help y do i still want to smoke?

[snake bite]

hi all, new here, just quit, this is my 7th day and i didnt even think about it just got up last week and decided i wasnt leaving the house so i couldnt buy any, these past few days at work are really hard, although the cravings are getting less powerfull i almost want to smoke. its like in my mind i havent quit but i know just one drag and i'll be addicted again and i dont want that. worse i cant find anyone that wants to quit with me so i cant find much support.
please tell me all the good things about quiting so i can read them over and over and stay quit cuz i cnt think of one reason y i have quit and its hard not to crack.

[roa]

Hi,

I quit because I cannot afford to smoke, buy groceries and pay utilities. Soooo, money was a biggie for me. I also quit because my noisy breathing was waking me up at night. Sooooo, I quit for health issues.

But I do know what you mean about wanting a smoke, and my mind hasn't caught up to my quitting either.

We're here for you. Best wishes.

Roa

[historyteach]

Hiya, SnakeBite!
Welcome to SR!

I hope you are reading around the forum here. The posts are FILLED with positive reasons to quit, from money to health and more. Read the stickys and read the other posts too. Feel free to post your own thoughts, feelings and questions. You will get much support here. Remember to come and check in daily. It's a great way to hold ourself accountable.

I hope to see you here often.

Shalom!

[snake bite]

yeah well im really stressed had one drag last night but didnt continue, got all worked up thinking i wanted to smoke but when i had one im my hand i didnt want it anymore. back on track trying not to smoke, goin away next week so i def wont smoke going to jamaica!
thanks for replying guys but i still dnt really feel motivated to quit even though i have its really weird!!!
its like the only reason i wont smoke is because i dont want the cravings to control me, i like feeling in control and i think of when my friends cant have any and they are suffering because they need some and im free from craving.
i am always around smokers thats the hardes thing.

[snake bite]

sorry let myself down had three drags but i feel good now, and awake and able to work you know im gonna suffer 2morrow though wen i quit again.

[roa]

Have you tried the nicotine gum? That might help to take the edge off and wake you up.

Roa

[snake bite]

really? mum told me it would make me sick its so nasty, i have tried patches and one sort burnt my skin the other worked but by putting it in my blood my body was still dependant and was still craving, i know the best way is cold turkey but it takes a while lot of will power.
some one at work told me i wont keep it up cold turkey.
i dont know anymore i fell off the waggon anyway. theres alot going on round me and thats no excuse but it sure dont help.
people around me say they are not ready to quit and when they are they will, but while their not ready they cant.
i say your never ready, its easier to try and forget that fags are apart of your life than to face the cravings thinking you can only quit for so long.
i need to replace them with something else, i was hoping that would be food as i would love to put on weight however eating makes me crave worse than anything.
well see ya around.

[CAPTAINZING2000]

Nicotine (Cigarettes, Cigars, Habitrol patch, Nicorette gum, Nicotrol spray, Prostep patch; Smokeless tobacco, Snuff, Spit tobacco), 1-2 days


The thing to remember, it's not the physical addiction as much as the mental.

I have to keep my mind off my desire for a smoke. My desire to be healthy has taken priority over getting lung cancer. About 10-15% of smokers get lung cancer.
http://www.lung.ca/diseases/emphysema.html


You can stop, I know you can.

[historyteach]

Behavioral. Find something to do--a positive addiction. Best way to keep you from smoking again!
Make a plan for what you will do when the cravings come. They WILL come.
Deep breathing works wonders. And just know that the craving will pass. It really will!

Shalom!

[CAPTAINZING2000]

I agree idle time makes me whacky. A lot of people smoke from boredom as much as anything else.

[historyteach]

Hey, Capt,
Will you post the iceberg pic here for snake please?

Snake, the tip of the iceberg is our physical addiction. That part we see is the smallest part of the iceberg. But, what's underneath is our behavioral patterns. That's the part we need to address while quitting. The nicotine replacement therapy is only an opportunity to address these behaviors while fending off the ciggies. And it's a step down process, so the physical withdrawal is not as wracking. But, please don't kid yourself that NRT is the same as smoking. We aren't getting the 500 or more poisons into our systems with NRT that we do with cigarettes! :nono:

Will power alone won't cut it. If it did, there would be no problem quitting. We need to address the behavioral patterns we've developed in our smoking years. And to replace that negative addiction with a positive one. That's the surest way to quit smoking, and to STAY quit, according to my smoke counselor.

I've joined the gym. Smoke counselor said that the positive addiction should be something that would be negatively effected if we went back to smoking. And that it takes @ 6 weeks to incorporate our new, positive addiction replacement into our lifestyle. I've been going to the gym for @ 4 weeks now, and really LOVING it! I do treadmill for @ 1/2 hour; weights - upper body one day; lower body the next; Then, I reward myself with the hot tub and the pool, swimming laps for about 1/2 hour. I spend about 2 hours all together at the gym each day. (I'm on vacation in FL right now, so that's on hold; but, walking and swimming in the pool are still on!) No one has to go to the extent that I'm going. I just happen to like it and don't have a life, lol! A pair of sneakers and a brisk walk 20 minutes a day will do the same thing. So, no excuses about affordability and/or time! LOL

Finally, I am planning to put the money I would have spent on two packs of cigs a day away. I'm going to put it into a seperate bank account. And, I'm going to take a nice vacation. Members of temple is going to Israel this summer. I'd love to visit there. I've already got enough for my trip to Palm Springs for the SR retreat in September! See, good things happen when we quit!

You can do this. Don't be afraid to use a crutch when your leg is broken and you're busy fixing it. It's the same with quitting smoking. Please read my post on this forum titled Will Power isn't Enough. I think it will help. I've really gotten some great information from my smoke counselor and I'm trying to pass it along. Also, call the American Cancer Society. They have excellent resources available for you!

We're with you all the way. Don't let a puff or two lead you to a full relapse. They are not the same. Recognize what caused you to take those puffs, and plan a better way for the next time the cravings hit you. They will. But, you can find a better way.

And you're worth it!!!

Shalom!