7 or 8 years.

More or less exactly a month ago I finally decided enough was enough and this quit felt different than when I had tried in the past, I was far more determined.

The first week was hard but it got easier, I started to get cravings that would pulse, one minuite I would be fine then the next my brain would tell me to go to a petrol station and buy some.

I managed to get a handle on this and the last 3 weeks were quite easy, Ive just been struggling for the last few days, not cravings as such just being obsessed with smoking all day long, its all that i seem to think about.

Ive had the mood swings around the third week and I dont fancy that again, I got really depressed but im over that now, that lasted around 2 days

Ive even thought about starting again and then giving it a few months and quitting using NRT, thinking that that way would be easier. Since I quit cold turkey. I know thats some weird craving and that to start smoking after 4 weeks would be devastating!" I have had zero slips but feel that now it isnt getting easier, i feel that I can keep on putting the weeks in but unless it gets easier I will never feel that I have stopped forever.

What I want to know is when does it get easier, I know no one can tell me the point when I do not want to buy more cigarettes but is there another stage where it gets easier like I found after the first week.?

Because I am relatively young to stop smoking, It seems to me that most people dont stop till they are 40+, I dont have as many reasons to stop as other quitters, for example. I have plenty of money to smoke if i want to, I dont have any kids to see grow up etc etc. And despite being so determined over the past month I can feel myself start to wobble a bit. although i am still strong and feel that I can do it.

I strongly believe that quitting is all about understanding my addiction, and since ive never lasted past a week before I dont know what is normal or what is going to happen after 2 months or 3 months etc

Anyone got a Magic wand?

No magic wand but can really relate, if you haven't had the chance read some of the links in my sig, wasn't a magic wand but did help when things got tough.

You've done the hard part, now it's re-education and learning to adapt to your new self, don't give up. Keep on going , post , rant, rave and read!

M

[nsd_user663_8469]

Hang on in there please ...

Hi Quitter,

Did you say you had quit cold turkey? I have been interested to read the different symptoms people are having and I try to take note of how they are quitting as this seems to make a difference to quit/symptom pattern.

Anyway, i quit cold turkey too just under 5 weeks ago and I have had an almost identical experience to you where I also got to the point where the "thinking" about it constantly after thinking that I had conquered it had got me wondering if it would be better to start again if i was going to feel like this all the time ... HOWEVER ... see my post yesterday in the '1 month' forum "Who amI now" and see the positive repsonses that it does get better .. it helped me loads to understand that and my weekend hasn't been completely plain sailing ... but it has been the best one yet .. perhaps because it feels like this really is achievable.

I know how hard it is but please try and stick with it ... like you I have no children etc but we may have one day ... let me tell you what my four year old Nephew told me today when I said there would be no more smelly cigarettes next time he came to stay:

"That's brillaint Aunty Jo-Jo you are doing really well not smoking" ... I think Nanny told him to say that but one day he won't even remember I smoked. There is always a positive reason to do this.

Jodi xx

[nsd_user663_8277]

Hi People.

well this is my first post,

I am 24 years old and have smoked around 10 a day for the last 7 or 8 years.

More or less exactly a month ago I finally decided enough was enough and this quit felt different than when I had tried in the past, I was far more determined.

The first week was hard but it got easier, I started to get cravings that would pulse, one minuite I would be fine then the next my brain would tell me to go to a petrol station and buy some.

I managed to get a handle on this and the last 3 weeks were quite easy, Ive just been struggling for the last few days, not cravings as such just being obsessed with smoking all day long, its all that i seem to think about.

Ive had the mood swings around the third week and I dont fancy that again, I got really depressed but im over that now, that lasted around 2 days

Ive even thought about starting again and then giving it a few months and quitting using NRT, thinking that that way would be easier. Since I quit cold turkey. I know thats some weird craving and that to start smoking after 4 weeks would be devastating!" I have had zero slips but feel that now it isnt getting easier, i feel that I can keep on putting the weeks in but unless it gets easier I will never feel that I have stopped forever.

What I want to know is when does it get easier, I know no one can tell me the point when I do not want to buy more cigarettes but is there another stage where it gets easier like I found after the first week.?

Because I am relatively young to stop smoking, It seems to me that most people dont stop till they are 40+, I dont have as many reasons to stop as other quitters, for example. I have plenty of money to smoke if i want to, I dont have any kids to see grow up etc etc. And despite being so determined over the past month I can feel myself start to wobble a bit. although i am still strong and feel that I can do it.

I strongly believe that quitting is all about understanding my addiction, and since ive never lasted past a week before I dont know what is normal or what is going to happen after 2 months or 3 months etc

Anyone got a Magic wand?

Hi, i am in the same situation as you, 1 month, now, 30 now,, so not yet 40, all my friends or people i know smoke.. its bloody difficult..

[nsd_user663_8277]

Hiya Ryan

I know how tough it is, i remember the pain some days

Hang in there and be proud of you because your no smoke life will become so much more do-able soon buddy

BIG Congrats on 30 days of choosing not to line your body with gunk!!

Keep Strong

Chrissie

Hi Chrissie,

Thanks for the advice, will hang in there, i need to beat this habit, down, the big problem is constantly thinking about it,, i want to go through 1 day not thinking about it,, are u at that stage where you dont think about it every day?

[nsd_user663_8645]

Hi Quitter,

Did you say you had quit cold turkey? I have been interested to read the different symptoms people are having and I try to take note of how they are quitting as this seems to make a difference to quit/symptom pattern.

In the first week i would say that I had strong cravings that started as thoughts, i didnt even realise they were cravings.

Irrational thoughts that would come into my mind randomly telling me to start smoking again, like 20 bensons would make everything better.

Once I realised what was going on, controling them wasnt a problem. I had the attitude of I would rather loose a leg than start smoking again,(although i probebly wouldnt, thats what I told myself) and it worked, the frequency of these cravings got alot less and they become easier to handle.

The next thing was the weekends where traditionally i would have smoked more, i used my no way under any circumstances mentality and then weekends wernt an issue.

The next thing was the bad moods and really depression i suppose. Again I didnt really know what it was while i was suffering it. I would argue with people at work and think that my social life is rubbish, i wanted to stop in all weekend. then that passed and now im at the stage i was at earlier tonight where, the cravings dont last 10 minuites and are really intense like they used to be, they seem to be coming every 2 hours and last an hour but are less intense.

I think that its my body coming to terms with the fact that im never going to smoke again,

I would also like to thank everyone for their support and comments, its really helped and im alot happier with things than i was when i originally posted.

P.S. Celebrity Quitters on channel 5 helped me. There should have been a stopping smoking show years ago. The amount of adverts there is would have been better saving that money and making a show years ago.

Im not into the whole celebrity on tv thing by the way it just helped me seeing other people going through the quitting process.

[Atomicguy]

Hi Quitter (and JodiB and Ryan)

Firstly - well done on getting this far in your quit - I month is great.

I quit cold turkey as well - my first day was Sept 1 2009. And everything you describe I went through - but here I am nearing my 6 month milestone and I feel fantastic - it really is worth it. Its a bad part of the quit -but just dig your heels in and stick with it. Everyones quit is different and there is no magic wand - but taking it a day at a time you will notice how things change. There were good days and bad days all through the first 3 months of my quit.

Stick with it - it will be worth it.