- “How long will it be before the craving goes away for good?”
It is difficult to say for sure. For some people it only takes a few days. For others the craving to smoke lasts longer, but you will crave less and less as time goes by.
The best way to kill the urge is to starve it to death. Don’t smoke and the cravings will slowly die. If you feed it by smoking – even 1 puff – it will get stronger.
- “Why can it be so difficult to stay away from smoking?”
As long as you expect to enjoy a smoke, or expect it to relieve discomfort – your desire to smoke will remain alive. You will be free from cigarettes when you no longer think that smoking is useful or good.
- “Surely just one cigarette won’t hurt after I’ve given up smoking?”
Just one cigarette can lead to “just one more” and before you know it, you’ll be right back where you started. You are only a puff away from a pack a day.
- “Can’t I smoke one just to test myself, or to see how it felt to smoke?”
NO! These are just excuses for smoking. If you’ve forgotten what a cigarette tastes like – be glad. You don’t need to test yourself by smoking. You’ve already passed the most important test. You’ve quit.
- “What if I start smoking again?”
Don’t lose hope, it doesn’t mean you’re a failure. Not everyone succeeds the first time. Many people try several times before they finally quit for good. Each time you try you can learn something which will help you the next time. So although you think you’ve lost the battle, you can still win the war.
So get ready, pick a day to stop again, and go ahead and make A FRESH START! It is best however to QUIT ONCE AND STAY QUIT.
- “How will I know when I am free?”
When you no longer think about smoking. When you no longer count the days, when you stop boasting about stopping but are pleased that you did. When being a non-smoker seems the natural way to be.