WhyQuitThe LawHow to QuitJoel's LibraryFreedomTurkeyvilleCrave CopingPrevent Relapse

One of Freedom's banners

WhyQuit Joel's Library Turkeyville The Law

Memorable Freedom Threads

Tell a newbie how many seconds a day do you still want a cigarette:
Page 17

Prior Page Next Page

Remember the first few days? Remember worrying that the urges, wanting and craves would never end? If a cold turkey quitter, here's your chance to tell both smokers and new quitters what it's like now.

Tell@WhyQuit.com



#401 | 05 Jan 2005 | John (Gold)

zero ...rainbow em


#402 | 06 Jan 2005 | osabrava

How about 30 seconds? That's about the amount of time I can truly say that I really "want" a cigarette. And that's being generous! I come to the site to read every day, and I post a little, but I'm thinking much more about my quit than actually craving a cigarette. The craves are very short and intense when they come because I'm facing a trigger I haven't yet encountered. After 27 years of smoking MOST of my activities somehow got hooked into feeding my addiction, so it would be a wonder if I wasn't still dealing with some triggers. I welcome them when they come, try to figure out what the trigger is and let it go. Very simple and very powerful. If you are a newbie reading this, congratulations on having the wisdom to do one of the best things you could possibly do for your future health and well-being. I look forward to even more comfort as an ex-smoker as long as I NTAP!

Bernadette

#403 | 06 Jan 2005 | KDJ23

zero

Kristin
Free and Healing for Nine Months, Twenty Three Days, 14 Hours and 58 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 20 Days and 16 Hours, by avoiding the use of 5952 nicotine delivery devices that would have cost me $1,054.53.

| |

Joannetta Posts 364 Unread post 06 Jan 2005 03:19 #404 While craves erupt on occasion I never want a cigarette and I'll never take another puff. I love my reality. Cheers, Joanne close to silver Last edited by Joannetta on 20 Mar 2009 11:24, edited 1 time in total.

#405 | 06 Jan 2005 | gold osomashi

I get a 30 second craving about 2 times a week.

That's 60 seconds every week. That's usually when I am doing something I haven't done since I quit. So I am conquering a brain memory. Then I think of my healing lungs and fresh air and say: NO WAY. NTAP. Notice I said I have a "craving." I do not want a cigarette EVER, not for 10 seconds or 5 seconds or 1 second. I never ever want carbon monoxide or nicotine poisoning my body AGAIN. I know that a craving is only a very temporary memory of what I trained my brain to do for 11 years. It's not a real desire.

#406 | 06 Jan 2005 | Alyson GOLD

How many seconds a day do I still want a cigarette?

ZERO.

I can't even remember the last time.

Alyson
2 years 6 months +

#407 | 11 Jan 2005 | murphying (Gold)

ZERO

Ingrid

3 years 11 days free!

#408 | 18 Mar 2005 | Pryde65 GOLD

At six months I no longer crave a cigarette. I don't want one ever. On a rare occasion I will "think" about it, and think back to when I smoked, but there's no physical need any longer. Mostly I wonder why I ever smoked...I think, hmmm...yeah, I did that. Glad I'm done. Those first months I thought about it quite a bit...but it gradually faded.

More often, I think about how bad my clothes smell after being around a group of smokers. I spend more time thinking about that now...I prefer to smell fresh, not stale.

Sue - Still Enjoying being Newly Silvery...

#409 | 18 Mar 2005 | deniese18no1

Some days are better than others but after 3 and a half weeks I crave a cigarette on average about 1 to 2 times a day. I have had a couple of days that were 0 and a couple of days that were more than 5 this week. But it is soo much better than last week or the week before..

Deniese - Free and Healing for Twenty Four Days, 17 Hours and 57 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 1 Day and 17 Hours, by avoiding the use of 495 nicotine delivery devices that would have cost me $86.71.

#410 | 19 Apr 2005 | Joanne Gold

thumbs up em It is difficult for me to imagine ever wanting a cigarette, yesterday, today, or tomorrow. clock em

#411 | 19 Apr 2005 | mermaidoncedar

About 10 minutes per day (3 times 3-4). But I find the "wanting a cigarette" is not the same as the old cravings anymore. At first when I quit, the cravings were about wanting to have a cigarette right this moment. Now, when I think about smoking, it's more about wanting to find a way to feel the relief from tension that I thought I got by smoking a cigarette. When I get that feeling now, I know there's something else bothering me or it's time for a break. It's a thought that's on the periphery but not the same as the gnawing craving like it was in the beginning.

I don't know if what I said makes any sense. Maybe someone else can explain it better. The point is, if you're new, it gets better, much better.

Marion (43 days, 3 hours, and 34 minutes) 1215 nicotine sticks not smoked., $473.84 saved

#412 | 19 Apr 2005 | Oliviadawg

These days I go several days without even thinking about smoking one way or another ... occasional craves pop up when I'm stressed or when I'm drinking with smoking friends, but it's getting very rare. They last ... I dunno ... maybe 3 to10 seconds, tops, before I remember that I don't miss smoking or anything that comes with it.

It's easier than I thought it could be.

I have been quit for 6 Months, 5 Days, 10 hours, 59 minutes and 34 seconds (187 days). I have saved $449.89 by not smoking 2,249 cigarettes. I havejavascript:submit_message(document.forms.frmSubmit,3); Send Message saved 1 Week, 19 hours and 25 minutes of my life. My Quit Da

#413 | 19 Apr 2005 | JoeJFree Gold

Nicotine Addiction cycle
I copied this from John's post above. This is the graphic that 'DID IT" for me. Something 'snapped' in my mind Sunday January 9 2005 when I saw this "Junkie Cycle". I finally saw me for what I was, a nicotine junkie. Yep, that was me 100 days ago. (Again, I can never thank you enough John P for creating this reality picture). It will be me again if I choose to allow nicotinie to enter my body, bloodstream and brain ever again.

My moment of realization was that if I simply broke the cycle between 'Generate Crave' and 'Inhale New Nicotine' and Never Took Another Puff I would win my Freedom from Tobacco! idea em It was my KEY! gift em

Education has allowed me to learn how to stay on the 'Free to Be' side of the bars of Nicotine Addiction Prison.

The question Joel poses of "How many times a day do I WANT a Cigarette (or cigar, or pinch or pouch - yeah I did 'em all)?"

Well "Now Hear This" be you lurker or Newbie or Greenie or more - I want a cigarette ZERO times a day and it's been that way for a good while.

I'll never forget from whence I came. I've been given a reprieve from a life sentence of misery and self-loathing. I will continue to choose to live the remainder of my life, however long that is, free from the imprisonment of nicotine addiction. I'm never going to give back this gift of Freedom!

And I did it by finally yet simply and honestly saying I am an addict! Hooray! and promising myself that for as long as I am blessed to draw a breath I'll Never take another puff !

joejFree - day 99 of the rest and best of My New Life ... NTAP!

#414 | 19 Apr 2005 | JoeJFree Gold

Dang! I''m still not reading too well or following instructions. It just wasn't the mental fog that caused my application to rejected 3 or 4 times.smile em I just must be a member of the Short Attention Span Theatre!

THE STATS SINCE THIS IS A PARADE (started by Joel no less gift em)

Three months, one week, two days, 58 minutes - 99 DAYS
2451 cigarettes not consumed, saving $492.52.
Life reclaimed to live as I CHOOSE 13 days, 22 hours, 15 minutes.

#415 | 19 Apr 2005 | Katielucky

I honestly do not crave cigarettes anymore. I can't imagine having them be a part of my life ever again. I do however crave that others find this site and stop killing themselves. Thanks Freedom, for saving my life.

Katie Free for Eight months, three weeks, four days, 12 hours, 55 minutes and 57 seconds. 10741 cigarettes not smoked, saving $2,148.64. Life saved: 5 weeks, 2 days, 7 hours, 5 minutes.

#416 | 19 Apr 2005 | LisaT774

I only want a cigarette for 30 seconds to a few minutes (total) in a day. That would be 3 or 4 times for a few to thirty seconds each time. I will catch myself thinking it would be good to get that burst of dopamine or to inhale that nasty smoke when I am tired (which has been afternoons the last few days), but if I stop what I am doing, mentally dig a bit deeper into that 'want', take a deep breath and let it out very slowly, take a sip of water and suddenly I realize that a cigarette is not what I want at all. I am usually just tired and need to relax and regroup. Even the strongest thoughts go away very quickly when I remind myself that I can not have "just one", because I am an addict. I know it is not worth it and never will be. We all know this...and need to keep that promise to ourselves to NTAP! teeth em

Lisa - Free and Healing for Twenty Two Days, 12 Hours and 4 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 22 Hours, by avoiding the use of 270 nicotine delivery devices that would have cost me $47.30.

#417 | 20 Apr 2005 | Toast (GOLD )

I can't remember the last second that I craved a cigarette. Can't remember what day it occurred during, or week, or month ...

No part of me misses any part of smoking. And that feels good.

smiled em Melissa
3 Years 10 Months 3 Weeks 6 Days 17 Hours 9 Minutes 6 Seconds Free 28554 Less

#418 | 20 Apr 2005 | elgcrow88

I think about alot often than I like to, but it's not good thoughts. Like today for instance, a co-worker of mine smokes and I had to work along side him today for the first time and man did he reek. A number of times he tells me" I'm going to grab a smoke " while I stay there and continue working and come back stinking.

Glenn-I have been quit for 1M 3W 1D 8h 39m (50 days). I have saved $201.43 by not smoking 1,007 cigarettes. I have saved 3D 11h 55m of my life. My Quit Date: 2/28/2005- 4,579,200 seconds. WOW!! never looked at it that way. Great PARADE Joel!!!

#419 | 20 Apr 2005 | johnnynonic

Really wanting a cigarette? None.

The thought crossed my mind? Five or six times....
.....Put over two hundred miles on the road today, twice in the car
.....In a meeting, one of the others 'smelled' of smoke wouldn't have noticed that before, and didn't make me want one
.....In my second meeting, one of the others 'smelled' of smoke, same reaction
.....EA told my hand to do the shirt pocket shuffle as I walked outside after work, resent the updated memo
.....Right after dinner, decided to read instead
They all passed quickly, so in total maybe 180 seconds or less, some days are better than others But being quit is the BEST
Never Take Another Puff
JohnnyNoNic
I have been quit for 3 Weeks, 2 Days, 21 hours and 28 minutes (23 days). I have saved $104.29 by not ingesting 430 nicotine delivery devices. I have saved 1 Day, 11 hours and 50 minutes of my life. My Quit Date: 3/26/2005 11:00 PM

#420 | 20 Apr 2005 | KristinaJayD

One month, 18 days, 3 hours. Not smoked 1445!

Heck, I figure if each cig took 10 minutes to smoke I've LITERALLY saved over 24 hours of time! That's alot of time to use doing something else!

On average, I think about the activity of smoking about 2 times a day, and only for about 60 seconds, less than half that time romanticizing and the majority of the time thinking one=all.

This weekend, I did something revolutionary! I cleaned my whole house and did laundry and ironing without stopping in between except to get a drink of water! I didn't even think about having a smoke! What a concept!

Used to be: Clean out closet...hm...smoke. Hm....need to think about this...smoke. Ok, took out the bottom shelf...time to smoke again...ok....well, I need a break so I'll sit down and...smoke! What kind of life is that?

#421 | 20 Apr 2005 | Jmschaldach2

I think of smoking between 1 and 7 minutes a day. Even at 7 minutes that's less than 1/2 of 1% of the time!

JohnS
28 days

#422 | 20 Apr 2005 | ElevenPinkFlowers

If this is of any help to anyone who is wondering whether the craves will be bearable and when they ebb off:

I very seldom think about smoking, compared to how many I used to smoke! I never smoked before breakfast, and during the last two years made myself wait till I was at work. So, I thought I would constantly have to fight craves at work. But no.

I do not have craves at all, I hope they are gone forever. Sometimes I think about smoking in the afternoon in the office, during the slow hour, and then I realize I probably used to smoke out of sheer boredom sometimes! I smile, shake my head because I was so dumb, make a "Tsss!" noise and get myself back to work. There is always something to do.

In the evenings, after a late dinner, when I am all snug on the sofa, that is when I "miss" smoking sometimes. I mean, I do not really miss smoking, I am so glad that the stink, the fire hazard, the health hazard are over! Moreover, I seem to miss a ritual that meant "RELAX NOW", and I am currently creating a new one: I sit down with my glass wine or whatever, read my book, stroke my cat - and breathe through my nose. Just yesterday I realized that my living room smells nice: Of the old wooden wardrobe, of a fragrant potpourri on a bookshelf, of a blossoming potplant, slightly of the nice meal we had just eaten... Nice. Not smoky. Nice!

Quitting smoking was my best idea ever. I might be thinking about smoking about three times a day, but I already had a day when I did not think about it at all. And thinking about smoking does not mean wanting to! It feels good, that is all.

PinkFlowers
Free and loving it since 2 March 2005

#423 | 20 Apr 2005 | Liuchka

How many seconds a day I want a cigarette?

NONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
0 !!!!
NADA!!!!!!!

Cuca rose em
Free and Healing for One Year, Seven Months, One Day, 10 Hours and 45 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 60 Days and 8 Hours, by avoiding the use of 17383 nicotine delivery devices that would have cost me $3,338.26.

#424 | 20 Apr 2005 | WellZoegirl

This is an interesting question. How many seconds in a day do I crave a cigarette? Well, I will be perfectly honest. I never crave a cigarette. Now, there are a few seconds in every day (or sometimes every other day) that I feel that I need do so something and I realize that the something would have been smoking. As soon as I realize that - I push the feeling away by telling myself that I am an ex-smoker and it's over. All this takes approximately 3-4 seconds and it MAYBE happens twice a day. I'm not real good at math, but I can tell you that these are pretty good odds.

My quit is 12 weeks, 1 day and 20 hours long. Really, this is not a huge amount of time and I am often surprised myself at the speed in which comfort comes. All I have to do now is Never Take Another Puff and I will retain my Freedom and my comfort forever.

dog em Wellzoegirl

#425 | 21 Apr 2005 | osabrava

Maybe a few seconds a day and it's really just a fleeting thought "Oh yeah, I used to do that..." More often it's "So glad I don't do that anymore!" I just looked at my quitmeter for the first time in a while (I used to look at it every day!) and was grateful to mark this progress:

I've been nicotine free for over 200 days
I didn't smoke over 4000 cigarettes
I saved over $1000
I've reclaimed over two weeks of my life an addiction tried to take from me.

And all for the price of a few seconds of day - What a deal! Best I've ever made...

Next Page Top of Page

Page 01 Page 02 Page 03 Page 04 Page 05 Page 06 Page07 Page 08 Page 09 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34




Memorable Freedom Threads



Knowledge is a Quitting Method


An owl reading and studying by candlight.

Discover Smart Turkey



WhyQuit Joel's Library Turkeyville The Law

WhyQuit's small banner for linking
Page created 01/03/18. Reformatted 04/27/22 by John R. Polito