Firstly, thanks everybody for your contributions. If it helps, I would like to say this:
When I started my quit, it WAS scary to find out that some 100 day + quitters still had cravings. However, I preferred this honesty to a situation where I might hit say 110 days and then be shocked to find that I was having a craving.
To all you newbies - I feel much better than I did in the first few weeks.
Breaking Free - You are right, my 'cravings' are simply memories, as the nicotine left my body a long time ago. The feeling is a kind of yearning for a return to a 30+ year routine that I used to live by. I accept that it will take time for this feeling to disappear.
2 of what I consider to be important examples of how time and experience changes the Quit:
1) Yesterday I sat down at my piano and played for a while. I don't do this often. When I finished, I had a strong 'craving' for a cigarette. This soon passed. What I realised was that this was the first time I had sat at the piano this year. My old smoking self would have probably lit up after such an activity. Next time I play, I do not expect to experience this.
2) On Friday, I met a couple of friends in a bar for around an hour. I have done this every week since quitting. As I left, I realised that I hadn't thought about smoking at all during that hour. In other words, IT IS BECOMING NORMAL FOR ME TO THINK LIKE A NON- SMOKER.
Read the posts of some of the 'Elders' here. They say that they occasionally have fleeting thoughts about smoking but laugh them off as something from the distant past. This is where I want to be. I am not there yet. So - poor old Mr Ed then? NO!!! Nobody said that this was going to be easy. Nobody said that it would happen overnight. Sorry to rant, but in this day and age we've become too used to getting what we want yesterday. I'm afraid that doesn't happen with our Quits.
The key to a successful quit is this: Accept that smoking is not 'enjoyable' (that is the illusion of addiction). Accept that it will take time to get better. Accept the cravings. Be patient.
Good things come to those who wait
Mr Ed
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/13/2006
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 125
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,764
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] �937.5
[B]Life Gai
