A Different Perspective on Craving / Quitting

[Genecanuck]

Hello evveryone,

 

I want to share a post from danl1  who posted this message on Quitnet on 9/9/2004.

 

Cravings do not exist.
 

Cravings - that tightness in the gut, the lungs, the throat. The moodiness, anxiety, and irritability. Those things that seem to be your body and mind SCREAMING for a smoke - they don’t exist. Oh, the symptoms are real, but they are the symptoms of stress, not a `craving`. That stress might have been caused by withdrawal, maybe by fighting a desire or `craving`, or often enough by the puts and takes of everyday life. We’ve come to call it a craving only because we’ve been self-medicating our stress for so long with nicotine that we don’t properly recognize stress when it smacks us in the face. It’s time to learn more effective, much safer methods of stress management. Apply them here, and the `cravings` disappear in short order.

-----------------------------------------

This makes me think that we have to learn to tend to the root causes of what we call cravings.

 

KTQ

 

Gene

[Sazerac]

Being free of nicotine is being free of nicotine cravings.

 

Nicotine hides much of the truth of our experience from ourselves.

 

When experiencing nicotine withdrawal, often we mistake what our needs/desires really are.

Here is a perspective on H.A.L.T. (Hungry/thirsty, Angry/emotional, Lonesome/bored, Tired)

Riffing on H.A.L.T.

 

and resources on

 

The Difference Between Physical and Psychological Urges

 

It is important to understand the connection between nicotine addiction and stress.

Interaction Between Nicotine and Stress

 

 

 

[Doreensfree]

Gene ....

If you keep administrating nicotine into your body ....whether it be smoking ,patch ,gum ect....

You will continue to suffer withdrawal symptoms ....

The only way to stop feeling all what you have mentioned is to stop putting nicotine  back in ....

It's simple ....no nicotine and you have quit ...

 

 

[jillar]

6 hours ago, Genecanuck said:

Cravings - that tightness in the gut, the lungs, the throat. The moodiness, anxiety, and irritability. Those things that seem to be your body and mind SCREAMING for a smoke - they don’t exist.

 

I beg to differ, the cravings totally existed for me.

6 hours ago, Genecanuck said:

Oh, the symptoms are real, but they are the symptoms of stress, not a `craving`. That stress might have been caused by withdrawal, maybe by fighting a desire or `craving`,

 

For me the stress was brought on by the craving. If I hadn't of been craving I wouldn't have been stressed. This sentence completely contradicts what the author is trying to say that cravings don't exist.

Furthermore, if you didn't crave nicotine you wouldn't still be using NRT's three years after quitting. This is only my opinion and you know what they say about opinions...…..