[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Arjun Reddy

Day 21 today. The cravings are almost done on most days. Yesterday ie day 20 was the worst. The craving for a smoke was at its highest. It has been a battle with the mind.

.... ... ...

Honestly it has been much easier than I thought. So for all you guys planning to quit, it is not has hard as it has been made out to be.

Absolutely. But, there is, as you say, bad stuff along the way.

It is a battle with the mind, and when the giving-up symptoms are at their worst, the mind makes it hard to remember that this stuff is just for a few hours, or just for a few days, and no, just one cigarette doesn't help, it just resets the clock before it all kicks in again.

Congratulations on you achievement! Keep up the good work

[selfdrive]

After years of smoke free life, I almost gave in to temptation last week.

At the moment, the cigarette just seemed like a lightning rod. To attract and take away whatever stress was brewing around at the time. At the kiosk, I kept fidgeting and walking around much to the bemusement of the vendor and a couple of other people standing around.
Luckily I found a sandwich kiosk nearby and went in that direction. Had a couple of grilled sandwiches and walked away in the other direction.

Unfortunately with the rainy season around the corner, I am not sure how long this will go on for. When I used to smoke earlier, I always associated rains with cigarettes and 'cutting chai'. As of date, I am trying to keep away from smoking, just by sticking to the office canteen during breaks. while this means no fresh air, at least it also means no cigarettes

Hope to find some way to keep away from any recurrence of smoking or any eating disorders.

[sukiwa]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

After years of smoke free life, I almost gave in to temptation last week.

Never knew you used to smoke earlier, can't imagine you smoking a cigarette.

Had a couple of grilled sandwiches and walked away in the other direction.

Good God.

Hope to find some way to keep away from any recurrence of smoking or any eating disorders.

Call & talk to someone.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Hope to find some way to keep away from any recurrence of smoking or any eating disorders.

Just think: why on earth would you want to throw away the effort of giving up and all the years of not smoking. It wouldn't make sense, right?

This stuff can, and does, happen to a lot of ex-smokers. It is normal: we can always be vulnerable. It's just a reminder of that. Just don't give in. It really is not worth resetting all the improvement to your health back to smoker, and it will be just as hard, if not harder, to give up again.

So just don't. Eat a grilled sandwich if you must. Eat three! The temptation phase will pass, and then you can cut down on the grilled sandwiches.

[vikramvicky1984]

I too am a regular old time smoker with multiple unsuccessful attempts.
Had subscribed to this thread for motivation but nothing helped.

I had a major stomach surgery mid april and was on bed rest for a month. Finally over a month without smoking.

I am getting back to normal now and cravings keep coming( not physical but mental ones- i.e. that anxiety of cigarette is not there but I keep thinking about it all day). I even dream of cigarettes in my sleep.

Due to the surgery, I cannot eat delicious/spicy food (which may have helped keep away craving) or eat a lot.

Have resisted for long. Hope to succeed this time. This is my best chance

I hope to treat myself with a nice bike/gypsy once I get back to driving ( with part saving from not smoking)

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by sukiwa

Call & talk to someone.

Some calls induce the stress

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Just think: why on earth would you want to throw away the effort of giving up and all the years of not smoking. It wouldn't make sense, right?

It doesn't make sense at all. This is why I was surprised by the desperate urge to smoke after so many years. On the odd occasion, I may have been tempted but never this bad.
As for the eating disorder, my excuse for flab is it is better than tar in the lungs. And that it can be worked away

Looking for fried potatoes now

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Looking for fried potatoes now

Good for you! Stick with the chips. Short-term chips will do you far less harm than long-term smoking. As you know... smoking is hard to give up

This guy knows that too...

Originally Posted by vikramvicky1984

I had a major stomach surgery mid april and was on bed rest for a month. Finally over a month without smoking.

A very good chance to give up, and, although pangs can come years in the future, you are probably over the worst of the physical stuff already.

As you are finding out: it's just the mind games that you have to win now.

Have resisted for long. Hope to succeed this time. This is my best chance

My theory is that it is the strength of the decision to stop that counts. It must be a decision that you simply will not allow yourself to go back on. Well, you didn't have to take a decision: circumstances made you give up. But now you have to take one to stay given up.

(And surgery. Surgery, when we need it, is just the most wonderful thing in the world. Wishing you good healing and good health )

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by sukiwa

Call & talk to someone.

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Some calls induce the stress

Call me sir, I promise not to induce even an iota of stress. In fact, I will even give you company at the sandwich kiosk, and ensure that you don't have any money left over for cigarettes

Cheers,
Vikram

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Good for you! Stick with the chips. Short-term chips will do you far less harm than long-term smoking. As you know... smoking is hard to give up

Sir, unfortunately we don't get anything that even resembles the thick cut chips we get in the UK. I terribly miss those; I need to return to an organisation which sends us regularly there

Thanks for all your kind words. I am holding good for now. Hope to carry on through this rainy season.

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

Call me sir, I promise not to induce even an iota of stress. In fact, I will even give you company at the sandwich kiosk, and ensure that you don't have any money left over for cigarettes

Good try! Our tax structure pretty much sucks everything dry anyway.
Unfortunately, at such breaks there isn't much to do. Ever since we got trained (by the bitter half) on not to look at (ogle?) at those from the opposite gender. Then the empty mind wanders towards the food or cigarette kiosks.

[vinit.merchant]

Originally Posted by vinit.merchant

While all my tries failed to quit, finally I was forced to give up.

In the last 22 days, I have maybe had a few puff's here and there when I had company, refusing the entire stick all the time, plus also committing myself to not buy any packs in future.

Ok. The above was like 3.5 years back, and honestly, those few puffs here and there were the spoiler, as I never ended up quitting.

As it usually happens with me, restarting after quitting, the number per day also shot through the roof. In the last 1-1.5 years, I even started rolling my own cigarette, feeling that after some time I will get tired of rolling or I will not roll while in crowded areas and that will help in quitting. But we all know that that exercise is futile in the end.

One fine day I decided that enough is enough. As one of my colleague had rightly told me some years back (while we were both smoking), that some day we will have to quit.

I smoked the last cigarette on the 2nd of March, afternoon. Today I complete 3 months or 94 days precisely. I would like to continue increasing that count.
Some days are really difficult and I would like to point out that its not as if you don't smoke for a xx days and "not smoking" doesn't trouble you anymore. One keeps getting the urge every now and then. But as time goes by, the number of urges keeps reducing and it also gets easier to pass them off without acting. During these 94 days,I challenged myself by putting myself in those places where the urge is the strongest (in a pub, with colleagues at a party, with colleagues at office while they smoke, etc) I fought those urges as a challenge and these circumstances no longer troubles me so much.

EDIT: The initial 1 month, whenever there was a craving, I ate something, mostly confectioneries but also junk food. Thanks to that, I have increased my weight so much I am afraid to climb on to the weighing scale.

Originally Posted by vikramvicky1984

I had a major stomach surgery mid april and was on bed rest for a month. Finally over a month without smoking.

I am getting back to normal now and cravings keep coming( not physical but mental ones- i.e. that anxiety of cigarette is not there but I keep thinking about it all day). I even dream of cigarettes in my sleep.

Our circumstances are similar, although I failed to control when I had the surgery 3.5 years back. I would urge you to not make the same mistake.

I too get dreams of smoking (crazy !!)

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

A few quick points. Amongst the quit smoking community, there is a popular notion of the three day, three week and three month itch.

I did not write about it because I still think I am in the middle of it, but the 3 month craving is crazy. I will comment once I pass it.

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

About weight increase, it is well known that most people put on between 2-5 kgs post quitting. Something about increased appetite and greater ability of the body to absorb the food as compared to when one is a smoker.

From my experience, there is no increase in appetite, but I ate just to kill the urge, and ate mostly junk.

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by vinit.merchant

... I would like to point out that its not as if you don't smoke for a xx days and "not smoking" doesn't trouble you anymore. One keeps getting the urge every now and then. But as time goes by, the number of urges keeps reducing and it also gets easier to pass them off without acting. During these 94 days,I challenged myself by putting myself in those places where the urge is the strongest (in a pub, with colleagues at a party, with colleagues at office while they smoke, etc) I fought those urges as a challenge and these circumstances no longer troubles me so much.

EDIT: The initial 1 month, whenever there was a craving, I ate something, mostly confectioneries but also junk food. Thanks to that, I have increased my weight so much I am afraid to climb on to the weighing scale.

A few quick points. Amongst the quit smoking community, there is a popular notion of the three day, three week and three month itch. I am told that if you can surpass these targets one after another, you are safe. I personally believe that its a just a way of congratulating yourself that you have quit this deadly habit for X number of days. I am currently just completing the three week timeframe, not having touched a single one in that time.

Yes, like everyone says, there are tough times when you just want to let go and have a drag, but one also knows that these are the most vulnerable times when one's resolve has to be strongest.

About weight increase, it is well known that most people put on between 2-5 kgs post quitting. Something about increased appetite and greater ability of the body to absorb the food as compared to when one is a smoker.

There is only way way to quit, which is cold turkey (move to zero sticks and not try to reduce gradually- it never works). Grit your teeth and keep at it. Its one of the strongest and toughest to break addictions. Treat it as such and be prepared to fight yourself when the urges surface.

[Thad E Ginathom]

A note on rolling your own. No, you don't get tired of it: it becomes a deeply entrenched part of smoking, an almost ritualistic add on to the whole experience. And you are probably smoking raw tobacco, which is even worse than filtered.

That whole thing with the fingers, that carefully-crafted thing I put in my mouth and lit... It is almost as addictive as the smoking itself!

[vinit.merchant]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

A note on rolling your own. No, you don't get tired of it: it becomes a deeply entrenched part of smoking, an almost ritualistic add on to the whole experience. And you are probably smoking raw tobacco, which is even worse than filtered.

That whole thing with the fingers, that carefully-crafted thing I put in my mouth and lit... It is almost as addictive as the smoking itself!

Agree to the first part. In fact, once I got used to rolling, I started hating the normal cigarette.
I don't know about raw or filtered tobacco. But you must be aware of Golden Virginia, since you were in the UK. That's what I used here.

Edit : ofcourse i used the filter at the end if that is what you meant.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by vinit.merchant

But you must be aware of Golden Virginia ...

Aware of it! The words still make my mouth water!

It was my choice for most of my smoking years, and I smoked one small packet (half an ounce, in pre-metric days) every day; without any filters.

Oh wait... this isn't the smoking reminiscences thread!

[Thumping Soul]

So, i have finally decided to kick the butt. Today is my 2nd day without a smoke.

Wanted a forum and folks around to talk to who have gone through this. I have smoked for last 12-13 years, tried quitting couple of times, but don't think i honestly made an attempt ever.

But this time around, the resolve is firm. I'm not gonna touch one ever, at least that's what i keep telling myself, whenever i feel the urge.

BTW, today being 2nd day, i'm sweating even in an air-conditioned office at time and a little restless feeling. Wanted to discuss the experience you guys have had in this journey. What behavior and symptoms to watch out for?