How long does it take for cravings to go away after you quit smoking? -
I just quit last night and with a combination of my medications and cravings, I-m going crazy. It-s been 13.5 hours so far.
The physical withdrawal should take 3 days to kick, give or take. (some people say a week) But the psychological addiction can often take much longer. they say it takes about a month to form a habit, and a month to break one! :)
hope this helps
Nicotine starts to leave your body as soon as you put out that last cigarette, after 48 hours all the nicotine will have left your body, but your cravings will remain for as long as you-re an addict.
Cravings are mental, consider it like this - when did you ever wake up in the night because of nicotine cravings? Yes there are cravings when it comes to nicotine, but they are very slight and it-s more about the mental need for a cigarette than a chemical or physical need...as such it-s *impossible* to say when the cravings will go away. I-ve known people who have quit using willpower or NRT methods who have still had cravings years, even decades after stopping - thus why willpower and NRT have such low sucess rates, they may cut the drug out of your system (NRT obviously cut down nicotine before cutting it out compleatly...so is just a slower way of going cold-turkey), but they don-t deal with the addiction itself.
Seriously hun, do yourself a favour and use Easyway to quit smoking, then you-ll have no cravings, you won-t feel deprived of your cigarettes, and thus why Easyway methods have a 90% sucess rate, not just stopping smoking but staying a happy non-smoker...there-s really no need to suffer from cravings or withdrawl, certainly it doesn-t have to be hard to quit so don-t make it harder on yourself by using a method that makes you feel the way you feel now. Go see the Easyway web site
http://allencarr.com
or a few $-s will get you the book, with all the same sort of information you-d get from an Easyway clinic, for such a small amount of money at least give it a try -
http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Way-Stop-Smok…
HI Nikki..
first of all congrats on at those 13.5 hours.. a great beginning, and as your finding, an eternity to a new quitter..all i can say is don-t pickup, quitting is so worth it!!... of course the severity of the cravings depend on a lot of things, like how long you smoked, how much etc..
the good news is that they do go away.. also there are coping mechanisms, a number of us use the 4 D-s... 1 distract, that is so something else, (cant smoke with hands in dishwater)....2 discuss (many of have friends or quit buddy-s we can call).. 3 drink water, this simple act flushes the system, and temporarily relieves cravings.. 4 deep breathe (smokers often developed the habit of shallow breathing except when inhaling smoke)...
myself i have found that participation in a support group helped me quit ( i have been quit for over 5 years now after 40+ years smoking).. i attend nicotine anonymous meetings both locally and online.. you are welcome there
Nicotine Anonymous is a Non-Profit 12 Step Fellowship of men and women helping each other live nicotine-free lives. Nicotine Anonymous welcomes all those seeking freedom from nicotine addiction, including those using cessation programs and nicotine withdrawal aids. The primary purpose of Nicotine Anonymous is to help all those who would like to cease using tobacco and nicotine products in any form. The Fellowship offers group support and recovery using the 12 Steps as adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous to achieve abstinence from nicotine.
After I quit cold turkey I would dream I was smoking for over a year. In order to quit I had to just tough it out. I took more potassium since your body dumps it when you quit smoking. Then when I got the urge to smoke I would go out and do some exercise. Also now a days they have Lobelia herb that helps people quit easier.
It is an herb. You can get it at any health food store.
But mostly I had dreams for at least a year after I was done with the smoking. That was over 40 yrs ago.
Chin up you can do it. Take one day at a time.