Currently at the end of my 7th day of cold turkey & i'm feeling... well, pretty proud of myself actually. I've been 'quitting' since last July when i decided i'd quit after a weekend away with the boys.
Since then, i've done what we always do, & kept putting it off til tomorrow. Almost 6 months later, on Monday just gone, tomorrow finally came. I was just leaving for work at 7am & put a cigarette in my mouth for the drive down & something just stopped me from lighting it. Put it back in the box & binned it, then left for work.
First day wasn't too bad, aside from one completely insane rant which i won't go into here! Day 2 was when the withdrawal kicked in properly, & i woke up like a bear with a sore head. Wanted a cigarette all day, but i didn't need one. Just kept telling myself, "What's the worst that can happen if i don't have one?" The answer is, nothing! I even accompanied someone to the smoking shelter at work & stood talking to them while they smoked their little face off.
Day 3 was the worst by far, i could feel how agitated i was the instant i opened my eyes! Decided to turn this round into a good thing. Instead of moping & feeling sorry for myself for this supposed mental torture i was enduring, i looked on it as a positive. The fact that my body was crying out for nicotine means i was winning. I was beating it, so do your worst!
Days 4-7 have been progressively easier, with the edge of the withdrawal being blunted with each passing day. I'm coughing up some truly delightful stuff & my sense of smell is beginning to come back. In fact, i've just realised that my car stinks.
I genuinely believe that 90% of the battle is in your head. You have to really want to stop, & never doubt your ability to do so. ANYONE can do it. Smoking worms it's way into so many aspects of our lives, & seems to become an integral part of almost everything we do that to suddenly be without it makes it seem like a huge sacrifice. But it's not. I smoked with or immediately after literally everything! I'd rush food or skip food just so i could squeeze a cheeky smoke in.
That feeling of 'pleasure' i got from it, was actually just an itch being scratched. That pleasurable feeling is how non-smokers feel all of the time. In the end, we smoke to feel normal. That's not what i signed up for when i drunkenly lit up that first cigarette 14 years ago, & i don't want it.
I'm taking my life back.
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Welcome MrE - you obviously have a terrific attitude to this and that's half the battle! Stick around here, it's a great place to get the support you need.
It is amazing how quickly you feel the benefits. I'm often up at 4.30am for work & it used to take 2 cups of coffee & a handful of smokes before i felt fit enough to face the world. Now i'm waking up feeling far more alert & well rested.
I'm having a fairly easy quit this time to be fair, in the past i've felt far more tortured, had sleepless nights & generally been a borderline lunatic. This time i've had none of that.
Little bit anxious for the first day & agitated for 2nd & 3rd, but that'd be the chemical withdrawal building up then disappearing.
The hardcore part, the psychological compulsion to smoke, has been fairly fleeting & easy to deal with. Bit of an empty feeling at times when i'd usually light up, but that's not a huge deal.
I put it down to the fact that i really just don't want to smoke anymore. I started resenting myself for forking out a LOT of money to a billion pound a year industry so they could keep me hooked on their highly addictive poison. Lining the taxman's pockets just to feed that little devil on my shoulder. Depriving myself of things i really wanted just so i could have that thing i didn't want but thought i needed instead.
You have definatley made the right decision and I am glad it isnt as bad as you had expected however, don't let your guard down, thats when you are at your weakest. You are doing so so well and if you ever do get down times and craving, come on here, everyone on here knows what you are going through and can relate to almost every issue you have.
I put it down to the fact that i really just don't want to smoke anymore.
Exactly how i felt when i gave up and that feeling is still with me through the cravings and it's that feeling that'll make me succeed in my quest............. i hope!!!!
congrats and welcome mr e so glad to hear how your quitting. today marks 24 days for me and it is getting easier...one day at a time and the right attitude and it can be done..if you ever feel like you are really struggling cone to this forum...its always gotten me through
I'm under no illusion that this won't be tricky, i've managed to quit for 18 months before & somehow ended up hooked again! This feels different though. The way i view my 'need' to smoke has changed & the huge struggle i had last time i quit just hasn't happened this time.
I always felt like i was denying myself something. Like i was making a sacrifice for the good of my health (& wealth!) This time i don't feel that way. I literally hated smoking in the end.
The coughing & wheezing, the endless headaches & sore throats, the lack of energy, the pale skin & dull eyes. Lack of self-esteem, lowered confidence. That panic feeling when you realise you've smoked too much & are gonna run short before the day is out. Or you wake up on your day off & realise you can't have a lie in, you're almost out of smokes. Going for a meal & hurrying through each course so you can sneak a quick smoke in before the next one.
I stood knee deep in snow this winter, trying to smoke with gloves on as it was -10 outside.
Well it is day 5 for me in my quitting attempt and I am about to lose the will!! :mad:
Why is this day so hard!? My lying nicodemon is working overtime with the constant little voice in my head saying "go on, one can't hurt, it will help you get through the day". Resisting the urge to smoke has, so far today, officially taken over. I am wearing my patch as recommened by stop smoking wales service (which seems to have been fab up until now), but at the moment all I want to do is ram a packet of cigarettes in any available orifice!!!
I am on day 10 now and still get that on and off, but every time I do, one way or another I manage to ignore/fight it untill it's gone or it's time for bed and your another day passed, which has helped me the next day as the number of days and penny's saved start building up. Slowly I think it's starting to improve I can get up and go to work without even thinking about it too much now.
DONT GIVE IN by posting it, you know you don't really want to.
Thanks and well done you for getting to day 10! Fantastic!
I am enjoying (!!!??) a nicotine mini as I type! So far I have saved approx £30, I no longer smell of smoke, my CO levels have dropped to 0 (yes, 0!!!), my chest does not feel so heavy, and I no longer have to brave the wet weather all because of the need for the cigarette! Surely thats enough motivation to continue resisting the urge to smoke right there!?
It is really good to hear that you feel like things are getting easier. Keep going and soon enough a month will have passed
Claire
p.s., I think I need to own a chocolate shop to ensure access to enough chocolate to rid me of the craving!!
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so glad to hear how your quitting. today marks 24 days for me and it is getting easier...one day at a time and the right attitude and it can be done..if you ever feel like you are really struggling cone to this forum...its always gotten me through
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New here and in my 2nd week!
First week smoke free
