Cold turkey, 67 hours in, I feel lost!

Hi guys. I've been off the fags cold turkey for almost 3 days now, my last one was over 67 hours ago now. I didn't plan on quitting at all, have been smoking for about 8 years now, been on 20 a day (sometimes creeping over 20!) for a good while. Had one shocking bad cold for the past week and just randomly decided on Wednesday on my day off to see what woud happen if I didn't have my usual first smoke of the day. It didn't really phase me so I decided to see out of interest how long I could go.

Wednesday was easy really, I think the only real time I missed it and really wanted one was after dinner (after dinner smoke would be my fav!) apart from that I wouldn't say I was craving one.

Thursday meant back to work...which is another story all together. The morning was fine, didn't really miss my usual 2 or 3 I could have before I start. The rest of the day though is just filled with triggers for me. So many things, times, situations in work mean smoke time. It's a routine, I'm a routine person, and not smoking is severly messing with my routine. I feel so lost at so many times throughout the day because I just know something is missing. Now I got Thursday by me with only once during the day where I sat looking at the cigarette in my hand arguing with myself over whether to have it or not.
Once I got home from work it wasn't too bad, there's not much at home, apart from after dinner, that would be a trigger for me, most of it is purely out of boredom and habit when I'm at home.

Now today, Friday, was a bit worse. Morning again was fine, mid morning/lunch is when the cravings start. Most people I work with smoke but they've been quite supportive of my impromtu quit attempt. Again there's just so many triggers and habits for me in work, and breaking the routine is killing me. I had a couple of times today where I was sat outside, fag in hand, arguing with myself not to waste 60 odd hours of effort. I will admit I actually had one puff of a workmates this afternoon. The cravings were killing me and she thought that if I had one puff now after so long it might put me off. Sure enough I had one puff and it didn't taste one bit like I fondly remember it. I wouldn't say it stank like I hoped it would, but it tasted really really funny, not desirable anyways. So that one puff didn't seem to do much, didn't make me want to finish it, but didn't make me not want to all the same.

So as I sit here now, typing this partly to keep me occupied, but mostly because I'm lost and don't know what to do! I've never tried quitting before so I don't understand what I should be going through. The cravings aren't what I imagined they would be, what I feel is just an unexplainable want to have a smoke, not that I necessarily need one if you get what I mean. I'm sat here with a cut up straw I had a bright idea for today to keep my hands and mouth happy and to hopefully maybe trick them into thinking I've got a cigarette! Even by breathing through it and puffing on it as if I would a cigarette seems to bring a temporary relief to the cravings.
I have been eating like a horse since I stopped. I really dont want to as I've always struggled with my weight and I'm almost thinking at the minute I would rather be smoking than constantly eating.
I've noticed I've became incredibly tired at night and where it would usually take me to well after 1 in the morning to start to even feel slightly tired I've been out for the count well before midnight the past two nights.
During the day I haven't been feeling as tired as I normally would so maybe there's one positive showing up already.
I'm obviously enjoying not having the go to the cash machine and the shop every day! Truth be told the money saved would probably be the main motivation for me at the minute, times a tough and smoking is one massive strain on my funds!

I don't know what I'm really here for, I need help or advice or just some pointers from someone who's done this before. I have one of the e-cigarettes I bought a good while ago with the intention of cutting down on the real fags, never used it properly. I'm tempted to keep it with me and when the cravings get really bad in work to try it and see how that goes, but at the same time I don't really want to because if it's just nicotine it's only going to have be addicted again, and I know I'll end up back on the real fags as that was the main problem with it for me was I just couldn't stop thinking "this isn't a real cigarette" and then had to smoke a real one!

Sorry for the long post, I'm rambling and really didn't intend it go on so long, but it kept me occupied for a bit and stopped me thinking about reaching for the smokes I don't know, I'm just lost right now and I need advice. I don't want to throw away 60/70 hours of effort but at the same time I'm really doubting I'm going to be able to keep it up for any decent amount of time... Help me?

Orion

Get some oranges. Instead of sucking that straw peel an orange. The craving will pass before you finish peeling it. Then eat that orange - better that than junk

Your normal day will be full of triggers. We've all been through this. What I did in work was go outside and instead of turning left to the smoking area I turned right and walked around the building. At home I swapped normal tv watching couch spots with the missus. These little changes in routine will help you break the habit.

Have a read of this log. Keeping that confessional helped me a lot. But it's also got little tricks I picked up along the way to keep me off them. I'm 20 months now and I honestly can't see myself smoking again.

Best of luck. Day 3 is actually the hardest. Seriously. I remember day 3. I would have killed for a smoke. I don't recall a day worse than that. You're through that already - trust me it gets easier

niamhsiobhan

This has been my third full day without cigs too! I used to smoke anything from ten to twenty in the day depending on what was going on. The cravings I can handle because I find if you just grit your teeth and sit through it, they will pass after a few mins. A lot of people get moody, I got anxious, really anxious. I would get these waves of panic and unease that would come over me at any time of the day or night. It was horrible! They weren't too bad today, I just tell myself it's because of the fags I'm feeling like this, and there isn't anything I'm actually anxious about.

The other thing I've found is at night since I've quit, I haven't had a decent nights sleep. My sleep is either really broken or I'm having these mad dreams that leave me exhausted in the morning anyway! Hopefully now though towards the end of my first week it will return to normal.

Didn't set a give up date or anything, I was just tired of smoking and like you, one day I just didn't smoke. And now here I am, day 3 and counting.

What I find really good is to look at anti smoking ads on youtube, the really graphic ones. Or pics of a smokers lung. I know it's sick and I always avoided it, but after looking at them, when I think of myself having a cig now, it makes me sick. It doesn't stop the cravings though, it just gives me more will power to deny them. I want to slowly start introducing alcohol into the picture in the next couple of days. I know if I fail, it will be because I'm out some night and I start smoking after a few drinks. It seems to be where everyone falls down. Even if I just have one beer at home some night, and fight the craving to have one, slowly I'll get used to it. I loved having a drink and a fag on a night out. It was my 2nd fave fag, my all time fave fag was my after dinner fag like you!

Anyways, head down and stay going I guess! I'm sure there's a hundred other people like me and you, that have just quit. Keep us posted on the progress!

siobhan.murphy

hiya,like u op It was an impromptu thing to pack in the fags,Im week 5,routine gone out the window,concentration has come back a bit,cravings there a lot this week for some reason stick with it,my wheeze had totally gone in 4 days,which was great as i was all out of inhalers and there are only so many times u can blag them off the chemist,keep posting and stick with it

Dodd

I don't have any real input but will c&p this as it might help keep you on track.

* Within 20 minutes after you smoke that last cigarette, your body begins a series of changes that continue for years
* 20 minutes after quitting, your heart rate drops.
* 12 hours after quitting, carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
* After 24 Hours: Your lungs begin to clear out accumulated mucus and tar. Your pulse rate and blood pressure begin to lower.
* After 48 Hours: Your sense of smell and taste begin to improve as nicotine is eliminated from your body.
* After 72 Hours: Your bronchial tubes begin to relax, making breathing easier. Lung capacity increases.
* After 2-12 Weeks: Circulation improves, making walking and physical activity easier. Stamina improves
* After 2 weeks to 3 months your heart attack risk begins to drop and your lung function begins to improve.
* 1 to 9 months after quitting, your coughing and sinus congestion decreases. Lung function improves. Shortness of breath decreases. Energy level increases.
* 1 year after quitting, your added risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s.
* 5 years after quitting, your stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker’s.
* 10 years after quitting, your lung cancer death rate is about half that of a smoker’s. Your risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases.
* 15 years after quitting, your risk of coronary heart disease and lung cancer is back to that of someone who has never smoked.

Hi guys, me again! Cheers for the replies, hearing from peope who are or have gone through the exact same thing is a great help, that quitlog is fantastic it's almost like it's me writing it I can relate to it that much!

Well, I got the rest of Friday night past me fine, went to bed really early once again to sleep off some of the hours!

Saturday....oh my lord Saturday I have honestly never experienced a mood like it in my life. Woke up and in to work relatively ok, then all of a sudden my mood just took one almighty nose dive. It was the most gruesome, darkest, crankiest mood I have ever been in, no exaggeration it was like hell. I felt really tired too and I became incredibily absent minded. Twice in a row I went to make a coffee for myself and another workmate and poured them forgetting to actually boil the kettle! I snapped and had a little temper fit at myself then a few tears came to my eyes, I just felt so beaten down with everything and I honestly felt so depressed, it was horrible. I thought that was it and that was the breaking point for me but I calmed myself down with a bit of frantic cleaning, collected myself, took a couple of Kalms to see if they'd help and went back to work.

Well they didn't help, and my mood didn't lift one bit. I work in retail management, so I just cannot be like that, it really was like I had to do something before I lost myself my job here! Midday came, my 12pm smoke is one of the habits in work I'm finding hardest to get over, so the mood worsened. I caved in a way, not fully but it was hard enough to bring myself to do it but it was a necessity, I had to use the e-cigarette. I put it in my bag in the morning as I suspected day 3 wouldn't be the peak for me, and I would rather give in to it than smoking a fag if really need be. The difference after I "smoked" it was unbelievable, my mood immediately lifted and I relaxed, I could finally see a light at the end of the tunnel of that god awful day!

I realise that's probably me right back to sqaure one on the nicotine front, but I would rather have a quick puff on it in an emergency than succumbing to a real cigarette. I had one more little puff on it later in the afternoon yesterday and that's been it. Today has been alright really, though I'm off work so it always seems to be easier for me when I'm not there, but I'm in an ok mood, no real cravings today to speak of, but I'm still eating too much! Tomorrow's another day off so fingers crossed it will be alright too.

I'm finding some of my habits I just cannot break, though for now I think to completely break them would make it worse. In work for example when I've finished eating my lunch, I still have to go outside after and sit on my little box, not smoking but just sitting there for the remainder of my lunch. Not doing it throws me completely and while I'm sat their I don't have any great urge to smoke as I'm content enough just keeping up the routine! I even still go back in and reach out the mints and perfume out of the bag as if I've just had a smoke :P

Last night I actually had a dream where I failed completely and started smoking again. I went through a bit of stress in the dream, got angry and had to smoke. I honestly woke up disappointed with myself as I thought for a moment this happened yesterday! I have been having some weird and really vivid dreams since I quit, I'm sleeping way loads more than when I was smoking but it's a more broken sleep so I'm having 3 or 4 of these weird dreams a night!

Anyways, I'm at 113 hours now (I've become obsessed with counting the hours) One wobble yesterday where the e-cigarette came in to use but I can live with that as I'm still pretty proud of myself already Hope you's don't mind me ranting here, but it's helping to get this all out definately and to get a little support

Jeeesus...just two hours ago I was fine, but I have just broken down in tears. I was just sitting at the laptop, reading an article about quitting smoking, I read the word depression and the floodgates just opened It's been a long long time since I cried but I haven't been able to stop for the last 15 mins. It's made me feel weak and low again. I really really do not like these random and sudden mood swings, it's really making me want to just start smoking again to regain a sense of normality and control

MajorMax

Stay strong.

I smoked 20-30 a day for 12 years and I quit 12 years ago. It will literally change your life.

This is the most important day of your life, you are at a crossroads, one path leads to a longer life and more money! The other path leads to an early grave.

Good luck

Thank you MajorMax, thank you I honestly think if I hadn't of came on here and read your post I definately would have smoked there. I cried and cried for over an hour, debating with myself if giving up is worth these severe moods, and kept coming back to your line...that this is the crossroads.
I wanted a cigarette right there so so so much but it got me through it, I had a cup of tea and a small smoke of the e-cigarette and I feel a lot better now. It does sort of feel like a turning point, atleast hopefully it's a turning point, if that's not the low point for me I really dont want to know what is! If anything it gives me a really bad point to look back to when the cravings and withdrawl symptoms kick up again.

I'm thinking complete cold turkey maybe isn't the best option for me, I don't want to go on patches or anything as I don't like the idea of still having a constant supply of nicotine when trying to give up. I don't like the idea of having any nicotine for that matter but the e-cig has been a life saver for me so far, without the couple of puffs on it during the two really bad episodes I would definately have failed by now! Hopefully I can get by using it very rarely till the worst bit passes then lose it completely too

MajorMax

I'm glad I could help. You have to ask yourself, why do you want to put a substance into your body that can cause such mood swings.

kicking the physical addiction is easy, The psychological addiction is the hard part.

No-one can do this for you, whether you go cold turkey or patches, only you can do this

GRIT YOUR TEETH AND TOUGH IT OUT! DON'T LET IT WIN!

I know you can do it

SlimCi

Hey don't feel bad about using WHATEVER you need to help you quit. I'm off them two years almost and used the patches as it was going to be the only thing that worked for me I smoked twenty and day for about twenty four years and 30 and more for about two years, developed asthma, lost my mother to lung cancer, LOVED cigarettes, had one sitting on the edge of my bed every morning before I did anything. You CAN do this, by whatever means necessary it doesn't matter as long as you keep going. Take up knitting, I played my son's ds which I find addictive. Go for a walk, think of your health, and promise yourself a reward for each day, week, month that you're off them. Its is like a bereavement, I felt like I'd lost my best friend. Change all your routines, evenings watching telly are worst! Do a night course, walk the dog, go to the gym anything! Best of Luck I really hope you succeed, its the best thing you will ever do for yourself and your family.:)

Thanks, I have just always had it in my head that if you're gonna quit, quit...none of this prolonging the pain with NRTs and whatnot! I didn't think cold turkey would be quite so hard though. Still anyways one hour and it'll be 12 days since my last cig I've stopped counting in hourse now for days, hopefully I'll make it to weeks then months! After my little breakdown last Sunday nght things seem to have improved quite a bit (fingers crossed) I'm having a lot less mood swings, I'm not so quick to lose my temper, I'm not eating quite so much as I first was, I even coped remarkably well with a bit of a stressfull disaster in work the other day!

I still really want a cigarette, not necessarily cravings but quite often throughout the day I'll get times where I just think I should be having one right now. I really do miss them, but I guess that phase will pass with time as I learn to live without them in the long run! For now I'm happy enough using the e-cig for a while, pretty certain without it I would've failed no doubt already. The past couple of days I've been using it 3 or 4 times a day which is more than I would like to but if I can continue and not increase the usage of it anymore then I'll be happy considering how much better for your health than real cigarettes it is.

One thing I'm quite dissappointed with is that I have no noticable change to my taste & smell, I was quite looking forward to that bit! The only time I've thought maybe my sense of smell has improved was the other morning when I opened the my bedroom window only slightly and the smell of my next door neighbour washing his car hit me! I've never noticed that before! But that's been the only time Breathing though has improved, I've quite a wee walk from the carpark to work & I am usually a little bit out of breath after I've done it but not anymore!

Just thought I would add...I found a full packet of cigarettes in work yesterday, normally I wouldn't of thought twice about having them, I mean what's better than free fags?! For a split second first I did think about keeping them, but immediately thought why? you don't smoke you idiot! So I gave them to a workmate That may not sound that much or too important to some people but that's quite big for me! One, I passed up on something free, and two, I happily gave away a packet of fags...I could never have imagined myself doing that before!

aoifejane

Are you still off them??? Thinking of quitting all day. One fag left and wondering if i should smoke it tonight and quit in the morning....

SlimCi

Smoke the bloody thing and be done with it! Start fresh in the morning when you are well rested....!

aoifejane

aoifejane wrote: »

Are you still off them??? Thinking of quitting all day. One fag left and wondering if i should smoke it tonight and quit in the morning....

I am yes, 18 days now Though I am still using the e-cig a couple of times a day untill i can get the worst of the habits changed, I think the complete change in daily routine was too much for me at once! But still I don't feel bad about using it now as I know I am saving a ton of money still and I'm not filling my lungs and body full of dangerous crap, I'm just keeping the cravings down for now.

But seriously go for it! I never imagined myself quitting at all, always never even gave it a thought as I couldn't imagine my life without them, but I really surprised myself. Even if you just manage a couple of days cold turkey it's damn good going I reckon!
I managed about 3 & half days cold turkey till I cracked, and I'm pretty proud of it! And if you're a heavy smoker it's amazing how quickly you notice the extra money build up that your not wasting away.

Just don't smoke in the morning and put it to the back of your mind, just roll with it and see how it goes! I think if you put too much pressure on yourself to quit it'll only make it worse. I never even finished my last packet, I still have the 5 of them sitting in my drawer. For the first week nearly I actually just kept them in my bag as I felt better knowing that if I completely cracked I had them there, removing them completelt just added another pressure I didn't need.

Best of luck if you do go for it, it wont be easy but it will be well worth it and it's something you can be proud of doing!

ALBUR182

How about now??? I work in retail mgmt too, I'm off 'em one month, I'd have to say working in retail can be very stressful but I'm doing ok, cold turkey, nothing since, not even an e-cig

ALBUR182

ALBUR182 wrote: »

How about now??? I work in retail mgmt too, I'm off 'em one month, I'd have to say working in retail can be very stressful but I'm doing ok, cold turkey, nothing since, not even an e-cig

Glad to suprisingly report I'm still off them, and now off the e-cig too! I've stopped counting the days long ago but I think this must be week 10 now since I quit, stopped using the e-cig about 2 weeks ago now and all's going pretty much grand now No real mood swings any more, no more cranky than my usual self, not eating too much, coping with stress fine, finally gotten rid of all the habits and routines that would have triggered a craving in the past, and got out of the little habits I had gotten in to with the e-cig when I was off work and away for a week! I've even survived a temporary promotion and move in work without a cigarette even crossing my mind!

I do keep having the odd vivid dream where I have a cigarette every now and then, had one last night in fact and it seemed so real, even down to the taste I remember, I woke up disappointed with myself then realised it was only a dream

Congrats to everybody out there who has quite one way or another! It aint easy but it is definately do-able!

siobhan.murphy

it's great to achieve something so big as this ,well done:p:p
and myself Im 3 months off them ,been out with smokers as well,job done!

castlepoint

stick with it.i smoked 30 a day for 15 years.60 a day when i was on the lash-which was to often.if you get past the first 10 days you are half way there.don,t stop giving up.

firemouth

pluginbaby your my hero!!