Going Crazy Quitting

[loukur]

I have not had a cigarette in over three days now (last cigarette Wednesday night, now it's Sunday afternoon). I can get past the urges using nicotine gum, waiting, drinking water, etc. It's the insane thinking I am having trouble with. I keep coming up with reasons why I should buy just 1 more pack of cigarettes, then quit again. These long, elaborate thought processes where it is perfectly okay to buy just 20 more cigarettes. Apparently, after smoking 20 more, it will be so much easier to quit. Really? I’m kind of thinking I will be back to day 1 of quitting and that sucked. Day 1 was hard. Really hard. Day 2 was hard, but not as hard as day 1. Day 3 was hard, but not as hard as day 2. Now its day 4, and I want to go back to day 0 and start all over again. Well, won’t that be fun. Well, the part where I get to smoke 1 more pack sounds great. I’ll bet it will be gone in under four hours. Then what. Then I got to start quitting all over again, so back to day 1 – just in case that was not fun enough the first time.

I keep having these thoughts about how I am missing out on all the fun, because I am not smoking. I was watching a movie last night. I saw an old guy smoking. My thought was, wow—he’s smoking and he’s old and he seems okay. I could do that. I don’t need to worry about health risks. Why am I missing out on all the fun?

Then I have the thought where smoking is one of the few things I have left in life that I enjoy, and that I have given it up. I need to come up with something else to do, so that smoking stops being my # 1 enjoyment/hobby.

I keep coming up with so many insane reasons why it would be okay to smoke, I’m afraid to leave the house. I’m afraid I will just pull into the first gas station and buy a pack of Marlboros.

[Giulia]

HAHAHAHA!  I shouldn't laugh, but we've all been there!  And that's EXACTLY the kind of crazy thinking we do.  "Just in case that was not fun enough the first time."  You've got a great sense of humor and it's going to be a saving grace, I can promise you. 

Here's a little (a LONG dialogue) I had with myself.  Might give you some perspective of the mental journey:  Quit Dialogue in IV Acts.

You've gotten over the first three-day hump.  Just take it one day at a time.  And don't listen to the Whisperer.  He'll run you upon the rocks every time.  Stay true to YOU!

[kristen-9-7-15]

Like G said, we've all been there. It does get easier as you stack up the days. Have you read the Allen Carr book? I, along with many others on this site, highly recommend it. Someone will be along to give you the link. It's an easy read and it will change your mindset and negative thinking.

3 days is great! Keep it up!

[JonesCarpeDiem]

https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007-blog/2011/06/26/what-to-expect-...

[Thomas3.20.2010]

You have already made the BEST decision of your Life! You just have to tell yourself that you will honor that decision NO MATTER WHAT!

Soon you'll realize that smoking a Sickerette doesn't really reward anything! It just stops you from withdrawaing which you won't have to do anymore anyway once you get through it! 

And the True Reward! Oh My Goodness! You can't even begin to know yet all of the Wonderful Benefits you will receive!

It's sooooo worth it!

Lock down your decision with all you have and the rest will follow!

[maryfreecig]

Agreed. Been there. No fun. But it gets better. A lot better. Hang on. Thanks for posting about the crazies...no sense going through it entirely alone.

[bonniebee]

I call that voice the Ole Nic ....or the Nicodemon which is really my old addicted self . He is much more quiet now but in the early days it seems he just doesn't want to shut up !!! One way to shut him up is to say, and  out loud if necessary, "I don't do that anymore ! " and a simple NOPE which means Not one puff ever ! Believe me he will not bother you as much if you do not listen to him just move on and do whatever you did in the past 3 days to replace smoking . Come here often and blog and vent your feelings .

I think the first 3 days are the hardest if you made it through those days  you  are on your way !

One more pack will bring you back to day ! No way !!!

Think positive thoughts about quitting always do not listen to Ole Nic !

Make a commitment !

Remember you are gaining your freedom ,your health and your wealth ! You are not losing anything but satisfying the addicton be patient you will soon be free !

[Storm.3.1.14]

I'm going to echo what Giulia and Thomas said, and you should listen to them because they know their stuff.

I know my stuff, too, so I'm going to tell you that these nagging voices in your head are exactly like an immature 8-year-old's begging and cajoling. "It" wants saisfaction NOW, and "It" will harp and hound from every angle until you either give it what it wants to make it shut up OR until you discipline your young quit.

YOU take control and say "NO!" and let "It" kick and scream and cry and wallow around...until it's exhausted and done. (Or until you teach it some manners and respect.)

YOU CONTROL YOUR QUIT. It's YOUR responsibilty to raise it and nourish it and teach it, and to protect it from it's self-destructive urges and greedy hissy fits.

You can do this (you're not being fooled, I can tell), but it takes time and strategy...like parenting a good kid.

Stay in the game!

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to our community!

We have ALL been through what you describe - but you tell it so well it IS funny!  But - I know going through it isn't!

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

As well, read the sections on this site, and read the blogs, responses and pages of folks you think might be helpful. You might visit whyquit.com and quitsmokingonline.com for the good information contained there. You should also do the tracking and separation exercises suggested on this site

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.

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.  Don't let that smoking thought rattle around your head alone.  Get busy!  Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of smoke if you need some fresh ideas:

https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instea...

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

[Daniela2016]

The best thing I did when coming here was to read the recommended books, watch the videos and read peoples' pages.  That occupied my mind, and provided immediate guidance in how to respond to the nagging voices in my head!

Congratulation on your decision, congratulations on joining the team!

[elvan]

Welcome to EX, you are in the right place, we really HAVE all been there and none of us want to go back to Day One...it takes time and it seems endless at first but it does get easier, hang in there, do the reading, listen to all of the valuable advice you are being given and replace your cigarettes with this site.  Smoking is not fun, it is deadly.  No crave will kill you, no crave has ever killed anyone but they have made people THINK they would kill them.  I remember one quit when I looked at every smoker and I was furious, I wanted to run them over with my car...yeah, I was a little out of sorts.  If you do the reading and really and truly do this one day at a time, one minute at a time, it WILL get easier and you will get stronger.

Ellen

[carloprivitera]

Hi LouKur,

give me your hand: we are together on this. I smoked my last cigarette wednesday night as you did and I just crossed the end of day 4!!! First few minutes of day 5 actually.

It's tough! I posted here when I had a huge craving crisis at the end of day 2 and it helped me both reading other blogs and reading all the nice comments to my blog.

Every single evening after dinner, it's tough ... a little easier every single night but anyway tough. I almost went through my first weekend as an ex and this is big for me since I was used to smoke a lot during weekends.

What am I finding useful? Small positive events.

Yesterday night I went to the US Open, my first time as an ex! All the previous times have been really painful. You can't smoke in the Arthur Ashe and you can't even smoke in any area within the gates. If you'd like to smoke, you have to get out of the stadium, walk for more than 10 minutes, smoke and then come back.

I've never fully enjoyed a game because I needed the next dose of our drug and I was trying to think what was the best time to get out and have one.

Yesterday it has been amazing!!! I stayed in the stadium for 5 hours, I enjoyed 2 full games and I had not to worry about how and what to smoke. I was free! I was free to enjoy my time at the US Open!!!

Second small positive event: Thus morning I went out with a couple of friends for a sunday brunch. I think all of us knows the feeling after 30 minutes in the restaurant, we start feeling crazy, we do need the next cigarette, we don't listen to our friends anymore, we don't enjoy our time with them anymore. We need to get out smoke and then come back!

We are slaved!

And this morning for the first time in 31 years, I was free! I enjoyed my time with my friends and believe it or not, the waiter came after 90 minutes to ask us to leave the table because the next reservation was up!!! Amazing!!!

So dear friend, I do have cravings, it's tough sometimes ... I just came here few minutes ago because I had a little crisis and I needed to read and "talk" to some of you ... but then I think about what just happened in the last two days and I smile!!! I'm getting my freedom back!

Let's do this together ... stop thinking what you are missing and put some wins on your belt ... think about these small events and build your confidence on those.

Carlo

[loukur]

Hey Carlo,

I hope you're doing okay. You sound like you're have a really rough time of it.

I read Allen Carr's Easy Way To Stop Smoking. You gotta read that book. You gotta read it ASAP. It made a huge difference for me. You need to read it an believe what is in it.

Lou