Quit smoking, starting to have urges again.

[Th1onein]

I notice that I am mean as shit now. I got into an argument with Sirius radio people. (They were wrong, I was right, and I won, but I beat them the hell up verbally, first). Then I wanted a cigarette BADLY. I have thrown most of them away, didn't have any in the car, purse, etc., so instead went for an ice cream. Urge passed.

I've got to find a way to get rid of this mean streak, though. Will it pass?

[malaise]

1. Yoga

:D

[Vilis Veritas]

2. Yes, it will pass.

Been there...:hug:

[Traveling_Home]

3. 3 years and the dreams stop ;-)

Just get real mad at the cigarettes for doing this to you.

[ChiGal]

4. How long

has it been since you've quit?

I quit today and am not doing well at all. :-(

[amdezurik]

7. Friday was my last one

[ChiGal]

8. You're doing great!

Keep it up.
Let me know if you have any pointers.

[amdezurik]

16. see my trick with red vine's below

:)

[Esra Star]

23. Welcome to DU

have you seen the other discussion?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4614173

[ChiGal]

52. Thanks for the welcome

I've been lurking so long, I feel like I know everyone already.

I'll go check out the other discussion.

[Esra Star]

59. I admire your restraint

I lurked between 2002-2004 as I am just observing from afar.
Then, when the election was stolen, I signed up.
I only reply occasionally. Cheers

[Th1onein]

53. Eight or nine days

I can't remember exactly what day I quit. I was sick.

I've found that when I just take a deep breath and wait out the urge, it goes away. I'm waiting for this to become more difficult than it is right now. I am NOT a person of will power at all.

[amdezurik]

5. I am in that same place ATM

the only thing that will calm me for a couple of minutes is red vine's I bite off the ends and "smoke" it (using the patch too) for a few minutes, let's the "habit" part work but keeps the shit out of my lungs. but I have tried to warn the folks around me that i may be a bit "off" at times :P

[ChiGal]

19. I'll try

the red vines tip, thanks.
Don't want to gain weight from too many sweets though.

[Mojorabbit]

24. What is red vine? nt

[amdezurik]

38. strawberry liqurice(sp?)

if you like the black kind try that. but it is a hollow tube i can draw through and get a flavor from. that way my hands seem satisfied and i am not constantly reaching for my pocket or tapping a phantom cigarette. bad enough that a little voice is trying to convinve me "just one" would not be that bad...learning not to listen to that part is the hardest part right now :)

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

6. Most cravings do pass

Did you usually have a smoke after a tense situation like that? If so, that could be why you felt the urge so badly. If you just stopped smoking, yeah, your body is adjusting and that may be why you feel so angry. The "mean streak" should pass.

Kudos on finding something to comfort you and distract you from your craving.

[LisaM]

9. That was the funny thing when my parents quit

My mom, who basically smoked all day, had an easier time. My dad, who was much more of a situational smoker, had a much bumpier ride.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

33. Same sort of thing happens to sugar-holics

I was addicted to sugar--and with a history of diabetes and hypoglycemia in my family, I found I have had to swear off sugar for the rest of my life, or risk dying early like my father did. Anyway, I find to this day that it is situations that will often make me crave sugar. So I have my substitutes--herbal tea being one of them. Another for me is taking chromium, which actually balances out the insulin level in the body and can effectively stop sugar cravings.

I wonder if there is a similar vitamin or mineral that could be used by smokers when they have their cravings.

[LisaM]

36. I don't know, but it's funny what you say about tea

I notice if I have a couple of glasses of wine, then a cup of tea, I don't want any more wine. But if I have a third glass, I'll want a fourth....and so on. The health benefits of tea are legion!

[librechik]

10. that's just the nicotine talking

it's saying "Damn! if I could just throw a righteous fit and walk out, THEN I could have a cigarette!"

Don't let it wrestle you to the ground. Ice cream is so much better!

[MarkInCA]

11. I've heard of using vitamin C

Try taking a vitamin C pill every time you want a smoke. Smoking depletes vitamin C, and you can't OD because you piss out what you body doesn't use. The act of taking the pill somewhat substitutes for the action of getting and lighting the cigarette.

Don't know how much truth there is to this. I quit a couple of years ago for 3 months and did this. Unfortunately I started again. Why, I'll never know, I had it beat.

[Vanje]

42. That was just practise.....

for when you quit for good.


Dammit ! Lets at least try to OUTLIVE THE BASTARDS!!!!

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

12. Oatmeal cookies

are less fattening than ice cream and have something in them that kills cravings. I too fell off the wagon last year, and my gal and I just had "the talk" about when we're stopping smoking again (January, after the holiday party period).

As for the mean streak . . . you are strong enough to defeat it.

[Donnachaidh]

13. sit back and try to list the triggers you used to have for smoking

And I'll bet you'll find that arguments almost always ended for you with a cigarette.

You've gotten past the detox point, now comes the hard part of breaking old psychological patterns built up while smoking. The *mean as hell* is the junkie voice, trying to kick you back on to the tobacco. What's an easier excuse to fall off the wagon -- "Oh I got soo pissed at so and so, I had to go have a smoke to calm down".

Seriously, the psychological patterns are going to be the toughest. But realize, it's a pattern of behaviour, and it's one YOU have to deal with, in order to stay off the cigarettes.

I fell off because of the anger thing -- not very happy I did, but it got me.

[louis-t]

14. It will pass. Went through it in Sept.

I scared myself, I got so mad. Only lasted a week.

[shadowknows69]

15. I've found that filing my fingerprints off helps some.

So does pulling your hair and slapping yourself in the face until you pass out.

[Warpy]

17. It will eventually

in the meantime, just tell people you're barking at that you're a smoker trying to quit. Most folks will cut you a little more slack.

The cravings, while intense, rarely last more than 5-15 minutes, so as long as you just do something else to distract yourself, you'll get through them. They will subside although they might never go away completely. I have a friend who quit some 20 years ago who says he still gets them when somebody lights up his old brand around him.

One thing that can help is whole licorice root. It's the right size and shape to keep in a sparkling clean ashtray at the breakfast table, next to the puter, and in the car. It has a vaguely sweet taste, not like licorice at all, and it won't stain your teeth or put on pounds. It does raise blood pressure in large amounts, so don't chew them down to nubs. You can order them online at http://www.starwest-botanicals.com/category/licorice-root/?gclid=COzOppDJtJcCFSCysgodMT6KjQ Four ounces will probably get you through the worst and then you won't need it. You'll get used to the stares.

Your brain is learning how to function without those nicotine hits every half hour or so. It will take some time to get back to normal. Figure out how much you were paying per cig, and put that amount of money into a jar every time you get a craving. In three months, add it all up and go on a spree. You'll be a nonsmoker and you'll have earned the pleasure.

[Mike 03]

18. Exercise helps a lot. Someone mentioned Yoga, and that is absolutely

a brilliant suggestion.

Some supplements to consider:

L-Glutamine, an amino acid
Niacin (the flush kind, not the no-flush kind)
A B complex or in particular B-1, B-6 and B-12 (sublingual B-12)

Other ideas:

Green tea
Zyban, the prescription drug which acts directly on the dopamine receptors and lessens the desire for nicotine
Nicotine replacement therapy such as the gum, patch.

Good luck.
You are doing an awesome and difficult thing.

[seabeyond]

20. i have been quitting on and off for a year. up to two month. urge has NEVER left. lol

hubby is suggesting hypnotist. i can fight the urge so long before i go for one.

getting angry is the strongest for me to reach for cig

[apocalypsehow]

21. When my parents quit at the same time back in the 70's I was almost left an orphan, I'll tell yah.

So I know this is a tough, tough thing to go through. They got through it, and gladly my siblings and I were not left without parents as they managed not to murder each other over the weeks of their nicotine withdrawal - but it was a close-run thing ( ;-) ).

We all laugh about it today, but boy howdy they were pretty mean to each other while going through it.

All the best in your quest to quit, and I mean that sincerely.

[Speck Tater]

22. Here's the way to make the urges go away.

When the urge comes up, sit back and watch it. Examine the urge. Notice what it feels like. As you watch it, notice also that it is the very nature of the urge to fade away of its own accord. Sometimes quickly, sometimes more slowly. But it is the nature of the urge to fade away.

Watch it till it fades. Then knowing that it fades, by itself, the next time it comes up, you'll feel more confident that it WILL fade away, since you've watched it happen before. The more you do this, the less often the urge will come up in the first place. Eventually the urge will only pop up every few months or so. And when it does, you will have so much experience just watching it fade away that you will have no trouble doing so again.

Whatever you do, DO NOT fight the urge. That only pumps more mental and emotional energy into it, and makes it grow. Watch it, passively. Let it be. Notice, that above all, it's very nature is to fade away of its own accord. Just let it run its course.

"Letting go of a craving is not rejecting it but allowing it to be itself; a contingent state of mind that once arisen will pass away. Instead of forcibly freeing ourselves from it, notice how its very nature is to free itself." -- Stephen Batchelor in Buddhism Without Beliefs

[Th1onein]

54. Thank you. I can do that. Very good idea.

Has the detox REALLY passed now?

[EFerrari]

25. It does pass. And there's stuff you can substitute, too.

It helped me to figure out when and why I felt like smoking.

I learned how to take long, slow breaths with no cigarette.

I laid in carrots and popcorn and sugarless mints when I just wanted something to put in my mouth.

I started drawing to have something to do with my hands.

I started walking to remind me how cool it was to be out in fresh air, free, 40 and smokeless, with a good dog.

Substitution WORKS and it helps you get over the bumps. Pretty soon, you cannot stand the smell of smoke and the times you don't even think about it get longer and longer and longer.

Clean everything you can if you smoked inside. Your car. Your clothes, whatever.

Good luck!

[KittyWampus]

51. My suggestion for people is drinking various teas & herbal teas. Gives you something to do with your

hand and your mouth and it's got steam rising from it.

And there are so many varieties to choose from.

:)

I was one of those annoying people who just stopped one day.

And after that, it just felt WEIRD to have a cigarette in my hands.

[Th1onein]

55. I cannot stand the smell of smoke right now.

It's in my truck and in my house. I can smell it on the people at the office, too.

[EFerrari]

57. Get someone to clean for you. You will become addicted to the Nice.

A little Murphy's Oil Soap in warm water does wonders.

When you stop, you being to realize what everyone was complaining about because that awful oily goop is everywhere.

[alfredo]

26. find the biggest, meanest MF'er you can find and pick a fight with him.

Once you are out of the hospital the cravings will be gone.

Cravings are normal. Remember the deep breathing. Do it when you have a craving.

[Stardust]

27. When I quit over 30 yrs ago, I prayed A LOT. And I took a really big deep breath

when the urge hit. That extra intake of oxygen really helped. Good luck, it's tough, but worth it.

[DianeG5385]

28. Put the strongest Nicorette patch on that you can find!!!!

You'll get a shot of Nicotine that will pull you through, Keep them on until you start to forget to put one on, then you know your past the tough time.If you're like me you'll have vivid and bizarre dreams though! Note, I quit Feb 5 2006 and have NOT had one cigarette since.

[Th1onein]

56. I'm quitting cold turkey.

I'm not exchanging one addiction for another. No nicotine. I've made it this far without the patches or anything else.

[Jane Austin]

29. Get some the Bach Remedy Rock Rose to take the edge off.

You'll be fine.

The Rock Rose will help anytime you're agitated or worried.

Great, too, for the kind of worries that keep you from sleeping.

On your way to the health food store for the Rock Rose, drink cold water to take away the immediate craving.

Good luck!

[rudy23]

30. Sublimation, for the anger. Patience for the rest.

I've been smoke free for 5 years now. It gets easier and easier, it's just frustrating how gradual that process is.

I still think it's the best thing I've ever done, and now when I get angry, I have lots more tricks up my sleeve to deal with it than lighting up a cig.

[whippo]

31. Why quit?

[Danieljay]

32. Find a physician that does urinary neurotransmitter testing with NeuroRelief.com .. then get on some

Serotonin support to help reduce the cravings.

Support yourself with hypnosis. I've helped many quit with this method. My wife is a physician, I a hypnotherapist.

[boomerbust]

34. NO

<<<<

[GentryDixon]

35. I quit cold turkey for a reason.

I have kidney disease and when I thought of the chemicals being filtered through my kidneys it was an easy choice. I quit drinking beer at the same time. I guess my mental state overrode my desire, because I really didn't have the cravings I had in all the times of trying to quit before by diagnosis.

[biermeister]

37. yes it will

but it takes time. I quit on 12/6/94 after smoking for 17 years. I used the patch for the first couple of weeks. I had reoccurring dreams that I started smoking again and would wake up wanting to smoke. After 14 years I rarely have that dream only when I am around people who smoke. Here in NJ, they can't smoke in bars etc. so it's a little easier.

Not smoking is great!!! Don't give up and just try to remember the urge will pass. Think about the fact that you won't be giving your hard earned money to the cigarette companies and the tax man.

Try the patch (use the smallest ones you can) and drink a lot of water. Reward yourself too when you're resisting

[Better Believe It]

39. I used the patch. I failed the first time but beat cigs the second time around

Try the patch and don't get discourage.

It really worked well for me the second time around. I don't feel the urge at all now and don't even mind being around smokers that much.

[TexasProgresive]

40. I wnet through the same thing

This too will pass. Keep strong and try to calm down.

[Vanje]

41. Of course you have an urge

If you smoke , that urge will back off for 20 minutes, then it will bring on an army of urges.



Theres only one way to quit smoking.
You can cry.
You can have a tantrum in public,
you can be as mean as you like....Its okay. Haul off and be as mean as you like...Your quit will still be strong. You'll be okay.

The only thing you cant do,and keep your quit,... is smoke. That is all.
So simple.



The urges, and all that moody unpleasantness WILL pass.
Drink lots of Club Soda and oolong tea.

Quitting tobacco was the most worthwhile project, I've ever done.

[Starry Messenger]

43. I'm coming up on 8 months non-smoking.

I like to think I just uncovered an assertive streak I was unaware of before. LOL. Good on you for quitting. I agree with telling people you are quitting smoking. Folks are very understanding. You will also probably get kind of depressed and ill, too. Quitter's flu. Be nice to yourself. You are rewiring your brain. :hug:

[DainBramaged]

44. YES, I had it for two weeks in the second week

Got to get the nicotine out of your system. Twizzlers help pass the time. It's worth the sugar.

[underseasurveyor]

45. I quit smoking a year ago last sept.

I smoked one to two packs a day for 30+ years. I tried quitting a gazillion times using just about every method out there up to and including prescription meds.

First off let me say that I was just ready to give it up. I was sick and tired of my life being dictated and controlled by tobacco. Just before I quit I had heard that the brain can be quickly reprogrammed, in like 14 or 18 days.. something like that. I didn't want to fall into the same trap of having carrot/celery sticks to munch on, to me that just fed into the same oral habit I was wanting to get away from. I didn't set a "quit date" because in previous times I stressed out so bad as the DAY drew closer and I was anxious about smoking my l-a-s-t cigarette that I smoked that much more.

So one morning not planning to give up smoking that day I was drinking my morning coffee when I realized I had two smokes left and I was beginning to plan my day out and the first thing on the list was to stop at the store and grab a carton of smokes. Half way though my last cigarette something clicked, I was completely fed up with this dirty, nasty, stinky, expensive, disgusting habit. I put that cigarette out and said, FUCK THIS! NO MORE, I AM DONE!

The first three days were the hardest but I went and got some nicotine lozenges and threw myself into the gym 6 times a week for a minimum of two hours because I was bound and determined that I was not going to smoke and I was NOT going to gain weight.

So here I am today a non-smoker, I lost weight instead of gaining and I don't miss smoking one iota. When confronted with a situation that would have normally sent me puffing up a storm, wanting a cigarette just doesn't even occur to me. I truly feel like, now, that I'm a non-smoker.. it's as if I had never been addicted to cigarettes in my life. It doesn't bother me to be around it nor do I miss it in any way shape or form.

All I can say is that I was truly ready to give up an expensive and dangerous habit but those nicotine lozenges really took that hard edge off that the gum, patches, and meds couldn't touch. Try the lozenges if you haven't already but DON'T try the cappuccino flavored ones.... :puke: they're nasty.

[applegrove]

46. Go to the quitnet.com. They have lots of quitters there who may be able to answer your

questions.

[Fire1]

47. I smoke and still have a 'mean' streak. LOL!

I find tootsie pops work pretty well, though.

[Subdivisions]

48. The cravings will pass. Hang in there, Th1onein. I'm rootin' for ya! n/t

[WritersBlock]

49. Maybe. I'll let you know if mine ever goes away.

I've been off the cigs for 3 or 4 years now (I've lost count, but only because my memory has gone to shit). I have become far more ... outspoken ... than ever before.

Dunno if it's that or my age. Could be a little of both.

Hang in there. It'll get better.

[marlakay]

50. I was the same way when i gave up sugar last spring

but stupid me i went back to my drug.

I was a total bitch and felt like climbing the walls. I was trying to cut all carbs that turned into sugars also so my body was freaking out...

[Luciferous]

58. I quit almost two years ago and still get urges

I've also been much bitchier since I quit. My husband has begged me to start back up :)

[Bake]

60. You should've let me "hold" those four cartons you threw away!

Seriously, it will pass. In a few months. After everyone else has stopped having any form of contact with you.

Bake

[Erin Elizabeth]

61. It will pass, I promise!

My husband started smoking at 17 and quit when he was 35. It's been 5 years. It was really hard and he was mean as HELL for quite a long time.

Are you doing any sort of patch or anything? He found it was easier to wean off that than go cold turkey.

HANG IN THERE!!!

[jazzjunkysue]

62. Think about someone who needs you and do it for them. I applaud all of you.

The only addiction I should quit is DU. :hug: