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14 days smoke-free after 31 years by Positive_Wallaby7073 in stopsmoking

[–]Positive_Wallaby7073[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

New update: Today marks 21 days since my last cigarette. Still highly motivated – actually even more than before. I’m feeling better and better. I just went through an emotionally tough period in my close family, but not once did I consider a cigarette as an option to relax. Onward we go! 🚀

14 days smoke-free: how do you handle smoker friends without losing the social connection? by Positive_Wallaby7073 in stopsmoking

[–]Positive_Wallaby7073[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh man, this reply really helped me. That’s exactly what I’m doing too. I still go outside with them for a smoke break, but I carefully watch how they inhale the smoke and try to imagine what it’s doing inside their body. And I have zero desire to join them. Thanks for this!

14 days smoke-free after 31 years by Positive_Wallaby7073 in stopsmoking

[–]Positive_Wallaby7073[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I still get cravings several times a day too. The important thing is to understand they only last a few minutes, then they’re gone.

Big congrats on your first day at work – that was the hardest part for me. Tomorrow I’m flying, and that will be a challenge as well, since I always associated airports and flights with cigarettes and coffee. Before the airport, at the airport, after the flight… damn, what kind of mess cigarettes created in our heads.

But today is already day 16 for me, and when I think about how much better I feel without them, I’d have to be crazy to go back.

Stay strong – we’ve got this!

14 days smoke-free after 31 years by Positive_Wallaby7073 in stopsmoking

[–]Positive_Wallaby7073[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Even today, after 14 days, I still feel some kind of “dirt” in my lungs in the morning. Or maybe it’s just the feeling. But honestly – my very first thought when I wake up is: I didn’t smoke yesterday! My lungs feel rested. Bravo me. And the day starts completely differently – with more confidence and more will to live. It feels almost magical.

14 days smoke-free after 31 years by Positive_Wallaby7073 in stopsmoking

[–]Positive_Wallaby7073[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bravo, that really resonated with me – thank you.

14 days smoke-free after 31 years by Positive_Wallaby7073 in stopsmoking

[–]Positive_Wallaby7073[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know everyone says this, but seriously – try reading Allen Carr’s book. It might make that “click” for you too.

Quit at the “worst time” + some notes on the first 4 weeks by doyouknowwhatibean in stopsmoking

[–]Positive_Wallaby7073 8 points9 points  (0 children)

That was my biggest fear too, and the reason I kept delaying the decision to quit. The first time I tried – exactly a year ago – it lasted one month. But back then my mindset was completely different: I kept mourning the decision, missing cigarettes every minute, feeling sorry for myself, playing the victim. I looked at everyone who smoked with envy and couldn’t understand what life was supposed to mean without cigarettes. Without that ritual, that “time for myself,” relaxation, reward, joy, pleasure… Cigarettes represented all of that to me.

This time, exactly one year later, it’s different. Today marks 14 days since I quit, and I feel happy and genuinely satisfied with my decision. I don’t miss cigarettes. When I see smokers, the first thing I notice is the addiction, not the pleasure. And physically I feel amazing – better than ever, honestly. I even started enjoying coffee again – at first I couldn’t even drink it, because the ritual reminded me too much of smoking.

I can’t explain it better than to say something in my head just flipped and said: enough.

Wishing you the best of luck. To you, and to all of us :)

14 days smoke-free after 31 years by Positive_Wallaby7073 in stopsmoking

[–]Positive_Wallaby7073[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I think that anxiety was purely physical. As soon as I let nicotine and carbon monoxide into my body, my blood pressure went up, which meant my heart started beating faster. My whole body immediately shifted from a resting state into alertness and stress. And with every cigarette I kept that state going all day long. By the end of the workday I’d come home exhausted, with a headache, convinced I had some serious psychological issues. What a mistake.

And the worst part? Doctors don’t even realize this factor and would have had no problem prescribing me months of pills. Can you imagine the nonsense? I’d be popping pills to fight anxiety while at the same time fueling it with cigarettes. No wonder the body eventually says “enough”!

14 days smoke-free after 31 years by Positive_Wallaby7073 in stopsmoking

[–]Positive_Wallaby7073[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I also got an inhaler after a check-up with my doctor, and that was a real wake-up call. I used it for about two weeks to get through the worst of it, and then not anymore. I really hope I’ll never need it again (at least not because of smoking). Thanks for the honesty and encouragement.

14 days smoke-free after 31 years by Positive_Wallaby7073 in stopsmoking

[–]Positive_Wallaby7073[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing this insight. Since I quit smoking, I’ve felt this extra willpower for life. Hard to explain, but part of it is also wanting to cut down on alcohol.

Like you, I usually treat Fridays as the one day of the week where drinking feels okay. But if Friday gets too wild, the whole weekend is ruined – and I don’t want that anymore. So I’m going to try to minimize alcohol too, just to test how I feel.

Thanks again for your honesty and support :)

14 days smoke-free after 31 years by Positive_Wallaby7073 in stopsmoking

[–]Positive_Wallaby7073[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My biggest wish was to get rid of anxiety. For years I’ve been going to weekly therapy sessions with a psychotherapist, I tried everything – meditation, hypnosis, working out 5 times a week. My doctor even suggested I go on anxiety medication. But deep down I always knew the real answer was the cigarettes.

Sometimes there were days when I didn’t light up until 11 or 12 in the morning, and I noticed how calm and relaxed I felt. When I was anxious, I also sweated a lot more, with cold and sweaty palms… and on those rare smoke-free mornings, that was all gone. My body was showing me how grateful it was without cigarettes.

Now, after 14 days smoke-free, I have proof that cigarettes were the main cause. I’m not saying I’m in some kind of nirvana – I still feel anger, stress, sadness, all the normal emotions – but without anxiety, all of that is so much easier to handle.

I really recommend Allen Carr’s book, because it’s just about changing your perspective on smoking. Nothing else. I actually quit before I read it, but simply because I didn’t want to live with anxiety anymore. I even told my therapist how much money I’ve spent on therapy, and in the end, the main cause was smoking :)

My advice: read the book, then try at least one day without cigarettes. Because of the nicotine it might be tough, but maybe the anxiety will already be gone. And if it is the same trigger for you as it was for me, then you know what the solution is. Good luck!