An interesting experience.

[nsd_user663_52080]

I am now nearly 8 weeks into my quit and had been getting along with just the daily odd fleeting whisper of a crave or two. I am a painter and decorator and last week had to strip the wallpaper off the walls and ceiling of a large Victorian room belonging to a smoker.I know the paper had been up for 24 years because I actually found a note written on the wall by the person who had papered it.I used a steamer.The two days were absolute HELL! Talk about craving.It was nearly as bad as when I gave up I kept getting craves about every hour.At one point it was so bad (I was contemplating going and buying some tobacco : ( ) that I had to have a NRT lozenge.The craving stopped instantly.That night I had a dream I was smoking again.Since I finished the stripping I feel ok and back to normal.It was definitely not a trigger situation so was wondering if it was years and years of cigarette smoke/nicotine being released from the hot steamy paper that ignited my cravings again? Another thing is I read ages ago that the Nicotine receptors in the brain take 6 to 8weeks to go back to normal when a person quits smoking.As Im now in that time frame maybe that is what caused the blip.Whatever I think it was a really interesting experience.What a strange journey it all is eh? Hope you are all continuing to do well.Bfn.Sue x

[nsd_user663_53202]

Well done for swerving away from the tobacco temptation, and going for the lozenge, phew!

I think the wallpaper giving you cravings is interesting too (Quitters face temptations from many sources, even the bloody wallpaper is at it!). It seems plausible that there would be nicotine settled on the wallpaper after being exposed to smoke for all those years. Certainly nicotine can dissolve in water vapour - otherwise a smoker wouldn't be able to inhale it.

The thing I don't get is that you aren't craving after finishing the job. I would have thought that two days of exposure to nicotine would have caused you to want more. A bit like a non-smoker who starts using NRT (I saw something on the web where someone actually did this using patches. They wanted to improve their concentration during an important project, and ended up hooked on the patches!).

That said, the lozenge got rid of the craving for you, which does suggest the nicotine in the wall paper was having some effect.

I'm a bit confused now!

[nsd_user663_52080]

and me! : ) Ive been thinking about your words Biggrin and think Ive sussed what it could of been. A massive trigger of a pub! I spent years and years smoking and drinking in pubs then I started to get hangovers after half a pint so stopped going to pubs years ago(before they banned smoking) I think the steaming of the wallpaper recreated boozy times for me in my subconcious or something.I dont think I will ever buy tobacco again as when I get the crave by the time Id got to a shop etc the urge would of gone! The only time I could possibly smoke is if I had a strong urge and someone was smoking near me so I could snatch their fag off them! the craves are so quick now-like a second that Id never have time : ) I loved you saying bowt the wallpaper out to get me-in this case it was! Lol. x p.s [For all DIYers Nicotine is water based for sure and it bleeds through water based products and sealants-the best thing to block it is oil based undercoat]

[nsd_user663_53202]

I think I get what you are saying. An almost visceral association between a warm, steamy slightly intoxicating atmosphere and similar sensations while cocooned in a smoky pub. It fits, since you don't have any cravings after completing the job. Perhaps the lozenge had more of a psychological effect than a physiological one.

It's good to hear that your occasional craves are now so short that they would pass before you had time to get to a shop to buy tobacco. Nice one.

[austinlegro 11 Years Smoke Free]

We smoke by association and the subconscious never forgets.

How we react when the trigger comes is the entire difference between an 8 day, an 8 week, an 8 month or an 8 year quitter.

What we learn at day 8 lets us get to week 8 and so on...