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.
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.