Well I am over a month of no smoking and its OK...just ok....its weird that I am having good days and bad but I suppose on the grand scheme of things its only been a month? how do you break the habit of 12 years?? I know now that it is all habit and mentality at this point but I am just wanting to know and clarify that it is normal to still be feeling quite down and irritable? also, is it normal to still be feeling a bit tired by the end of the day? its not as intense or as bad as it was but I find my mood, especially in the morning to be quite low. to be honest I feel a bit depressed....which has only started since I quit smoking. then other parts of the day I feel amazing...I suppose I just want to know if this is normal etc etc. I don't know whats to come...is there anything else I should expect?????
On the bright side I am generally feeling healthy, i really struggle in the beer garden!!!!!!!
So to sum up i was wondering if someone could help me with the following based on your own experiences:
1. normal to feel sad/mood swings
2. tired by the end of the day (in bed by 10)
3. how long before beer garden doesn't affect me or how long before i can go out confidently and not worry - at the moment i havnt smoked when drank and have woken up feeling great about it but during the night out i find it hard.
4. am i always going to feel a sense of being "trapped" by cigarettes in the sense that theyre always going to have a hold on me?
Written by
Matt28
6 Months Smoke Free
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Matt28 , congrats on being a month smoke free. Please let me assure you most/all of what your feeling is completely normal. I would speak to your doctor tho just to keep them in the loop and on the same page. They will be able to help you monitor your moods and possibly offer some assistance if necessary.
Quitting smoking is one of the hardest things that I have done. I just earned my 1 year badge👏
You can't go on one persons experience as we are all unique in our own way but I was super moody, depressed, anxious and down right sad for the most part of the last 8-9months. I may have been the exception there, not the rule. I turned into a hermit (by choice) as all my friends were smokers. I didn't touch a drop of alcohol as one would have fed the other and the need to smoke may have made me break. I now will have the occasional beverage but never let my guard down... Too many before me have gotten complacent and Mr Nic was there to offer himself. I don't think it will always be like this but I personally will always try to be quicker and smarter than that.
The feeling of being trapped that you speak of will eventually go away. Give yourself time.... be kind to yourself. You have decided to take a stand towards a brighter future.... be patient with yourself, be active in this group (post often) , everyone is so helpful and knowledgeable as they too are or have been right where you are... I wish you strength 💪
Keep up the good work (yes it is work... and darn hard work too)
bad days are few and far between but not absent. The occasional 'gee I wish I could be a social smoker' has come up a couple times but I know I can't!!! I have definitely had a couple days in the past 2 months when I thought I really wanted a smoke but it passed quickly and I honestly didn't think of it again. It does get easier, I promise. Like I said be patient hun ❤️It is so worth all the struggles in the end. I feel empowered now that I am the boss of my own body!!
Hey Matt28 - good to hear from you! Firstly, huge congratulations on your first huge milestone of 1 month, that is some achievement. Secondly, what you are feeling is perfectly normal and will be like this for a while longer as you are in the thick of the mental battle of your brain re-wiring but it should improve week and week as you continue to get stronger and stronger each day, I promise.
What I would suggest to improve things would be perhaps a trip your local health shop for herbal supplements, drink water, water and more water, lots of fruit and vegetables. A good walk to clear the head. When we quit, we tend to think we should feel amazing immediately but this is not the case (I thought the same!). We need patience as it takes time for our remarkable bodies to recover which they do. Also, have a read of below pinned post if not already done so and also read up here, and on addiction and quitting as knowledge is key too, post anytime
Hi Matt..Welcome and yes certainly quitting sucks..I also wondered how can people be so cruel to tell you that you are going to feel so good...Because you don't..in the first period...I say period because it can be three weeks or months,...or longer...
Socially you become a wreck because you are afraid you are going to kill someone, or cry in company...or crack and start to smoke again...The tiredness is unbearable and you enter a state of total zombification...
BUT really it does get better and better and better and you start to believe that to quit is good for you because it is Matt...I promise...!!!
1) Yes, you are sad, you are morning the loss of a 12 year long friendship..You are lonely and sad...Nicotine hijacked the receptors in your brain responsible to release the happy chemical Dopamine....No nicotine ,no dopamine,no happiness...you must make your own happiness..
The cure, a good over the counter herbal supplement..It worked for me !!!
2) Tired.... surely... your wonderfull body was battered with 400 + chemicals with every cigarette for 12 years uninterrupted..wow.... and now it wants to heal itself and get rid of those sh#t ..of course you will be tired !!!
The cure Vitamins ...Lots of..... A-Z
3) Becoming a Hermit (Thank you Wanda) is a solution...But actually willpower and desire is needed..Not easy Matt but possible...There will be triggers everywhere, around every corner. Be aware never let your guard down...!!
It is a mouthful but certainly so worth it when you start to feel life returning and you take control of your own life....Strongs !!!
Keep on keeping on.....everyone is different but certainly will power is needed and you've got that....thats what has got you this far, I personally continued my life as I did when I smoked...I still had a beer with my smoking friends just minus the smoke...when the cravings got me stir crazy I walked around the block.....I wish you great strength on your journey to a freedom that you deserve
I think the beer garden is a trap. Basically if you think you need to smoke to stay in the beer garden maybe you'd rather be doing something else so just leave. Health - beer garden, health - beer garden, it's a no brainer, choose health.
You're braver than me, I'm not quite at the stage to take on the beer garden lotto as alcohol is a trigger for me to smoke. So for now, I'm choosing the hermit option (much to my wife's dismay).
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