Stopped Smoking But Still Feel................?

Question

I packed up smoking ciggarettes 3 weeks ago. felt GREAT the first week, and now feel Awful... i had a row with missus on sunday and had 3/4 of a ciggy which tasted nice, but smelt terrible.. and NO more since.
when are these strong urges going to end.. i am using pure will-power and no gum/patches.. and was doing 'ok' till sunday.. i feel really tired..... Advice Please!

you are all very kind! Many Thanks

Answer 1

When i gave up smoking the strong urges lasted over a month, i still want to smoke now when i have a drink and i gave up a year ago. After a while it does get a lot easier and most the time i dont think of it anymore, but you wont stop getting the urges forever. Good luck though because its soo much better being a non smoker.

Answer 2

Well first of all congratulations on stopping, it takes some people years to even think of stopping let alone quit! I gave up smoking on September 11th this year! I didn't use patches or gum i just used will power! But i understand where your coming from when you have a row with your partner and you feel like screaming but the best thing to do is to listen to music and breath in and out slowly!!! As for the tiredness just try and drink more water and soon you will feel better and you wont be as tired! Ive been smoking for 8 years and the only way i stopped was to see a client at my work dying from cancer, watching him everyday come to the office looking more pale and sick, I Just think of that image when i get an craving! Now all my cravings have gone and i feel great! Good luck, i hope this helps

Answer 3

What you're feeling is normal right now. This is the equivelant of withdrawl symptoms. Quitters of smoking may feel depressed or snappy at first but eventually the cravings DO stop. Keep reminding yourself why you stopped smoking. When you feel a craving, immerse yourself in something else. Do exercise, fix something, do a chore, read a book. Chew something like a cocktail stick, raw vegetables or chewing gum. You're doing great so far, keep up the good work. Well done, stopping is the best decision you'll ever make!

Answer 4

they say it takes 21 days to make a habit. I quit 4 years ago cold turkey , and you just have to finally be fed up with the way you feel and WANT to quit. after about 2 months it got a lot easier, still wanted to after eating and at bars, but that goes away too after awhile. Still get a twinge every now and then tho.

Drink lots of OJ, sleep plenty and get a damn hobby. That really helps. I know it's not very many, but crochet is great cause it keeps you from eating and gives your hands somehting to do. if you are going to smoke one, make it really uncomfortable, like smoke facing a corner only or out in the cold

Answer 5

Nicotine is a full-body stimulant, that's why you're tired. Where did you get the cigarette, do you have a pack stashed away or did you borrow it from someone? Don't keep them around. If you just can't focus on anything but having a cigarette, try at least to quit inhaling them. To boost your energy - before you get on gum/patches, you should try to take up walking. Don't worry about how far you go, just try to get in 15 min. a day at the fastest pace that's comfortable for you. You can work your way up from there. A brisk walk is also good if you're feeling "hostile" and need to burn off some pent up anger. Get a little radio/TV that you can listen to on headphones while you walk if you don't want to listen to the sounds of silence. Good Luck!

Answer 6

Often when you quit smoking, the body is getting rid of all the gunk in your body from smoking. For example, a yucky cough is your lungs clearing out all the stuff from smoking. Its also getting over the physical addiction. Gum may help for that but its also breaking the mental associations with certain situations. Try and avoid them if you can but if you find yourself craving a cigarette - delay it or distract yourself. A trick I tried for awhile when I was out drinking was to have a lollypop if I wanted a cigarette - not a perfect solution but it worked by keeping my hands/mouth busy like a cigarette would.
Another thing that helped for me was acupuncture. I found myself no longer craving cigarettes after a few sessions (although not the reason I went)
Congrats for making it this far - it can only get easier!

Answer 7

Keep going. It's also okay to admit you need help and try the gum/patches. It takes time to get all of that crap out of your system. Any addiction is hard to beat; and the longer you were addicted, the harder it is. Bear with it and keep up the good work. One of the best things that worked for me was to stop doing what I associated with smoking. Instead of my morning coffee and cigarette at the breakfast table, I have my coffee on the back patio now.

Answer 8

You need to occupy yourself with something else to take your mind off the smokes, read a book, chew some gum the cravings dont last long but its easy to give in to them. I gave up 3 years ago and its the best thing i ever did im so chuffed i never thought i could do it as well. It would be great if you could be proud of your willpower.

Answer 9

Keep going! I found that the urges seemed to be worse at about 7 days,then 6-7wks then at about 3 months ,after that it's o.k. I used will-power myself but also used a little plastic ciggie from the chemist( not nicotine based) .That was 4 years ago. Good Luck!

Answer 10

I stopped smoking cold turkey thirty years ago. It took about six months to get over the addiction to tobacco/nicotine but, it was one of the best decisions I ever made in my life. You may feel the withdrawal effects now, but you will be grateful in having a much healthier and long lived future. Hang in there!