treepeo
832 posts
Registered:
29 Nov 2017
07 Jan 2019
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Hi toyechna,
First of all, let me congratulate you on being smoke free for over eight months. That is terrific, good for you! It shows how strong and committed to your quit you are.
It's horrible that you still have daily cravings. My heart goes out to you. I quit two years ago cold turkey. I can tell you that the cravings started to ease significantly after the first month. That is not to say that I didn't have cravings, but I did not have them as often. The longest I have gone without a craving is about five months. I smoked for over 43 years, so I think that I will always get cravings from time to time, because smoking was such a big part of my life. But now it no longer defines me.
I am sure that eventually, your cravings will ease off. I just don't know when that will happen. It really varies from person to person. But you have been able to resist which is great.
If it helps any, when I get a craving, I think about where I started from, how scared I was to quit, and how much I struggled that first month especially. I never want to have to go through that hell again. And then I think about where I am today. I mean, first of all I am still alive. I am not sure I would be if I was still smoking. I am not being dramatic, I truly believe I might be dead if I didn't quit when I did. My breathing was really bad, and my heart pounded out of my chest. I had so little breath that it was difficult for me to talk. Any little exertion gave me pains in my chest.
But today, all of that is different. My breathing is no longer labored, and I don't get pains in my chest. I can climb a flight of stairs without my heart beating 100 miles a minute. And those are just a couple of the positive things that have happened as a result of quitting smoking.
Toyechna, keep your eye on the prize. You have accomplished something amazing. You quit smoking. Focus on that and how it has impacted your life. Eventually, your body will realize you don't need cigarettes and the cravings will ease up. And then you will be truly free. I hope that happens for you soon, because you deserve to have that kind of relief. You have worked really hard to get to this point. Celebrate your achievement. YOU ARE A WINNER!!!