Kim:
All good stuff here...Kiwi laid it our very well...All of the points made are well founded. We are addicted, but we can break the addiction once we realize that it is a cycle. As you know nicotine has a half life in the body...It slowly leaves the body and the closer it gets to being totally eliminated the louder our internal alarm rings to tell us to GET MORE NOW...And that is when we light up and refill our nicotine tank...And all is well again UNTIL the nicotine needle indicates LOW and the internal alarm says GET MORE NOW...On and on it goes...
For me (and this may not apply to you) there are two layers to withdrawal. The first is the physical withdrawal as indicated above. The second part is more personal. We have each established a relationship to smoking. It has given us something. When you come to this part of quitting, you may need to find out what that relationship is all about. I had to figure out what I was getting from cigarettes. Trust me on this one "Nobody likes to smoke"...What we like is what it gives us or should I say what we get from it...Your panic may be based on this...
There is a part of you that knows why you smoke, and also is aware of exactly what you are getting from the relationship. That is where your panic is coming from. The part of you that knows why you smoke is scared to death that it won't be able to function once the you decide that cessation is the right path for you.
It sounds a bit like hokus pokus, but it is very real. Read as much as you can here. You will find that there are certain posts that will resonate with you. Pay attention to those, they may have been written by someone whose quit is similar to your own.
Come here often, I would not have been able to quit had it not been for this site. It won't quit for you but it will give you the information and insight you will need to beat this addiction...
stay well
nonic
My Milage:My Quit Date: 12/25/2006
Smoke-Free Days: 1105
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 33,150
Amount Saved: $11,602.50
Life Gained:Days: 216
Hrs: 7
Mins: 41
Seconds: 6