Day 3 Question

[Lesliex]

I'm on day 3 and have a question. When do you start enjoying your day rather than just surviving your day? The past 2 nights, I've gone to bed at 7:30 just to get the day over with. I'm already getting tired of not enjoying anything.

[vanlil]

I remember my quits (lots of them) didn't work because I felt like you. Do you miss stinking? spending $?

THink about it very seriously.  I don't miss feeling like people looking at me like I am DUMB AND STUPID.

Then I became a "sneaky" smoker or just stayed home and isolated.

I smoke for 63 years and believe me I conned myself so many different ways to go back to smoking.

Lillian (vanlil) 429 dof 

[Kellybeth]

It took me about 2 weeks. The first few days were the worst. I felt like I was in some sort of fog. I found it lifted arouund 14 days being smoke free. These feelings will pass. It will be a rough go at first but you won't regret it.

[Lesliex]

Thanks. I can go 2 more weeks like this. I'm glad that you didn't say 2 months.

[Jennifer-Quit]

I don't know how long you smoked but for most (if not all) of us it takes longer than 2 days.  Time is the healer - have faith that it gets better - and believe that it will be the best thing that you will ever do for yourself and for your health.

[maryfreecig]

This is why support exists for quitting. Not just Ex, but elsewhere online and in the "real" world (support meetings). There are so many reasons to quit and they all seem so clear while one is puffing away on the last pack before a planned quit. All the reasons are real and valid. Faced with the unpleasant withdrawal from nicotine, the health risk doesn't seem so big, the cost of cigarettes not so high, the lure of that one special moment of sucking in a fix of nicotine into the lungs that goes to the brain in a few seconds seems so worth it...

These are your moments to find accept quitting, unpleasantness and all. So many quitters here and me included will tell you, you will get better.The addiction will lesson and fade. It's true. But right now, if all those reasons you chose to quit mean something to you if only you did not have to go through withdrawal, then find a way to get through one day at a time. Dig deep, challenge yourself to see the possible, rather than the impossible. 

Thanks for putting such an important question out here on EX.

Yes you can!

[Strudel]

Carr's book helped me realize that I wasn't giving up anything by quitting. After 40 year of smoking, that took some self convincing and lots of positive self talk! But, I stuck with it and it worked to change my attitude and mind set. Once I truly came to believe and understand it - things got a whole lot better! I remember when I started my quit someone asked the same question you asked and the answer was basically once you decide that you are done and that there are no options - no going back, THEN things would get better. At first I thought it was rather blunt and I didn't really get it. However, after continuing to read here and get the support, I finally understood! You will too.....it WILL get better...believe!! 

[Strudel]

PS - In case you need the Carr book I mentioned - 

 "The Easy Way To Stop Smoking" - free download - 
http://media.wix.com/ugd/74fa87_2010cc5496521431188f905b7234a829.pdf
 

[Lesliex]

Thank you. I will read the book.

[elvan]

Lesliex  It is NOT easy and I am not going to tell you that it is, I WILL tell you that it will get better, at the moment, you are white knuckling your quit.  You need to read all of the support information you have been given, including, but not limited to JonesCarpeDiem‌'s /blogs/jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007-blog/2011/06/26/what-to-expect-in-the-first-four-months  and My Welcome To New Members (10 Years Of Watching)  If you have not already read JACKIE1-25-15‌'s blog /blogs/JACKIE1-25-15-blog/2017/08/07/plan-prepare-practice-to-protect and https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/newbie-quitters/blog/2017/07/20/are-you-new-here then PLEASE do so.

The things that make quitting easier are education and support.  I cannot possibly emphasize how much education is worth.  Read everything you can...honestly ask yourself what you expect smoking to do for you and then HONESTLY answer yourself about what it really did.  I can tell you that smoking will do nothing FOR you but it will do lots TO you.  No crave lasts forever and no crave ever killed anyone, that is NOT something you will hear about smoking.  Drink lots and lots of fluids and flush the nicotine from your system.  There is no specific number of days that anyone can give you as to when you will feel better, much of that is up to you.  A lot of people sleep a lot in the beginning of their quits and others say they CAN'T sleep.  Please accept that this is a journey, it is one step at a time, one experience at a time.  You have to replace your memories of smoking with memories of NOT smoking.  Keep busy, value yourself, no one wants to live with the consequences of years of smoking...there ARE consequences.  Addiction allowed to go on and on never ends well.

Ellen