Cravings never stop but don't give up ... its been 3 years.

[Larry576]

Hi all,

Next month (November) will mark the beginning of my fourth year as an Ex-Smoker. In many ways it seems as if I just quit but I know my health as improved. For those struggling to be an Ex or to stay an Ex DON'T GIVE UP.

As my fourth year as an Ex is about to begin you have to know the cravings do not disappear. Each day I am still aware of how badly I want a cigarette ... there are times I've made the comment I'd kill for one. Although that is a great exaggeration, the craving is, at times, intense. For me, I found a few deep breaths work to relieve the desire. And I remind myself that now I CAN take deep breaths.

Congratulations on your success and in your journey. If I can do it you can too. I smoked for 60 years. A pack a day of non-filtered, real cigarettes. We've all heard the comment: "quitting is easy ...I've done it a hundred times." While that may be true the key is staying quit. I still take it one day at a time but for your sake, the sake of those you care about you can do it. Don't give up!

[Jennifer-Quit]

I remember you!  WOW - coming up on 3 years!  Congratulations!

[elvan]

Larry, I have been quit for 3 years and 9 months and I do NOT have craves.  I am not just saying that, I don't have them.  I don't want a cigarette, I know they never did anything for me but every day I live with what they did TO me.  I remember when you started...did you work at this?  Come to the site regularly, do the reading?  It's a process of recovery and at almost 3 years I really don't understand how you can be having such intense craves.

It's good to see you but I really wish your quit was smoother.

Ellen

[JACKIE1-25-15]

Thanks for dropping by and sharing your experience as a nonsmoker.  I hope your craves will eventually go away. I am almost 3 years smoke free.  I very seldom think of smoking.  I rarely have a crave, sometimes seasonal but it only last for a split second and I am back to reality.   NOPE.  Visit more often. Congratulations on almost 4 years. 

[YoungAtHeart]

Hi, Larry!

I can't believe you are still fighting craves and am so sorry it is so!    Do you still MISS smoking?  Still believe you are missing out?  If so, perhaps it might help for you to read (or reread) the book by Allen Carr.  It helped a lot of us (including me) think of smoking in a different way, and helped me to understand and accept that all the things I thought they did for me are LIES!  Here is a link to a free PDF to this easy, entertaining read:

http://media.wix.com/ugd/74fa87_2010cc5496521431188f905b7234a829.pdf

Let me know what you think of it!

Nancy

[Posamari]

Well I can relate Larry and congratulations on your 3 year. That's awesome!!  Will be 1 year DOF for me in about 10 days, so I'll be a member of the 6% club. I , too, still have craves. Every single day. Some more intense and longer in duration in others, but still there. They're usually doable. Sometimes they make me anxious. I feel those of us that still have craves , may possess a certain personality trait , brain chemistry, or what have you.  I work through them , move on, but they're still there , usually several times a day.  I still have smokemares from time to time also. I can deal with them. What is the hardest for me to deal with is other people telling me (or chastising) that it should not be happening this far into my quit , or I must be doing something wrong, or I'm not having the 'right' mindset or attitude,  even as far as questioning my quit. 

Each quit is unique just as each person is unique. Everyday people. 

Good luck to you Larry! 

[Happier2]

Congratulations Larry on your win of almost 1460 days of not smoking. I'm marching toward 4 years (over 1300 days) too (in March) of "NOPE". I'm so wishing there were the right words to give you so you could be free of the memory of smoking. I don't have craves everyday.

I'm aware of memories of smoking, especially stressful times. Times that the situation removes my control over what is happening, I have to remind myself, a cig is not going to make this better. So if I could help you rethink the thinking of a crave: I won't admit in my head it's a crave... Crave feels like it's out of my control, I choose to call it a memory. A memory is in my control and I can think of something else, or choose to do something that distracts the thinking, and encourage myself and remind myself that this quit is about me. I choose never to start it again.  I recently had some increase of stress, and I also had a couple nights of dreaming and there was a cig. I woke up so grateful that it was just a dream. So, just as you said, Don't give up, never give up.