I think around day seven was when the cravings for me got worse and quitting got a whole lot harder. I started trying to make excuses to smoke. An addict will use any reason to use their drug of choice. In our case it is cigarettes. Let me give you some examples. I woke up on morning and my throat was sore and I was coughing and hacking. I told my husband that I thought quitting was supposed to make you feel better and I felt worse. I told him that if it was going to make me feel so bad I might as well smoke because I felt better when I was a smoker. Of course he talked me out of it which is a good thing. I was using it as an excuse. Other are things like oh the kids are driving me crazy I need to smoke, I had a stressful day I should smoke, I don't do anything else for fun so I might as well smoke. I would also try to argue with my husband so that I could blame him if I smoked. (this is where the support of family comes in.)
Any thing that you use to justify your smoking is basically an excuse to make you feel better about smoking. It gives you a reason to go back to smoking. Know that you are doing it and call yourself on it. Do not let yourself justify the smoking. When you have these moments call your buddy or someone to help you through these rough patches.
I had some days where I felt like I had lost my best friend. I would get extremely sad and emotional. One day I cried all day long and felt really stupid for it. I got to thinking about it and realized that cigarettes are kind of like a best friend. They are with you through most of your good times and your bad times. I smoked for every occasion, happy sad, mediocre. So if you get to feeling like that I just want to let you know it is okay to morn the loss of your best friend.
From about day seven to the three month mark was the hardest for me. Around my three month mark I got into a huge argument with my husband. I went to my step dads house and asked him for a cigarette. At first he refused me but then he gave me one. Now first off let me explain about this cigarette. My step dad smokes the most harsh, awful brand ever known to mankind. I didn't even like bumming cigarettes from him when I was a smoker. I light it up and it was the worst thing I had ever tasted. I had to make myself finish it. As I made myself smoke that thing I told myself I had better enjoy it because it was the last cigarette I would ever smoke. I don't recommend everyone do this because it might not work for you. I was the type that would have continued to be moody about quitting because I would have always been like oh smoking looks good, I bet it taste good. A part of me would have always hung on to the smoker I was. Had my step dad smoked a smooth brand that did not taste so bad I more than likely would have went right back to smoking. That is why I don't recommend you try this part of my story, it could backfire. I then lost my original quit date and had to start over. I had wasted the last three months.
You can do this and trust me it does get easier. By the first year most of my cravings were gone. Year two I had a few moments when I would look for my cigarettes forgetting for a moment that I was no longer a smoker. Year three is wonderful. I am so glad that I quit and have not really had any smoker moments. I feel great and know that quitting is the best thing I have ever done. We have more money and get to go do more things than we would if I was still a smoker.
I have smoker friends and family that I have continued to visit over the last three years. I still love them yet I wish they would quit. The longer it has been since I quit the more I notice how much smokers stink. Their car, house, and clothes. My grandma sent me some pictures in frames and even those stunk from cigarette smoke. I knew smoking stunk when I was a smoker but I never realized just how bad until I quit.
I hope that I am able to help you quit. If your not able to quit this time please don't give up. It took me several times of trying over my seventeen years of smoking before I finally made it. Be strong, have the desire, and the support you need and go for it. Best wishes to each and everyone of you.
