Jonesin' for a cigarette - day 3 of quitting

[Dirty Hippie]

HELP!

Doctor prescribed Wellbutrin - definitely helps with the cravings but ...

[matcom]

1. i'm on it. how long have you been taking it?

if this is day 3 ON wellbutrin, you aren't supposed to quit yet. it takes a week or two to kick in.

i am on day 8 of taking it and am down to about 6 cigs a day. it gets better over time

[Dirty Hippie]

3. Been on the med 5 days

Maybe I jumped the gun, but I've made it past day 2, usually the hardest.

[matcom]

4. you did a bit

mine didn't kick in until yesterday really but my doc said to set your quit date to week 3. week 4 i am supposed to up the dose to twice a day.

like i said, i am down to about 5 or 6 a day from almost 2 packs / day and i am mid way through week 2 is all. its ok to keep smoking week 1. just THINK about when you smoke and try to break the habitual stuff (like every time you get in the car, etc..)

GOOD LUCK! i'm right here with you!

oh and btw, you will KNOW when this starts to work. i can't explain it but you will

:hi:

[ET Awful]

2. Keep it up, both of you!!!!

It worked for me 2 years ago. I did the Wellbutrin/Zyban bit. My last cigarette was 2 years ago last month.

It does get better, trust me :)

[glitch]

5. remember - the craving will pass whether you have a cigarette or not

so you might as well not have one. Eventually you will not have the cravings at all and it's worth living through the cravings now to get there.
Well, that sort of thinking helped me! Good luck to you, you can do it.

[Dirty Hippie]

7. Excellent tip

thanks.

[Liberal Veteran]

6. Light up once and it's back to square one.....

...and you end up starting the whole damn cycle over again. Do you really want to have to repeat the last couple of days again?

Two and a half years for me this month (Wellbutrin AND Patch at the same time to quit).

Don't give up. You CAN kick the habit. Every day will get easier.

[arwalden]

8. After Three or Four Days WITHOUT ANY Cigarettes ...

your body will cease the PHYSICAL cravings for nicotine. From that point on any "cravings" you think you're having are psychological ones.

They pass quickly and are easy to control. If you can resist lighting up for ONE MINUTE, then the psychological craving will pass.

When I'd get a psych-craving (because of stress or just to calm my nerves) I'd purse my lips as though I were drawing on a cigarette... then I'd take the deepest-fullest breath that I could manage (through the small opening). Next I'd exhale slowly (through the small opening).

It sounds SILLY as anything, I know. But it worked for me. It's a relaxing exercise that got me through some times when I really wanted a cigarette.

You really have to train yourself to think of yourself as a non-smoker.

GOOD LUCK TO YOU!!!!

-- Allen

[JohnLocke]

9. Eat something.

[bearfan454]

12. It's easy to get fat by doing that when you quit smoking.

I gained 40 lbs by doing that and I was fat already.

[dr.strangelove]

10. Stay with it

I quit almost 6 years ago. The urge is still there, especially when I walk out of the office past the smokers. I just want to run over, bum one and light up.
It does get easier, VERY QUICKLY. The first week to 10 days was the hardest for me. After two months I cheated for a few days, Bar Exam, but never went back. If you can get through the first month, you should make it. Good luck, its a huge load to carry.

[tjwash]

18. I want to take a fire extinguisher to ours...

...when I walk out of the office past our smokers. After I quit, and the cravings subsided, I got hypersensitive to cigarette smoke. Now I can't stand it.

[Paragon]

11. I'm on Day Five

And cold turkey, too.

[bearfan454]

13. Did you go nuts on day one cold turkey ?

[Paragon]

15. No...

Didn't hit me til about Day Three or so. It's getting progressively easier and easier with each day - plus exercising every day has really helped.

[Bonhomme Richard]

14. Got....To....Quit............

one of these days.

[LoZoccolo]

16. Keep going.

I've been off for almost two years - I had ended up in the hospital with an irregular heartbeat after about a month of heavy smoking when I was twenty-seven, so like it's always time to quit.

[LoZoccolo]

17. Also, something that I think helps...

...is to keep really busy with happy things. Sure you feel that kind of hyperarousal from jonesing, but if you're out having fun or something it seems to turn into giddiness instead of stress.

[Dirty Hippie]

19. Thanks everyone

all good tips.

I feel better now!