Hi Scruffy,

 

Congratulations on your progress so far, I’m only a few days in front of you so I can totally empathise with what you’re going through. I’m 37 and have been smoking since I was 14. In the last 10 years I went from smoking around 20 a day up to about 35 - 40. The increase is attributable to the fact that I moved from London to Madrid and in Spain, smoking is the national sport! I was one of those people that smoked 3 or 4 before leaving the house in the morning, another 2 or 3 in the car on the 45 minute drive to work, 2 or 3 before bed in the evening - a real junkie. The extent to which I was addicted was absurd. We live out in the country now and I’ve lost count of the times I’ve had to go out at 1am in the morning to find a petrol station selling cigarettes, just to ensure I had enough to smoke the following morning. The thought of a life without cigarettes terrified me, to some extent it still does but everyday is getting easier. 

I found the first few days I’d get like a watery feeling in my mouth and a pang in my stomach, that was me craving nicotine and I just did anything to take my mind off it - some sit-ups, running up and down the stairs a few times, gulp some water, anything. Hell Week was just that, absolute hell, not just for me but for everyone around me. We have 3 young kids at home, all boys; Alex 6, Samuel 4 and Baby Jamie will be 1 year old next Sunday. The option of sleeping through the first week just wasn’t available to me. I work mornings 8am - 3pm and my wife is an adult education teacher and works 4pm - 10pm. So the afternoons for me are always hectic; nappies, making dinners, baths and finally getting everyone into bed. It would have been so easy for me to say "I’m stressed - I need a smoke" but the truth is, in the moments I felt like that I would read a few threads on the forum and the urge would pass. And interestingly, for everyone that "slips" because of stress, someone else "slips" because of boredom - in the end we’re looking for excuses.

Things improved dramatically in Heck Week. The physical dependence subsided but the psychological side of smoking was still there. A feeling of being a bit lost, or a sensation of "Something’s not quite right, something’s missing" but anyway, I went from thinking about smoking every 2 minutes to thinking about it every 10 or 15 minutes. At the end of Heck Week I went for a 10km run. A month ago I couldn’t have run up the stairs without gasping for breath and bordering on the point of vomiting. That was a real achievement for me - I could feel the fresh air filling my lungs for the first time in decades and I felt good, I mean really good.

And now I’m in my 4th week. I’m taking nothing for granted, and I am working at it all the time. But everyday really is getting easier for me. I go hours now without thinking about smoking. I get out of bed and my first thought is no longer "Another sodding day without a smoke" its more "I’m starving, what can I have for brekkie!” I certainly have more energy than I´ve had in a long, long time.

My boss is Argentinean (although he’s been in Spain 30 years) and he’s being really supportive actually. He was telling me that when he quit in 1985 it was so hard for him. Everyone smoked in the work place, in cinemas, on the metro, buses, banks etc. He’s hasn’t smoked in 25 years but even now when he’s enjoyed a good meal, has a glass of red in his hand, he still craves a cigarette - I’m under no illusions - this is going to be something I’ll have to fight the rest of my life. But better than fighting for my life because of some awful tobacco related illness! And really, think how much easier we have it compared with our predecessors; smoking is prohibited in so many places now. I can quite literally go whole weeks without having to smell even a whiff of smoke. 

I read a good post by RSFire (who I must admit I find myself rooting for and checking his progress) and it was about this idea that on giving up smoking, you’d somehow be able to press the reset button and it would be as though you had never smoked. And of course the realisation and disappointment that it just doesn’t work like that. And this is why for me this site is so invaluable. The combined experiences of hundreds of others, the support if needed and the encouragement. One particularly poignant thing that worked for me was Samantha’s quit video. As a parent it really did strike a chord with me and it still makes my wife cry every time we watch it. If you’re even tempted to try a puff, just watch that You Tube clip and imagine your own little ones as lost as that wee lad.

I’ve rambled on a bit much! (Quiet morning at work). We might be hundreds of miles apart and it’s very unlikely we’ll ever meet, but I’m cheering for you, and wishing you every success!

 

All the best

 

 

Steve 

Moss,

 

Thank you for your words of encouragement. I am going through quite a stressful time at the moment. The recession is hitting my business and personal account hard. There is a vomitting bug going around our house at present. I was sick two days ago, now my wife and 2 eldest Sam ( 8years) and Anna (5years) are sick also. It appears to be a 24 hour bug - so hopefully it will soon be over. I am lucky to be at work to take my mind off it all. I am not going to worry about the things I cannot change. I am delighted that I have remained smokefree through these difficult times. It is great to hear your story about quitting and in particular the fact that the cravings become mere thoughts. I know it will take a few months at least to feel confident that I have completely conquered my addiction. What seems to help me deal with the cravings on a day to day basis is drinking water, eating fruit, reading, trying to stick to a starter triathlon programme that I have set for myself. I have a tendancy to eat badly at night after work and want to replace that with healthy eating and reading but I am not going to beat myself up about that at this early stage in my quit programme.

 

Thanks for your support.

 

Scruffy.

Hi Scruffy..........

 

I would like to echo what Jim said regarding cravings.  It is more a thought or a memory of " Oh I used to smoke when I do this".  Occasionally I get what I would call a craving still, but when I do I know that it will be gone as soon as I move on to the next moment in my day. And yes, I definitely consciously worked on replacing those cravings with other thoughts and activities. 

    I felt like I was a slow learner when it came to living without that smoke hanging out of my mouth.  It took several months before I felt anything real positive was happening after quitting.  I remember like it was yesterday asking the very same questions you are asking right now.  My emotions were all over the map and I didn't know if I had what it took to stay quit.  I thought somehow I must be different than the folks here who seemed to be so positive and upbeat about quitting and how they felt.  Honestly, I just kept plugging forward.  I put my trust in the long time quitters here who promised it would get easier if I would just hang in there.  I did a lot of soul searching to try to understand why in the world would I continue to play the odds with my life and my health.

  Don't mean to ramble on here but the good news is that I am now a non-smoker, and you can be too.   Quitting did not fix everything in my life but it sure feels great to know I don't need those damn things any longer.  You may experience a bit of a roller coaster ride for a while but I can promise you that if you stick it out your life will change for the better.

 

Hang in there Scruffy and you will be just fine !!!!!!!

 

Moss

Jim,

 

Thank you for taking the time to recount your experiences early on in your quit programme. It really does help me to hear your story and it is encouraging to hear that you don't really get cravings now but merely thoughts. I hope you don't mind me asking this question but did anything in your life change dramatically after you quit? Did you do anything new or behave in a different way besides the obvious change of not smoking?

 

Regards,

 

Scruffy.

Hey Scruffy!!!

 

      Congrats on your 10 days smoke free!!!  Don't forget your reward!!! 

       In answer to your questions...  I don't get the actual "cravings" that I used to get early on in this quit or previous quits.  In previous quits, I used to get nasty cravings that would absolutely have my stomach so tight that a kick to my mid-section would break the attackers foot!!!  This quit, I prepared much better and used Chantix as an NRT, which dramatically minimized those powerful cravings I experienced previously!  I also found this site while searching for more information on Chantix during the first week on the drug while I was still smoking.  To me, this site was the missing ingredient that I needed for the support!  I hope that your experience will be the same here!

      So, back to your questions...  I do get these "thoughts" or urges every now and then.  They are never strong urges that would intice me to go out of my way to smoke again!  These thoughts usually are a result of one of my personal triggers, which I have tried to avoid like the plague!!!  Like I said, they are just thoughts like, "I really used to enjoy smoking when I was doing this."  It's nothing so strong that I would even think about smoking again!  When I did get those cravings early on, I used deep breathing and tried to remove myself from the situation that caused that craving to pop up.  I also used this site as a distraction by reading and posting!  When I was doing that, I definitly was not smoking!

       Early on, I told myself  NOPE and kept repeating to myself that I was now a Non-Smoker!  I did want this quit very badly from the beginning and thought of it as a personal challenge!  Also, once I got on these forums, I just knew that with the support of all of my new quit buddies that I could do this!  

       So, keep telling yourself that you CAN do this and that it IS your time to finally kick that nico-demon's ash!!!  Heck, if I can do it.... 

                     Jim

Moss,

 

Thanks for the advice. I asked SiO2 the same question but would like to hear your response to the following:

 

1.   Do you still get cravings and if so what form do they take?

2.   Did you consciously replace your cravings with other thoughts or activities?

 

Kind Regards,

 

Scruffy.

Jim,

 

Thanks again. You are now over 1 and 1/2 years off the cigs. Do you still get cravings and if so what form do they take? Did you consciously replace your cravings with other thoughts or activities? Fire is still burning - still fighting the demon.

 

Regards,

 

Scruffy.

Ashley,

 

Thank you for the tips. Yes I did manage to get most of my information downloaded except for a photo and a video. I will try another time. I do not have access at the moment to an appropriate photo.

Hi Scruffy,

 

Sorry for the late response. I did a quick test login and scan of your profile and it seems everything is working fine. Your results are showing and congrats for completing the program!

 

To upload an avatar you will first need a picture file on your computer.  You can easily find a picture on google images.  The important part is it needs to be a relatively small file.  You can search for a smile file or you can compress a file with microsoft imager or another image manipulating program.  Once you have a file on your computer you will then need to use the browse button to find it.  With the youtube video; using our search option is the easiest way to find a motivational video.

 

Members, do you have an easier way to describe how to do this?

 

Ashley, Health Educator 

Hey Scruffy!!!

 

      Sorry your a bit under the weather, but I am so happy that you are staying committed and remaining smoke free!  This IS probably the hardest thing that you will ever do in your life!!!  For me, I took on quitting as a personal challenge and I became determined that the nico-demon would NOT win one more battle!  So far, it has worked! 

      BTW...  Hot SiO2 refers to the media I work with on a daily basis.  SiO2 is Silicon Dioxide, the basic ingredient in glass.  Sometimes it is pure SiO2 (quartz) and sometimes it is borosilicate glass or Pyrex.  Anyways, keep that fire in your eye and keep on slaying that demon!

           Jim