One of the things that happen to us when we first quit and for a while after is that we can get irritable, to say the least. We also seem to analyse everything as we continue on the quest for freedom. Our minds are trying to grasp a new reality and wonders if it’s really the reality we want to see.
Hopefully, we remain diligent on those first days. In my case, I was very diligent on those first days. I knew I was a little irritable and like most, I analysed constantly, longing to understand why I just turned my whole world upside down.
Most people seem to do fine the first day or even the first week. I think this is because we’re prepared for a wild ride on those first days and as such, we accept it for what it is. Losing an addiction.
But in the second week and beyond for even a few months, many people seem to lose their quit. In my case and perhaps in the case of others, the second week took just as much attention as the first week. Sure, I was feeling a little better and felt like I had a better footing then I did the week before. But during this precious time in our quits, though the nicotine has left our bodies, we still have to be wary and aware of how we feel.
In my past quit attempts that were always short lived, it was during the second week that I lost my quit. Before my last quit over six years ago, I analysed these previous attempts and realized something that should have been staring me right in the face.
In that second or third week, or even into months, the emotion level is still high. The constant argument with ourselves is still happening. And at times the nagging urges keep attacking us. And in a way because we’re starting to get used to all of this, we don’t notice it as much.
And then the slightest little problem can seem monumental because of the stress that we kind of forgot we were feeling. I know in my past quits and in that second week, the slightest little thing could set me off and the first thought that ran through my mind in my frustrated anger was, “To hell with this! This sucks! I need a cigarette!”
And I would cave! One time all it took was forgetting my keys in the house. As I walked back in, the anger would grow over this simple little thing until I’d give in so that I could “calm” myself.
Since then, I’ve learned from my past experiences and that knowledge helped me to win this last time around. I understood that the battle would be a long one. I understood that I was always in danger of a relapse, even as I began to feel better.
When a little bump appeared in the day, I’d simply take a deep breath, understand that it was the mental addiction talking and I’d always count to twenty. Nine times out of ten, if you want to feel better, and you give yourself a few moments before reacting, then the problem once again becomes what it was in the first place. A small problem that can easily be overcome.
I think at times we become our own worst enemy in a quit if we let it get to that point. So all I can say is on those first precious weeks, look for the little bumps in life and don’t let them sway your resolve. Take the time to recover from rapid emotions because they may have nothing to do with what’s actually happening.
The little things are only as bad as we let them be. Be wary at first and before long the emotions fade and the peace that comes with freedom comes to the forefront. There really is an end to addiction. All we have to do is get there . . .
ONWARD TO FREEDOM!!!
Chuck
