Cravings - Friend or Foe?

[EmJay]

Looking at cravings... They really can be quite funny things, do we see them as the enemy and get all negative about them because of the way they make us feel? Or do we see them as our friend, and welcome them in when they come visiting?

At the end of the day, they wouldn't be here if we didn't stop smoking. So surely seeing them from time to time is a positive thing.... Like some people we may know though... The ones who are okay in small doses eh?!

What to do...

Read through some tips on JillyGirl's blog -'Stop the urge' and maybe even share some of your own helpful hints and tips there too.

Breathing exercise - Depending on how you breathe can determine how you are left feeling; more energised, more relaxed, happier, sometimes you can even be left feeling quite anxious if you are not breathing properly. So have a practice in learning the best technique for yourself.

Notice the time that you have the craving, has much time passed since the last one? Is it as intense? Over time you should be able to notice the longer breaks between each one.

What were you doing at the time you got the craving, is there a trigger point?

Remember, whether you smoke or not, cravings will go away. You never really notice them going, however you can be sure to know when they return.... Therefore, for them to return.... They must have gone away in the first place! Hope that makes sense :0)

Sooooo, Friend or Foe... How do you see yours?

[Lenne LONG TERM WINNER]

Emjay, this is brilliant! I will be heading to JillyGirl's blog in a second to check out more tips for sure. Learning to anticipate when the next craving may kick in will work wonders because it won't come as such a surprise and being prepared will certainly make it feel less harsh. Thanks for your inspiring words!

[Camperontheheath 2 YEAR WINNER]

I would really appricecate your help please! I stopped smoking 28days ago and came off the patches 4days ago. I keep getting really bad cravings since! I thought nicotine left your body in 4hours therefore you were chemical addiction free!

help!

[EmJay Partner]

Hello Camperontheheath, nicotine can take around 2 days to leave your system. However, just because there isn't any nicotine left for your body to crave (the physical addiction), you will still have to work very smartly to overcome the cravings within your mind - the psychological craving.

By using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) - such as patches in your case, they will help take the edge off your craving. After deciding to use the patches, can I just ask you what was the reason for you to stop using them?

You've come to the right place for help and support and together we can do this

[kari]

Hi there i am know on week eight without a cigarette and i must say i feel alot better. I decided to do it cold turkey and surprisingly it has been okay. not that many cravings considering i was a 20 a day smoker for 28 years . I am 44 this year and suppose it came from a total lifestyle change and a good look in the mirror did not help so i can only pass on my tips for success. I changed my eating habits first eating only healthy foods i did this for 3 weeks and dropped a stone in weight plus walked for miles daily. I also stopped drinking at this time as you would expect to crave a cig more while enjoying your tipple. now i was feeling positive as i had lost weight picked my day and said i will never smoke again. eight weeks later and my skin has a big improvement alot more energy teeth are alot whiter feeling good.on the negative side i put the weight i had lost back on and a bit more but have eaten the wrong things and not excercised as much. but who cares i dont smoke and my battle now is to get back to eating healthy and walking more and the weight should level out

[sue52 3 YEAR WINNER]

Hi Kari that's brilliant that you've reached wk 8 without to many cravings, i also changed my diet and cut out the coffee, as they both made it more difficult to stop, i can't remember when i stopped lol bet you Emjay knows, think i need a new brain lol, but i'm now a non smoker like you hope u continue to have very few cravings, I'm sure you'll get the weight off again but not smoking is best thing anyone can do hope your weather is ok for walking brilliant to hear your story, will help me to keep going, and I'm sure others as well