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Survey of the Severity of Urges over Time- Your Feelings and Input are needed


17 years ago 0 3368 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Since I have quit smoking, on a scale of 0-10, 10 being the worst crave, 0 being no crave, I have had 2 days where my craving level was a 5, 2 days where my craving level was a 4, 2 days where my craving level was a 3, 6 days where my craving level was a 2, 12 days where my craving level was a 1. I don't think I've had a craving/a want to smoke feeling since mid-June. I still have memories/triggers but I just have no desire whatsoever to smoke, so those triggers never turn into a crave. They stay a memory and each day forward make that memory gather dust! WooHoo! So even if I remember smoking ... like I said, the 'want' is just not there. There is nothing appealing about smoking to me anymore at all. I hardly ever even think about smoking unless I am discussing it. It's really cool because when I see people smoking, it doesn't bother me anymore. And THAT is such a great feeling. Don't get me wrong ... I don't want to breath in their second hand smoke ... gross ... but when I see them smoking ... I have no desire to join them by lighting up. Quitting was such a loving gift for me to give to myself! I can't believe I ever smoked in the first place. I'm so glad that I don't anymore! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 5/12/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 91 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,750 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $364 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 7 [B]Hrs:[/B] 17 [B]Mins:[/B] 7 [B]Seconds:[/B] 25
  • Quit Meter

    $54,496.80

    Amount Saved

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    Days: 5955 Hours: 14

    Minutes: 23 Seconds: 54

    Life Gained

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    45414

    Smoke Free Days

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    136,242

    Cigarettes Not Smoked

17 years ago 0 5009 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Stickin, When I first quit it felt like I had entered some sort of enormous void, a dull grey world of emptiness. How would I ever enjoy life again? Then gradually, through reading others' posts and analysing my own life, I 'got it'. My life used to be about having 'activity breaks' slotted in between the 30-40 cigs I smoked a day. I now had all this extra time on my hands. So I have invested this time in a new hobby - gardening, which I used to think was so boring, but it has become my new 'addiction'. I was always worried about not being busy though. Recently, a period of idleness was forced on me as I went on a beach holiday. 14 days doing nothing. Cravings / Triggers? One. Lasted about a minute. Brought on by the smell of seaweed! One day I noticed somebody on the beach light up. It was 3pm. I realised that I had not even thought about smoking that day. This is what has happened in my experience; my smoke-free life has crept up on me and today on 180-odd days, I am surprised how distant the memories are becoming. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/13/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 187 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 5,615 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �1402.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 31 [B]Hrs:[/B] 5 [B]Mins:[/B] 0 [B]Seconds:[/B] 7
17 years ago 0 2257 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
First 2 weeks were the toughest. Day 28 63 were the absolute worst!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was such a BEAST!!!!!! Nothing too bad after that. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/25/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 141 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,403 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $493.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 13 [B]Hrs:[/B] 2 [B]Mins:[/B] 1 [B]Seconds:[/B] 55
17 years ago 0 208 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Week 1 - Running on determination and dealing with physical withdrawal - Sweating, crawling out of skin, sinus problems, etc Month 1 - GAS, what's with the GAS!, generally irritated, starting to get tired a lot, can't figure out what to do with myself, everything still tastes wierd. Skin breaks out. Month 2 - Total depression, lethargic, whiney, no enthusiasm for life, holding on by reading posts, bad stuff Month 3 - Still depressed, Now getting very angry.. words that I normally would never dare say just pouring out of my mouth like diarrhea. Worried that I might have to go on meds for depression, worried about my sanity! Month 4 - The darkness begins to lift, there is hope, but I begin to gain weight. Month 5 - Feeling like there is hope, I just might make it.. thank God, I'm not totally insane. Begin to notice when I'm emotional and taking steps to respond appropriately. Month 6 - This is actually getting fun. Starting to take actions to define who I am when I don't smoke. Making an effort to change my social style. Month 7 - This is actually getting fun and interesting. Doing introspective stuff. Start to notice how nice it is to not have to find a place to smoke, joined weight watchers with my son, notice that I seem to be approaching life less obsessively, more moderately, interesting... actively defining who I am when I don't smoke.... pretty cool :-) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/5/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 195 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 5,853 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1365 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 19 [B]Hrs:[/B] 0 [B]Mins:[/B] 4 [B]Seconds:[/B] 3
17 years ago 0 1450 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
I battled depression and insomnia in the beginning. My emotions sort of went haywire. I would bust out laughing one minute and then begin crying the next. Then, somewhere around the 3 month mark I began to feel 'normal' again. By 6 months I felt like I made the transition from quitter to ex-smoker. I can't remember the last time I had a crave. Mostly, I would get these thoughts of 'this is when you used to smoke.' That used to pop into my head all the time! "This is when you used to smoke" Very annoying. Finally, that went away. Now my thought process is very similar to what Breaking Free is describing. I can't believe I ever smoked in the first place. It's N.O.P.E. all the way for me. Smoking is no longer an option for me no matter what happens in my life. I'm not a self-righteous ex-smoker but I am proud of myself for quitting and I'm probably as 'anti-corporate tobacco' as any member of the group. [color=blue][font=Tahoma]All the best~[/color] [img]http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/6922/n3us.gif[/img][size=3][color=blue]2[/color][/size][img]http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/2344/k6ob.gif[/img][/color] [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 8/20/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 358 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 7,880 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1790 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 33 [B]Hrs:[/B] 23 [B]Mins:[/B] 51 [B]Seconds:[/B] 33
17 years ago 0 2027 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
At 14+ months, I rarely think of smoking except for one thing. During the time I smoked, smoking would mask the effect air pollution has on me; I think I may have an allergy to it. So my brain learned that when the pollution levels go up, smoking makes me feel better. Stupid brain! Anyhow, this is something apparently buried very deep because stupid brain still wants a cig when the levels go up, or I get stuck at a traffic light next to a diesel pickup. :8o: This is not a crave, just a little nag that a cig would help. Actually, it feels very similar to the nag you get when you think you've forgotten to do something but have no clue what. I've been in this condition since around the first part of this year. When the pollution level is down or I'm out of town, the only thought of smoking is an occasional notice that there has been no thought of smoking for some time. :) Keep up the good quits, everyone. Shevie [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 5/23/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 447 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 8,943 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1698.6 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 83 [B]Hrs:[/B] 8 [B]Mins:[/B] 36 [B]Seconds:[/B] 26
17 years ago 0 586 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
good idea, stickin to it. I hope some long term quitters will dive in too :) I rode out just about every symptom of quitting... one day at a time. I think the depression was the absolute worst part for me. That, and finding something to do with all the extra time I suddenly had... but just as I'd been told a thousand times, it passed. At one year, I thought I'd reached the ultimate goal... but I've been very pleasantly surprised at how it's continued to get even better. At 18 months, I can go long periods of time without thinking of smoking. When I do have a smoking thought, months of practicing distraction and replacement kicks in almost automatically. Those thoughts are fleeting now, almost like a vague memory, nothing like it was in the beginning. It doesn't create a desire to smoke ...unless...I let those thoughts stay too long. I'm an addict...so I quickly learned not to do that :) At this stage for me, it's simply working on never becoming complacent. I know that a lot of people fail when that happens and I have a fear of that failure. I don't want to be one of them...I'd be devastated. I know that being too confident is a danger and it's when an addict can become careless. It can create that "Just one won't hurt" kind of thinking. So, after all those miserable withdrawals, cravings, etc, I still hold on to N.O.P.E. ... and at 18 months, things are terrrrrrrrrrrific! It's been definitely worth going down that bumpy road to get here. N.O.P.E. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/2/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 556 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 11,137 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1984.92 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 58 [B]Hrs:[/B] 23 [B]Mins:[/B] 5 [B]Seconds:[/B] 14
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    $18,675.89

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    Days: 689 Hours: 18

    Minutes: 46 Seconds: 12

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    4801

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17 years ago 0 2534 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hi stickin to it (if you are still around - and I hope you are) I complete 2 years 3 months smokefree tomorrow and the cravings for a cigarette and nicotine have long gone. I do not think about smoking any more but then I do not think about not smoking either. I do however experience subconscious triggers occasionally where my mind still associates certain actions or situations with lighting a cigarette. These can happen at any time and - now let me make this very clear for those here who still struggle with this concept (certain members of the elite group listen up) - are not to be confused with a craving for nicotine. They are fleeting, laughable and in no way pose a threat to my quit. As each one comes, my mind is reprogrammed to disassociate in the future. Triggers are reducing all the time. When they have gone completely, as best I know, I'll let you know!! Penitent d821
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    $56,804.00

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    Days: 1125 Hours: 4

    Minutes: 41 Seconds: 41

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17 years ago 0 2534 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hi marie, This is only my opinion but it seems to me that at 66 days you are somewhere between the two!! I checked back for me and at that time cravings were reducing but I still had some and they were connected with the habit-forming nature of the addiction. In the pub I might lose myself for a moment looking at someone smoking and thinking that looks good, I�d like one now or watching football on the TV my hand might automatically reach out to my side table for my pack and pause for a while when I realized I don�t smoke any more. Those two examples and others like them that I experienced early in my quit (where you are now) were all part of the reprogramming of my subconscious. Now at 27 months, there are no cravings and no longing thoughts but there are still some triggers which continue to be remedied. It all takes time marie and with 66 days under your belt you are well on your way � good luck and keep determined no matter what happens in your life and you WILL succeed. Penitent d823
  • Quit Meter

    $56,804.00

    Amount Saved

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    Days: 1125 Hours: 4

    Minutes: 41 Seconds: 41

    Life Gained

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    5164

    Smoke Free Days

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    113,608

    Cigarettes Not Smoked

17 years ago 0 12049 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Stickin, This is excellent and a great way to share our experiences. Quits will all vary and this is important for those newcomers and seasoned members to learn from :) Keep Strong, Josie _____________________ The SSC Support Team.

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