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How long will the cravings last?
I stopped buying cigarettes October 1st but still have very strong cravings very frequently. The urge to smoke is so strong during this time. How long does this usually last?
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For me personally, I still get cravings even after a year, however, they are not as strong and I'm able to just ignore them for the most part. Hang in there and they will get under control. Find things to do when the cravings hit. For me, I took A LOT of deep breaths and lived on this site just read the blogs, they really kept me going. Knowing that we are all in this together has been such a comfort to me. We all have your back and have walked this path. You made it one month and that should be motivation to go for two, etc. Don't give up on your quit - it's a tough thing to do and you are doing it! Trust me, it gets better!
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Welcome back to our community!
Congratulations on your decision to getting back to quitting and your first 30 days! That is HUGE! Being disciplined about distracting yourself is key to reducing the number and frequency of craves.
The idea is to change up your routines so the smoking associations are reduced. Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand. If you always had that first smoke with your coffee, take your shower first, then come here and read, and THEN your coffee! Rearrange the furniture in the areas you used to smoke so the view is different. Buy your gas at a different station.
You need to distract yourself through any craves. You can take a bite out of a lemon (yup - rind and all), put your head in the freezer and take a deep breath of cold air, play a computer game. Don't let that smoking thought rattle around in your brain unchallenged. Sometimes you need to quit a minute or an hour at a time. You will need to be disciplined in the early days to distract yourself when a crave hits. Get busy! Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of smoke if you need some fresh ideas:
The conversation in your head in response to the "I want a cigarette" thought needs to be, "Well, since I have decided not to do that anymore, what shall I do instead for the three minutes this crave will last?" Then DO it. You will need to put some effort into this in the early days, but it gets easier and easier to do.
The most important thing you can do right now is to educate yourself on what nicotine does to your body and mind. To that end, I highly recommend Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.” This is an easy and entertaining read. Here is a link to a free PDF version of it:
http://media.wix.com/ugd/74fa87_2010cc5496521431188f905b7234a829.pdf
You should also read the posts here and perhaps go to the pages of folks who you think might be helpful. You might visit whyquit.com, quitsmokingonline.com and livewell.com for the good information contained there. @https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-ex has lots of blogs written by members of this site with their experiences and guidanc
Stay close to us here and ask questions when you have them and for support when you need it. We will be with you every step of the way!
Nancy
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You said you stopped buying cigarettes October 1st, was that your quit date? Did you do some reading and preparation? Education is a very valuable tool in our quit journeys. It's different for everyone and there is no magic cutoff point when the cravings stop...remember no crave ever killed anyone and remember that and stay close to this site, read blogs and comment, make it a point to be a part of the community. We are here to support you and we can't do that if you don't reach out to us. In the beginning, especially, it is important to pledge every day, take the hand of another EXer and commit to stay smoke free, ride the Freedom Train every day, shout out your numbers and celebrate the successes of others. It's really important and will help you to feel stronger. It DOES get easier, I promise, you are a month in which means you are just entering No Man's Land...there is support for that time, every Wednesday, roller831 is writing a blog for people in NML, she just "graduated" from there herself. If you haven't already read it, you should read JonesCarpeDiem's blog, /blogs/jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007-blog/2011/06/26/what-to-expect-in-the-first-four-months it is very helpful and YoungAtHeart does a beautiful welcome, I copied it and I am pasting it on here for you to read...
Welcome to our community!
Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking and your Day Won. To answer your question, the first couple of weeks are difficult - but doable. You will have good and bad days (mornings, afternoons, evenings, moments!). Just get through them however you can. Following is some advice on how to do that!
The most important thing you can do right now is to educate yourself on what nicotine does to your body and mind. To that end, I highly recommend Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.” This is an easy and entertaining read. Here is a link to a free PDF version of it:
http://media.wix.com/ugd/74fa87_2010cc5496521431188f905b7234a829.pdf
You should also read the posts here and perhaps go to the pages of folks who you think might be helpful. You might visit whyquit.com, quitsmokingonline.com and livewell.com for the good information contained there. @https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-ex has lots of blogs written by members of this site with their experiences and guidance. You should also do the tracking and separation exercises suggested in My Quit Plan http://www.becomeanex.org/my-quit-plan.php
After you have completed the recommended reading, it will be time to make an informed choice of the quit aid, if any, you will use. If you go that route, I personally recommend the aids that don't let the addict control the dose such as the available prescription drugs or the patch. If used properly, gum, lozenges and inhalers are fine, but they need to be used only as a last resort. I have seen folks become addicted to them if they substitute them for every cigarette they used to smoke - just trading one addiction for another. I do not recommend the e-cigarette for three reasons: 1) the vapor has been compared to the polluted air in Bejing on a bad day, 2) they just provide another nicotine delivery system while continuing the hand to mouth smoking motion, and 3) the batteries can spontaneously catch on fire. . But – any method that you think will work well for you will be best for you.
The idea is to change up your routines so the smoking associations are reduced. Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand. If you always had that first smoke with your coffee, try putting your tennies on right out of bed, going for a quick walk, then taking your shower and THEN your coffee! Rearrange the furniture in the areas you used to smoke so the view is different. Buy your gas at a different station. Take a different route to work. Take a quick walk at break time where the smokers AREN'T.
You need to distract yourself through any craves. You can take a bite out of a lemon (yup - rind and all), put your head in the freezer and take a deep breath of cold air, do a few jumping jacks, go for a brisk walk or march in place, play a computer game. Don't let that smoking thought rattle around in your brain unchallenged. Sometimes you need to quit a minute or an hour at a time. You will need to be disciplined in the early days to distract yourself when a crave hits. Get busy! Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of smoke if you need some fresh ideas:
The conversation in your head in response to the "I want a cigarette" thought needs to be, "Well, since I have decided not to do that anymore, what shall I do instead for the three minutes this crave will last?" Then DO it. You will need to put some effort into this in the early days, but it gets easier and easier to do.
Stay close to us here and ask questions when you have them and for support when you need it. We will be with you every step of the way!
Nancy
My name is Ellen and allow me to welcome you to EX, glad you are here and very eager to help in any way that I can.
Best to you.
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Tough love answer coming.... Does it matter how long it lasts? Are you committed - or not? /blogs/Giulia-blog/2015/02/23/expectations-timelines-and-the-reality-you-create
But I know, you'd rather hear something else. You've been quit for a month. How long did you smoke? 40 years. Do you imagine that you'll be "over it" in a month? Hang in. The cravings - how often they occur, their intensity - you'll notice they will change over time. Some days will be be great! Some days will be rotten! You'll be purring along and all of a sudden you'll be knocked for a loop with a craving that just won't let go. And it might last a couple of days. But it WILL eventually pass. Doesn't feel like it at the time, but if it never ended, this craving thing, none of us would make it to a long-term quit. I mean seriously, think about it. That would mean we're all masochists! lol
Time is the cure. But so is humor. Keep a sense of humor about you. It's a needed ingredient. We can sometimes just get so myopic in our misery! lol Try to step back when you can and be the fly on your own quit wall. And do periodic attitude checks. I hadn't heard the term "just get over yourself" back when I quit. Wish I had. I would have put it up on a sticky note. But I had one of my own almost as good (which is still sitting on my office desk): ATTITUDE STUPID!
Pause. Think. Breathe. Move on. A craving won't kill you. A cigarette will. Stay strong.
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I think we all have different lengths of time for the cravings to go away and we all have different withdrawal syndromes. This is the place to be for help and encouragement. I don't know if you have insurance to cover it but if you've ever considered Chantix I'd talk to the Dr. It has been a miracle how it works for me! I'd been smoking for 33 yrs. and tried to quit just about every one of them, the longest was a year. I don't have ANY of the possible side effects but I know it works differently on each person. If you can, start on it.
Day 6 of quit.
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First of all, reaching out for support is the main stepping stone. In my case it took about 3 weeks for the big-time cravings to subside, but I smoked for 43 years at 2 packs a day. What makes quitting so frustrating is that there is no exact science to it. Some people are more emotionally tied to smoking than others. Please go through the motions in the beginning of this site. Go to Smoking Trigger Tracker Tool | Guides & Tools | BecomeAnEX you won't have to track your cigarettes, but I know you still remember the main times you were apt to smoke and why. The main section to pay attention to is What can you do to separate from this smoking trigger? Here's some ideas: /blogs/Maggie_quit_8-1-2010-blog/2012/03/19/100-things-to-do-instead-of-smoking?sr=search&searchId=2... Also go to https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/newbie-quitters?sr=search&searchId=926c4ccd-0946-45eb-9870.... But in answer to your question: The cravings will last as long as you hold on to them. The moment you learn to let go is when this becomes easier
