Am I weird?
Not sure if it's normal but I quit on the 31st of December 2020 and only used patches for three weeks before I decided I didn't need them.
It's been a week now without patches and for some reason I'm having no cravings or missing smokes at all. I even have a friend who smokes in front of me on occasions and it doesn't bother me (they asked first if it was okay).
I don't seem to be suffering any withdrawal symptoms in I'm sleeping fine and haven't even found myself getting stressed at work like I normaly would.
Could it just be mind over matter? I've told myself I wanted to quit for a number of reasons (the cost and also I like to hike in National Parks where smoking is prohibited).
I'm just not sure why I've found quitting so easy when it's supposed to be hard. I was not a heavy smoker, max 10 a day so could that be the reason 😏 I'm not complaining though. Very happy actually 😊
Hi . You are going fine. 1o smokes is not regarded as a heavy smoker in my part of the woods.
If you can keep it to Zero smokes every day you have it in your control.
Please dont test this theory or philosophy out if you want to remain smoke free?
Most of us here have and have paid way too much in taxes, health and self isolation from a habit that leads to all sorts of ailments and to our family and friends to an early DEATH,
Get out of the cycle, of prematurely sickness and premature DEATH.
Good job Normm from Sydney
Stick with your decision.
Community Guru
Well if you are weird Norm , then so am I. I quit with a few cravings while going cold turkey from the nicotine but after that initial 72 hours I felt great. Slept like a baby.
Hubby had told me when he quit before, it felt like having the flue for a couple of days. It did not. Just a few cravings, and I simply found something else to occupy my mind. I left lots of extra housework to keep me busy, but didn't. It is mind over matter....it truly is. The mind is over active and creates our fears if we let it.
I just told the story of a member who claimed to be weak and pathetic. Full of self doubt on arriving here. When she believed the :mindset:, she stopped having cravings while on NRT and decided she didn't need them anymore. She stopped them and had no cravings. Why should she, the nicotine was barely a factor anymore and she BELIEVED she no longer needed any, as she WANTED desperately to quit smoking. You and I did not have to deal with that psychological issue because we accepted full heartedly the change to a non-smoker . We had no doubts that there was any thing we would be missing out on. We had no fear of the future. Instead , we embraced it.
Keep thinking POSITIVE. We can all quit smoking, and it does not have to be hard. We once believed that smoking gave us confidence. We believed that we could never quit. We start to believe that which we hear so often. So i will repeat......Quitting smoking does NOT have to be difficult!
Community Guru
As to your question. An addiction is an addiction just like being pregnant is not just a little pregnant. Your body craves the nicotine , yet it does not wake us to feed the addiction. A large part is psychological.. The best time to quit is in the morning when there is actually very little nicotine left in your system. It keeps halfing itself every 40 minutes (which is about the time we felt like a cigarette, before cravings started) so by morning there is about 7% left. Most of us could dress, make coffee and do other things first before lighting up i think. We did not have to have one before our feet hit the floor. The mind is powerful.
Think about it. Think POSITIVE. Change your mind and change your life!
Yes
I think we were brain-washed into thinking smoking was difficult.
Its not at all difficult to stop buying them!
It;s the thought of what do we do? What if I do nothing? What would my smoking friends think? How do I act? Do I have to join them?
In reality, People dont care, notice much and dont care.
We have to care about OURSELVES
I Dont Smoke & that is all that matters, really!!!!!!!!!!!!
Community Guru
A question for you Norm. I see that you just joined today, but anyone can follow our journeys. Just because they don't make themselves known does not mean we have not helped others. Maybe You?
My hubby and my daughter in another household also quit smoking with no trauma. (or drama) When we believe that we can do it we do it. (They did not join IcanQuit) We have always known that we SHOULD quit smoking. How often do we hear that we COULD quit smoking. When people land on our site and believe they can, they do. (and likely without the problems some here need help with) When we see others doing it, we BELIEVE. There are tricks to help manage the cravings, but the mindset is the most powerful and beneficial. We rarely hear advice like drinking water and taking deep breaths anymore. Those are for the initial bodily needs. It is the mind that needs the most work.
Put your mind in the right gear. DRIVE forward , keep your eyes on the road and never look back! Think of all the good things that are waiting for you.
I would love to hear from others out there that IcanQuit has helped. Please give encouragement to others, as we did you. I also recommend that all ex-smokers read us from time to time and keep on remembering why they quit smoking and how much better off they are as non-smokers. Always remember N.O.P.E. because smoking is like Lay's potatoe chips......You CAN'T HAVE JUST ONE!
Hi Happiness. Yeah I only joined yesterday and had never been on this site before. I landed here after following a link on my Facebook feed and was curious as to why quitting was so easy for me.
I agree, it's all about your mindset. Life has been a bit hard for me over the lasy few years so I decided that 2021 was the year for me to do something to improve things. No more dwelling on the past and just look forward to a positive and wonderful future.
So far this year I've quit smoking and coffee, gone on six day hikes which I hadn't done for a few months and still have a few goals that I am prepared to achieve. If you want something, set your mind to it and just do it 😊 This is going to be a great year 😉
Community Guru
I love your attitude Normm. Positive thoughts get positive results!
Oh my gosh I love this thread and everything Normm and Happiness have said. It doesn't have to be h*ll it can be fun and exciting and empowering knowing you are empowering yourself to be the best you EVER!