Giving up smoking + emotions....

[littlekitty]

Ok so it's now day 8 of me giving up smoking using the patches. I've had 3 small lapses (2 different days) the last being Monday.

 

Apart from that all seems well... except my emotions.

 

I have no idea what's happening to my emotions. I seem to be fine most of the day at work - perhaps related to the fact that I only ever smoked about 4 ciggies in the day at work.

 

But at home - and with my partner - I seem to turn into this snipping, moody, overly sarcastic b*tch. The worst thing is that I just can't seem to control it. It just sort of comes out. I know they say to expect moodiness for 2-3 weeks, but jeez, I didn't expect this.

 

Spidy (my Fiance) is doing his best to be patient, but has ended up snipping back at me. And to be completely honest I can't blame him a bit. I probably would to. When he finally does break and bites back, it seems to hit me what a bitch I'm being and I desolve into tears. By which time he struggles to find any sympathy. And again, who can blame him!!

 

Has anyone else experienced this? Does anyone have any words of wisdom for me to help me cope with this, to try and control this?

 

I don't want to be this b*tch.... I'm scared perhaps it won't go away and this is who I am when I'm not smoking...!!!

[Spiderman]

I'll always love and stand by you my darling, no matter what - albeit I have wanted to put you over my knee a few times recently.

[littlekitty]

I'll always love and stand by you my darling, no matter what - albeit I have wanted to put you over my knee a few times recently.

 

Thank you baby!!

 

Feel free to pop me over your knee anytime!!

[magichands]

Does anyone have any words of wisdom for me to help me cope with this, to try and control this?

Goddammit, woman!? You're only young once. Pop outside for a drag. It will help to calm you down. They'll have a cure for cancer by 2015, anyway. (I can feel it in my bone marrow, trust me.)

I don't want to be this b*tch.... I'm scared perhaps it won't go away and this is who I am when I'm not smoking...!!!

All the more "spankings" for Spidy to enjoy.

 

The fact that you're aware of this "behaviour" speaks volumes. Don't be scared, it's only temporary. Just turn the goddamn volume down!

[magichands]

PS: You people make me sick.

 

Sorry, I meant .

[littlekitty]

Goddammit, woman!? You're only young once. Pop outside for a drag. It will help to calm you down. They'll have a cure for cancer by 2015, anyway. (I can feel it in my bone marrow, trust me.)

 

All the more "spankings" for Spidy to enjoy.

 

The fact that you're aware of this "behaviour" speaks volumes. Don't be scared, it's only temporary. Just turn the goddamn volume down!

 

God I wish I was young enough not to worry!! But at 31 and wanting children in the next couple of years, I really do have to get smoking out of my life!!

 

Yep, Spidy will definately enjoy the spankings... he always does!!

 

I guess you're right! I know I'm doing it, and I know it isn't really me. Thanks Magic!!

[littlekitty]

PS: You people make me sick.

 

Sorry, I meant .

 

 

You make me chuckle....!!! We pink elephants!

[a4a]

Have you tried any alternative things such as hypnosis and maybe a little acupuncture?

 

Also a good detox with vitamins?

[magichands]

Have you tried any alternative things such as hypnosis and maybe a little acupuncture?

 

Also a good detox with vitamins?

Thanks for flashing your avatar in a non-smoking thread.

[a4a]

Thanks for flashing your avatar in a non-smoking thread.

 

I just stamped one out in RL as well while sucking down a tasty cup o' coffee.

 

I myself am going to be quitting very soon. I have stacks of nicotine gum and other crap in the cabinet that has probably expired!

 

My avatar is a reminder of what smoking can do to you.

 

Smoking is so sexy!

[littlekitty]

Have you tried any alternative things such as hypnosis and maybe a little acupuncture?

 

Also a good detox with vitamins?

 

Do you know I had an accupuncture appointment this morning, but ended up cancelling it yesterday as I'm shattered at the moment, and would have had to have been up extra early to make it. Doh!!

 

Perhaps I ought to re-schedule it asap then... and look at a detox.

 

Maybe even bumping up my vits would help!

[blind_otter]

I don't know what to tell you because I have been what I call "fragile" over the last week and 3 days. On Tuesday traffic was bad and I had to go out of my way to get some gas and I started crying in the car. Booo hoooo. I've gotten into a few arguments with my SO about stupid things, too.

 

It may be blood sugar. I've read that when you smoke you elevate your blood sugar temporarily (causing the appetite suppresant effect), and when you quit your blood sugar gets all wacky until you don't have any more nicotine in your system.

 

I'm down to one piece of gum a day now! Hooray! But I'm having the damndest time stopping that one piece. Security blanket, anyone?

 

Do you eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Maybe try eating smaller meals with snacks in between until your blood sugar gets normalized.

[littlekitty]

I don't know what to tell you because I have been what I call "fragile" over the last week and 3 days. On Tuesday traffic was bad and I had to go out of my way to get some gas and I started crying in the car. Booo hoooo. I've gotten into a few arguments with my SO about stupid things, too.

 

It may be blood sugar. I've read that when you smoke you elevate your blood sugar temporarily (causing the appetite suppresant effect), and when you quit your blood sugar gets all wacky until you don't have any more nicotine in your system.

 

I'm down to one piece of gum a day now! Hooray! But I'm having the damndest time stopping that one piece. Security blanket, anyone?

 

Do you eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Maybe try eating smaller meals with snacks in between until your blood sugar gets normalized.

 

You know what? Just hearing that I'm not a complete weirdo and that someone else is having the same side effect is a HUGE comfort!! I don't feel like such a complete idiot!! Thanks BO!!

 

Maybe I should up my daily coca-cola allowance!!! I'm pretty good with meals, although I've noticed my appetite seems to have gone a bit, rather than increased. But I'll try having some extra snacks too...!

 

Well done for how well you're doing with it!! Sounds like you're doing great!! One piece of gum a day...! How about maybe halving that?! I dunno?!

[blind_otter]

I think I'm just holding on to that one piece of gum psychologically. Like, if I'm having a bad day I think to myself "Well, at 3pm I can have my piece of gum and everything will be better, then." Just like I used to do with cigs, except I make myself wait.

 

I'm going to talk to my therapist about this. It's bothering me

 

My appetite has gone as well. It truely is a chore to eat food. I just chew and swallow and try to get through meals as best I can. I thought that quitting smoking would INCREASE my appetite, not make it disappear!

[amaysngrace]

Hello Kitty!

 

I just want to say I'm soooo proud of you! (and B_Lot too)

 

Yes quitting can make you emotionally frail. Weepy to bitchy back to weepy again.

 

What worked for me is breathing in deep and thinking "happy".

 

Every day is one day further away from this mess. Keep it up!

[littlekitty]

I think I'm just holding on to that one piece of gum psychologically. Like, if I'm having a bad day I think to myself "Well, at 3pm I can have my piece of gum and everything will be better, then." Just like I used to do with cigs, except I make myself wait.

 

I'm going to talk to my therapist about this. It's bothering me :laugh:/QUOTE]

 

 

My appetite has gone as well. It truely is a chore to eat food. I just chew and swallow and try to get through meals as best I can. I thought that quitting smoking would INCREASE my appetite, not make it disappear!

 

Yep, me too! All information seems to point to putting on weight as a side effect of stopping smoking...!! I was worried about that quite a bit! But it seems we're experiencing the opposite effect...! Not that I'm concerned about that!!

[littlekitty]

Hello Kitty!

 

I just want to say I'm soooo proud of you! (and B_Lot too)

 

Yes quitting can make you emotionally frail. Weepy to bitchy back to weepy again.

 

What worked for me is breathing in deep and thinking "happy".

 

Every day is one day further away from this mess. Keep it up!

 

Awwww thanks Amaysngrace!! I feel proud of myself too! Just want this emotional stuff to go away so I can be back to myself again!

 

Spidy says "You're not that bad babe, it's just occasionally how you respond to me or say things, I can notice it's not how my LK would respond". That's while I'm chewing his neck mind you!!

 

I'll keep trying the deep breathing technique.. I've been using it at work, but I guess at home I've just let it all hang out!

 

But I am so happy to be a non-smoker now. I'll remember to keep thinking those happy thoughts!!

[underpants]

Hi Kitty,

 

You can do this.

 

I quit using the patches and the gum. I chewed so much of that gum that I started developing muscles in my head....weird. I switched to those commit lozenges. These taste awful, but you know eventually I grew to like them ...kind of like smoking. However, they will get you through a craving. I did the replacement therapy for like 3 months, and still have some in a draw ...in case I feel weak.

 

In the first weeks I marked a calendar for everyday that I didn't smoke and saw it every morning when...I really wanted one. In extremly weak moments when I just HAD to have one. I would drive myself to the store, buy a pack pull one out and smoke it in the parking lot, then throw the rest away. I think I did this 3 times and quickly realized how expensive smoking can be.

 

I would have a routine of walking everyday. Then that became running (imagine that). I also trained myself to deep breathe. First by a stretching and breathing session at home done several times a day in the first weeks to one good session a day. Eventually, I could just deep breathe when the stress hit and get through a craving like that. You might try some yoga.

 

I will get easier ...eventually.

[littlekitty]

Thanks Underpants. I'm definately up the challenge, and in general feel really good about stopping smoking. I'm not worried about my 3 small lapses and I don't feel it will happen again. I'm just plain bored of these horrible emotions I'm having... roll on week 3/4 when they should start to fade away!

 

Love the AVI by the way!!

[blind_otter]

I would have a routine of walking everyday. Then that became running (imagine that). I also trained myself to deep breathe. First by a stretching and breathing session at home done several times a day in the first weeks to one good session a day. Eventually, I could just deep breathe when the stress hit and get through a craving like that. You might try some yoga.

 

I will get easier ...eventually.

 

You know, I was exercising regularly when I was smoking. Yoga and walking. But when I quit it's like I became so depressed that I can barely get motivated to do anything. I can clean my house and do yard work, but only when poked vigorously with a stick. Mostly I seem to sleep a lot, I guess coping with withdrawals or whatever.

 

I keep thinking I should exercise again to cope with withdrawals but I have absolutely no energy.

[littlekitty]

You know, I was exercising regularly when I was smoking. Yoga and walking. But when I quit it's like I became so depressed that I can barely get motivated to do anything. I can clean my house and do yard work, but only when poked vigorously with a stick. Mostly I seem to sleep a lot, I guess coping with withdrawals or whatever.

 

I keep thinking I should exercise again to cope with withdrawals but I have absolutely no energy.

 

They do recommend exercise. But I needed to get back into my training routine anyway after a long break for Xmas. Trouble is I can generally only focus on one thing like this at a time, so I thought I'd give it a few weeks on the patches before trying to get back on my fitness routine. Try to take on too many things and once, and you fail in them all?!

[a4a]

Kitty,

 

As I understand it if you perform more oral sex on your SO this will reduce your oral cravings and cause more relaxing endorphines to be secreted by you and your SO to help you get over the smokers quittin' blues.

 

[blind_otter]

That's a good point. I might be setting myself up for failure if I try too many things at once. I already have a tendency to do that.

[littlekitty]

Kitty,

 

As I understand it if you perform more oral sex on your SO this will reduce your oral cravings and cause more relaxing endorphines to be secreted by you and your SO to help you get over the smokers quittin' blues.

 

 

He'll definately like that. I think he suggest that I use his 'man bits' to relieve any oral fixation I had...!!

[littlekitty]

That's a good point. I might be setting myself up for failure if I try too many things at once. I already have a tendency to do that.

 

Yep me too. I have a tendency to try to 'fix' a million things at once, and then fail at them all. I have to just concentrate on one thing at a time and get that in order before moving on the to the next.

 

I think it helps you focus a bit more too sometimes.