I’m just wondering if anyone remembers how long they quit for before they remember thinking, “wow, I didn’t even think about smoking today.” Does that happen?
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I’m just wondering if anyone remembers how long they quit for before they remember thinking, “wow, I didn’t even think about smoking today.” Does that happen?
Here's a couple of previous posts that may help some:
You will ABSOLUTELY get there - I promise!
I think for each person it might be a bit different. During the 2-4 month period, craves can become few and far between, but then you might have a monster of one out of the blue. As you move along, the craves and thoughts of smoking become further and further apart, and easier and easier to dismiss. The most difficult time is the first few weeks.
Hope this helps. You WILL get there, but you need to give it the time it takes. You can't MAKE it happen, but it will, in time!
Nanc y
Your post was very inspiring for me. Today is my day one. I made it all day. YAY! Now I'm going to bed early so I don't slip. Thanks again.
Congrats
jeblackburn Congratulations on a day WON and welcome to EX. The beginning of a quit is a challenge, to put it mildly but it really does get better, stay close to the site, we have all been where you are and we all want you to succeed.
Ellen
Thank you so much !
For me, I think that it must have been around the 50s or 60s...I certainly don't feel the occasional grip of panic that I'd feel around day 30-40 that I was going to screw up, wondering how I'd be able to recover, own up and start again...but that never happened. I'm now at 153 DOF, and now have days that I don't actively "think" about it or feel craves, but I suspect that the reflexive thought will be in my addict mind's arsenal for a while. "I don't do that anymore" is firmly ingrained in my reality now. Recently I just got to a place in my quit where I felt safe having a glass of wine, which for a while was a daunting threshold to pass over. Everyday I get a little stronger, but the objective stays the same: stay quit another day.
The cravings and obsessive thoughts will lessen considerably, I promise.
It's that "how long" question that puts a spotlight on why this is called an addiction. We can easily alter habits day in and day out without much notice; drugs...it's a different story.
Every step taken forward without smoking means your brain is healing even though it may not seem that way. Every positive action you take to stay smober is the medicine that is healing you.
I came unbound to nicotine, to my dependency on cigs while I was busy recovering. All the healthy habits I acquired first as distractions became my way of life instead of the cigs. Feeling sad, take a walk. Feeling like relaxing take a slow walk. Hungry for the voice of wild life, go watch the river. Well these are things I once chose to do as a way of distracting myself away from my attachment/addiction/dependency on the smokes.
If you don't smoke, if you keep learning about addiction, keep getting support you will recover--the addiction won't hold you forever. Just one day at a time is all you really need to focus on, but yes, the brain gets retrained eventually--and that is mighty sweet.
Good News to me. Thanks !!!
Elle047 YES, it does happen...I cannot remember how many days I had but I DO remember that I had a HORRIBLE day at work because a coworker was seriously useless and everything was falling on me. I was very stressed out and trying to keep from screaming at her and when I went to leave, I realized that I had gone through that whole day and that miserable time with her and I never thought of having a cigarette. I blogged about it and I remember one response in particular.."WOW, reading this made ME want to smoke." LOL. It happens and then it happens more and more and more often, I promise.
Ellen
When you accept and make peace wth the fact that it is for today only and maybe or maybe not you will want to use nicotine to escape you... just here and blog first before you use... for me thoughts come and go with thought of nicotine yet it passed by you choice to let it go and think on your free day nicotine free and how good you smell.... you think right before bed cool I didn't use nicotine against me today... I really do love me.
Thanks for this this morning indingrl... This will be my new mantra starting today, with a little change for me. "I will not use nicotine against my will today... I really do love me"
Thank you, thank you. It's hard this morning - starting my 12th day quit, John
I like your bedtime self talk...
I thought all of the above elders were out of their minds!!! I thought I would absolutely go mad with the craves and thoughts of never smoking another cigarette again!
I don't recall when I the day came when I just went on about MY LIFE without a single thought of my past smoking life! But whenever it was it was and still amazes me!!
It does actually happen, and is sooo worth whatever discomforts you may experience.
I do know what keeps me smoke free...I NEVER want to quit again!!
Hang in there... you will get there, I'm not out of my mind, and you won't go mad!!!
~Kathy...9ver 500 DOF!
You're right. It does get better and better and better. It really does get Greater Later. Thanks
I honestly do not remember the first time and that may be because I live with a smoker.
I do know that I don't think about smoking anymore except when I get very angry ,that is still a trigger for me even after 2 1\2 years quit . It is not like a crave in the early days of quitting rather it is a thought and usually for me the root cause is retaliation and spite ! I have always been able to overcome these annoying feelings...I know I would only spite myself !
The simple answer is it varies for everyone, but it is usually sometime in NML. NML Weekly Check In – 11/1/2017 I shared my moment in that check-in and on my blog.Now I get it....NML For me, it was around the 60 day mark.
That day is certainly a day to celebrate! Then comes the next challenge - the guerilla attack. You along for days relishing your Freedom and then out of nowhere comes the attack - it takes your breath away and if you're not expecting it and not prepared - well, that;s why we call it No Man's Land! The trigger could be a person, place or even an object. It may be seasonal or it just may come out of the blue! Enjoy your Freedom Days and make those challenge moments another Day WON!
I think jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007 did a study on this. If I recall correctly, the last time this was discussed here, the range was something like 50 to 180 days. Mine was day 85. Don’t let that discourage you. Even though I frequently thought about it before then, the thoughts got easier to push away with every week under my belt.