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This is my first attempt at quitting in over 20 years of smoking. I'm on Day 5 and I feel like my head might explode. I think I just need some reassurance that I won't always feel this insane. I'm struggling, but I'm going to do this.
Welcome to our community!
Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking and your first four days WON. You are right on schedule with the insane feeling. This isn't easy, but with commitment and education, it CAN be done. The reading materials I will provide will inform you and help to make this current attempt a successful one. They also make GREAT distraction tools!
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. You can search for it online or at your local library.
You should also read the posts here and perhaps go to the pages of folks who you think might be helpful. You might visit whyquit.com, quitsmokingonline.com and livewell.com for the good information contained there. @https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-ex has lots of blogs written by members of this site with their experiences and guidance.
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 in a place different from when you smoked. Maybe switch to tea for a bit. 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. Buy your gas at a different station. Take a different route to work. Take a quick walk at break time where the smokers AREN'T.
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. Keep a cold bottle of water with you from which to sip. 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. Get busy! Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of smoke if you need some fresh ideas:
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
Be sure to check out For Our New Years' Quitters (and community members, too) . I saw your post in Newbie Check In and am posting the same here.
Welcome! I know when I first found this site, many Elders told me to read read read….and I did. Elders are those with one or more years of being quit. If you like what someone has to say, then you may want to read their blogs. I have some listed below.
A list of our Elders ELDER'S LIST
One of the first things I read was Alan Carr's Easy Way to Quit Smoking. I purchased the book on CD and listened to it in the car on my way to and from work for 3 weeks over and over again. It was well worth the money because this is my forever quit.
Your Quit Kit is very important those first few days and weeks Quit kit !
So here's the thing.....and you may not like what I am about to say....and that's ok. I get it. You need to accept that this is an addiction. Before you do that, it will be much more difficult to quit and stay quit.
Read read read. Do the steps to PREPARE yourself to quit. Do the steps so you are PREPARED on quit day and for the days AFTER quit day.
Some of the things I read in my first few days that helped me:
Dale’s Welcome to New Members My Welcome To New Members (10 Years Of Watching)
Youngatheart.7.4.12 Nancy’s Blog 101 Things to Do Instead of Smoke - Check out her other blogs as well since she is one of our wise Elders!
jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007 Dale’s Blog What To Expect In The First Four Months which was already posted and linked to....this is a very good one as are his other blogs.
Visit Best of EX
And read what has been posted there.
Some of my favorite saying and abbreviations:
NOPE - Not one puff ever!
SINAO - Smoking is not an option
One step and then another will take you where you want to be - Larry, the Caravan Master (oldbones5358-Larry_10-21-2013 - read his blogs, too!)
I don't do that anymore! is a great one from Dale (jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007)
One of my favorite blogs is from my time in NML (No Man's Land - around Day 30-130 of your quit) Not getting caught in NML - Staying Quit
Keep this site close and keep posting and asking for help. You will get it. You will get things you like and things you don't like, but don't give up!!! We have been through similar experiences and can share our strength and hope. We are here to support you!
Roller
Quitting smoking is not easy but very doable. So many of us here have. The first thing you need to do is to arm yourself with a plan so that you may prepare for all the struggles that you say you are going through. It is very important that you educate yourself about nicotine addiction. If you have not already is here a link to read www.whyquit.com Journey Home Freedom from Nicotine and Nicotine Addiction 101. Go to My EX plan to get started on viewing the videos and tracking triggers etc. Education is the key to a successful quit.
Welcome To Pair a dice Paradise!
Onward And Upward!
Thanks for the Positive vibes, Jackie!!!
Say "I don't do that anymore" every time you think of smoking.
This will retrain your thinking quickly.
No believe me I felt the same way as did all the others. I promise you it will get better. Follow all the advise. Tell yourself you just won’t smoke today. It’s easier that way. Join the daily pledge it markes me stronger. Don’t give up. We are all here for you. If you follow us you will see that we all have moments but we help each other get through then. Welcome you came to the right place!
Barb
Read all you can about nicotine addiction...you cannot be too educated. Know that this WILL pass but it takes time and the best thing you can do for yourself is to stay close to the site. We have ALL felt the way you feel right now...you are recovering ONE DAY AT A TIME!
Welcome to EX.
Ellen
I'm in my 4th month and I can assure you that feeling does start to go away. The first week was pretty awful for me too (it's bad for everyone) but those feelings of insanity started to slowly subside over time. It was probably by month 3 that I noticed I didn't want to kill people on a daily basis. I still get those feelings still but they aren't nearly as bad as they were in the beginning. So keep up the good work. Read blogs from the elders because they have the best advice.
Thanks for the positive vibes!! I'm feeling better today, but I love hearing from everyone and their experiences. It gives me hope that we can all get though this together!
YES! You are going insane...enjoy it. Seriously, enjoy it...that space weird feeling is all the posion leaving our bodies. It's also the increased oxygen which I for one wasn't used to. I felt like I was waking up out of a smoke-filled cloud. I still do at day 39 but it's A LOT easier than my first week for sure. Hang on! Enjoy your ride!
The only way out is through....one step and then another will take you where you want to be.
Yes....you are currently going insane, but I promise, it does not last forever...
Yes, you are going insane. Welcome to the family! We're all a little nutty here. It's OKAY, we understand! The cure is right around the corner. It's called time.
This is the time when we can be incredibly productive, creative, playful. We're in the stage of madly becoming non-smokers. You have to do some cocooning to become a butterfly. "you've got to do some cocooning to be a butterfly" (with pitchers)
====================== repost =========================
This was a hefty girl biplane on our fence a couple of years back. Not one of those delicate damselfly-type girlies.
I had the privilege of watching a dragon fly being born many years ago on the side of our pond back then. It was one of the most amazing experiences I've even been party to. This horrifically ugly, SCARY looking ALIEN creature had crawled out of the pond and sat in the sun by the bank. I found it at the stage where it had already cut a hole in it's carapace and come out. (the following shots are not mine)
It's wings were stuck together upright above it's body, and out of it's tail water was oozing. Drop by drop. Drop by drop. Eventually all the drops were dropped and suddenly the wings opened parallel to the earth. And they remained that way for a while as the sun dried them.
And just as suddenly they began to flutter madly with all their might. That went on for a brief period and then she just lifted up and off and was gone. And I was STUNNED by the realization that this creature had been a water breathing creature 45 minutes ago and now, not only was breathing air, but could fly.
I often recall this transformation when I think of the quitting process. It's such a major change in our lives. They can do it. So can we. Just like Dale has often said, you gotta do some cocooning to become a butterfly. And part of that cocooning is educating ourselves before we begin the journey.
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Glad you've joined us. Stick around.
Listen to all these wise good people .....they are your proof.......
You can, and you will succeed....
Now go to the "daily pledge" and take hold of someones hand......and join us....
Miles of Smiles.............
How are you doing today jsichi ?, I'm hope you're doing better because it does get easier and easier with time under your belt but you must believe it and keep moving forward and stacking up your precious Days of Freedom so each evening you can look yourself in the mirror and smile and say yay for another Day WON......
I'm feeling positive!! I'm digging all the support from everyone too!! I know I can do this!
Thank you!!
YES!
OH YES! It's all quite normal to feel sick, dizzy, weird, gross, tired, hungry, exhausted, angry, sad. It's normal to eat everything in sight, cry into your sleeve and feel like you're going to explode. Does not last. I'm on day 43 and it gets better fairly quickly. Tell the addict to take a hike and that as bad as they feel, it won't last long and you'll be on to better, healthier things. You can do this! We're here for you ♥
jsichi I'm on day 3, which seems harder than 1 and 2. My brain seems scrambled today. Hopefully it wont last too long. Hang in there!
Consider the feelings you're going through as a flushing out of bad toxins. Get out and take in some fresh air. Drink lots of water to help flush it all out. Scream if you have to. You got this!!! ♥
auntchelle24 - Thanks! Good luck to you!! Felt a little better today. Hopefully you will too
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We can do this!!
jsichi, I hope you're still moving forward with your quit. How are you? I'm only about 6 weeks into my quit, so those insane days are very recent for me. I had to laugh at myself: clothing on backwards, trying to figure out what pasta to have with our pasta, etc. Consider it a sign that you're recovering, which is GREAT! You'll continue to see and feel changes. Some are uncomfortable, and some are welcome. All are a part of your healing.
I, too, had 20-plus years under my belt, and I smoked heavily the last 5 of those. You can do this. It will not always be easy, but is do-able. Keep it up! I'm rooting for you!
Dawn
It definitely gets easier! I smoked for 39 years. I quit 3/10/18. There are still tough days but about 5 weeks in and I'm not hanging on by my fingernails all day every day. You will pull through this!
My hair smells good, my skin looks better, I think my teeth look whiter and I have been through enough emotional upheaval that I know I can do it without smoking. It doesn't mean that smoking isn't the first thing my addict brain thinks of but I do know that I can get through without it. YOU CAN TOO!
Kim
I am!! I'm over the one week mark now. Getting a lot of support from everyone.
Thank you for the kind words!!! I'm rooting for you too!!
I'm new at this too, but I DO know that you won't feel like that forever. It will get better!!!!
This site has a ton of information on it, and I feel confident that if you keep reading, you will feel less and less insane.
After 3 days, there is no nicotine left in your body. Now it's time for the healing to happen!!!;-)
you CAN do this!!!! Xoxo