By gauthams

Day 3 Behind Me.... I Ought To Be Celebrating But 

I am 90 minutes short of 72 hours cold turkey as I write this and I know deep inside that overcoming all those strong cravings will well be worth it in the end and that it is indeed possible to keep the NOPE pledge if you isolate and defeat with cold calculated reason each of those cravers by isolating and weakening them. 

I woke up optimistic ( I write this from India so we are ahead {:-( and I have to go to an office meeting and all I can worry about is if the elevators will be working.

How long? How long before I get a spring in my step?
rhiadavies
Everyone is different but it seems that after the first week it's better, and after a month even better, and after 3 months even better.... I think it's about mindset though - if you are miserable, then you are miserable. There isn't any nicotine in your body now so all that is left is the psychological addiction/crutch. The more times your brain expects you to smoke in a situation (after a meal, before a meal, during a phone call, upon waking etc) and you DON'T smoke, the more triggers you break, and the easier it becomes. You keep going until not smoking is your normal and your brain never expects you to light up. Then you are completely free. We get there by Never Taking Another Puff.... Not One Puff. Ever.
420dragonfly
It's a journey you're on and everyday won't be the same. Sometimes you've got to dig deep inside for the strength and other times it's easy. Try to stay optimistic and patient (I know not always easy) just have faith it gets easier and better over time!
cocoaxchange
As mentioned above, everyone is different, but I think the timelines Rhia mentioned are accurate for most people. I am a 5 months and I have not thought much about smoking the last two. Not never, but certainly much less than at the start of my quit. The cravings gradually go away.
gauthams
Thanks, all.. I survived the last 10 hours - and went out in the day, for work related stuff - so that must have taken my mind off as well. I was feeling awful and short of breath this morning, but I was pleasantly surprised at myself with my physical effort at lunch for instance - walking to the washroom without pausing for breath. This must be laughs for people younger and fitter but this the fact that I had begun to hate to walk even to the kitchen to make coffee or to the edge of the garden to check the mail... was my main trigger to quit It had got so bad that I even bought my cigarettes from street vendors who'd deliver to the car and not get off and walk for them - shamefull, really but that's what it is. Now I HAVE NOT BOUGHT A CIGGIE OR SMOKED ONE for 81 hrs by the second as I write this....