Obsessing about smokes

[nsd_user663_63733]

I'm thinking about smoking all day and even dreaming about it. I'm not motivated to do anything that doesn't involve going and buying smokes. I'm on the verge of breaking lol. The thought of the many more miserable fecking days I have it get through before some semblance of normality returns to life makes me want to cry. I'm day 9 and the only reason I'm still plodding is so that I don't have to go through these 9 days again in my next quit attempt haha

[nsd_user663_4609]

How have you quit? Cold Turkey , used any NRT? Have you wrote down why you wanted to quit anywhere? Its good to remind yourself why you decided to quit. PLEASE dont break you have done 9 days

...that is amazing, you are amazing....dont let stupid cigarettes beat you...

[nsd_user663_63733 in reply to nsd_user663_4609]

Cold turkey and no I've not written it down, maybe I'll do that and see if it helps. :). Thanks

[nsd_user663_63114]

ok, i had that dream too. was really mad with myself i'd started smoking then realised it was a dream, you couldn't make it up could you?

you will become normal again, you are having a bad day, we've all had them i promise, i had one around 3 weeks where i believed people didn't like me, almost paranoid, i would have been sectioned if i'd sought medical help, lol.

you don't have t look too far in the forum to see the crying posts, it appears to be part of the quitting process, it goes i promise, and goes fairly early on in the quit.

probably like you i thought after 3 days job done, it isn't.

day 9 hey, that's fabulous it really is, you've done the hard work, you will get wobbly days, but nothing like today, i promise hand on heart, it gets easier.

try deep breathing, i know i sounds daft, like pretending to smoke, it helped me when i was climbing the walls. i also bought strong flavoured sweets, my poison was cough candies, it all helped.

i've written this at speed as i don't want you buying cigs so apologies for typo and lack of capitals.

[nsd_user663_63733 in reply to nsd_user663_63114]

I think that's what's getting to me, that every day is a bad day. It's not getting better or easier, it's just the same ground hog day of misery. On the upside, if I were smoking I'd still be miserable that I was smoking and not quitting so yay go me

Going to go to the gym and feel my lungs working harder that'll give me a boost :).

Thanks all. x

[nsd_user663_63782]

Smokes, I am starting Day 11, also cold turkey, and after a 25 year habit.

Just like you, all I could think about was "I want to smoke." I could not shake off the cravings, nor the thoughts. And, I was really depressed on days 7 through 10.

But you see, late yesterday on Day 10, it's like something switched. I don't know how common this is -- it is my first quit -- but it did happen to me: from one hour to the next, my mood changed, and the cravings are gone. I mean: completely gone. I don't have any desire to smoke anymore, even when I think about it.

So keep hope: it does get better, even though you feel now like it never will.

[nsd_user663_61729]

I think most of us have the smoking dream at least once. When you think about it, we are dreaming about the habit that took up years of our lives. I had such a dream just over a month ago - at which point I was 11 months quit. So vivid was the dream, so realistic, that I woke up in a raging fury, cursing that I had wasted 11 months and would have to begin the journey all over again...until I realisation dawned on my sleep fogged brain that it had been a dream.

To say I was relieved is an understatement.

Don't worry about the dreams, they will happen. As for the thinking about smoking..this is not unusual either..this will sooner or later be accompanied by the little voice saying "one won't hurt".

One will hurt...it will undo all the good you are doing for yourself by quitting, then before you know where you are, you'll be smoking regularly again.

Try to stay strong, if the temptation does become so bad you feel like you are about to cave in, then it may be wise to consider a different method of quitting. Unfortunately cold turkey is not for everyone, some of us can do it, others can't. Quitting is all that matters, how you quit is not important in the greater scheme of things.

[Hidden]

I'm thinking about smoking all day and even dreaming about it. I'm not motivated to do anything that doesn't involve going and buying smokes. I'm on the verge of breaking lol. The thought of the many more miserable fecking days I have it get through before some semblance of normality returns to life makes me want to cry. I'm day 9 and the only reason I'm still plodding is so that I don't have to go through these 9 days again in my next quit attempt haha

I can relate to that!

At that stage of my quit - by the way - I hardly ever think about the fags anymore - I couldn't get ride of the thoughts therefore I didn't try either.

If little brain wants to go there, I just showed little brain a lot of stuff about smokes.

I started reading a lot online about cancer, smoking, real people's lifes with real stories. I did a lot crying, I found an american website with real stories and I was in tears!

Then when there was nothing else to read about (took me over a week) I started going through all the pictures of the really damaged lungs...

So, in a very productive way, I learned so much bad stuff about the smokes, that although I was thinking about them, I was also sure that I do not want any.

Thinking about something doesn't mean you want it.

Hang in there!!

[nsd_user663_42220]

As Carl (who entered the Penthouse today - 1 year quit) says above, most people have smoking dreams at some point or other, mine was smoking on the top deck of a bus and I haven't been on a bus in over 25 years!

I don't know how long you smoked for or how heavily Smokes, but I bet it was considerably longer than the 9 days you've been quit. Don't get me wrong, 9 days is fantastic, but you can't expect a long ingrained habit like smoking to be broken in such a short period of time.

Everything you've written about is typical for most quitters. Some go through everything you are going through, some less and some more.

I also agree with Carl about your quit method, if you're struggling with Cold Turkey then try some form of NRT. It's the end result that counts, not how you got there.

The further away from your last smoke you get, the easier and easier it becomes. You just have to believe that's true because it is.

Stick to this forum like glue, post every day good or bad and definitely post if you think you are going to smoke, hopefully we'll be able to help you through. Try using tangy lozenges like Fisherman's Friends to take the edge off your craves, drink lots of water and if you do get a crave, deep breathe exactly like you would if you were inhaling, only use fresh air instead of smoke!

Quitting has its ups and its downs, but the further into your quit you get the more ups you have and eventually there are no downs at all.

[LesClark0609]

Just wanting to give up is hard, if you have a reason put a picture on the wall, look at it often, You have a choice to make, do you want to die young or live to 90 or more? I am 64 and I nearly didn't make it to my 63rd birthday. I've got a lot more living to do yet.

[nsd_user663_63632]

As far as Im aware nobody ever died of quitting fags, new study carried out in Australia finds 67% of people who smoke die as a result of the addiction, food for thought. Keep on with your quit Smokes 9 days is great and it does get easier.

[Incy_Wincy]

Don't break, Smokes!

There, that's you told.

PS Ditto what them up there all said. They're very wise. You've come to the right place x