Hi Marie~
I am certain most of us were consumed with smoke thoughts/craves and urges on day one.
Here's why:
Most people learn to smoke to fill a certain need. For many, the need was acceptance by their peers, or a desire to feel grown-up. Each time you smoked and felt accepted or grown-up, you practiced and strengthened your habit. Just think about how many times you have lifted a cigarette to your mouth and practiced your habit. Each cigarette is about 10 inhalations (or puffs). As an example, if you smoked one pack a day for 20 years, then ten inhalations times 20 cigarettes is 200 practices a day. Multiply that by 365 days and you have practiced smoking 73,000 times a year. Multiply that by 20 years ( about how long I smoked) and you have nearly 1.5 million times that you have practiced and strengthened your smoking habit!
Now you have to practice new ways to cope. Over and over and over (and over :confuse:) until the old memory triggers (and longtime habits) are broken. That's why the longer you stay quit the easier it gets! It's gets sooooo much easier. No really. It does. :)
Despite what our brains sometimes think...smoking isn't natural/normal it is a learned habit, and quitting is a process during which we MUST 'consciously unlearn the automatic behavior of smoking' and substitute new health alternatives.
So~ plan ahead and keep an action plan handy that includes your:
1. personal reasons for quitting
2. list of your most common triggers/mantras or support group posts
3. coping techniques that work best for you, etc.
Then when things get tough, you will be able to reinforce your decision to quit smoking and �take charge� of the situation.
Now! (I didn't mean to write a book) re: posting in forums. Yes you could have posted this in the 'coping with withdrawal symptoms' forum but it is okay in this forum too. If you ever question where to post a topic go in the 'Forum for new users and general discussion.' It's open to most all topics. However, the 'Introductions Forum' is strickly for introductions (go figure ;)) It's no biggie if you post in the wrong place though. We just want to be sure we see the new members joining the SSC. Many of us older members are here to help out (especially this time of year) so post
