7 days in, cold turkey, and I feel weird. Like my brain is in a fog.

[dekejones2]

Hello everyone. I quit smoking and drinking last Sunday morning at 3 AM after a wedding and have been doing alright. I smoked 15 years, a pack a day and had been making good progress until that darn wedding. Anyway, feel like I'm okay as far as the cravings go but I feel foggy, like when you wake up in the morning after taking nyquil and its that way all the time. It sounds like that is pretty normal, along with the cold like symptoms and achy muscles and what not. Its making it really hard to concentrate and I'm in law school where I really need to concentrate, so if anyone has any advice on getting rid of this foggy feeling, or some idea of how long this lasts, I'd sure appreciate it. Quit date was 10/10/2017, 3:00 AM

[Spanchic]

Hang in there dekejones2 - you are doing fantastically well. One week Cold Turkey is a huge achievement! Everyone's Quit is different, especially the timings, but by now you will have no nicotine in your body and it's vital to keep it that way. Our Mantra is Not One Puff Ever and I still recite that to myself over and over again whenever I'm struggling with cravings (which is less and less frequent).

The brain fog will lift but you have to be patient. I think it took me about three weeks before I started to be able to concentrate again. Have you read Allen Carr or Joel Spitzer? I found both of them extremely helpful at the beginning of my Quit.

Stay strong! This is possibly one of the hardest but most worthwhile things you will ever do for yourself.

[Hidden]

Hi if you quit more slowly with the help of the aids available you wouldn't be suffering this extreme withdrawal. It's becaue you are going cold turkey. I am doing it more slowly and am fine and feeling good.

Just keep persevering as you can do it and you will find lots of support and help in here. x

Ps looking at your picture I wish I was 40 years younger!

[NewKaren 13 MONTHS WINNER]

Hi there

Welcome to Quit Support 👋

1 week cold turkey is brilliant 👍 Well done you.

The foggy head and lack of concentration will improve with time. If you have a look through our pinned posts you'll find oodles of info there.

I have allocated you a badge and you are now on our wall of winners...yeaaa 👏🎉

Stick with it 👍

Karen xx

[behappy1 1 YEAR WINNER]

Hiya, I can't tell you precisely how long it will last, as it's different for every person. I'm a lawyer myself and used to genuinely believe that smoking helped me to concentrate and that I came up with my best submissions whilst smoking. But one day I realised that I was clear headed and that my thinking had become sharper. I didn't need to keep stopping for a fag every hour. It was then I knew cigarette cravings had in fact been hindering my thought process. I ave up drinking first.

Get lots of sleep, good food, fresh air and fill your diary up so you are very occupied. Distraction helps.

[Yoeboesayo 31 Months Winner]

Good job, I think you mean 9.10.2017. Keep up the good work.

Noelke

[Frostie2560 LONG TERM WINNER in reply to Yoeboesayo]

Or 10/09/2017 if in UK. 😆. Very confusing!.

[ashwingr8 14 Month Winner]

1 week CT is awesome. Keep going. All the things thats happening in your body means it is healing. Stay strong.

[dekejones2 3 Months Winner]

Thanks everyone for the words of encouragement! Still going strong and it feels like this morning (day 11?) I turned a corner where when I woke up I felt like myself and could think clearly for the first time since quitting. It didn't last and now I have good spaces of a few hours where I feel normal then foggy again, but its definitely improving.

That and I've been sleeping like crazy. I slept 17 hours on Saturday! Last time that happened was after I had surgery and was on morphine. So I think my body is cleaning itself out and healing, but it is taking all the energy I have. Just walking the dogs is exhausting. Before quitting I was running twice a week and weightlifting 3 times a week, but now I don't have the energy to do any of that. I'm listening to my body right now and it feels like just walking the dogs and allowing it to heal is what is needs and I can get back to working out in another week or two if that's what it needs.

I was expecting to feel better instantly, but nope. I can't say I feel better now, but its coming. I can't see the light at the end, but I sense that its there.

[Newbeginninhs 7 MONTH WINNER]

I found using Vic’s vapor rub and Vic’s inhaler helped for my first couple of weeks helped with sleeping and the inhaler during the day, this made me less foggy, congratulations on a double quit and keep strong you’ve got this