Quitting smoking

[Raven8264]

Anyone else gone through this?

As of Tuesday night at 11:30pm I had my last cigarette, right before bed. So tonight I'll hit the 4 day mark. I heard it takes about 3 days for the physical withdrawal to work its course. As far as I'm concerned the "habitual" withdrawal is 10x more brutal. Right now to be honest I've had a couple close calls, but I've held in there. It's not bad if I'm out doing things, working out/doing cardio (obviously), and keeping busy, but when I'm in the house it gets bad. I can only chew so much gum and eat so much beef jerky, but I'm hangin' in there.

I quit once before, for 7 whole months, before starting back up. I know, what an idiot after all that progress, right? Problem was when I went out with my friends to a club and we had some drinks..drinking and smoking have always gone hand in hand to me, so I told myself I would smoke just when I drank. Yeah right. They also say half of it is staying out of the environment. Well what the heck am I supposed to tell my friends..sorry but I can't hang out with you anymore or go anywhere you like to go out to b/c I can't handle it since I quit!..??? Riiiiight.

Anyway, these are some of the things I worry about as I try to quit again (more permanently) and wonder how to handle these issues when (not if) they eventually come up again. Any advice or insight would be appreciated!

[_Tiger_]

I'm right there with ya bro, goin through the same damn thing...keep trying to quit, and i last about 24 hours, and then i go buy a freakin pack. I even started having dreams about "Ste****g" smokes when i must have needed one way bad while i was asleep...when do your withdrawls seem the worst? like what duration of time since your last smoke are they the worst? I'm wondering if i've made it through the toughest part only having gone about 24 hours so far...

but think of the bright side! quitting smoking makes you eat a shitload...BULK TIME

[Raven8264]

First 3 days are hardest, but the first 24 hours is the worst, which is why I stayed up over 24 hours before having my last cigarette (last one in my last pack, very important to not have any left in the house) at 11:30pm and going to bed. This way I was able to sleep through that first day as much as possible..I didn't get out of bed until 3:30pm the next day. LOL And it helped a ton. My body didn't immediately scream to light up after getting out of bed (which it normally does after 7-8 hours of sleep) and I was able to go do my cardio, take a shower, and run some errands and keep busy the rest of the day to keep my mind off it.

So yeah, I slept as much as I could through the physical withdrawal stage, which made a huge difference for me. Look forward to bedtime, that's the main goal because that's what marks the end of the day and another goal reached! Now I'm in what I personally consider the more difficult stage, the habitual withdrawal. I just read a post about a former drug addict who said all addicts miss that "full" feeling for several months after quitting, and he's right. I can feel full on protein and food, be full of energy or tired and it doesn't matter..my body feels "empty" without having that fullness you get from a cigarette. People who don't smoke don't have any comprehension of what I mean I'm sure, but that's the part that's so tough to get over once the physical part is kicked, and stays with you for a good while.

We'll see if I can make it a year this time...my short-term goals are: 1 week, then 2 weeks, then 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 6 months, 9, then 1 year. One goal at a time, though.

Oh, and I'm cutting now so it's a double-whammy.

*grabs more natty gum*

[Lord Humungous]

Wierdly enough when I quit, the second and third day were much worse than the first.

I feel ya bro. Hang in there. My problem was I sort of lost my mind and couldn't function. So I just concentrated on my diet and training and sleeping. After a while, the rest took care of itself. I had a wicked mental addiction to them, I chain smoked for over 20 years. I have relapsed several times, almost always it was because of a high stress situation or a party and a few drinks.

Cigarettes are insidious, hurtful, inconvenient, nasty and expensive. Why on earth the government would ban ephedra and not cigarrettes is beyond me. Actually not really, it's about the buck. And tobacco companies have it, and they are organized.

-LH

[Lord Humungous]

Also it HAS to work against muscle gains and everything else we do. Anyone have a link or info to the EXACT effects it has on our chosen pursuits? A link, cut and paste, whatever.

-LH

[CRUISECONTROL]

Hang in there bro, I quit dipping so I know what your goin through

[WildCh1ld]

I quit about 4 years ago COLD TURKEY......It was a bbbiiiitttccchhh.......but I did it.......I still light one up once in a great while if I have a drink in hand but no more then 2........

After you quit or stop for about 2 months you'll light up and won't like it anymore, at least that's what happened to me though. Your case might be different, but hang in there.

[chest6]

i know its hard...but its gotta be done

[Chaos1783]

I stoped smoking three weeks ago and have not had one since then it is hard but just chew gum or something if u get a craving, that what i do. Best of luck

[chest6]

i dont smoke i wouldnt know

[Chaos1783]

It is hard and for those who have done it for many years

[KingJames23]

Ya I had the same problem except it was with weed. You always hear that shit isnt addicting but trust me it is. I did it so much that i started having panic attacks cuz the chemicals in my body were so ****ed up. It took me awhile to quit but i finally have because of the ways it was affecting me.

[Raven8264]

I've hit the 1-week mark! I'll let ya know when I've hit 2 weeks, 1month, 6 months, then 1 year....ideally anyway

Not getting any easier yet. In fact I'm trying to cut now, so I think I picked a very bad time to quit. I haven't eaten any junk food, but I've stuffed myself a couple of times and my stomach's paid the price. If I'm not eating then I'm waiting to go to sleep just to get to the next day so it might be easier, then I find myself not wanting to get out of bed b/c I'm not looking forward to the brutal cravings I'll have once I'm up and about.

Maybe in another week I'll feel better I'm not giving up, though.

[Evil Predator]

Ya I had the same problem except it was with weed. You always hear that shit isnt addicting but trust me it is. I did it so much that i started having panic attacks cuz the chemicals in my body were so ****ed up. It took me awhile to quit but i finally have because of the ways it was affecting me.

Weed is a depressant... the major effects of a depressant are most prevalent when your in withdrawal from the substance...

Weed isnt addictive physically, but psychologicly its a bitch...