Hello guys :) 

I am almost 2 days a non-smoker now. Yesterday was kind of a weird day. I had almost no cravings, respectively only very light cravings. I was confused, because everyone says the 2nd and 3rd day are the hardest. 

 

I noticed that it is most difficult in the evenings for me to "never take one puff". Again, I noticed how tremendously the 6 minute timer helps me in going through cravings. When you think about that the craving will subside before you even get to a tobacco shop makes the thought of purchasing cigarette packs funny to me.

Also, I always interrupt myself when my thoughts start to spiral around what is ahead of me. I think this keeps me sane.

Today I do not feel as well as yesterday. Mostly I am just pissed that I will have to endure the withdrawal symptoms for a bit longer. But most of the time I do not really want a cigarette either. 

I am a bit angry and frustrated that it feels so hard to concentrate right now. However, I think the 18 hour work shift that lies behind me plays its part in that.

Hi Shanakor!  Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking and getting through the first two days!  On to day 3!!

 

The journey is different for everyone so expect the unexpected.  Just keep on not smoking and you'll be fine.

 

Welcome to Quit Train!   :)

That's the way to look at it in these early days Shanakor - 1 day, 1 hour or even 1 minute at a time to manage your cravings to smoke. Don't think about what will be happening or how you will be feeling a week or a month from now. That will take care of itself and you, like everyone else, will be feeling a lot better down the road providing you don't smoke. You have already developed a useful tool for yourself to manage those cravings (your timer) and that's a good thing. Plus, you are coming here for support and information - also a good thing. The early part of quitting can be a real roller coaster because you are up one day and down the next sometimes. That will smooth out the longer you stay quit. That inability to focus or concentrate is also very normal in the early quit. Some call it "brain fog". That too will clear for you at some point. That anxious feeling you probably have will also go away in time as your brain rewires itself to life as a non-smoker.

 

As you're finding out, there's no magic pill to just avoid all the unpleasant symptoms of quitting smoking. You have to just go through all these things to get out the other side and be truly free of this horrible addiction. So you just hang in there Shanakor and do the hard work that's required to get this thing done! We're routing for ya :)

Hi Shanakor. As long as you are not smoking you're doing EVERYTHING right! It great that you're posting and relating what's going on for you. You may even find, later on in your quit journey, that going back and looking at your old postings will be interesting and useful in solidifying your quit. It will be a great feeling when you see, in black and white, how far you have come. KTQ!