A question.
Is the occasional crave what turns so many ex-smokers into anti smoking neurotics? Are they so afraid of that crave that they just want cigarettes eliminated from the face of the earth?
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/27/2007
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 1
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 43
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $10
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 0 [B]Hrs:[/B] 4 [B]Mins:[/B] 34 [B]Seconds:[/B] 59
Hi all.
Phil cut right to the core but I'll turn it around this way. Because we did start smoking and we did quit, we are always going to be ex-smokers. So we'll always have the potential to sometimes crave a smoke.
Now before someone gets upset about how depressing this is, let me say again that even after just a few weeks quit, the cravings and craziness are just not that bad. If you're still feeling crappy or want to poke someone's eyes out ( saw that one another thread, ) then something besides not smoking is likely involved.
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 8/15/2005
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 526
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 10,535
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2104
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 61 [B]Hrs:[/B] 4 [B]Mins:[/B] 11 [B]Seconds:[/B] 20
Hello Phil.
It sometimes seemed unfair to me to still be vulnerable to cravings after getting through the first few weeks. I'm trying to adjust my perspective to something like "Well, you ninny, you smoked for 34 years. Don't you think you'll have to actively not smoke from now on?"
These question comes up frequently in various forums:
[list]
How long will I get hit with cravings?
How long will I be cranky/crabby/angry/spiteful/resentful as a neutered tomcat?
How long will I feel like a Halloween prank gone very wrong?
How long will I be all-consumed by quitting?
[/list]
The truth is, as best I can tell from what I've learned here, most of the cravings and associated craziness dissipates rapidly over the first few weeks. A rough guess is probably about 90 percent of both the frequency and intensity of these craving-related episodes goes away by the end of the 8th week ( or so.)
It takes a lot longer for the last 10 percent to fade away. I'm almost 18 months quit and still suffer an occassional mild crave. I asked a friend who's been quit for almost 5 years if he still has cravings. He said yes, very rarely, and then he said he thought of them now as "ghost pangs from an old wound where everything's healed and fine but every once in a while you get a little zing."
So take heart. Life gets better remarkably quickly ... about as long as it takes to heal a broken bone.
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 8/15/2005
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 526
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 10,523
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2104
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 61 [B]Hrs:[/B] 2 [B]Mins:[/B] 23 [B]Seconds:[/B] 0
Thank you to everyone for sharing. Each quit is unique and it will be different. By sharing, others learn what to expect and be know to be prepared.
Learn to love the new you and take care of yourself. This is the best choice you have ever made and your looking better everyday :)
Josie
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The SSC Support Team.
