Dealing with Cravings

[CommunityAdmin]

  

Every day here on EX, new members make the decision to quit. For some, Quit Day is the day they join while for others it’s a couple of weeks before they joined or several months in the future. The beauty of EX is that there are resources based on research evidence and clinical expertise available alongside the wisdom and firsthand experience from community members. It’s that colorful variety of content that excites me each morning - seeing how members mix these ingredients to put their quit into action.  

  

I’m curious about your experiences with cravings. How intense were they? What day did they get most intense? What did you do to combat the most intense cravings? What did you think would work but didn’t? What did work? What caught you most off guard when you were experiencing it? How did your thought processes influence your experience with cravings? 

[hunniebear03]

My cravings were surprisingly not bad at all the first few days, I'm on welbutrin and the patches, when tried quitting a month ago I was only on the patches and went right back to smoking. So I decided to do it again! I wasn't giving up. I feel now 15 days in of being smoke free the cravings are at their worst!! I've been staying busy reading, printing, going for walks, I really feel that I feel better being outside. I thought sleeping would work but it made it worse i wanted a ciggarettes really bad when I woke. I just keep telling myself I got this and I don't want to die and not be here to watch my children grow! They are my inspiration 

[MarilynH]

Good question Mark, I will have two years quit on the 14th of July and I quit cold turkey with only carrot and celery sticks plus lots of water which I still drink and a small bag of sugar free mints which I hardly touched, I found the third day was really bad and the the cravings throughout the day was extremely powerful, these types of cravings came every so often for roughly the three wks. I kept my mind as well as my hands occupied and continued telling myself that I would never pick up another cigarette as long as long as I live, stress was a hard one but I made it through and thankfully 18 days into my quit I remembered that I had checked out this site and even picked my quit date and forgot .I am so happy that I remembered, otherwise I'm not sure if I would have made it without everyone here on Ex, my thought process going through these hair pulling craves was my health because it was more important than the nicotine and after the third day of freedom, I knew that I could quit and I would succeed with lots of shaking my head and saying no that I don't smoke anymore and continue on with whatever I was doing , quitting smoking was the hardest thing that I have ever done in my life but it is the smartest decision that I have ever made for me, my health, family and even my wallet. 

[plug66]

i found this site about 3 or 4 days before i quit...and i am forever thankful that i did..my worst crave was on day 6 and i literally wanted to pull my hair out of my head, i got out of the houuse and just walked around walmart, the dollar stores and an indoor flea market, that all seemed to help, but how i remained smoke free is beyond me it was soooo close. crazy mama kinda took me under her wing that day and babysat me that day, kudos to her, i am using the patch and am praying this is my last quit.....i do know for sure, that this is the best place to be

[Thomas3.20.2010]

The most intense cravings were in those very early days but the most challenging ones were from wel into my quit! It just goes to show that physical withdrawa is just the beginning! 

I found 3 different kinds of psychological cravings:

(1) cravings that were instigated by a trigger - usually stress, anger, or frustration of some kind.

(2) cravings that were a result of some enjoyable activity such as family gatherings, celebrations, or even warm weather.

(3) cravings with no explanation at all - I call them guerila attacks! They came out of the most mundane things - like driving to work or reading a book. Those were so difficult because they were the least expected!

What worked for me in the end was to acknowledge and allow the craving to pass through my awareness. 

What didn't work was to fight it or become resistant to it.

We don't like cravings but when you fight them you are fighting yourself! 

By accepting "Oh! I'm having a craving!" I was able to know that 

(a) I will survive!

(b) This uncomfortable feeling is getting me one step closer to FREEDOM!

(c) In a few minutes this will all be behind me!

[Daniela2016]

My early cravings are a blur.  I quit smoking being really sick with bronchitis, unable to inhale, so I said: this might be my sign to quit.  A couple of days when I felt better I attempted the e-cig and I kept smoking that for over 1 month.  Meanwhile, trying to decrease the level of nicotine, and I remember bad cravings during that period.  I was still puffing the e-cig.  Then I came here and decided to drop the e-cig on May 1st. I was almost done reading "The easy way to quity smoking", and I do give Mr. Carr credit for my quitting. 

As for the cravings I still experience from time to time, I decided to love them, because they are the proof I am in recovery!  I decided to smile and feel joy every time they hit me.  It is what works for me.  

I am not fighting them, but I have to be honest here: the emotions are still running high, and I don't know if I will ever react to conflictual situations as I did while being a smoker.   Maybe, one day, but that is a different subject to discuss...

[CommunityAdmin]

This is just amazing. The struggle. The persistence. The perseverence. The strength. Beautiful!

I hope others come in and add their experiences. I envision this post having 50 unique replies by 50 unique people.

Mark
EX Community Manager

[MarilynH]

I hope other Exers will come to read this EXCELLENT blog Mark has written and maybe tell us a little about your quit EXperience in your personal journey! 

[CommunityAdmin]

Thanks Marilyn! I agree. Sharing experiences will help others identify with their quit journey.

Mark
EX Community Manager

[MarilynH]

Hopefully Mark some of the folks reading this will swing by and share their EXperiece with everyone ,let's see how many comments this post can get because there's many quit EXperiences that can be shared! 

[kwitntime]

My most memorable day was day 2 of quitting. I was soo use to the routine that I had. It was like I was programmed to smoke at a given time. The urge to have that 11pm cigarette was soo strong on Tuesday night that I found myself at 7-eleven looking for chocolate eclairs! After getting home with the doughnuts, I had to tell myself how ridiculous of what I just did was!

4 days in and the cravings are not that bad as long as I am not around anyone that is smoking. I know that the urge is bound to happen again. I am better prepared now to handle it in a better, more reasonable manner. I will no longer wear the patch, but will keep one in my wallet at all times. I want to continue this journey on will power.

[Mrs.Rum]

In the beginning, of course, it was awful.  They'd come out of nowhere and sometimes they were so strong.  So I'd ask myself these questions:  Are you in physical pain? (No.  Of course not, just like the Carr book pointed out.)  What do you want? (To be a nonsmoker which, as long as I keep keeping on, is exactly what I'm doing.)

At the end of the day I looked for anything about the journey that was even infinitesimally (sp?) improved; progress of ANY kind would do.  Any new situation I'd gotten through was a badge of courage to trot out, mentally, when I needed it.  "Well, brain, we got through <this> so if you think I'm giving in over this other thing then you're dreaming.'

But mostly, I had made a list of things to do.  Wash baseboards, sort yarn, clean cabinets.  Little things that needed doing anyway and when a crave hit I got up and did one.  I didn't argue with myself.  "Go do this and see how you feel."  And almost always, by the time the baseboard was washed - I felt better.

Step by step, crave by crave.  Three years later, I never have a full out crave anymore, sometimes a wee tug that I laugh off and keep rolling.  

[Mrs.Rum]

And I agree with kwitntime - the routine!  For weeks, instead of my morning smoke, I would say to myself Now that I'm showered, "I'm doing downstairs to make my breakfast."  Literally walked/talked myself through a new routine until it was routine and i didn't have to think about it anymore.  WIN!  Step by step.

[CommunityAdmin]

I have a challenge for everyone. Can everyone tell 5 people they're friends with to come post here?

Mark
EX Community Manager

[elvan]

I'll have to do that challenge later, Mark, I am on my way to pulmonary rehab.  I did not think about weight in the beginning, I ate whatever I wanted to and I LOVED Sour Patch Kids.  I have heard of other people using Fireballs...anything that distracted me for even a minute or two, worked.  I found that I COULD talk on the phone and I COULD drive even though those were two things I did not think I could do without cigarettes.  I celebrated every crave that came and went...especially when they WENT.  I reminded myself over and over that "I don't do that anymore" and I used N.O.P.E. all the time.  I also told anyone and everyone who would listen to me that I had quit smoking and I told them about this site and the support I got here, I got support from people I never expected to support me.  I made a HUGE deal out of quitting because it was and still is a huge deal. I don't deal with craves anymore, more like memories, but I am incredibly proud of how empowering quitting smoking has been.  Drink water, jump up and down, yell the word stop to your brain, remember that no crave will kill you, no crave has ever killed anyone but no one can say that about smoking.  The craves go away, remember "This too shall pass."

[shashort]

  I joined the community 2 weeks before my quit date.  At the beginning of my quit I was rather surprised at that my worse craves was not on day 1 or 2 but felt out of sorts since I didn’t wake up to have a smoke.  1^st day I actually walked out to my deck (since I didn’t smoke in the house) then remembered Oh shoot!! I don’t do that anymore.  Actually stood there for few moments thinking what the heck I do now.  Even though I did practice a new routine before my quit date I felt discombobulated.  Then went made coffee, fed dogs and read blogs with my coffee and then my new routine came back to me.  I wrote out the reasons I wanted to quit and posted them everywhere in the house so I could review them.  Also printed out the list of distractions that was on a link here in the community. I think I would have to say day 4 and 5 was the worse with being antsy and restless, hard to sit still so I did a lot of cleaning that I ignored for so long.  I would also scream NOPE!!! SINAO!!!!  And I don't do that anymore, out loud while walking around the house.   For driving or being in a car I got in the habit of taking a big water bottle of ice water everywhere I went and when I craved I would take a big drink, put mint or sucker in my mouth, mostly mints though. To be truthful when I would read the distractions like do jumping jacks and exercise had to say it made me a bit anxious.  I thought how in the heck can I do jumping jacks and keep breathing.  Taking control of my health was main reason I quit smoking my shortness of breath was horrible.  So I started doing small walks and was amazed when crave would come I would find the power to do something constructive and stay busy.  Reading blogs has been my big inspiration as I read the success stories then it helped me see I can do that too.  I have to say I took heed to what the elders suggested and put it into practice. The daily pledge really helps as I pledge not to smoke so I feel committed not to smoke.  Also visualize actually holding hands with 2 members here and squeezing their hands and knew I couldn’t smoke because no free hands.  I am working on day 29 and don’t think I would have been successful without this group and the education readings they gave me on addiction and being prepared.  This is the most positive quit attempt I ever had.  I feel like this can be my forever quit.  Now I can actually walk a mile on the treadmill still at snail’s pace but moving up daily.  And for the question what didn’t work was at the beginning I fought craves which then would intensify them. What helped was learn to ride it out by staying busy and doing all the above I have manage almost 1 month.

[MadViral]

Today I have been quit for 15 days, The first and second day I quit I had very intense cravings, The 3rd 4th, and 5th day were not that bad, On the 6th and 7th days The cravings hit again and they were very intense, So far it seems like they hit real hard and intense about every 3 days, Yesterday, Day 14 was extremely hard and by far was the hardest day I have had.

Today on day 15 I have Hardly had any cravings,  The way I got through was I would stay busy, Take a walk, Work in the garden and tell myself NO!!

[KMC56]

I'm on day 62 ....this has been by far the equal to or worse than week one.   The craves are contstant...so I'm super busy with tasks, reading, walking and most of all praying.  Knew this wasn't going to be anaughty easy journey...but I know I'm on the ledge.