Giving Up Smoking

[natalie_1982]

Hello again - thanks to all of those who answered my last giving up smoking question.  Is it normal to have mood swings?  I mean serious make-PMT-look-like-a-holiday-week mood swings?  I am either raging angry or feel like balling my eyes out?  Is this normal?  How long does it last?

[Octavius]

I will put my c*ck on the block here and say, you are a woman, it's normal.  Most of my exes were like this all the time.

[natalie_1982]

Gee thanks.  There's me wanting advice on how not to get mad!

 

So how long did it last with your ex's.  So far I haven't brained my fella, but I feel like it.  He bought the wrong sort of citrus fruit when he went shopping.  I like satsumas not clementines.  Grrrr :o)

[natalie_1982]

Oh, I read your post again.  All the time?  I meant after they gave up smoking.  But thanks for your input.

[Fletch23]

.....or alternatively your body could be finding the best way to make you give in and start smoking again, which essentially is what it wants you to do to.  Everyone who quits experiences different withdrawal systems to varying degrees but believe me they do subside and eventually pass, I quit on New Years Eve and had the worst insomina for a couple of days, but like I said it passed, the link below might help to explain a few things about the whole mood swing thing, good luck.   http://atoz.iqhealth.com/Atoz/Lifestyles/SmokeOut/womenstop.html

[Hgrove]

As far as I know giving up smoking is supposed to make you irritable, although when I gave up, I just put on weight and started getting migraines whenever I was subjected to passive smoking.

[Merlin]

natalie_1982

It just ain't gonna be easy. I gave up on 30th June 2004 - so I've just gone 6 months. Cold turkey. No patches. No gum. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I even had a dream about thoroughly enjoying smoking untipped roll-ups last night.

Started with insomnia - took advantage of that and sat up into the night watching telly that I'd normally be too tired to watch.

Beware of the voices telling you to start a fight with everyone for any reason at all. Yes - it is normal.

Here's the thing to do when you feel the rage coming on - clench your teeth together as hard as you can and smile as hard as you can ('til it hurts) and count to 10. This is your "I'm gonna kill you 'cos I've quit smoking and no-one is helping me" face.

The people around you will get to know it and they will be more considerate when they see it. If they don't, then you can unleash your rage on them if it's still there. If you can't make it go away, let it out.

Are you putting the ash-cash away in a piggy bank? Whenever you get the rage, go the piggy, count the money and think about what you're going to treat yourself to (not a weapon of any sort).

You will have to get used to the idea that you might get a reputation for being a hard-ar5ed mean b1tch.

But stick with it.

[natalie_1982]

Thank you so much merlin, I will now start saving the money I would have spent and have so far resisted the urge to throw someone through a window.  Just.  It comes in waves, I can be fine one minute then absolutely raging the next.  I'll try the face :o)

[CarolG]

Invest in a copy of Allen Carr's Easyway to stop smoking. You just read this book and suddenly you don't want to smoke anymore, no scare tactics or anything like that. You can smoke whilst you're reading it, but you stop wanting to. I am nearly finished it and hardly ever smoke at all, by the time i'm finished i'll be a non-smoker.

[Tinker]

Natalie! Well done on your non-smoking! it's such a great feeling not being a slave to the fag...... I gave up in June 2003 and like Merlin, I too have had vivid dreams where i have smoked and have woken up feeling so guilty, but then realising it was just a dream was great. I smoked for 5 years (since i was 16) so it wasn't a massive amount of time, but i still understand it can still be hard. even just this weekend, i thought about starting up again. i didnt have mood swings, just MAJOR cravings, still have them now and still think about smoking every day. My top tips are; don't go to places where people are smoking for about a month, carry a small box of raisins, chewing gum, whatever you fancy around and have them instead of a fag if you are really desperate. dont give up on giving up.

[reddster]

Hi, I gave up smoking 2 months ago, no cravings, no bad moods (have put on a little weight!). Read 'the only way to give up smoking permanantly'!! - Allen Carr. Spoken to a lot of people about this book, it seems to work,. But be warned instead of bemoaning the fact I have given up smoking, I'm boring everyone rigid about the virtues of the book!

[natalie_1982]

Well I got through my third day without even an urge for a fag, it's not the actual not smoking part that I am finding difficult (which suprises even me!) it's the mood swings, desire to eat.... constantly (although I've been snacking on celery and carrot sticks - another New Year's Resolution!) and the light headedness (I actually feel like I've had a fag and got a 'head rush'!). 

 

Overall though I feel better already.  My taste and smell is better, I've got a bit of a cough today but have been reading up and this is just my lungs clearing themselves out.  Thanks for all of your advice and support, my fella is a smoker and doesn't want to give (which is fair enough - it's up to him) but I'm not getting a lot of support at home - everyone expects me to fail - so it's nice to read stories from people who have done it!

[ramsfan05]

Congrats on giving the up the weed. I gave up smoking in Jan 04. It was easier than I expected, but I had tried twice before and not succeeded. I used to smoke 20 a day and had done for 30 years, so I do know how hard it can be. I'm still congratulating myself after 12 months, but I know I won't start again now, even though I still fancy one sometimes. I've also dreamed of having a cig, but it's a relief when I wake up and realise I haven't had one. Keep up the good work!

[Kylieann]

I think a big well done to anyone who gives us. I'm up to week 8 at the moment after 20 years of smoking. I have tried to give up about 15 times previously, but used cheweys/patches etc, this time I went cold turkey and it's worked, but I have had a complete personality change. It is really really bad, so much so that I have even phoned and spoken to my doctor on a couple of occasions. My moods are very bad and I am very volatile even have violent urges a lot and then after an angry spell, I suddenly get teary and start crying and oh my god, it is hell! But I'm sticking it out no matter what, hopefully I won't harm somebody before getting back to normal, but I also wonder if anyone else suffered like this and if so, how long did the bad moods last for, I am getting quite distressed by my behaviour and attitude.