Nicotine withdrawal

calmwaters · 02-28-2008, 03:58 AM

DH and I quit smoking together 5 months ago. We used the patch for about a month and since then nothing, no cheating. There have not been any stressful events or specific triggers recently but both of us have been having severe withdrawals lately. We almost had ourselves convinced it is not worth the physical anguish anymore to maintain non-smoking status... and it's been a LONG time now and we're doing so well.

We have no intention of cheating and I am not looking for an okay to relapse. I'm just wondering for those of you who have succeeded long term, when did the actual physical withdrawal Sx (jaw clenching, headache, reflex to suck in air, tension, obsessed sort of yearing for the lung relief of a nic fix) go away. It was REALLY horrible for the first 2 months, then when the habit/psychological patterns were broken all that was left was the physical Sx which are bad enough. But lately it's been getting worse and it is really getting frustratingly old! I thought by this point we'd be in the clear. Any insight would be appreciated. TIA!

ilovescott · 02-28-2008, 09:14 AM

Congrats on quitting. It is not easy to do. My suggestion is to suck on peppermints. (The kind that are individually wrapped and they are hard candy). Sucking on them can help with the oral part of quitting. I know that sounds weird, but you were used to baving a cigarrette in your mouth and this is just something else to try. I also use this for stomach aches.

Good luck!

ajw · 02-28-2008, 11:10 AM

I gave in the first time to the urges, worst thing I ever did. Took another 9 yrs before I quit again. This time I'm on 2 months no smoking. quitnet.com is a great website with people who are or have quit. From the posts I've read, the urges never completely go away but become more of a distant memory. My stepmom hasn't smoked in 10 yrs but she still wants one from time to time. My lesson learned after the last time, is that there is no testing to see if I've beat it (that's just the nicotine junkie trying to get me to cave). My motto is NOPE NOT ONE PUFF EVER!

calmwaters · 02-28-2008, 01:46 PM

Thanks! I will check out that quitnet site. I also like this one: http://www.whyquit.com/joel/#articles

It's just that I would like SOME relief by now and I am getting friggin tired of feeling like this all the time. I think that it's no longer a psychological thing. It's the physical cravings and by 5 months I was thinking I had broken all of that. Well, I have, and will not relapse. BUT, I wanna wanna wanna feel normal again! (And by normal I mean satiated with nicotine and not just craving it all the time). What an evil drug.

mix · 02-29-2008, 01:44 PM

i quit about 5 years ago after smoking for about 10 years. i smoked at least 20 a day.

i STILL think i want one when i am stressed, but the thought of having one makes me feel sick. i can't stand the smell of smoke now.

my biggest tip for giving up and the cravings that happen in the following months, is to breathe. take a big deep breath. it really does help - i think we forget to do that when we are stressed (and giving up smoking is stressful).

smoking has absolutely NO benefits, except for stopping cravings. how crazy is that? there is no actual joy or benefit to it.

well done for giving yourself the GREATEST gift by giving up that useless, expensive, life-sucking drug.

jlaurenmatthews · 02-29-2008, 01:53 PM

I quit smoking three years ago and am so glad that I did. Congratulations on yours and dh's effort to quit! I agree with mix totally, BREATHE. It is the key. I would even go as far as taking the tip out of a Bic pen to where it was just the tube and puff away on that when I was stressed. It worked also.

calmwaters · 03-01-2008, 03:03 AM

Huh - Good advise. Thank you so much. I think that is definitely where it starts for me. I get all tense and I try to fight off the cravings but then obsess over the cravings and it just serves to make me even more tense. In those times is when I have this reflexive urge to suck in air. Not just breathe, not just relax, it's weird urge that's hard to explain. But it is alleviated by deep breathing. I do think I am one who forgets to breathe often, like I am holding my breath for much of the day. That was even when I was a smoker. Thanks again. It's so hard when DH and I have hard days at the same time!