still not smoking, but getting jittery...

[FierySquidFace]

So I'm on day 9 now with absolutely no ciggarettes. I'm doing good, and pretty proud of myself, but I'm getting moderatly intense cravings, pretty regularly now. Also a bit crabby/jittery at times. When the cravings are at their worst, I try to drink alot of water, and excercise my **** off. And of course staying busy with training throughout the week helps, but the cravings are getting more intense, and the jitters are coming more often now... trying not to cave here...

Any advise on how to stay strong in the face of nicatine adversity?

 

[Bill Mattocks]

So I'm on day 9 now with absolutely no ciggarettes. I'm doing good, and pretty proud of myself, but I'm getting moderatly intense cravings, pretty regularly now. Also a bit crabby/jittery at times. When the cravings are at their worst, I try to drink alot of water, and excercise my **** off. And of course staying busy with training throughout the week helps, but the cravings are getting more intense, and the jitters are coming more often now... trying not to cave here...

Any advise on how to stay strong in the face of nicatine adversity?

What worked for me was to give up. Well, kind of.

What I was when I felt the craving the strongest, I said, OK body. You want a cigarette, fine. You win. But first you have to do something for me. You have to wait two minutes. If you still want a smoke in two minutes, we'll go have one.

The urge, when it hits, is never more than a minute long. If you can hold off for two minutes, it passes. That gets you to the next one.

It's not an easy battle. Took me over a year before I stopped dreaming of smoking, waking up thinking I had just smoked, even tasting cigarettes in my mouth in the morning as if I had just had one.

Hang in. It's tough, but worth it.

 

[FierySquidFace]

It's not an easy battle. Took me over a year before I stopped dreaming of smoking, waking up thinking I had just smoked, even tasting cigarettes in my mouth in the morning as if I had just had one.

Hang in. It's tough, but worth it.

that's wild man. thanx for the encouragement.

 

[Carol]

A guy I work with quit cigarettes by keeping cans of Polar Seltzer in the fridge. He said whenever he would get an urge to smoke, he'd crack open a can of seltzer instead, and that would usually push off his cravings for about 2 hours. Sounds odd....but he's been smoke-free for about a year now.

It may help if you throw yourself in to something you enjoy. I think on another thread you mentioned you're a bass player? Maybe playing some more music will help, or keeping your mind engaged by mentally stepping through some Primus or Rush bass lines (or something else you like) when the urge to smoke grabs you.

Keep fighting the good fight. I'm sure its not easy, but you're a strong fellow and we're all cheering for you.

 

[MA-Caver]

taking a claw hammer to your fingers ... smashing them everytime you think you're about to give in to have a cigarette... usually works...

Seriously... I'll be trodding down that path myself here soon... (oh HUSH on the "why not NOW??" okay)... so it's tough but do-able.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

that's wild man. thanx for the encouragement.

Just wait. If you were a heavy smoker like me, your body will do some interesting stuff. You haven't started coughing yet, but you will. And you'll cough up some science fiction stuff. I'm talking museum exhibits.

And your mind will start f'ing with you like crazy. You'll finish an assignment at work, and your brain will say "Wow, that was great, you did a great job, let's go have a SMOKE!"

And your brain will say "Wow, you're at the two week mark, man, that's the end of the physical addiction part, let's celebrate! Let's go have a smoke!"

And if you have friends who smoke, stay the hell away from them. I mean it. One night out with the guys and you're done, back on the cigarettes again. You can't stop yourself, no one can.

Just wait, your body and your brain will start messing with you, and they'll get really sly about it, too. You'll see.

 

[FierySquidFace]

It may help if you throw yourself in to something you enjoy. I think on another thread you mentioned you're a bass player? Maybe playing some more music will help, or keeping your mind engaged by mentally stepping through some Primus or Rush bass lines (or something else you like) when the urge to smoke grabs you.

Keep fighting the good fight. I'm sure its not easy, but you're a strong fellow and we're all cheering for you.

good call. thanx lady!

 

[FierySquidFace]

Just wait. If you were a heavy smoker like me, your body will do some interesting stuff. You haven't started coughing yet, but you will. And you'll cough up some science fiction stuff. I'm talking museum exhibits.

And your mind will start f'ing with you like crazy. You'll finish an assignment at work, and your brain will say "Wow, that was great, you did a great job, let's go have a SMOKE!"

And your brain will say "Wow, you're at the two week mark, man, that's the end of the physical addiction part, let's celebrate! Let's go have a smoke!"

And if you have friends who smoke, stay the hell away from them. I mean it. One night out with the guys and you're done, back on the cigarettes again. You can't stop yourself, no one can.

Just wait, your body and your brain will start messing with you, and they'll get really sly about it, too. You'll see.

well, I'll look forward to that... :barf: Fortunantly, I don't have alot of smoker friends, so don't have to worry about that so much. when did you start to feel better?

 

[Azzy]

Just wait. If you were a heavy smoker like me, your body will do some interesting stuff. You haven't started coughing yet, but you will. And you'll cough up some science fiction stuff. I'm talking museum exhibits.

Through a full spectrum of colours...

The easiest way I found to quit was to get sick. Nothing worse than going for a smoke when you have the flu and relatively your cravings don't feel as intense.

 

[MA-Caver]

Through a full spectrum of colours...

The easiest way I found to quit was to get sick. Nothing worse than going for a smoke when you have the flu and relatively your cravings don't feel as intense.

True... plus the cigs taste like crap.

 

[still learning]

Hello, Keep up the good job of quitting smoking..!

In Hawaii a pack cost about $9.00 today because of the added "taxes"..
..wherever you brought before...look at the "saving" .....keep saving and buy a new Martial art uniforms for the rewards of stop smoking..!

..and or buy this book? ...The Handbook to Higher Consicous..by Ken Keyes...May change your life...and make you a happier person...learn to life in the here and now...!

Aloha, ...Judo is good too!

 

[Jenny_in_Chico]

Squiddy, remind yourself that women hate the taste of cigarettes on a man's breath.

Non-smokers = hotness

Smokers = not so much

 

[Jenny_in_Chico]

taking a claw hammer to your fingers ... smashing them everytime you think you're about to give in to have a cigarette... usually works...

Now see, that was funny.

 

[FierySquidFace]

Squiddy, remind yourself that women hate the taste of cigarettes on a man's breath.

Non-smokers = hotness

Smokers = not so much

I know, it's a discusting addiction.

But I've already been fighting my brain, day in and day out for months now, so the nic-fits are just one more little enemy to add to the battlefield in my mind. I was losing the overall battle everyday at first, but now I'm to the point where i win sometimes.


Still, over the past 10 days the cigarette enemy has turned from
this::hammer: to this: :biggun: lol. no worries though.
compared to my other mental enemy, the nicotine fiend is miniscule. I can beat that little f***er... maybe one day, I'll win the war.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

well, I'll look forward to that... :barf: Fortunantly, I don't have alot of smoker friends, so don't have to worry about that so much. when did you start to feel better?

I started 'feeling better' after about two weeks. I didn't quit craving cigarettes for about two years. Sorry, it's an addiction. Takes a long time.

 

[xfighter88]

Stopping any habit is rough wether smoking or overeating. You are doing the right thing by posting on the forum as it helps to keep you encouraged and accountable.

Wish you the best.

 

[Steve]

So I'm on day 9 now with absolutely no ciggarettes. I'm doing good, and pretty proud of myself, but I'm getting moderatly intense cravings, pretty regularly now. Also a bit crabby/jittery at times. When the cravings are at their worst, I try to drink alot of water, and excercise my **** off. And of course staying busy with training throughout the week helps, but the cravings are getting more intense, and the jitters are coming more often now... trying not to cave here...

Any advise on how to stay strong in the face of nicatine adversity?

I smoked a pack a day for 14 years and quit unsuccessfully about 10 times before I quit for good in 1998.

I've thought a lot about the difference over the years and I'll tell you what I think (for what it's worth). The physical cravings and withdrawal was the same every time I tried to quit, but the big difference is when I quit for good, I immediately shifted my self image. The day I quit for good, I was a non-smoker. I didn't identify as a smoker anymore. I wasn't an ex-smoker. I was a non-smoker.

This shift completely changed how I approached cravings. I no longer dwelt on them. I was ready to quit. Instead of entertaining an internal dialogue where I had thoughts about how much I wanted a smoke, I just moved on. "Oh man, I could use a smoke. No. I'm going to be good. I can do this. But man, just one and I'll make it through the rest of the day. No... can't cave. But man, oh man. I'm so stressed out right now. One to calm my nerves. One isn't going to hurt me. I'll just recommit after." Etc, etc... until you inevitably talk yourself into a smoke. Sound familiar? When I quit for good, I just... didn't do any of that. Wasn't an option. I'd crave a cigarette, acknowledge the craving and then... no big deal. I'd move on.

It's like being hungry... or working out even when you're tired... or taking out the garbage even though it's raining and you're nice and warm in your chair. You just do what you have to do. Coffee is instantly not associated with cigarattes anymore because you're a non-smoker. A beer isn't part and parcel with a smoke because... you don't smoke.

I've never really tried to articulate this before, so I'm sorry if it doesn't make sense. I guess what I'm driving at is, if you're really serious about quitting smoking, you have to just cut this crap out. This is probably counter to what other people think, and if you choose not to listen, it won't hurt my feelings. But, I'd recommend that you don't post about it. Don't look for support from outside. Just decide for yourself that you're now a non-smoker. Period. You no longer smoke. That's something you did. For you to be successful, you have to be committed and it has to come from you. No amount of external support will make you quit smoking if you can't do it on your own.

Regardless of how you choose to go about it, I genuinely hope you do it. Good luck. I really hope you're a non-smoker now.

 

[Tames D]

Hopefully this will give you some motivation to remain a non smoker: My father in law was told on Tuesday that he has level 4 lung cancer. There is no question in the doctors mind that it is smoking related. He's 66 years old.

 

[Flea]

Tames, my sympathies. I hope he can have a good prognosis.

I've never smoked, but the most dramatic quitting practice I've ever heard was to save up all the butts from one's final smoking days in a big coffee can. Then when that craving hits, force your face down in that can. It's supposed to be a nasty reminder of what you're leaving behind.

Happily, quitting smoking is one thing I know very little about. I wish you well though.

 

[seasoned]

I quite smoking over 40 years ago. The day I made Shodan, (1st degree) I stopped and never started again. It was the hardest thing I ever did, but after quiting 3 times before that, the black belt did it for me. Mind you I was smoking a pack a day, and my wind was down the tubes. I had all the excuses in the world before my black belt test, but after, I could not let lower ranks take advantage of me, in my oxygen deprived state. Hang in, you can do it. As Bill said, about two years is what it will take to somewhat kick the urge. I also got into running and weights, and you can't do all of that and still smoke. Not effectively, anyway. Good luck.