I, like many others this new year, have tried to quit smoking and while I’m no longer on my usual pack and a half have managed to get down to about two or three a day (individual cigarettes that is…not packs).
My question is that since I have done this I am finding it very difficult to sleep at night. My brain races and I am extremely fidgetty (sp?). Is it just me or has anyone else experienced this and should I just start smoking again?
Please help:confused:
I’ve smoked about 10 years, these last few at a pack a day. I had surgery about 2 years ago, and was told to not smoke for a week. Since I was so wonked out on Vicodin I could care less, but after a week or so of not smoking I realized how I didn’t have any desire to smoke. I could taste Snapple again, I would chase the bus, and catch it, life was great, I felt awesome. I’d heard that once the nicotine was out of your system, it was pretty simple to not smoke, and that’s exactly the case. I went 6 months no smoking, and was easy as cake, but then I learned an important lesson. DON’T HAVE ONE!
I was at a friends for the weekend., and although I didn’t need one, I figured just one wouldn’t hurt.
(Before I continue let me explain it this way.)
You’ll always crave a smoke, that will never change. What does change is the strength of the cravings. If I went a few hours without smoking I was bouncing off the walls. Your body is basically throwing a temper tantrum, and only a smoke will appease it. Once the nicotine is out of your body (and you are out of the physical habit of smoking), it’s more like a polite “hello old boy, I was wondering if it wasn’t too much trouble, if I could possible inconvenience you for a bit of nicotine”, request. Obviously a huge difference, but one that requires getting the junk out of your body first (cold sweat for a week) to realize, and at that point you don’t need that as encouragement because you are already on the path to quitting.
(back to my friends house)
I had 2 cigs that night, and then didn’t smoke for a week.
Had 1 a week after that
Had 1 every few days after that
Had 1 a day
Had a few a day
Had a pack a day
Back to where I was before. Damn!
Anyway, yesterday I felt like complete crap (as I do anytime right after I smoke a cigarette nowadays), so I threw the pack and my lighter in the garbage. That was 23 hours ago. If I make it 24 hours, I’ve passed a point of no return. I keep reminding myself how they kill me, they cost an arm and a leg, and they aren’t even enjoyable anymore.
Good Job with smoking 2 or 3 a day. I would try and whittle it down. In a week you’ll feel better, and that will give you more incentive to continue. Look forward to that, and good luck.
Sorry forgot to answer your question. Do not smoke! You will feel strange, lightheaded, cranky, you’ll see things in shades of plaid, etc., it’s perfectly normal when quitting. If you cheat and have a smoke or 2, (reintroducing nicotine to your system) you will go through the whole feel strange when trying to quit (getting nicotine out of your system) thing again.
You’re going through withdrawal. Perfectly normal, albeit very difficult. When I quit smoking 8 months ago, I used the patch. The difference between the patch and cold turkey was substantial. It really helped me. That said, my stepmother found it much easier to quit without the patch. Said it made her nauseous. To each his own.
Man, you got that right, I’m jonesing for one right now.
Good luck, Weary!
No. I say this as someone who’d quit for five years before taking it up again. I’ve now been off those goddamned things almost three years. I consider restarting when I did many years ago as one of the all-time dumbest things I’ve ever done or am likely to ever do.
I’ll also tell ya that there’s not one, but two, guys at this little bar where I hang out who have been diagnosed with throat cancer in the last six months. They’ve both told me their doctors attribute it to smoking.
Stick with it Weary–I quit just three months ago (cold-turkey) and hooooo-boy am I glad I did! I had cut back to about 1/2 pack a day before just stopping, and once I was completely nicotine-free, it only took about three days for me to stop feeling like my skin was trying to jitterbug off my bones. It’s good that you’ve cut back, now take the plunge and just QUIT. The problem with giving in and starting up smoking, is that it’s just going to make it that much harder for you to get to this point again (and chances are, if you’re thinking you should quit now, you’ll be thinking the same thing all over again in the future). So to answer your question–no, I don’t think you should start again. But, the important question is do you really truly WANT to be free of smoking? Because if not, than all the good intentions in the world won’t get you very far, and you’ll end up puffing away at some point. Make up your mind, stick to it, and enjoy.
BTW it’s been 24 hours. I doubt I’ll get this far again, so looks like I better stick with the cold turkey.
Thanks for all your advice…I’ll stick with it and quit and my nights will hopefully return to the boring snoozesome events they were before.
BTW, as a newbie on this site…thanks…it’s a lonely world out there!
I quit cold turkey in Nov 2000 and used two slogans to assist me:
I had quit a number of times in the past, to be lured back, but by following rule 1, I have remained smokefree.
You’ll know you’re on your way to being done, when upon returning from a bar you realize you smell like smoke and it bothers you.
Nicotine withdrawal is a bitch, but it’s worth it, I suppose.
Then again, if it wouldn’t kill me I’d be doing it again in a heartbeat, even though I haven’t had a smoke in over 10 years.
I will never pick up a cigarette again, because if I have one, I’ll have a pack within a day. I have never been satisfied with one of anything, ever.
“One is too many, and 1000 aren’t enough.”
To reiterate what everone said above…Stop Smoking all together.
I went on the patch on 10/17 and my last day was suppoosed to be 12/26. I had saved one in case of a New Years Eve moment of weakness. I did use it but since it was 4 days since the my body had nicotine and I noticed that I had to go through the some of the same withdrawal symptoms again. To be honest I don’t think I would have needed or used the patch (on NY Eve) if I didn’t have it with me. The fact I knew I could have the nicotine w/o the guilt of smoking made the urge really stong.
I have not had a cigarette since 10/16 but more importantly I have not had nicotine in 7 days. I had quit for 18 months before (12 years ago) and the dumbest thing I did was start up again.
Please keep us posted on your progress weary
**World Eater ** as a life long non-smoker, thank you for a very honest account of what it feels like to be addicted to nicotine.
I use to *loathe * smokers and think they were just plain morons because they did something as stupid as smoke.
Then, I found SDMB and have read the various “Quitting Smoking” threads and have talked to people in real life and realize that nicotine is a very seductive, dangerous drug and who in the hell knows what else is put in the cigerettes to make the smoker addictive.
That said, I have absolutely nothing of value to add to this except what I tell teenagers whenever I see them smoking.
**You are stronger than the cigerette. **
I wish you strength and **do not quit quitting **. Your life depends on it.
There is a lot of good advice here, don’t give up. It does get easier, you are going through the hardest part right now. Like others have said, it takes 3-4 days without nicotene for your body to stop going through withdrawal. After that you should be able to see real improvement. Do whatever it takes for these first few days to go without a cigarette. My first few days of my (cold turkey) quit, I would just try to postpone having a cigarette, telling myself I could last 5 more minutes. Sometimes each minute is a victory in itself!
I had to change my whole attitude about smoking; during previous, failed quits I still had the attitude that I could have one once in a while, or when I was no longer addicted, I could be a “social smoker”. This attitude sabotaged my quit, I was finally successful when I had the attitude that this was my last quit, and it would work. I knew I couldn’t play around with it any more. I am still addicted to nicotene, but it has no control over me as long as I never smoke again. This was a hard concept for me to realize, that I was a real addict. As sure as a heroin addict can not have just one fix, neither can I.
It is hard right now, but keep telling yourself it will get easier. All you have to do is not smoke that one cigarette…sounds obvious, but it finally clicked for me when I realized I had real control over smoking. I could choose not to go to the store and buy cigarettes, I could choose to not put a cigarette in my mouth, take out a lighter, and smoke it. These were physical actions I could control. My body took care of the rest, cleaning the chemicals out, cleansing itself. Yours will too. Other symptoms you may experience are shakiness, (drinking fruit juice, like cranberry, can help even out your sugar levels and help with this) insomnia, difficulty concentrating, and coughing, and even nightmares, or smoking dreams. These can be very realistic. Also, remember to eat during this time, which may seem silly, but smokers are often used to smoking instead of eating, and your sugar levels are affected when you smoke, so your body needs to adjust.
Keep going, Weary and World Eater! You can do it, one minute at a time. Please e-mail me (it’s in my profile) if you want to talk, or vent, or whatever, I promise I understand what you are going through!
My stats - Ten months, three days, 23 hours, 37 minutes and 15 seconds. 6199 cigarettes not smoked, saving $1,208.94. Life saved: 3 weeks, 12 hours, 35 minutes.
(get your own quit meter at silkquit.org).
Thanks Shirley and Velma, some support always helps. I didn’t know about the sugar, thats a big help, because I’ve been feeling pretty strange lately (as I expected to). I went to the doctor a month or so back to get a Zyban prescription, you should have seen my jaw drop when they told me the price! My healthcare doesn’t cover it, so I would have paid $180 for a month of the stuff, and you need to take it for 3 months. $540 bucks to quit. Thats like buying a how to get rich book.
At 12:00 noon today it will be 48 hours.
How you doing Weary?
I quit about 15 years ago and yes, way in the back of my head the desire is still there, because I ENJOYED smoking. Like Unclebeer, I go to the neighborhood bar but I still like the smell of secondhand smoke though I avoid it as much as possible
DO NOT start again. Get a meter like Velma suggested and keep positing it here. We’ll back you!
Weary, I quit, too! Do you want to be quitting buddies or something? 
I’m at 25 hours and 47 minutes. We can do it!
BTW, it won’t kill you to get a light Ambien prescription for a couple of weeks. Call your doctor or doctor’s nurse - they will pretty much give you anything to help you quit.
I’m on Ambien for nightmares, but not just for two weeks.
I’m still on two a day…the hardest one to give up is the morning drive to work smoke with coffee…then I have my after lunch digesting smoke and that’s it for the day. I think that this Friday will be my last smoke day…I’ve got the weekend to sleep in and not drive anywhere…no coffee to tempt me and I don’t smoke in my apartment anyway. Thanks for all the advice guys and gals. Will keep you posted.
I don’t think I should go to the bar and have a drink this weekend…I’m feeling strong but after 7 or 8 rye and ginger’s my will power takes a vacation:D
Yeah, I usually enjoy a few beers when I get home from work, but I’m taking abreak on those, at least for a few days. I must admit, my head is feeling clearer from no nicotine.
51 hours so far.
I’ve made up my mind…5 have seven smokes left in this pack so Friday is my last day of smoking. I will keep track from this weekend on.