I haven't had a cigarette in 2 weeks. Why am I still craving one? Will this urge for a smoke eventually go?

Question

I've quit smoking! Finally after a pack a day for 25 yrs. It's the hardest thing I've ever done. It's been 2 weeks today, and it's still a struggle to get throught the day. I've changed my habits..(I have coffee in a different place in the morning)..I instantly get up after dinner and do something...i've joined a gym, and I keep my conversations on the phone short..I don't drink alcohol, and when I do..it's minimal.
I love the way I smell....my hair smells clean still at the end of the day...and my house needs a major cleaning..my sense of smell is incredible now!
But I still crave that damn cancer stick...every day. Will that ever go away>>>please tell me it will.

Answer 1

oh my gosh, don't give up. i am so proud of you! wow!
yes it will fade, but i have to admit every once in a blue moon i would still get the urge. and i have followed through on that urge and taken a drag off someone else's smoke....it was awful. that was my final cure.
anyway, two weeks and i know it is still a struggle, but you have done all the right things. changing your habits, your routine, and all of this will lead to a much healthier, vibrant, happier, sexy you!
doesn't your hair, your clothes, your home smell wonderful? and you can bet your body is hard at work right now cleaning up all the smoke-crap out of your system. it doesn't take long for your body to recuperate. for a short time you will probably notice a marked difference in your coughing. i thought i would never stop coughing, but it is the air finally getting deep into your lungs where it hasn't been for some time! and your lungs are wondering 'what the hell?'. just stay with it, this will all pass. the craving will go away. it will. i promise.
but i do have to tell you........between the three and four month mark, i found the craving came back pretty bad. the first time it did i gave up and thought it was me, i was a failure. my second attempt at quitting was successful, because i knew that the craving was going to return and when it did i was expecting it so i was better equipped to deal with it nd didn't give in.
you just hang in there. i have to tell you since i quit my attitude has changed, i am happier, far more active 'cause i have more breath! so i can exercise more! i can go hiking with the gang all day and i can spend an entire evening dancing and not be out of breath or cranky!
men are more attentive, people in general spend more time with me, mainly because i don't stink of cigarettes!
and the money! my gosh girl! i have far more spending money than i have had in years! the cost of smokes now-a-days! i used to go through a carton a week. now i don't save every penny of that, half of that money i do put away, but the other half is my 'mad' money! don't laugh! i have even saved on coffee! not at starbucks as often 'cause i don't smoke so i save four or five bucks a day on that. i used to go to starbucks at least twice a day, now only once on my way to work. the rest of the day - bottled water! which work supplies.
my 'saved' money pays for a really decent holiday every year. a week at an all expense inclusive, and one flight a year across the pond to visit family in north america.
so i hope this encourages you. more money, more fun, healthier, you will be a changed woman and all because you gave up that one nasty habit!
so stick with it! be proud of yourself! and before long you will find you aren't thinking about it quite so often and then not at all.
good luck to you!

Answer 2

It absolutely goes away...but never 100%. I quit smoking almost 10 years ago and it's still hard to have coffee in the morning or a couple of beers after work and NOT crave one. Sometimes I'll even watch a movie with a lot of smoking and I find myself thinking about how great one would be at that moment.

But the good thing is, every time I get the urge, I just think of how great it is not to wheeze when I walk up one flight of stairs, and how I can run the bases in softball or walk 18 holes on the golf course without fighting for breath. Not to mention how great it is not to have clothes that reek.

Another cure for when you get the urge...get in an elevator with someone who smokes. The smell that clings to them is nauseating, and you won't believe that you used to smell that way. Most smokers never realize how repulsive it is until they quit.

Keep it up! Most people can't even make it to 2 weeks. It gets easier from here!

Answer 3

The good news is that the longer you are away from the day you quit, the fewer cravings you will get.

The bad news is that you will continue to get cravings... possibly for the rest of your life. They will simply become more and more infrequent as time goes by.

I quit smoking on March 1, 2002. I just had my fifth year anniversary. I can't walk past the entry way (where the smokers are) of a store or a mall without holding my breath, because it honestly makes me feel really ill. If I were to take a puff off of a cigarette today, I would more than likely revisit my lunch.

Even so, the day before yesterday, knowing there is no way I would ever put one in my mouth, as a character in a movie lit up, I felt myself wanting to as well.

Old habits die hard.

Be strong. It's well worth it.

Oh and by the way... the day I quit smoking, my hubby went through my house and my car and sprayed everything down with a sol-u-mel solution from Melaleuca (hopefully you know someone hooked up with that company), you would never know that anyone had ever smoked in my house.

Good luck.

Answer 4

Congradulations!!!!! I quit smoking almost a year ago, April 9th it will be 1 year! I smoked 1 to 1 1/2 packs a day for 25+ yrs. Yes it will get easier & you will start to notice your not thinking about & dieing, for a cigarette as often. After a month it got easier for me, then every week, I think it just kept getting better. Stick with it, it's worth it! Don't cheat, it sets you back & makes it so much harder. I went 7 mo. without a cigarette & then I let my husband, who was trying to quit, talk me into just having a few puffs with him. Big mistake! From there I would cheat every day or two, never more then a few puffs, but I had to quit all over again it felt like. I'm doing good again now & I'm not going to give in & cheat again! It's so much better not being tied to cigarettes! I hadn't relized how much my life revolved around them. From first thing when I woke up every morning, after I ate anything, talked on the phone, drove my car, watched TV, everything I did I had to have a cigarette. I feel so much better now! I'm also very proud of myself, I never thought I could do it. I do still want one every once in a while, but I forget about it in a second! It will get easier everyday. Congradulations!!!! And about my husband, he is still smoking. I think he quit for a total of about 2 days. He still says he is going to quit soon! We'll see!! He tries the cut down & slowly try to quit method, I think you have to just quit all at once! Good Luck!!!!

Answer 5

Well done, you have cracked it, just keep on going. I gave up 7 weeks ago. It's not easy is it? I had a headache for two weeks solid, got anxious and generally felt pants. Some ex smokers say that you will always crave a ciggie - when I want one, I just think that it has taken me so long to get all the chemicals out of my system - just one little puff will put me back to square one - don't do it. I am having a full BUPA health check soon - my treat for making it to two months of no ciggies. Keep up the good work - you have done so well. I feel so much better and have loads more energy.

Answer 6

Some people are much more addicted than others. My sister stopped smoking several years ago, but she can't do without a nicotine stick to inhale on (this is an inhaler, not a tobacco product). Other people can't do without the nicotine gum. Wellbutrin is supposed to help. It's good that you're changing your habits, as smoking is very bound up with habits.
If you decide to lean on a nicotine product, consider that it is still a poison. It causes high blood pressure, peripheral vascular disease, heart problems, strokes, and in men, impotence.

Answer 7

No, you have a few more weeks to get rid of cravings. Uh uh Uh, listen. You can't sit or be around other peoples smoke now, for the tar that wafts over to you is an irritant that is soothed by your own smoke. Aint it weird that the warning labels weren't joking.

Answer 8

The cravings get less and less each day. I have been smoke free for a year and sometimes I still want one. Don't give in because then you will be right back where you started.

Answer 9

WOW...congrats big time!!!!!

I know how addiction affects every aspect of your life. I am 15 years clean from all things like smoking and drinking and such. As time goes by, the habits you created that go along with the smoking will start to separate themselves and fade. You can make this happen faster if you replace the habit with something good, like you are doing. Good job!

I have to say though, after 15 years, I occasionally want a drink but I am so health conscience now, it is just a passing fancy.

GOOD LUCK!!!

Answer 10

The craving goes away gradually. It has already diminished a little. In a few more weeks it will be a ghost of it's former self