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Give and get support around quitting

Roller831
Member

Phantom Cigarette

I am 3 days into my quit.  This morning, on my way to work, I hit traffic (as I always do) and reached next to me into the console of my car for a cigarette.  Good thing there wasn't one there!  What struck me as odd is I wasn't even craving one at the time.  I reached out of habit!  I hit traffic in the morning and always lit up.  It gave me something to do while sitting in the car...instead, I chuckled and was very grateful I didn't have any cigarettes near me.  It made me realize just how precious this new freedom is and how one needs to treat it with kid gloves.

Has anyone else ever reached for a phantom cigarette?  How did you handle it?

Rollercoaster Quit Day 6/21/2017 -  2 DOF

12 Replies
YoungAtHeart
Member

We smoked thousands and thousands of times over the period of our addictions.  It is to be expected that automatic pilot will kick in at times.  I have heard others mention doing this, although I don't remember it.  You might keep a cold bottle of water in the car with you (I kept a small cooler in my car early in my quit) so you can reach for a sip from THAT instead. 

When you quit, you should get rid of ALL cigarettes, butts, lighters, ashtrays - ALL of it!  Keeping any cigarettes around is giving yourself permission to smoke them.

Good seeing you on the pledge this morning!

Nancy

Roller831
Member

Thanks, Nancy.  Everything is gone and I do have water and coffee beside me (as well as gum and mints, etc.).  I am taking this one day at a time and even a a minute or second if I have to.  

DonnaMarie
Member

One second at a time is sometimes how I had to do it. However you do it, and whatever works for you, that's what you should do as long as smoking is not an option.

Donna

Day 307

Jennifer-Quit
Member

I would sometimes start looking thru my purse and realize that I was looking for a cigarette that was not there.  So it is normal.  Good job on 3 days!

the phantom pack I reached for on my truck seat on day126 (heading to a job I had been a smoker on, going up the hill to that job) and the laughter over it was when I knew I was free.

elvan
Member

roller831  SO GLAD there wasn't a cigarette there, what a shame it would have been to throw away such a great quit.  I was at a party six months after I quit and there were cigarettes and a lighter on the table (my brand too).  I had had two beers, it was the first time I had anything alcoholic to drink since I quit smoking.  I caught myself reaching forward reflexively and then I made my excuses and left the party.  I will admit that it was rather disturbing.

Ellen

MarilynH
Member

I definitely reached many, many times for a phantom cigarette in the first few weeks and probably months, looking in my purse or the seat of my car only to realize that oops I don't smoke anymore but I know in the first couple of wks it's difficult but you are doing it and you're doing fantastic yay for another DAY WON!

Daniela2016
Member

That happened to me just a couple of days ago (469 DOF), it was a very long working day (over 14h of high stress work on computer), and decided to have a glass of wine; I grab the glass, and reach for something before stepping out on the patio to relax!  And you know what that something I was looking for was...of course, we all do.  But one thing I learned here is NOPE (not one puff ever), I took the glass and the iPod mini, and stepped on the patio to drink my wine and have a game on the device

Welcome to freedom, keep blogging, visiting often, read all you can about our common addiction, and you are all set to stay an EX!

c2q
Member

I kept some handy hand-to-mouth substitutes on my car console instead. I started with twizzlers - too much sugar. Moved on to tooth picks - they made my mouth feel dry after a while. Settled for a long, long, long, long time on coffee stir sticks. I chewed on those for-ever. Sugarless gum was also a personal favorite. I liked lemon Ice Breaker Ice Cubes. I bought them by the case.