I quit smoking on October 6 at 6:03 EDT after smoking for… um… well, all of my adult life. I am taking Zyban, but I can’t imagine anything worse than this. I went through the physical crap that first weekend, but… well… right now, I’d give nearly anything for a cigarette. Actually, I could have one if I wanted one badly enough, BUT WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME THAT THIS IS GOING TO GET EASIER, CUZ IF IT ISN’T, I’D RATHER BE SMOKING. Thank you for your time.
Lemme clarify: I DO want one badly enough; I’m doing my best to resist. If I weren’t such a wimp, I’d be punching doors and walls or something. However, I don’t wanna break my li’l fingers.
IT’S GOING TO GET EASIER!!!
Did that help?
I thought that Zyban was suposed to suppress the Nic cravings??? Damn it, now I have another reason not to quit.
Good luck, Frannie. I wish you the best!
Stay with it and kick their ass!
Hold on a sec…
I gotta empty my ashtray.
Frannie, it gets easier. I promise. I’m taking Zyban, too. My quit date is two days from now. I’m feeling pretty okay. 
Anyway…
Get rid of any cigarettes you have. Wash your ashtrays and put them away. Hide your lighters. Clean your house!!! Nothing will make you crave a cigarette more than the smell of a cigarette. Most of all, good luck. It’s not an easy thing to do.
Why not put up a piece of paper showing how much money you’re saving by not smoking?
Good luck!
Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t quit now. You have plenty of time. Wait a while and try again. No big deal. Don’t turn to candy/food for comfort. A) This never worked for me because I have an after-you-eat habit cigarette, and B) You don’t want to gain a whole bunch of weight. (People will tell you it’s no big deal, the weight will come off. Bullshit. You’re better off never gaining in the first place. And, possibly, once you start eating to quit, you might have to continue eating to stay smoke free. It could turn out to be a big old mess. So don’t do it. )
This, I tell everyone. The first cigarette that you should give up is the one that you smoke right after you wake up in the morning. It’s the most addictive (as far as I know) and once you do that, it will be easier to go really long periods of time without nicotine. Again, good luck to you!
absoul: Yes, Zyban is supposed to make it easier. Well, this is not easy. It’s not even the tiniest bit easy! It’s… well, you get the idea.
Chief Scott: You’re such a… a… I will control my temper. I will control my temper. I will control my temper. I will.
Silver Fire: My house if clean. A smoker lives with me, and I won’t ask him to stop just because I have. Anyway, I love the smell. I will always love the smell. Oh, and if I don’t quit this time, I will never try again. The physical withdrawal was much too much. I’m such an addict! I went from two packs a day to nothing. I just want to know that it’s going to get easier. I thought that after an entire month it would be a tad easier.
glee: I know how much money I’m saving. I’m spending it all on clothes and shoes.
Frannie, why did you decide to quit smoking? If you don’t mind.
Oh, I don’t mind.
It was somebody’s brush with death.
Okay, I was really just wondering. Except health issues seem to push people harder to quit. Or so I’ve noticed. Still, don’t beat yourself up if you don’t quit. And still again, good luck.
I took a class to quit smoking 2 years ago. One of our guest speakers had throat cancer and had one of those holes in his throat. It freeked me out. He and his wife travelled around and volunteered his time to talk to us about quiting smoking. It was quite eye opening and very scray.
I have quit several times and cant seem to stay with it. I have been considering Zyban, so let me know how this goes for you!
The hardest part for me was boredom. I would be laying on my couch and couldnt get stop thinking about cigs. (I love to veg.) “Just one now, to help me, then I’ll quit.” The best advice I heard thorugh the classes is ‘keep quiting’. Eventually you will succeed.
Best of good luck, Frannie.
Scotti
Frannie, first of all, congratulations on making one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make in your life.
Now, as to your question - yes, those cravings will go away. Well, at least they’ll become way less frequent and way less strong. I don’t remember (forgive me) if you saw the “Smoke Out” threads I posted when I quit last May, but check them out and see the hell I went through the first couple of weeks and then how much easier it got. And guess what - I’m still smoke free and my “meter” reads:
6 months, 3 days, 19 hours, 35 minutes and 42 seconds. 2441 cigarettes not smoked, saving $390.74. Life saved: 1 week, 1 day, 11 hours, 25 minutes.
Like you, I smoked all of my adult life (over 18 years). Also like you, Zyban didn’t do a thing to take the edge off for me. In fact, it did the exact opposite - it made me so anxious from lack of sleep that it made me want a cigarette more. I will tell you the 2 things that did help me, though.
WATER. I cannot emphasize this enough. Get a “sport top” bottle of water and carry it with you wherever you go. It will not only help cleanse your system from all the nasty chemicals that have built up in it, but it will do WONDERS for that hand-mouth thing that you’ll be missing without cigarettes. I found the sport-top ones were better than the regular top ones because I got the sucking effect as well.
The other thing that saw me through was the tremedous outpouring of support I received on this board. I had daily “sponsors” and I really did chant every single time I wanted a cigarette, “For [person’s name here] I will not smoke today.” I made a commitment to that person and I stuck to it. If you want to do the same, I’ll GLADLY sponsor you as many days as you need it.
Keep your chin up and hang in there. It’s hard, but it’s SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO worth it. I cannot begin to tell you how much better I feel (and smell!). 
Here are links to the Smoke Out threads and one to the site where you can download your own quit meter…
The Great Straight Dope Smoke Out Part 1
The Great Straight Dope Smoke Out Part 2
Good luck and let us know if there’s anything we can do to help get you through this.
Frannie!
Haven’t seen you around here in a while. You’ve been missed!
Best wishes in your continuing struggle to give up smoking. As has been previously said, take inspriration from those on these boards who have gone through this same battle before you.
Good luck again! I know you have the strength to do this:
“Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie
Which we ascribe to heaven”
–All’s Well That Ends Well :), Act 1, Scene i
Hi Frannie!
You’ve made it one month so far-- that’s excellent! I’m willing to bet there are a lot of smokers who couldn’t be smoke-free for that long.
Quitting might be more of a challenge with another smoker in the house, but I think if you’ve got your mind set on it, you’ll be able to do it.
Best of luck to you.
I’ve never been a smoker so I can’t tell you if it’ll get better, but I assume it will since I’ve known plenty of quitters (of the GOOD kind). You have my support and encouragement (and whatever); I think quitting is one of the best things you can do for yourself and those around you.
Good for you–you CAN do it!!!
You can do it. Read the sig.
Oh, and I don’t think I ever mentioned this: You’re a hottie!
Yer pal,
Satan
*I HAVE BEEN SMOKE-FREE FOR:
Six months, four weeks, 14 hours, 19 minutes and 58 seconds.
8463 cigarettes not smoked, saving $1,057.98.
Extra life with Drain Bead: 4 weeks, 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes.
David B used me as a cite!*
Frannie,
It does get better, It really does. How long it takes depends on the individual. I know whereof I speak.
I smoked for 20+ years. I quit 3 times, once for 2 years.
When I quit the last time, 12 years ago, I was a 3 pack a day smoker. I quit cold turkey. I was extremely combative for 2 weeks, and felt like crap for 6 months, but it eventually got better.
My advice, for what it’s worth:
Change your habits. I had to give up coffee for the first month, and stay out of bars.
Keep busy.
Take it one day at a time, one hour at a time, one minute at a time, if need be. Don’t think about never having another cig, think about not having one for now.
You can do that.
Turn to your friends for support. The fact that you’re trying to quit automatically makes you my friend. (You might not want to noise that around, however.)
Think about how good it’s going to feel to make it to the top of the stairs without stopping for breath.
Try to get the smoker who lives with you to smoke outside.
Be stubborn. You deserve your life back!
We’ll be pulling for you.