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Share your quitting journey

What it was Like

Thesegoto11
Member
1 7 131

Not sure how appropriate this kind of post is for a site like this, but here goes.

Although I quit smoking many years ago, I did keep my Journal on my computer. With the proviso every quitter's experience may be different, thought it might be helpful to share with others how up-and-down things can be the first few weeks of a quit. These were my actual thoughts recorded as I rid myself of cigarettes:

Day
-----
1 to 3. Still sick with the flu. Moderate cravings a couple of times an hour.
4. Felt lightheaded in the morning which lasted several hours. Used deep-breathing exercises to counteract.
5. Didn't sleep much last night. Noticed I was no longer being hit by "urges," rather they were simply thoughts. After I ignored them or reminded myself why I chose to quit, they quickly went away. Literally, in seconds. Had about 6 thoughts throughout the day, coming at odd times.
6. No urges just a few thoughts today. Easy to dismiss. For the first time am beginning to view this decision as something really positive and that I am looking forward to.
7. Today was a step backward. Thought the worst was behind me and I had the quitting process beat. Today showed me wrong. I was hit 6-8 times with something akin to the cravings I felt the first three days. Instead of the short, simple, nagging thoughts I experienced yesterday these lasted longer and were much more compelling. Resembled the cravings of the first three days but without the physical edge. I am probably making too much of this, but think they were most bothersome because of their duration, and because yesterday I didn't have any. A little mystifying. Why is this happening?
8  Back to normal. A few "thought" urges and that's all. After my research yesterday on what to expect long-term, I am taking a different approach to dealing with urges. I now engage in a kind of internal dialogue with myself explaining what we are doing and why, and that we've stopped smoking so get over it.
9. A few "thought" urges in the morning. Realized yesterday, am not totally out of the woods yet. Definitely need to make it to the 2-week mark. Then these remaining after-effects should happen less frequently.
10. Hopefully this will be hump day. Feel like 10 should be the magic number. As it turns out, not a single thought or urge about smoking today. Congrats.
11. No real difference from yesterday. A couple of thoughts but no real urges.
12. Morning started out poorly. Three episodes in a row every 20 minutes. That's OK. I am confronting them; welcoming them; understand this is how I will ultimately get them to stop. Continue to notice improved sense of smell. In the PM had two or three really strong urges. Fortunately they did not last long--seconds. Seems to be brought on by eye movement associated with looking at where my ashtray used to be positioned. When will these go away?
13. Only one thought in the AM. All-in-all, a pretty non-eventful day.
14. Congratulations--TWO WEEKS! And, pretty uneventful. A couple of thoughts; that's all.
15. Even more uneventful. Two half-second thoughts; one AM; one PM. I may quit writing a journal.

Herky-jerky to say the least. Think you're in the clear then you're not.  LOL

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