Help to quit smoking!!!?!
Question: Help to quit smoking!!!.?
hello everyone. i really want to stop smoking but i am so afraid that i will not handle and get over the cravings of a cigarette. How long will it take for the cravings to go away.? i am really terrified.Health Question & Answer
Answers:
When I quit, I found there were two things that triggered the cravings. The first is habit. The second is the nicotine widthrawal itself.
The second trigger is actually easy to get over and will go away pretty fast. It's the first that is harder to drop. I quit without any medicines, gums, patches etc. and it really wasn't that hard.
I decided that smoking wasn't a habit that I developed over night and it wasn't something that I could quit over night. Going the cold turkey route sets most people up for failure because the first time they fall off the wagon they think it's all over.
I took three days to write down the time of day and what I was doing each time I had a smoke. I found real quick there's a pattern. When you wake up, after you eat, before bed, when you're at bar drinking, or sitting in traffic. Any of these sound familiar.?
There were also more subtle triggers such as once I had completed a task at work. It was a way of rewarding myself.
The next step was to break the cycle. I smoked every day driving to work and driving home. So I made a rule that I couldn't smoke in the car. I had to wait till I got to work or until I got home. I noticed the car smelled a lot better pretty quick. That was a good incentive.
It also changed the timing of the nicotine cravings and I noticed I was beginning to smoke less without even trying just by delaying that cigarette for a short time.
I then decided to not smoke after meals. I might smoke 30 minutes after I finished (and that was acceptable), but I wouldn't do it directly afterwards.
After changing three triggers that were part of the daily routine, the cravings went away almost completely. I only wanted to smoke in response to more emotionally charged things like a highly stressful situation. I could even go out to smoking areas and talk with friends without wanting to smoke.
It took about two months total to reach the point that someone might offer me a cigarette and the thought of it was a turn off, though on rare occasions I'll want one. I find the best way to curb that is go hang out in a smoking area. A few wiffs of second hand smoke and you'll be glad you quit.
Good luck with it!
Health Question & Answer
The second trigger is actually easy to get over and will go away pretty fast. It's the first that is harder to drop. I quit without any medicines, gums, patches etc. and it really wasn't that hard.
I decided that smoking wasn't a habit that I developed over night and it wasn't something that I could quit over night. Going the cold turkey route sets most people up for failure because the first time they fall off the wagon they think it's all over.
I took three days to write down the time of day and what I was doing each time I had a smoke. I found real quick there's a pattern. When you wake up, after you eat, before bed, when you're at bar drinking, or sitting in traffic. Any of these sound familiar.?
There were also more subtle triggers such as once I had completed a task at work. It was a way of rewarding myself.
The next step was to break the cycle. I smoked every day driving to work and driving home. So I made a rule that I couldn't smoke in the car. I had to wait till I got to work or until I got home. I noticed the car smelled a lot better pretty quick. That was a good incentive.
It also changed the timing of the nicotine cravings and I noticed I was beginning to smoke less without even trying just by delaying that cigarette for a short time.
I then decided to not smoke after meals. I might smoke 30 minutes after I finished (and that was acceptable), but I wouldn't do it directly afterwards.
After changing three triggers that were part of the daily routine, the cravings went away almost completely. I only wanted to smoke in response to more emotionally charged things like a highly stressful situation. I could even go out to smoking areas and talk with friends without wanting to smoke.
It took about two months total to reach the point that someone might offer me a cigarette and the thought of it was a turn off, though on rare occasions I'll want one. I find the best way to curb that is go hang out in a smoking area. A few wiffs of second hand smoke and you'll be glad you quit.
Good luck with it!
Health Question & Answer
Unfortunately for me it took years. In the beginning you get bad cravings but they do go away and are less intense as the days go by.
Congratulations on your decision to quit, you will not go nuts.
Take a jar, empty your ashtray in it and a few drops of water..very few, the cap on it....when you get a craving, open that jar and take a big whiff...you probably wont have so intense a craving after that. Health Question & Answer
Congratulations on your decision to quit, you will not go nuts.
Take a jar, empty your ashtray in it and a few drops of water..very few, the cap on it....when you get a craving, open that jar and take a big whiff...you probably wont have so intense a craving after that. Health Question & Answer
The best way to stop smoking is to never start! Unfortunately it seems you are past that point. I would suggest trying some other form of tobacco such as chewing tobacco or snooter, it worked for me! It was much easier to quit the other form than smoking. If that doesnt work simply hollow your ciggarette out and fill it will weed! sounds stupid but it might work ;)Health Question & Answer