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I've been writing and reflecting upon my quitting of nicotine. It has been about 38 days without nicotine for anyone that is curious about the length of my quit time.
I've always known.. but, recently it's been starting to sink in more that the cravings begin when I forget about the "bigger picture" of smoking. For an addict like myself, that next cigarette comes with having the entire addiction back. That next cigarette guarantees at least thousands more before I ever have the strength again to attempt to quit. That is how strong this nicotine addiction is. I've learned it for myself by throwing away countless quits that lasted anywhere from days to once upon a time over a year.
When I crave a cigarette obviously all the problems of being a smoker have slipped my mind for that moment. I somehow forget all the anxiety, that annoying perpetual need to smoke throughout every single day of my life, the nasty smell, all the cigarettes that feel mediocre or even disgusting while being smoked, all the cigarettes that seem to do nothing more than make it difficult to breath and lower my energy levels, waking up with a headache every day needing a fresh supply of nicotine asap. All of that leaves my mind when I crave a cigarette. But as soon as I remember all of that, it's really hard to keep craving.
Do we crave the negatives of that next cigarette? Do I crave smoking so I can have a toothache? Obviously not. I don't crave feeling like I'm on the verge of emphysema or COPD. I don't crave needing an oxygen tank to barely function every day. Being brutally honest about the addiction helps. Having our reasons for quitting handy helps. Think of the biggest thing you hate about smoking, and now having quit, do you crave having that thing you hate about smoking back? Because that's how it will end up again to relapse. I try to keep this on my mind.
I learned a lot about nicotine addiction through Joel Spitzer's articles and videos, and Freedom From Nicotine is an awesome free book that explains nicotine addiction well in depth and promotes cold turkey quitting if anyone is interested.
This is so well put. You clearly have thought a lot about your addiction and put in the mental work to finding a new frame of mind. And that’s amazing. I empathize so much with what you’ve said in this post and I think it will help future and current non-smokers reach their goals. Thanks for posting this.
I used to think that thinking positively would help me quit smoking. And it does in a sense. I try to pat myself on the back when I get past a tough craving or reach a new milestone. But truthfully one of the only things that helped me continue to be a non-smoker was making a list of all of the things I hated about smoking. Because you’re right, when you have that craving you forget about all the reasons you quit in the first place or about how good it will eventually feel to be fully rid of the habit.
But when I put my mind to it, I can easily return to my physical list of all the reasons I hated being a smoker and suddenly it feels easier. It’s almost like I have two people inside me: a smoker and a non-smoker. The smoker in me becomes weaker every time the non-smoker in me says “I hate smoking because it makes my heart pound and gives me chest pain. I hate smoking because I lie to my family about having quit. I hate smoking because it robs me of all my energy.”
Thank you. Good job.
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