Feel like slipping

Captain Slow IRL

Don't know what it is lately, but have strong urge to start again - I've been dreaming about it, some very vivid dreams!

I've had urges before, but never for so long and so strong (off them 2 and a half years now)

Anyone feel similiar?!

Miss Fluff

In the same boat. Off them nearly a year now and this evening I had an overwhelming urge for a fag. I was just home from the gym ffs and hadn't had a drink or anything but I did want one. The urge passed though. I still dream about them every couple of weeks or so, convinced when I wake up that I've smoked and I feel really disappointed. I think it is common enough to have a period of time where you miss them/have the urge. I have a friend who quit five days after me and she gets like that too. Just the nature of the addiction. You know smoking again would be idiotic again don't you?

Captain Slow IRL

Miss Fluff wrote: »

......... I still dream about them every couple of weeks or so, convinced when I wake up that I've smoked and I feel really disappointed. ............

Haha, that's a weird guilty feeling when you wake up!

paddypowder

just remember that if you smoke again you will never give them up again

you will die a slow and painful death
I have witnessed a person die from lung cancer
I feel she was hurt more by her lack of dignity rather than the pain as she passed

Fatscally

Captain Slow IRL wrote: »

Anyone feel similiar?!

Yes!!! All of us. You'll be alright. It will pass. Go eat an orange or something to take your mind off it. Just laugh at the sensations you're having and KNOW that smoking caused them. (a bit like a self experimenting scientist)

Miss Fluff wrote: »

...I still dream about them every couple of weeks or so, convinced when I wake up that I've smoked and I feel really disappointed.

That is so powerful. We have the exact same dreams and emotions from this s*.
I would wake up gutted. After all that effort and progress of giving them up I had failed. I would be depressed when I woke up and it would take me some time to come through it and realise it was only a dream.
I'd probably spend the first hour or two confused from it until the day got going. The confusion is definately a wierd sensation. Did I smoke? Am I a smoker? Did I give them up? Am I back on them? wtf is going on?:cool:

paddypowder wrote: »

you will die a slow and painful death
I have witnessed a person die from lung cancer
I feel she was hurt more by her lack of dignity rather than the pain as she passed

I've seen it too. Not great. Another with a lung cut away and limping through life on keemo and pills. Another was given 6 months to live and was gone in roughly that. Still though it doesn't put you off, it just adds to the misery of being a smoker. :(:(

dots03

I stopped smoking 2 and a half years ago and I still get the (very) occasional thought about wanting a smoke.

Without wanting to sound like a hippie....I call these thoughts, and think of them, as echoes...so don't worry about them as thats all they are : just echoes (they are not even "real" impulses) and echoes fade...they are remnants of smoking behavior that will become less frequent as the neural pathways that the smoking process used die off, and this can take time (I smoked for 20 years myself)

I also have the occassional dream in which I am smoking and I am always really happy when I wake up to discover it was only a dream.

Without wanting to sound ridiculous (or insult my wife and kids ), the best decision I ever made in my life was quitting smoking.

so OP, you know yourself that there is no way you will go back on the smokes...if you have been off them for 2 and a half years you know it makes no sense to go back on them now

aca101

Been off them for since the new year...really struggling now tho..in the middle of studying for exams so stress levels are fairly high...i used to smoke 10-15 a day.

Would it be an absolute disaster if i had an occasional one or two for the next few weeks?

Miss Fluff

aca101 wrote: »

Been off them for since the new year...really struggling now tho..in the middle of studying for exams so stress levels are fairly high...i used to smoke 10-15 a day.

Would it be an absolute disaster if i had an occasional one or two for the next few weeks?

It would be a TOTAL disaster. I can't remember if it was in the Allen Carr book or on the www.whyquit.com website but something that really helped me was the following story (bearing in mind I quit smoking 30 a day after seventeen years, was dumped by my boyfriend and started a really full-on high pressure new job all within the space of seven days:eek::))

Imagine yourself driving over a lonely deserted road on a dark evening. Miles from nowhere. You have no phone signal. Your car breaks down. It's cold. It's windy, and you fear you could be stuck out there all night. You have just quit smoking. If you had cigarettes in your pocket would they make the car work again? Would they charge your phone? Would having a smoke make the sun come out? No.

Will smoking help your stress levels? Not at all, you'll be stressing about smoking again after having quit. Will smoking pass your exams for you? No.

Seriously don't, you'll only regret it....

Miss Fluff

aca101 wrote: »

Been off them for since the new year...really struggling now tho..in the middle of studying for exams so stress levels are fairly high...i used to smoke 10-15 a day.

Would it be an absolute disaster if i had an occasional one or two for the next few weeks?

And OH MY GOD by the way, you are off them nearly six months. Think of all the good work you would undo!:(

Boskowski

paddypowder wrote: »

just remember that if you smoke again you will never give them up again

you will die a slow and painful death
I have witnessed a person die from lung cancer
I feel she was hurt more by her lack of dignity rather than the pain as she passed

That is the most unhelpful, untruthful and plain horrible post I've read in quite some time. What's your issue eh?

Boskowski

Seriously guys. After 6 months or longer it's only your mind playing tricks on you. Just don't act on it and do whatever you were going to do that moment and within 2 minutes you will have forgotten about it. By turning this into an issue and thinking about it and dwelling on it you're making it much harder on yourself.
I'm off them for six months now. I thought I was going to be hopeless case. Why? Because I like cigarettes. I like the smell and I like the sensation. I hate though that I can't have the odd one that I want without having the 18 a day. The ones that are for addiction purposes only. So I gave them up albeit thinking I was hopeless. And it was much easier than I thought. Sure you gonna think about them, especially at the start. Just ignore it for a minute and keep doing what you were doing. Next time you think about them it will be hours later. Or days even. Or weeks. You'll go like "wow I remember I really wanted one badly that time. And it's like 5 hours ago. Mustn't have wanted it that badly so". Seriously. Just ignore it and forget about it it's not that big a deal.

Miss Fluff

Boskowski wrote: »

Seriously guys. After 6 months or longer it's only your mind playing tricks on you. Just don't act on it and do whatever you were going to do that moment and within 2 minutes you will have forgotten about it. By turning this into an issue and thinking about it and dwelling on it you're making it much harder on yourself.

Seriously. Just ignore it and forget about it it's not that big a deal

.

Why are you being so dismissive? The nature of addiction and the manifestation of such differs from person to person. I thank my lucky stars for this forum and for it's existence. Even a year on it has been a tremendous support. So I was very interested and reassured by the fact that Captain Slow IRL, Fatscally, dots03 and aca101 have weak moments/dreams so long after quitting. While free of the physiological dependency, the psychological dependency can still feature strongly at unexpected moments. So to say it's not a big deal is rude and dismissive and I for one don't appreciate it.....

Boskowski

Miss Fluff wrote: »

Why are you being so dismissive? The nature of addiction and the manifestation of such differs from person to person. I thank my lucky stars for this forum and for it's existence. Even a year on it has been a tremendous support. So I was very interested and reassured by the fact that Captain Slow IRL, Fatscally, dots03 and aca101 have weak moments/dreams so long after quitting. While free of the physiological dependency, the psychological dependency can still feature strongly at unexpected moments. So to say it's not a big deal is rude and dismissive and I for one don't appreciate it.....

I guess it's down to the restrictions of the written word. Or maybe my abilities to express myself in English aren't as good as I think. Anyway. Point is it is not meant to be dismissive. It was meant to explain that is just a trick of the mind that will disappear as quickly as it appeared in the first place.

And I for one don't want to know about people having pangs 3 years after. That I find discouraging. And I do find that simply not acting on it and carrying on as normal it goes the away the quickest. If I dwell on it, think about it for ages it only becomes worse.

Miss Fluff

Fair enough Boskowski I wouldn't be discouraged about hearing of people having pangs 3 years later. My mother, who is off them 37 years, had a really strong pang a couple of months ago. Seriously. I wouldn't want to discourage anyone by saying it never leaves you but I think the mantra "no such thing as just one puff" totally demonstrates how strong the urge is. It may "leave" you but all it takes is that one drag and you're hooked again. I'm sounding pedantic now so I'll leave it....

Bottle_of_Smoke

Just remember the agony of having to quit again. think of being out of breath etc.

think of how good it is to take deep breaths. looking better etc