Posted on 12/04/2011 7:22:02 AM PST by Marie
A couple of months ago I posted a thread that I was trying to quit smoking and asked for advice.
I tried going cold turkey, but only managed a few days. I finally went to the doctor and got a prescription for Chantix.
I'm right at three weeks smoke-free now. I quit taking the Chantix about a week and a half ago (horrible nightmares and seriously screwed up sleep) and I'm past the 'cravings' stage. I really only think about smoking a couple of times a day, but I'm not fighting the urge to smoke any more.
This is the point where I usually fail. Week three.
Since I quit, I've been dealing with a constant, low-level anxiety. It's like a panic attack that won't stop. I'm very sensitive to noise and even mild stress pushes me into a horrible place.
This is not 'craving'. This feels like the worst, never-ending, PMS attack ever.
I've been through this before and, as I said, this is when I fall. I start to think that this is how I'm going to feel forever. That I'm never going to feel normal again.
In the past, I've given up and started smoking, not because I wanted a cigarette, but because I knew that this horrible anxiety would go away as soon as I had a cigarette. I actually have made the choice to smoke rather than be crazy.
I need to know that this does eventually end. That I'll one day feel normal again. That I'll be able to concentrate and think and not feel like I'm having a panic attack. That this is part of the process and that it does get better.
Stop whining and looking for excuses. If you really want to quit, you can. If not, you’ll just keep on looking for reasons to fail.
At this point it’s more a matter of developing new routines and habits and finding other ways to reduce stress. A few things that helped me get over the hump at the 3 to 10 week hump were;
Exercise! Exercise! Exercise! If you belong to a gym, go. If you don’t, consider joining one. But long very brisk walks are great too! Or you could get an inexpensive stability ball and some free weights, something you could do while watching TV. Exercise is a great stress reducer and will help you sleep which was a problem for me at first. Also after I was smoke free for a few weeks, being able to actually breathe in fresh air was wonderful!
I know some people are adverse to Yoga but even if you don’t do Yoga per se, long deep stretching and deep breathing, especially first thing in the morning or before bed are great stress reducers.
“If” you drink coffee or other caffeinated drinks, try cutting back a bit, but then don’t cut them out completely as you will be hating life even more. But do try some soothing chamomile tea.
The “oral” part of smoking is very hard to break so get some sugar free lollipops. I also ate sugar free Jelly Belly jelly beans for the first few months whenever I felt like smoking. Cinnamon chewing gum is also good. Stay away from mint gum especially if you were a menthol smoker. I heard that citrus fruits are also good and not bad for you anyway. I also bought a string of beads (worry beads) and kept some marbles around. Yea, I know that sounds silly but putting something in your hands to fidget with can be helpful when you are feeling stressed.
Constantly having something in your hand is also a big part of smoking so replace the cigarette with something else. Take up a new hobby. It doesn’t have to cost much. Knitting or needle point or any craft like paint by numbers; anything to keep your mind active and your hands busy. The weekend I stopped smoking, my 9 year old niece spent the weekend with me and it really helped. Not only did she encourage me but we did all sorts of arts and crafts projects together and it was great fun for both of us.
Calculate how much money you are saving each week by not buying cigarettes and use some of that savings to treat yourself; a new book, dinner out with a friend, some flowers for yourself, a new outfit, some new makeup, some perfume, a new hairdo, a massage, some really good dark chocolate ; ). In my case, my husband and I both quit smoking at the same time and when we figured out how much money we would save each month by quitting, we realized we could well afford a new car. But you don’t have to go out and buy a new car, but you should treat yourself.
And speaking of perfume, now that your sense of smell is starting to come back, get some nice scented candles or other “aroma therapies”. I found that Lavender is very soothing. And whenever you feel like you want to smoke, remember how much nicer your house, your clothes, your hair, your car smells.
Know your trigger points for wanting to smoke. Mine were in the car, while talking on the phone and during stressful days at work at the 11:00AM and 3:00PM hours. To help with the inclination to smoke while driving I bought and checked out from my local library a few audio books and some new music CD’s; while talking on the phone I used the afore mentioned stability ball and free weights or lollipops; and for the mid-morning and afternoon cravings at work, I instead indulged in walking outside or inside around the building at the times I had been taking smoke breaks and or instead snacked on some dark chocolate or even better eating healthy snacks like carrots and apple wedges with some PB or humas.
And finally, drink water, lots of water. I don’t know if I buy the “flushing toxins out” but it seemed to help me.
Hang in there. You’ve come this far. Congratulate yourself and don’t give up.
Nicorette will take away the craving to smoke, but you eventually one just craves the gum or lozenge instead of the smoke.
If you’ve made it this far, you can make it another day.
Keep it up.
.
I’m right there with you. I had quit for three years...until the day after that last horrible election...and I lost hope along with with my will to stay away from cigarettes. Fast forward to now...I am trying to quit again. The last time, I did it with Wellbutrin..and had no problmes.. But this time, I was given Bupropion and could feel myself geting more angry and tense by the day...even the dog was hiding from me. I stopped it. My doc now has me on a hopefully short course of Celexa..it doesn’t make me anxious but it tires me out by the end of the day. Zero hour is Tuesday...and I have a coast to coast flight, hopefully after those eihgt hours will be enough. I’m looking forward to the cost savings. I’d recommend spensing as much time as you can outdoors...walks with my dog ususally clear my head enough to face those anxious moments. I’ve had that symptom you’re describing before...and not necessarily from nictine withdrawal...just a nagging feeling. I have a prescription for an anti anxiety med..30 of them per year...for those times when I feel I need it...but it’s not a longterm sstained med kind of thing. I’d discuss it with your doctor. Mine told me to take a ‘News break” as well. I think a lot of us are overwhelmend daily by all that goes on. I’m trying very hard to take that advice and tune out for ahwile. So, give yourself a pat on the back for making it this far...and pamper yourself a little over the holidays. I wish you well!!!
Hear hear on the chocolate. Just prepare for some weight gain which is normal. Metabolism and hormones are getting straightened out, too. It will get better. I had urges every three months for a while. They will quit.
First off, there are a number of things that are physically happening in your body as well as the psychological processes of stopping a long time habit. Don’t use the pharmaceutical option, as you have found that it’s not good for you body/health.
#1) You are experiencing nicotine withdrawal and require a substitute for it. Start taking Nicacin and increase as needed to overcome the craving. It won’t hurt you. Make sure it is Niacin and not the “non-flush” kind. Niacin is nicotinic acid and is good for you but may cause flushing or hot flashes after taking it. If so, take with food. The non-flush type is niacinamide, which is not nicotinic acid and won’t work the same way.
#2)Cigarettes are 18% sugar and that sugar is inhaled directly into your blood stream. When you stop smoking, you body is craving the sugar it used to get. Add fruits to your diet. Don’t add or use candy or such, as they will cause other problems. Natural fructose will substitute fine for the missing cig’s sugar and the fruit is good for you. Take as much of it as needed to overcome the sugar craving.
#3)Your sense of smell will be coming back after being deadened by smoking for years. This will allow you to “taste” the food that you haven’t fully smelled for a long time. Don’t overdo the food and use the fruits above to supplement as needed. But DO buy various different room scents and place different ones in different rooms of the house. This will let you smell and recognize the new scents and help get over the deadened sense of smell.
#4)Think about OTHER THINGS than being a smoker and craving the smokes. View yourself as a “non-smoker” now and reinforce that self image. Get rid of or dry clean the old clothes that you wore while smoking. The very slight residual smells can trigger subconscious habit desires. Plus like the different room scents, the new clothes will reflect the “new” non-smoker you.
If you find yourself thinking about smoking, change the thoughts into how happy you are to be a “non-smoker” now and visualize all the dirty, nasty, poisonous chemicals that used to be going into your body when you used to be a smoker.
Change your “smoking” associated habits. If you used to smoke right after a meal, do something else that will take your mind off that. If you smoked in certain places, don’t go to those places if you can help it. Make a list of the things you used to do along with the smoking habit and then do something, go somewhere or associate with someone else. These will break the habit associations mentally until you internalize that you ARE a non-smoker.
Take the opportunity to sit down and relax, close your eyes and visualize in your mind (day dreams) that you are now a non-smoker and visualize all those poisons that are going into a smoker’s body. Make it as repulsive a visualization as you can, but always end with being happy that you are NOW a non-smoker.
I used to teach stop smoking classes and these are the things that made the program one of the most successful around. If you do these things, you will be successful. If you don’t do them all or poo-poo them, you won’t be. That’s just the facts.
Freepmail me if you need more.
Freeper DearoldDad suggested I try hypnosis - haven’t had a smoke for over 2years now - it really worked for me!
Cheers
Mel
I know what you mean. A neighbor of mine was taking Chantix a few years ago and she wound up voting for Obama!
E cigs are probably the best solution.
Thank you for this thread. I was doing e cigs for quite some time and was down to 5 cigs a day....then I stopped using it.
I just plugged in my e cig box and will now try again.
I’ve quit twice. My sister and I went to Staten Island for that electronic ear thingie to stop. I stopped for 2 days, she held on.
Thank you for this thread. I was doing e cigs for quite some time and was down to 5 cigs a day....then I stopped using it.
I just plugged in my e cig box and will now try again.
I’ve quit twice. My sister and I went to Staten Island for that electronic ear thingie to stop. I stopped for 2 days, she held on.
Thank you for this thread. I was doing e cigs for quite some time and was down to 5 cigs a day....then I stopped using it.
I just plugged in my e cig box and will now try again.
I’ve quit twice. My sister and I went to Staten Island for that electronic ear thingie to stop. I stopped for 2 days, she held on.
Thank you for this thread. I was doing e cigs for quite some time and was down to 5 cigs a day....then I stopped using it.
I just plugged in my e cig box and will now try again.
I’ve quit twice. My sister and I went to Staten Island for that electronic ear thingie to stop. I stopped for 2 days, she held on.
That is very helpful. I knew niacin helped, but I’ve been taking the wrong kind.
The smell thing is killing me. About a week ago, I discovered that I can smell *everything* and I’ve found that the planet STINKS! lol!
Foods taste very different to me.
Here’s an odd one for you: As a child, I never liked peanut butter. As an adult, I loved it.
I quit smoking and now I don’t like it again. It’s the same thing with milk.
But last night I ate the best steak of my LIFE... and I’ve had it before. Grilled cheese sandwiches are heavenly.
I can smell my dog from across the room and the bleach I used on my t-shirts two weeks ago. I honestly thought that scented candles were a stupid waste of time and money because you could barely smell them. Now they’re overpowering and wonderful.
Yes, I am definitely finding the smell/taste thing interesting.
When the urge hit I would instead of just reaching, slap myself in the pocket where I carried. Hard, then say a prayer of thanks to God for taking this urge away and healing my body in Jesus's name. That was Nov. 6, 1996. Money saved? We are driving a new car right now...
Hang in there, it will get better!
Then you are weaker than a 65 year old woman. My Mother smoked for well over 50 years and LOVED it - but she was able to quit. If she can, anyone can. Sure it was hard but she was determined to save her life. And this is a thread a fellow conservative has posted to ask for help, not for folks to say it is impossible or to exclaim how much they love their addiction.
It’s not the Chantix causing the dreams; it’s the fact that you were not smoking. Cigarettes are a stimulant and prevent you from getting a proper night’s sleep.
The theory is that when you quit, you go into a deeper sleep than you are used to (more REM sleep), and thus have vivid dreams/nightmares. This eventually passes. As a matter of fact, look up the side effects of the nicotine patches-nightmares and vivid dreams.
One of the mistakes people make is that they quit the Chantix early. You really should have completed it, but what’s done is done. I do have several friends who used Chantix to quit and they were successful. One still gets cravings from time to time; the other gets nauseated when she smells an ashtray.
Just keep persisting. You can do it, and it will be well worth it.
I quit a number of years ago. I found that chewing gum, or sucking on a piece of hard candy such as a tic tac or even a small square of dark chocolate, a small snack of nuts, celery or carrots or something similar really helped me over the hump. When I am around smokers I sometimes have a piece of nicorette gum.
I have been cigarette free now since about April 2004!
2 suggestions
1. Give yourself a two part(preparatory, execution) command, like a “don’t smoke”, after 40 some years of nail biting, “don’t bite” worked for me, and I’ve been bite free for 17 months
2. Get a power juicer, ala Jack Lalaine, (actually, look at Amazon for a juicer) and have fresh juice 3 times a day, I find it puts the mind and body in harmony, and look for noticeable changes about every 3 months-celery, carrots, pears, and ginger root, keep it simple, dice(even the cheap juicers work fine dicing), let the juicer do the work
Enjoy every day and best of luck and strength!
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