DAY 29 and still feeling the crave!!

[babymonster]

Hi, I am into 29 DOF and been smoking for 30 years!!.. am 46 now. I felt the crave most in the evening and could last for hours.. trying to describe the crave i am experiencing.. Hmm is like I need something to ease my cheat area.. discomfort, throat feel empty. I am waiting for the day i don feel the crave at all.... could it be month?? Hope to hear your experienes during early stages of quit.. Thanks in advance... 

[AnnetteMM]

There are lots of posts about this on this site! Use the search tool to find more. I found that Tootsie Pops or Twizzlers helped me fight a crave. The sugar thing doesn't last very long, maybe a few weeks. Hang in there, you're doing great!! Almost 30 days if AWESOME!

[TW517]

Oh my gosh!  Finally!  I had the same symptoms (at least I think mine are similar to yours) and couldn't get anyone to believe me.  Not here, not my doctor, not my friends who had quit before.  See one of my posts about it here: https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/thread/17185-coughing-trigger-revisited

At any rate, my guess about it, is that I had always associated this chest discomfort with a craving because having a cigarette would ease the discomfort.  So while it might not technically be a true "physical withdrawal symptom", the "mental withdrawal symptom" I got was very real.  I still occasionally get them but not nearly as often.  Sounds weird, but the best way for me to avoid them is to wear loose fitting shirts and t-shirts, and when I go to bed, I sleep on my right side because the "crave sensation" is always in my left chest.  If I can avoid any pressure to that area, I'm usually fine.

Congrats on 29 days!

[elvan]

I don't know how active you are on the site but I can tell you that coming here every morning and every evening strengthened my quit.  I read blogs...so many blogs, I paid attention to what was working for others.  If your craves are lasting that long, you are concentrating on them and not letting them go.  Seriously, you have the power to do that.  Get up and dance, do jumping jacks, take a shower, eat some Sour Patch Kids, bite into a lemon, rind and all.  I never actually did the lemon thing but I kept one around just in case.  At 30 days, you are just entering what we call No Man's Land here is a link to the description, written by JonesCarpeDiem‌ https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-ex/blog/2011/05/24/no-mans-land-days-30-to130-appr...  I remember going through a period of time when I thought I would never stop thinking about smoking or rather, NOT smoking.  My husband is a recovering alcoholic of 34+ years and he quit smoking more than 29 years ago.  I asked him when it went away.  He told me to get down on my knees and pray to God to remove the mental obsession, he said I might have to do it more than once and it would not work if I did not get down on my knees.  I will admit to being very skeptical but I was also pretty desperate.  I did have to do it more than once but not a lot more and I absolutely did feel something lift.  It has been more than five years since I smoked and I don't ever miss it.

Keep going, one day at a time.  It DOES get easier.

Ellen

[DonnaMarie]

Hi there and congrats on your quit!

Quitting is filled with all sorts of fun "adventures," and though we all experience similar things, no two quits are the same. I had the chest yearning that you're describing, but cannot remember when exactly. It's like my body was screaming and begging me to poison it. It's hard to get up 20 times a night to pee, but I highly recommend drinking water when you can. You should be done detoxing the poison, but you have many years of smoking behind you and that habit is hard as heck to move on from. If you do experience pain, though, see your doc if you can.

I'm 133 days in and had some strong cravings last week due to a physical hurdle I had leaped over. I was in celebration mode and the first place my brain went was "have a cig!" I didn't give in. I came here and talked about it instead.

This group here on EX is your lifeline. Come here and talk about it like you did with this topic. You've invested a lot in your quit and have given yourself some major building blocks to keep it going.

Donna

Day 133

[Andstillirise]

Congrats on your quit ! 

When my cravings get bad , I throw on my headphones and head out to walk or run . It’s been a life saver for me . I don’t have the chest tightness but I have this empty feeling in my throat like it needs a cigarette . I also feel very sad sometimes when I realize I don’t smoke anymore and the cravings come on strong . 

It’s just our mind playing tricks on us . Try to distract yourself and keep purposely busy ! You’re doing great ! I can’t wait to be as far out as you . 

Day 16 

[sweetplt]

Congratulations on 29 days of Freedom...I think elvan above gave good advice...come here in the evening and help others, write a post, and/or read blogs...sometimes just having your mind busy will rid the crave.  Colleen 148 DOF 

[Bree19 · Accepted solution]

babymonster‌

You've got some excellent advice above.

All I can add is - well done on 29 days - that's nearly a month smoke free!  AWESOME!3

Blessings

Bree