You are doing exactly what I did! I randomly decided on a Tuesday night that I had smoked my last cigarette, and woke up Wednesday morning determined never to smoke again. I went cold turkey and I hadn't planned ahead or told anyone. Weirdly, I think it actually helped me because it took all the pressure off. I think if I had decided in advance, "August 27 will be my last day as a smoker," it would have become a thing in my brain and the stress of holding myself to it might have been too much.
I know nicotine replacement therapy works for some people, but the way you are doing it, you will get the withdrawal over with as fast as possible. Once you're through the first three days it gets a lot easier. Drink lots of water to keep flushing the nicotine from your system and be very kind to yourself for the next few days. Exercising also really helped me feel better, and the ache in my lungs after working out was a good reminder of why I was doing this.
Make sure you look under the "my program" tab here for some helpful information about quitting. And come back and post a bunch! It helps!
That feeling of depression might be coming from quitting smoking, actually. I remember getting really low at about the point you are at now, and not understanding why. Stay strong -- you are almost past the first month! People here call it "zombie month" and there is a reason. Once you get through it things will improve considerably, I promise. :)
I had a really rough work week last week. All these deadlines hit at the same time and I felt like I was pulling off miracle after miracle for my clients just to have them be even more nasty and demanding. This is a really critical time every year because our clients renew their relationships with us in January, so I can't let anything fall through the cracks or I will risk someone not coming back, but at least in previous years I was working toward a performance bonus. This year my company is about to merge with another company and my boss has basically checked out. So even if all my clients renew, I could easily be laid off by the new company in a few months. I'm working and working and working for possibly nothing at all except making a couple of rich people richer.
I've actually been doing pretty well with the not smoking but last week really tested me. After working from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, I immediately had to go out to a drinks thing to celebrate one of my good friends getting a huge promotion at her job, which just compounded how ****ty I was feeling. I wound up crying to my husband at midnight about how badly I needed to smoke. I couldn't believe the urge was so strong after all this time, but it was. I felt like nothing else could possibly make me feel better.
I didn't smoke, though, and I got through the weekend without smoking, even though the craving stayed with me the whole time.
After having a really cheerful month or so of not smoking, I'm so sad because I cannot believe I am STILL FEELING LIKE THIS. When is it going to stop?
I just cried reading this. I haven't smoked in almost three months and sometimes it is still really hard, so I admire your strength in the face of so many difficult things. Thanks for coming back to share this with everyone. It was just what I needed to read today.
Thanks for asking! I am feeling better. Work hasn't improved much, but I got through feeling like smoking was the solution. :) This morning my husband mentioned that we are coming up on three months smoke-free and I had to laugh because it feels like it has been a hundred years. But I am getting through it one day at a time!
It has been three months since I smoked my last cigarette! The time has finally started to move a little more quickly. I actually stopped counting the days at some point in the past month. I am still having to wrestle with the occasional urge to smoke, but I don't even know if I would call it a "craving" at this point because it passes so quickly. The biggest change of all is that when I am around smokers now, I don't feel sorry for myself anymore. I feel sorry for them.
It's almost Thanksgiving here in the US and I am so thankful to have made it this far that I could cry. The years and years I spent smoking feel like a bad dream that I have finally woken up from. I am so grateful to have had the support of the people in my life and to have had you all. I read your posts every day and they help me so much.
I host Thanksgiving at my place so I do the turkey and other folks bring the rest, but I do have fun making creative appetizers. This year I am doing sun-dried tomato deviled eggs and jalapenos stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in candied bacon. I'd love to hear what other people are making if anyone feels like sharing!
I remember that period in my quitting process very well. I think I posted about it at the time, though I can't remember where. It was like the momentum of quitting wore off and all that was left was a blah feeling. It was around that time that I really realized that there would never be any smoking again. I "knew" it before that, but I didn't really know it.
I also get really stressed out by family time (and spending time with my husband's family is even less relaxing) but I try to remind myself that at least I am not experiencing the double stress of craving a cigarette and trying to find an excuse to sneak off long enough to have one. That was always the worst -- some episode would occur (usually involving an argument with my dad, or having to watch my husband argue with his dad without knowing whether I should get involved or just let it run its course) and all I'd want was to smoke but I wouldn't be able to. At least now I just have the one stress to focus on. And I firmly believe that holidays with the families are why the good lord gave us gin. :)
For me the blahs passed pretty quickly. Within a few days of acknowledging them they had lifted. Be nice to yourself and wait it out. I bet you feel better soon.
Sorry it took me so long to respond! I was out of town for work all week and didn't get the chance to check in. Thanks for all the encouragement!
Thanksgiving was great. I really noticed a difference from not smoking. I wasn't jumping around all the time and as a result I was able to really focus on the cooking, the meal and my friends. After dinner I let the husband clear while I curled up in a big chair with a glass of wine and we all hung out for a few hours. I was so calm. It was really nice.
My deviled eggs came out great, but the stuffed jalapenos were about ten times spicier than intended! I like spicy food, so I was eating them, but I worried no one else would. But one by one they all disappeared, so I guess everyone got used to the heat. Lesson learned: you can't just scrape out the seeds of the pepper, you have to scrape out the ribs as well.
This is such an inspiring thread! 102 days here and feeling great.
Recently, I experienced a really stressful work conference and a blowout with my landlord, and I did a good job at work and the landlord thing got resolved and no cigarettes were needed to get through either (even if I did think about them a few times).
Anything we got through as smokers we have the strength to get through as non-smokers!
Anybody else out there fighting both their addiction and the winter blues? I get them every year around this time -- the lack of daylight really gets to me. I wind up powering through the holidays only to hermit myself all through January. Literally. The first January I was living with my husband he had to point out to me that I hadn't left the house or even put on real clothes in a week (I work from home which doesn't help). After he made me aware of how weird I was being, I started trying to fight it with exercise and forcing myself to do projects. But it's always a struggle.
I don't even really want to smoke since it's cold and dark, but having to constantly steer my thoughts away from it is getting harder and harder now that I am also trying to constantly steer my thoughts away from the winter blues. I had been going for runs after work to clear my head and blow off steam, but now it's dark by the time I finish work, and my neighborhood isn't really safe enough for a girl to go jogging alone at night. Plus it's cold and I don't feel like it. I dragged myself to yoga last night but it was tough.
I know I just have to get through the next couple of months. I always feel really energized and happy when the days start getting longer and warmer. In the meantime, do people have things they do other than exercise and eating well to blow off steam?
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