to ask when the nicotine cravings go away

[goingverymad]

I feel like I'm about to rip my head off. Been 2 days so far.
Judging from google I seem to get a mix of "it gets better after 3 days and you start getting less cravings" and "it gets WORSE after 3 days, is terrible for about 2 months then it's better"

please please please don't say it's going to get WORSE...worse!

Well done on giving up :) I gave up last November when I found out I was pregnant so I can't really comment as just the thought of harming the baby stopped any cravings (along with the terrible morning sickness! !) I have had a few cravings the last few days and I do think that if I wasn't breastfeeding I probably would have had a cheeky cigarette by now. You will get through it though. Are you on any nicotine replacement?

Please keep at it. I'm 3.5 years smoke free and feel great. I never crave a fag and the odd occasion when I do try one, they are vile. It definitely gets better, don't give up.

PS, smokers really do stink when you're post smoking. Really smelly stinky

I found it got gradually better every day. I haven't smoked for a year now and i never think about it anymore. Give yourself at least a week to get passed the wanting to rip your own head off feeling though.

3 days and the physical addiction is gone. But then you have to deal with the emotional addiction. Which does get better. Distract yourself until the moment has passed, and it will pass. Don't tell yourself its for ever, live one day, hour, minute at a time. When the cravings hit really hard I used to skip, or jog on the spot until I was out of breath. I figured if I was out of breath through exercise then I wouldn't want to smoke at that moment in time. You'll probably find tomorrow quite hard on day 3. But now you know that. Put yourself out of temptations way, keep very busy, have hot baths, early to bed. It will get better though. And your lungs will feel better, you'll be able to breath more easily, you won't stink, food will taste better, you'll prolong your life. Whats not to like really. Just remember distraction distraction distraction. And eventually the cravings will get further and further apart and you'll reach a point where you won't think about it for weeks, and more. You're in the hardest stage right now, but you're doing so well. It would be a shame to go back now. Keep remembering the reasons why you want to give up. YOU are in control, not that stupid silly addiction that kill you if you let it.
All the best. You're doing great.

It took me 2 weeks before I felt a bit easier but much longer to just break the habit of not lighting up as certain times (after meals etc).
I chewed gum - packets and packets of the bloody stuff - not nicotine gum, just normal chewing gum. Every time I felt the urge I shoved gum in my mouth even in the middle of the night.

You can do it. I was a dedicated smoker for 20 years. I haven't had a fag for 10 years now.
Hang in there and just think of all the money you're saving!

Oh! Well done. I found that every time I wanted a cigarette I drank a little fruit juice box...this really helped and also sitting on my hands.
It is so worth it...walk behind a stranger and you know if they smoke or not...your sense of smell returns and you will be mortified to know how you used to smell! Your taste returns...food tastes great. Your complexion improves...you will look radiant once more. So many, many positives and of course your health will improve with your increased lung capacity.
One week, will turn to two and very soon one year will turn to many...don't ever look back.
Wishing you long life and happiness.

Congratulations on quitting! I gave up a year ago, it was hard but worth it. I don't like the taste or smell of cigarettes now. I occasionally crave a puff but my brain remembers they are disgusting. I think it probably takes a few weeks to stop constantly wanting one but be strong!

It does get easier after a week IME. I had to concentrate on something else to help ease it- in my case I did 5 mins of cleaning or decluttering and it helped the craving pass.

Well done!

I got an ECig to help me. I only use it occasionally now for the odd drag. But it really did ease the cravings - and the GP said "better an E Cig than a real cig" !

The physical cravings get worse and worse for 3 days. Once they peak they drop away very quickly. The emotional 'habit' depends entirely on you. I never had any problems once I survived day 3.

Well done so far! I was a 20 a day smoker for 20 years and tried everything to give up - Champix, patches, nicotine gum, more patches. What worked finally was telling myself that after 72 hours all the nicotine is out of your system and any cravings left are just psychological - don't let your mind trick you! Just keep telling yourself that if you give in and have a cig you'll go right back to square one and have to start all over again.

It does get easier, and like bodhranbae says, normal chewing gum is really helpful. NOT nicotine chewing gum - I mean, that's what you're trying to give up, right? From previous experience I knew nicotine gum just made it worse for me - and I know a couple of people who no longer smoke but have been on the nicotine gum for years! So if you get cravings, take some deep breaths (get outside if you can), try some fizzy cold water, normal chewing gum, and they soon pass.

I'm a couple of years down the line now and when I walk past anyone smoking I just can't believe how stinky it is - never even a little bit tempted. Just makes me cross I smoked for so long.

Please get an eCig. I cracked a 35 year habit - and believe me I could smoke for an Olympic Sport and win Gold at every event!! - where was I? Oh yes - it took about two weeks of the eCig and now nearly 2 years later the memory/craving sometimes grabs me unexpectedly so I get another eCig to beat it off with and it works. I wish I could smoke tbh but I had to give up for more than one reason. Good luck - hope you make it!

Physical symptoms went away by a week, the rest was just the ingrained habit which lasted for months. It was mainly triggered by doing things that used to involve a cigarette e.g. Going to the pub (this was pre smoking ban), or going out with certain friends. I had to involve those situations for a while but after a few months I'd go weeks without even thinking about it.

Apparently (I did a lot of research when I was quitting because it was all I could think of) you have receptors in your brain that increase in number when you intake nicotine...so the more/longer you smoke, the more you have these receptors, and everytime you have nicotine, they all light up and give you the happy feeling.

It takes up to 8 weeks for the extra receptors you've created through smoking to 'die'...for a few days they go nuts, you have awful cravings, mood differences etc. Then they start dulling, and it will just get easier and easier. When they're all gone, if you start smoking again it won't be down to any physical addiction.

If you're really struggling, I would also recommend an e cig. I quit 2 years ago cold turkey and lasted a few weeks. Quit again 18 months ago, with patches, but really really struggled...I was a complete bitch to everyone, I had night terrors (common side effect of patches), I lost my memory etc. Lasted 8 months.

I've now been using an e cig for 3 months, but I've never felt less like having a cigarette. Quitting was easy. No mood differences, no habit to break (I still go 'for a fag' with work colleagues, on a night out etc), and now i'm just working on slowly decreasing the nicotine in the e cigs.

im on my 8th day completely smoke free after finding out im pregnant. i cut down from 60 to 20 then to 10 then 5 and then went cold turkey 8 days ago, I was so cranky and horrific to everyone but now im feeling alot better, My brother in law was over and smoking, I ran to the bathroom to throw up because of the smell!! it does get better dont give up on giving up x

It's been a year for me. I never would consider it again.

The first three weeks were a bit tricky but the key issue is to have some phrases to tell yourself to remind you that you really want this.

It's odd. If you really want it, it is easy. Honestly. I stopped smoking a few times till i worked that out.

That's how it was for me, anyway. I was a heavy and long term smoker and DH still is.

Well done everyone who's given up/trying!
I feel like a wimp now, I've only been smoking 5/6 years so nowhere near as long as a lot of people, my thinking is that I may as well give up now, because the longer I smoke the harder it will be, sort of thing. that and I'm too skint to justify it and will be moving soon etc
I really was starting to HATE it every time I lit up. I seem to get judged a lot by scary mums as it is (Posh area) , and I don't think the smoking was helping tbh. Also I don't want to stink, or die, or have DS grow up thinking it's normal, so I'll keep at it. Slowly developing a severe tea addiction though ;)

It does get better!! I absolutely promise you.

I smoked for about 7 years -quite heavily, towards the end. When I quit cold turkey, I actually dreamed about smoking once a week for about a year.

That was about 8 years ago. I am never, ever tempted by a cig now. Don't miss them at all, even when I'm drunk/depressed/stressed. Loathe the things, in fact. I literally cannot imagine wanting one.

Hang in there; it'll be the best thing you ever do.

Have you read Allen Carr? Go buy a book today, read it and when you've finished you will no longer crave cigs, I promise.

I don't think it'll get worse. But if you have in mind about two weeks before it starts easing, I think you'll be okay. It's a shitty two weeks, but one day at a time and each day you do gets you further along.

Eventually you'll surprise yourself by noticing how you think less and less about cigarettes as time passes. It is also fun to feel smug when you see other people smoking in the rain, etc.

Allen Carr's book is a good shout to keep you going.

Well done for getting this far. It's a serious achievement to go cold turkey and follow it through.

I quit 3 months ago. I have a ecig. It is brill.

it gets better ...keep going op

I am 5 years clean ...I occasionally think 'ohhhh I fancy a fag' but it's rare, fleeting and not really a craving x

Well done! It's gets easier every day. Tomorrow will be easier. In a week or two, you'll suddenly realise that you haven't even thought about it for a few hours.
I also found that the motivation to keep going increases with time as well.

I quit 2.5 years ago. I used champix at first but they made me very moody well moodier than usual
I then went onto the lozenges that come in a little blue bottle. They definitely helped. I used them for about a month then found I didn't need them
Are you using anything or cold turkey?
There are odd occasions - usually stressful situations where I want one but I distract myself and it passes quickly.

Good luck it's so worth it, not just for the money you save

Forgot to say I smoked from age 13 to 38, about 20 a day for 20 yrs