Had a big time craving for 3 days or so. Did it happen to you?

[JackH]

6 1/2 months smoke free after 35 years of smoking. Last week I had a 3 day or so period where I was craving a cigarette bad. Jonesin' like a mad man. Was vaping my same ol mixes, same nic strength etc. I thought it was bizarre because when I started vaping and quit cigs I had occasional cravings for a few weeks then was fine.

The strangest thing is my nose is now hyper-sensitive and cigarette smoke makes me wanna gag, and I'm pretty sure I'd actually hurl if I lit one

Has this happened to you? Unexplained craving for days months after you quit? Years even?

Just wondering, there is no danger I'll ever light tobacco on fire again.

 

[Just Me]

Same here, and about the same time, too. But when it happened, I would just imagine the sequence of getting the real deal, packing it, lighting it, and when I got to the part about pulling the smoke in, that's when I said, "Eek, no way!"

Tomorrow I'll be free for a year. Cannot stand the smell of tobacco smoke now.

 

[Topwater Elvis]

I had severe daily cravings for about the first 3 months then they subsided to a few per week for about 6 more months. Past the year mark and up till now I get a strong craving about once per month.
I am smoke free for ~ 1.5 years, for me it has gone from a multiple times per day struggle to once or twice a month struggle to remain smoke free which I consider a big win / accomplishment.

To this day I have to make a conscious effort to stay away from cigarette smoke, if I smoked one there is no doubt in my mind I'd return to smoking, some folks iz wired different.

 

[Shootist]

For some reason I had the erg to have a real cigarette today. Just out of the blue I was walking over to a store at my break time and said "I'd like a cigarette". I didn't have one but I did have the thought.

 

[Shootist]

Cannot stand the smell of tobacco smoke now.

I'm the same way. When someone is around me that has just finished a cigarette I can't stand the smell.

 

[Merryhellion]

I had one of those days recently. Six months smoke free, too! Fortunately I had an unopened bottle of Grumpy's Hooch steeped and ready to vape, and it satisfied anything that resembled a craving

 

[Tinkiegrrl]

3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months, 6 months.... These things seem to come in threes for cravings.

 

[dshgr]

I've noticed that when I get a craving, it coincides with a time I would have a 'ritual' cigarette when the ritual wasn't a common one. For example, when the weather broke and I started working in the yard, I would always have a cigarette when I took a break while sitting on the back porch. The first dozen breaks made me want a cigarette. Reconditioned that ritual and have found a few others.

I smoked for 37 years and the act is deeply ingrained in my behavior. It's going to take a while to recondition.

 

[bman1977]

The only time I get a craving is in the morning. I used to love coffee with a cigarette. I think i'll always miss that. Vaping isn't the same with coffee.

 

[herb]

Sure, it still happens , if you get them more often i would up your nic level , worked for me.

 

[Jman8]

3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months, 6 months.... These things seem to come in threes for cravings.

I found this to be accurate when I quit (cold turkey). One time quitting, I went around 8 years without, and noticed it never really stops, but like the progression noted above, gets to be fewer and far between when I'd be jonesin' for one. For me, the worst triggers were seeing a character in a movie (especially older/classic films) light up and look so smooth smoking, or from night dreams. I one time woke up 5 years after quitting, having a dream where I smoked and feeling like I never stopped. And it literally took me 30 minutes after waking up to realize that I had quit a long time ago. My mind played that much of a trick on me.

IMO, nothing compares to the first 3 days when you are dealing with physical withdrawals, which doesn't really happen so much with vaping in the picture.

 

[Shootist]

I found this to be accurate when I quit (cold turkey). One time quitting, I went around 8 years without, and noticed it never really stops, but like the progression noted above, gets to be fewer and far between when I'd be jonesin' for one. For me, the worst triggers were seeing a character in a movie (especially older/classic films) light up and look so smooth smoking, or from night dreams. I one time woke up 5 years after quitting, having a dream where I smoked and feeling like I never stopped. And it literally took me 30 minutes after waking up to realize that I had quit a long time ago. My mind played that much of a trick on me.

IMO, nothing compares to the first 3 days when you are dealing with physical withdrawals, which doesn't really happen so much with vaping in the picture.

I had the same thing happen to me with alcohol. I've been sober for quit a long time now but when I was about 8 months to a year sober I had a dream where I drank. It was so life like I had to re-trace my steps from the night before. It was about 30 minute of think about where I was and what I had done the previous night before I realized it WAS a DREAM. I even had a headache when I woke up.

Scared the heck out of me.

I am sure I'll go through something like that with tobacco, nicotine, smoking before this is all over.

 

[yzer]

I had cravings for the first month. I may get surprised by an unexplained strange craving once every couple of months or so. And this is after smoking my last cigarette over two years ago.

 

[jstjoehere]

6 1/2 months smoke free after 35 years of smoking. Last week I had a 3 day or so period where I was craving a cigarette bad. Jonesin' like a mad man. Was vaping my same ol mixes, same nic strength etc. I thought it was bizarre because when I started vaping and quit cigs I had occasional cravings for a few weeks then was fine.

The strangest thing is my nose is now hyper-sensitive and cigarette smoke makes me wanna gag, and I'm pretty sure I'd actually hurl if I lit one

Has this happened to you? Unexplained craving for days months after you quit? Years even?

Just wondering, there is no danger I'll ever light tobacco on fire again.

I went through that the whole first month I quit.

 

[rico942]

Had a boss when I first got started in the working world, told me he had quit smoking over 30 years before. When he got stressed, he would still paw at his shirt pocket, unconsciously looking for a pack of smokes ...

I've been fortunate, I can be around smokers and am not tempted. My vape is more satisfying, and I don't burn holes in my clothes anymore ...

 

[carrdoc]

I've been smoke free only 2 months,never really looked back.From day 2 ,no smokes and cravings almost non existant.Smoked since 1983.just today on a test drive,i saw a woman walking ,smoking and thought almost without a thought,cant wait to get back to shope for a smoke,Kinda freaked out and laughed to my self..Actually told myself,hey you don't smoke anymore!

 

[Sarin]

Sorry to tell you but you're going to get this for a while, the actual act of smoking a cigarette has a powerful mental addiction as well as the physical addiction of the nicotine. Your brain remembers times of joy, sadness and stress and associates them with smoking a cigarette, addiction to a substance is a lot more than just physical addiction. How many people know someone that has given up for years but still every now and again gets the craving for a smoke? That is mental addiction playing it's part not physical addiction. Like others have said, up the nic % or do something else, it should pass fairly quickly. The key to breaking an long term addiction is a life change, not just the pure act of giving up the substance, this is the reason that substance abusers often move location as part of their rehabilitation, or don't frequent the same places that they used to.

 

[weisner]

I even gave in a couple times only to tell the person that I bummed a cig from that I was sorry I asked and attempt to give it back after pinching it out.

I haven't had the urge again now for over two years.

Best of luck and thanks for sharing.

VAPE ON!

6 1/2 months smoke free after 35 years of smoking. Last week I had a 3 day or so period where I was craving a cigarette bad. Jonesin' like a mad man. Was vaping my same ol mixes, same nic strength etc. I thought it was bizarre because when I started vaping and quit cigs I had occasional cravings for a few weeks then was fine.

The strangest thing is my nose is now hyper-sensitive and cigarette smoke makes me wanna gag, and I'm pretty sure I'd actually hurl if I lit one

Has this happened to you? Unexplained craving for days months after you quit? Years even?

Just wondering, there is no danger I'll ever light tobacco on fire again.

 

[The Torch]

My first 3 days were the hardest. Then I had a craving once per day for about 3 days in the third week. I just chained vaped my way out of it and it worked remarkably well. On my 6th week free and I haven't really had any cravings since. At this rate I doubt I'll cave into future cravings, but I plan on finding a juice for just-in-case. Maybe I'll just keep a bottle with higher nic around.

 

[niane]

Im on day 5 of vaping, but still can't get off the cigarettes, did really well the first 3 day's, then today just completely went out of control, almost smoked a whole pack, but it was my last pack of the carton. I hurried up, took a bath and put a nicotine patch on. Im still learning how to inhale while vaping and not tasting the juice yet, but I raised the nicotine level, so hopefully it will help me through. I still want my morning coffee and cigarette and my reward for the house and yard chores, so Im dreading mowing & edging the lawn. My grandpa smoked for over 50 years of Camels and just cold turkey when my grandmother was in the hospital for breast cancer, scare him so bad, the thought of losing her, he just quit that day, but he told me, everyday he craved a cigarette and he did die of emphysema 16 years later, RIP Papa. I hope Im not going to crave everyday, but I love smoking so maybe that will be my battle too, just makes you think, Why the hell did I even start?