Even after nearly 11 months of not smoking, sometimes and for no apparent reason, I suddenly find myself thinking about smoking - and even though I have no intention of ever starting smoking again, I wonder if we, as quitters will forever be randomly hit by the thought of smoking and have to deal with it?
Some people think that having smoked at some point in our lives, ex-smokers will always have the tie to nicotine and will have to make the conscious choice for the rest of their lives not to smoke.
I sort of agreed with this and thought it was just something that an ex-smoker had to do. I think we've all heard of or even know the person who quit smoking twenty years ago but could still 'murder a cigarette'.
But then I came across this article and its given me a totally new perspective on the subject and really given me confidence that the answer is - if I change the way I think about it then.... NO, I definitely won't miss smoking forever.
Hopefully it will inspire others - have a read at:
Aup Simon, its great to see you again and a massive well done to you for reaching 11 months quit
Thats a great article you've found and loads of other advice too
Thank you very much for posting this, am sure it will help a lot of us, me included, cos to be honest with myself, in the back of my mind, I still like the thought of smoking sooo, perhaps I've got to train my mind to hate it
It's really strange that you post this now because this afternoon I found myself thinking that I could happily smoke a cig, despite my nearly 11 month quit & something I haven't thought in a while.I also thought at the time I wondered if I would ever be free of the feeling.The article goes some way to explaining why we as ex smokers think like this.Thank you for posting I ,feel better now.
You stay strong now gal you know you can I will nip out now in my ''clean'' pants and catch you a new 11 month badge even though its flippin chucking it down with rain hmmm, perhaps if I take my shower gel with me and splash it all over I wont need a shower when I get back eh
Thanks Simon, good article. I particularly related to a statement near the end...."don't regard quitting as a sacrifice". I quit for 15 years both as a sacrifice to God & for my wife.
Sadly, we're all inclined to remember the "good ole days" as being far better than they actually were. I still recalled my smoking days nostalgically. I conveniently forgot the battle I had quitting. So, when my marriage went south I recommenced smoking. It was another 20 years before I quit again despite several attempts. This time around I continually remind myself that I quit because I no longer wanted to be a smoker. Not because it was bad for my health, not because it was becoming extremely expensive & certainly not to appease others urging me to smoke. There was one time I felt frustratingly DEPRIVED having quit drinking & smoking at the same time. One evening of excessive drinking & smoking demonstrated to me that neither had any value other than what my mind gave them.
I'm convinced that continually reminding myself that I quit principally because I no longer wanted to be a smoker, I can overcome the long term desire to go back to those "good ole days"
Willpower quits are the worst way of quitting. There has to be deep thinking so that you quit for an empowered reason and not for a reason of weakness...being willpower. Weakness is forced quitting. Strength is educating yourself on why to quit that works for you and you alone. Never force yourself. Quit smoking because you have figured out what works best for you and because you mentally are ready. No anxiety no angst. You quit because you know it to be right for you. And i believe that in this way you will find it easier to stay off the nicotine compared to those who used willpower
Hey MrEdd, I seemed to have completely missed this post sorry
It is a really good read, thanks for sharing
Hi Simon,
WARNING : THE CONTENT IN THIS REPLY IS EXTRMELEY HAZARDOUS TO THOSE WHO HAVE QUIT FOR LESS THAN 72 HOURS AND RISKY FOR THOSE WHO QUIT LESS THAN 2 WEEKS. DO NOT APPLY WHAT IS SUGGESTED...ACTUALLY...DON'T READ THIS AS YOU ARE NOT YET READY YOU ARE STILL IN YOUR PHYSICAL WITHDRAWAL STAGE WHICH TAKES 72 HOURS FOR NICOTINE TO DISSIPATE FROM YOUR BLOOD AND 1 MONTH TO 3 MONTHS FOR YOUR CHEMICAL WITHDRAWAL TO SUBSIDE COMPLETELY. THE REST IS PSYCHOLOGICAL WITHDRAWALS WHICH ARE LONG TERM. SO IN THE FIRST 2 WEEKS DO NOT TRY TO FACE THE FOLLOWING TRIGGERS TOO QUICKLY: ALCOHOL AND SMOKERS. LIKELY THAT BY WEEK 3 AND LATER YOU CAN HAVE A GLASS OF WINE AND BREAK THE ASSOCIATION OR SHARE A RIDE WITH A SMOKER FOR 15 MIN TO BREAK THE ASSOCIATION OF SMELLING AND SEEING CIGARETTES SMOKING. HAVE A COFFEE IN MORNING TO BREAK THAT ASSOCIATION TOO. BUT EASY ON SUGAR CONTENT DUE TO A CHANGED METABOLISM WITHOUT NICOTINE.
As I understand it from research, there are primarily two reasons you feel as if you "miss smoking".
1. You never quit mentally for the right reasons and therefore you continue to psychologically not see it for what it really was....an addiction.
Somewhere on a subconscious level you haven't yet mentally figured out why you would never have missed it from the beginning and how it should psychologically be effortless not to ever go back. It's all in the way we think.
2. The neuron channels surprisingly can take up to 20 years to close down in expectation of either the gestures and habits ghosting over from the past years of being a smoker. Once your neurons close down to any association with smoking habits, then you will be free of it....as in never missing it etc.
Number 2 point is linked to number 1 point. They are interdependent. Therfore... if you figure out mentally how to perceive that smoking actually was never missed or if you can just figure out how to think right, your neuron pathways will begin to shut close to any and every aspect of smoking. In other words you won't feel a thing about smoking.
Lastly, and this is now my theory....in order to get right in your head you have to do the following:
FACE AND EMBRACE EVERY TRIGGER THAT YOU KNOW SO THAT YOU CAN PROCESS IT INTERNALIZE IT AND BREAK THE ASSOCIATION OF EACH KNOWN TRIGGER TO SMOKING.
(NOTE: you don't purposely do this 24/7. Be intentional and purposeful from time to time and other times don't think about it no need to plan the triggers...you'll be faced with surprise triggers either way...give yourself breaks . If after all this time you miss it...then it might be that a part of your life is bothering you and you haven't resolved it....hence...underlying stress....trigger)
Example: have a coffee, go to places that triggered your smoking, stresses that caused you to smoke, feel depressed ? Great....sadness and depression and stress are all triggers. ..see them for what they are...illusionary triggers. Why? Because if you never smoked you would have already had to deal with those pesky pain in the ass life struggles. The pain was always the same with or without the cigarrette. Nothing changed. Remember this when a trigger hits you and makes you miss it. Nothing changes. All is an illusion when it comes to thinking that the nicotine will help alleviate...it won't. Missing it is the same concept. Missing it means....I'm suffering something...not sure what but since I'm not facing the trigger or don't know what the trigger is....I'm missing my cigarette.
Did you know that an old subconscious memory can be a trigger? A smell, a taste, a place. ...triggers can go back to a time when you first smoked or even a time you hadn't yet smoked but you saw adults smoke as a child. That can even be a trigger.
And finally non smokers have to face the same challenges and intensities assmokers. Remember that. Why should a smoker or ex smoker be any different in their suffering? We don't need nicotine. The suffering won't change anyways.
So
There are triggers you are aware of and triggers that you are not aware of.
CONCLUSION: WHETHER YOU ARE AWARE OR UNAWARE OF A TRIGGER THAT CAUSES YOU TO MISS A CIGARETTE....ALL YOU SHOULD KNOW IS THAT WHATEVER YOU FEEL TOWARDS CIGARETTES IS BEING CAUSED BY A TRIGGER.
YOU DON'T NEED TO ALWAYS KNOW WHAT TRIGGER SUFFICE IT TO SAY IT'S SUFFICIENT IN ITSELF TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE BEING TRIGGERED WHENEVER YOU EVEN THINK OF CIGARETTES.
FINALPOINT IS....WHEN YOU HAVE TRULY MASTERED A TRIGGER AND BROKEN THE ASSOCIATION...YOU WON'T FEEL ANYTHING....NEITHER HATE NOR LOVE FOR IT.
YOU WON'T BE A NAZI LIKE ANTI SMOKER WHO TRULY ARE NUT JOBS...SORRY...BUT IT'S TRUE...NOTHING HEALTH IN BEING A CRAZED HATEFUL EX SMOKER WHO IS AGGRESSIVE AND CONDESCENDING TO SMOKERS
YOU WON'T BE A NOSTALGIC EX SMOKER EITHER.
YOU WILL BE SIMPLY A NON SMOKER. YOU WON'T ENJOY THE SMELL OF IT OFF OF OTHERS YOU WON'T REALLY CARE EITHER AS YOU CAN CHOOSE TO WALK AWAY IT WON'T MAKE YOU MISS IT YOU WON'T DESPISE IT YOU'LL BE LIKE ANY TRUE NON SMOKER WHICH IS TO JUST GET ON WITH OUR LIFE AND THINGS AND HOPE THAT OTHERS WILL FIND THEIR WAY TO QUIT AS WELL.
TO BE TRULY A NON SMOKER IT COULD TAKE OVER 15 YEARS DEPENDING OR LESS IF WE THINK RIGHT.
Think of it his way :
EX SMOKERS : think of cigarettes and there is emotion behind their overall outlook on nicotine.
NON SMOKERS: no thinking reflection, no emotion, nicotine is not part of thought process. It simply doesn't exist.
OK I'm done. Heading back to continuing my journey of breaking associations to smoking and remaining an ex smoker.... and hoping one day I'll become a true non smoker .
Thanks for your reply. I can see you've done quite a bit of research and thinking about this one.
I can honestly say that after 3 years quit now (with great support from the quit support members when I needed it back in the early days) I very rarely reflect on smoking now (although it does sometimes smack you in the face out of the blue for no apparent reason!) and I do like to look in now and again to the quit support site to see other people who a taking up the challenge.
I think you're right - you spend a long time being an EX SMOKER before one day you'll finally become a NON SMOKER - I truly look forward to that day.
Thank you Mr Ed, greatly appreciate your input here
You might have more light to shed given your 3 year quit. Those of us in the beginning stages would be very glad for any further comments you feel are worth mentioning.
You're right. Shrug...I doubt many of us care if it stays on the record.
On a positive note, as soon as you quit for a minimum of 2 weeks, let your doctor, dentist and insurance companies know. They have to take note of it...they have no choice.
After 1 year ask the insurance company to reduce your premiums. They might take a blood test...do it. Save money.
Do not take NRT...as this will defeat the nicotine test at the insurance company's end. Duh right ? Makes sense? Exactly
Right you are...I should have clarified....this assumes no health issues
brilliant post I printed off the article - it is true that mindset is the answer to a lot of our decision making in life hit it right and anything is possible.
I loved to smoke and I miss this very, very much. When you start to feel this little buzz after first drink, and then this nicotine kick in your head, a little bit of dizziness. I realy loved this! And also those were the reasons I had to quit. Especialy If I wanted to have a baby. Everytime I was telling myself that it will be only one, maybe two smokes, and not more, because next day will be very awful... guess what... every time the next day was awful. For me a big help was reading this book - net-bossorg/shop/the-easiest-way-to-quit-smoking-for-life - it really change my point of view, and thanks to it I haven't back to smoking
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sooo, perhaps I've got to train my mind to hate it 
hmmm, perhaps if I take my shower gel with me and splash it all over I wont need a shower when I get back eh 
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