I have this problem! It's not what I would call a craving because it doesn't stop! My brain won't stop yelling at me to smoke. I use my vap and it still won't stop. I need a new brain until this one is fixed please. this needs to stop or I am in danger of losing my quit!
Give your mind an alternative to think about. Find something you're passionate about and if you can't do that maybe plan your next project in detail! Fill your brain with different thoughts and you can drown out the bothersome ones! Breathe!
Get busy doing something anything at all and keeping your mind occupied as well as your hands will help you through the rough patches, what you are going through is normal so deep breaths and continue to move forward one precious smoke free day at a time or one minute or even one second but you must stick with your quit because there's definitely life after cigarettes but you must believe in yourself and know that you can and will be successful!
That is when I need to stop and make a Gratitude List. Then pray for strength and be grateful for what you put on the list. Willingness without ACTION is Fantasy.
Lillian (vanlil)
coreinstincts_101 Hey there, you can do this, believe it or not, you own your mind, not the other way around. Tell it to STOP, yell it if you have to, take a cold shower, do jumping jacks, bite into that infamous lemon. I remember well being obsessed with thoughts of smoking. It was really challenging BUT, I did not smoke, I prayed for the mental obsession to be removed...I was actually astounded that it WAS! I felt like a weight had been lifted...you might have to pray more than once and you might have to yell STOP or NOPE more than once. YOU are in control, the addiction is having a tantrum, give it a time out.
Ellen
It's not like the vape nicotine or not could be a reminder of smoking, could it? :-)
Hi Coreinstincts! A while back I tried to quit using 100% nicotine free cocoa cigs. I really thought that would trick my mind/body into thinking it was getting what it needed while I withdrew. My experience: I lasted 2 days, with my mind literally on overdrive, dwelling on absolutely nothing except cigarettes/smoking.
I re-grouped, set out an entirely different plan which I meticulously thought out and followed. I'm on Day 6 now (Ok...so not a big deal yet) and the experience has been night and day. I do think about smoking (hard not to as I live with a smoker), but I let the thought come in, briefly, and then I breath and tell myself "this is not painful. This is just that...a THOUGHT" and then let it go. Mentally picture it leaving your mind.
I'm not saying every moment/day is a walk in the park, but I've definitely quelched that screaming brain syndrome. Hope this helps a tiny bit.
~MJ
Been there and it ain't pretty. I purged my closet, costume jewelry..and would get inspiration from Pinterest..my poor hubs never knew what kind of house he'd be walking into...or what I had planned for him to help with the house..like projects that would involve him! .it amazes me now how busy I am now, and don't have time to sit..gotta keep busy!
Thank you all for the support. I went and worked with the puppies and sat at my non smok9ng friends house for a bit. That squished the voice for a bit. Now i am back home I need to work with my own dog to keep me more busy, if I ever cool down.
It helped me to cut some straws into thirds and just chew on them. they are about the size of a cigarette so when you hold it, it is similar. I never inhaled through them like smoking, just chewed.
this needs to stop or I am in danger of losing my quit!
Do you mean that if the impulse to smoke does not stop, you do not wish to proceed with your quit? I can see how it would be tiring to struggle against the idea of smoking--the old life. But the active addiction to smoking/nicotine is undone one day at a time. Add more to your routine. Don't wait for the addiction problem to stop bothering you on its own--you do have say so in your quit. High five for opening up about your frustration.
I wonder if Dale jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007 is on to something here. Bear with me. If I remember correctly, the last time your brain was screaming you gave it vaping with no nicotine. Maybe it is like a small child, thinking that maybe this time you'll give it a little nicotine, then a little more, etc. It's used to getting nicotine when you inhale and now it isn't. I wonder if this might be another reason there are folks that say not to vape to quit. I am getting nicotine through my patch, but if I forget to change it in a timely manner, the craves are stronger. That I can deal with, but if I was vaping, even with no nicotine, I could see how I might say, "Hmmm, maybe if I add like 0.00001 mg of nicotine, it would ease the crave." And that would be that. I would end up adding more and more until it would be like I never "quit".
This is just my mind wondering and wandering. Please stay strong and find what gets you through the long craves. I've had them even with the patch. Probably why I haven't lost weight despite exercising...LOL.
Dian
coreinstincts_101 It's your brain...you CAN tell it to shut up, you CAN tell it that you are not interested. Your addiction is speaking, not your brain. The beginning is tough but you are making this, you are in charge of your brain...it's NOT in charge of you. I know that is hard to believe sometimes but it's true.
Ellen
I made it through yesterday and thank you for all the kind words of support. You have all been great in helping me get through this mind bender that I have been on. I was struggling and you guys gave me great ideas for the next time it happens. My vap even gave out on me this time while I was out training the puppies this time... Not a good combination. However, I seemed to have made it through and through the night while it charged. I think this quit is supposed to be happening and to stick.
I think you are RIGHT!
Well it is yelling for nicotine - and if I remember correctly you are vaping with zero nicotine? Time is the healer. We have all been there. The only way out is through. Get up and do something different to break the routine or your thought pattern - take a walk, take a shower, watch a movie, do a puzzle.....