I’m so fucking irritable right now, every little thing is annoying me and my chest is tight, I keep clenching my teeth. I’m very familiar with these things, these are how my body is telling me “go smoke a ciggy”
Problem is, I haven’t done that for a year and a half. I’ve had this happen before, sometimes years on into my quittings, its always random and it’s always insufferable, like I’m a former psychonaut who accidentally cracked his spine 20 years later. Does this happen to anyone else out there? Any tips? I had a glass of wine but it didn’t help take the edge off much
This is an anxiety response, your body is coursing with cortisol, the stress hormone. These exercises should help. I find square breathing to be especially helpful, but everyone’s different. https://www.choosingtherapy.com/anxiety-exercises/
Another thing to consider: nicotine accelerates caffeine metabolism. Therefore, if you are feeling irritable and have recently ingested caffeine (coffee, tea, energy drink, etc.) then you can expect a craving for the antidote.
Think of all those folks who used to hang out at coffee shops, smoking cigarets. Up on the cup of coffee, down on the smoke. Just riding the roller-coaster all day.
No. I actually find the idea of doing it again pretty disgusting.
Months absolutely. Years, very rarely. But wild that it still happens like 8 years later. Even though I rather dislike the smell now.
This is my experience. It’s fading with time. There are certain situational triggers, and sometimes out-of-the blue cravings, but they become less frequent and easier to ignore, slowly, as time goes on.
I haven’t smoked in 10+ maybe 15+ years, can’t really remember.
I still want a cigarette.
Feel exactly this… Sometimes you just still want one randomly. But 99.999% of the time do not think about it at all anymore
I’ve never done any drug or experience as remotely addicting as nicotine.
Ever done cheese?
You ever suck dick for nicotine?
Yea I’m at least 10 years post quitting properly and I’d fucking kill for a ciggie right now.
Not gonna do it, because of all the many, many reasons that they are fucked up. But still.
I’m three years in, still want to smoke.
Glad I don’t, and the cravings from the first bit aren’t as bad, but I still want to.
Quit coffin nails five years ago after 15 years. Maybe a couple times a month after work I think about how good a cigarette would be right now
Except maybe ten percent of those times I’ll actually bum one from a coworker and it’s never ever ever as good as I imagine it’ll be in the moment. I bum them less and less because it keeps getting harder to pretend it’ll be as good as it used to
So in essence I guess I actually quit pretty effectively overall
Almost 3 years after quiting a heavy 26 years habit. I quit cold turkey.
Currently being forced to move having no income and no social circle and family is distant.
Super proud I haven’t broken yet. I want one ALL THE DAMN TIME.
I use physical exercise to help me get through my cravings.
If a random internet stranger’s comment means anything to you… keep it up dude!
Quit for 7 years. Didn’t miss it for a second after the first week. Starting again was the worst mistake of my life. Hold fast. You’ll regret it if you go back. Quitting a second time seems much harder.
I smoked daily for about ten years. I got off the cigarettes and smoked e-cigs (no one called it vaping, then) for another year or two, then quit cold turkey without much issue and only the occasional minor relapse thanks to my significant other continuing the habit for a few years after I quit before she quit, too. That was about fifteen years ago, and I don’t crave them at all anymore. The smell is actually a huge turn off for me, now. I can’t believe I ever thought I was fooling anyone into not knowing I was a smoker. That shit seeps into everything.
I smoked about 20 a day for nearly 20 years, and gave up the stinkies about 12 years ago. Switched to vaping and then gave up that and nicotine about 8 years ago.
Even after all this time, about once a year my brain tells me it’s time for a smoke break. I don’t think I’m craving a fag, just the downtime and doing something else with my hands/brain/time.
Hey OP, how ya doing? Try any advice? Anything help?
Lol thank you, I just waited it out and read comments to pass the time. This happens once or twice a year and it’ll probably be a good while before it happens again, appreciate the support though
Does this happen to anyone else out there?
No, you’re completely unique and utterly alone in that uniqueness. Tragic, really. RIP.
Any tips?
Is $5 too little?
Okay enough jokes. Yes, every other addict ever gets craving symptoms down the road, but they’ll clear up soon.
In rehab, doc taught me something that’s remarkably powerful and yet insanely simple: BHALTS. Are you Bored? Hungry? Angry? Lonely? Tired? Stressed? All those make cravings worse and make relapse more likely, especially since we’re talking about the thing we used to do to avoid dealing with those feelings properly.
If anything on that checklist checks out, attend to it ASAP. You’ll be shocked how quickly the cravings leave your body.
I do, the longer it’s been the shorter they are (almost 10 years now). My trigger is seeing someone, usually in a TV or movie, take that long, exaggerated drag.
Oooh. That’s a big one. I’ll be fine and suddenly halfway through a movie: “Smoke break?”
On the contrary, i hate the smell way more than my have-never-smoked peers.
I quit cold-turkey ages ago, after a decade as a pack-a-day smoker.
I never missed cigarettes, never really craved them except when binge drinking. But i quit that too, mostly. By the time I quit, I absolutely hated the smell and taste, so that helped a lot. It caused me to just avoid places where I’d encounter lots of smokers. Bans in restaurants and bars helped a lot.
edit: one key being that when I quit, I didn’t like smoking. I didn’t want to be a smoker anymore. So I stopped thinking of myself as a smoker.
You probably don’t hate the smell more, nonsmokers have just learned to be polite about it.
Dated a smoker once. I love the man, but kissing him was like licking ashes. A major turn off. I never let on.
Right, my lived experience isnt valid because of your lived experience.
Quit cold turkey in 2017 after 30 years of pack a day. More if drinking. Tried vaping, just ended up being a way to smoke more.Got a gnarly case of pneumonia and wadded up everything I had left for smoking and threw it all in the trash. No cravings anymore but I still dream about it.
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