And i thought i was a strong woman!
Started to quit this week. Day 5 today. I have managed to go from 50 a day down to 1 approx 2hrly...and the struggle is becoming tough!!!. i have always beleived myself to be strong minded capable of doing whatever i put my mind to kinda gal!??? Gee i tell you what the ability this disgusting habit has to manipulate my thoughts is powerful.... i can't beleive i cannot tell myself "no" and when i do the talk going on in my head is loud and often...."no you cant have one, you can just learn to sit and relax without one!"...its crazy!!!! So i end up exhausted st the end of the end of the day from constantly keeping busy to avoid that want winning and my giving in" tomorrow is the day of no smokes..... not 1.... i better lift my game and not let the mindset convince me to light up!!!... it feels like a mind game that controls my life!!
Keep at it Niki. You are definitely not alone feeling this way. I am sure there are plenty of really strong people who have struggled with nicoteen addiction. I consider myself a very strong person but for 31 years nicoteen has ruled everything about the way I live my life. The reason you find that it feels like a mind game that controls your life is because it is. Nicoteen does that to you. It alters your brain and your way of thinking. It is a very powerful thing. As I am finding, to successfully quit you have to find strategies to outwit the 'voices' in your head telling you things like "one won't hurt" or "if I have a cigarette I will feel better". It is easier said than done I know but as I am starting to find, it can be beaten. Read some of the suggestions of others on here and give them a go. Some may work for you, some may not. And....if you find at any stage that you have fallen off of the horse don't think of yourself as a failure. Don't dwell on it and just put it down to being part of the learning to quit process. Just think of it as a setback rather than as a failure and try to get back on the quitting horse as soon as you can.
you've done ok to cut down this week, now next week throw the rest away.
Its not a sprint it is a marathon but the sooner to get rid of the nicotine the sooner that VOICE will start to give in. You need to be very strong in the mind and not have a single stinkn demon. treat it as a game and test your will power and each time you win your determination will get stronger and stronger. Eventually you will WIN this game because that's all it is,
The most important thing is you have to wanna quit.. You will find all you need rite here on this site as there is some amazing people that make up this forum....good luck
Thanks guys!. I plan on waking in the morning and when i reach for that awful packet it will be to put it in the bin! I have found today im actually feeling guilty when i did give in and have one, i have had 3 today its nearly 1pm.... kinda like I've let myself down by having those three. Im not giving up and im not going to beat myself up when i wobble.... ill shake it off and keep going. Thanks for your support. Have a great day!
I don't know how anyone's thinking and habit are "wired". You say you cave in to the cravings. You could try a search on this site for "Margaret". This is where you will find BigJon's initial reference to the name of the craving and my many stories over the months where I talk about how Margaret tries to lead me astray. That name did it for me. Let me know what you think.
Thank you. i will try and find it by reading some of the stories... the search doesn't seem to find anything pethaps because i am using my phone....
It is a mind game and you are facing a formidable opponent. None of this is easy but we are all human, we have all smoked for a very long time, we are all missing it and we are all determined to kick it. So, I say, join the gang. We are all fallible and we have our ups and downs so you will be in very good company. Good luck.
I found that the only way I could actually stop (although it's only been 20 days) was to run out of smokes, then THINK of the cash every time I'm tempted to get some more. So far, it has worked .... but it is so difficult.
This is my third time trying to quit, so don't lose hope if you do slip up. I'm determined to do it this time .... A friend told me about this site tonight and reading stories on this page is already helping. Good luck - we're all here if you need support :)
Thankyou everyone for your support! And you are all right... its going to be tough, but...... im going to be tougher!... this site and its stories, support etc have helped immensely. I woke today feeling like i can really do this....and providing everyone stays out of my way, no one will gey hurt ;)... its definately a bi polar enhancing activity! Lol i wish for us all to find the strength to beat this beast and hope everyone has a great day!
Hi Niki72. Congratulations to your quit. I suggest you read Allen Carr's book. It helped me strengthen my Will Power during my quit smoking period. I also, learned so much from the book Allen, on what I am up against. I am very happy with my smoke-free life! Good luck!
The smoking thoughts are sudden for me and quite short. When I studied a smoke-free coarse they were also quick. It takes longer to think your way through these times. Try rehersing what to say to yourself when you get a craving. Something reassuring. You seem to be a very powerful person. I have great faith in you.