Hi Lynn, 

Congratulations on quitting your doing great!

I am so pleased that your family are proud of your achievement. It helps the quitting journey to have support especially from people that understand what you are going through. This forum has been my life saver and there is no way I could have made it this far without it's support. Do continue hanging in here with us and eduacte yourself on nicotine addiction and keep distracting and posting away. 

During my first year of quitting my emotions were all over the place and I done alot of crying, at times I really thought something was wrong with me but this forum reassured me everything was normal.  I learnt as smokers many of us never really learnt to deal with ourselves emotionally. Many of us started smoking at a young tender age and just masked and blotted out feelings in clouds of smoke and pretence.  

Quitting is a continuous journey and along the way we have to relearn how to deal with our emotion's and not feel bad for feeling down, sad etc. What I am trying to say is it is all normal to have these feelings, so have a cry if you need to and understand you are going through a healing process. You are doing brave thing and your no longer choosing to smothering yourself in smoke instead your discover the real you even if it is a little uncomfortable to begin with.

Believe me, it will get better and you will learn so much about yourself on this journey and you will become much stronger within yourself in time.   

Hey Lynn

As everyone has said, you've certainly come to the right place for help and support to quit smoking.

When you think about the length of time you smoked, it is perfectly understandable that quitting is a lengthy and painful business.  However, I promise you that it is so worthwhile.  I never dreamed that I would quit smoking until two days before I did.  I had smoked for 52 years from age 15 and everyone accepted that it was just a part of me.  A chest infection suddenly brought me to my senses and gave me a glimpse of how dependent on others I would become if I carried on smoking.  Luckily, when I looked for support online, I found this Forum.  It clicked with me immediately and with the knowledge and support I have been given here, I have not smoked for almost two years.

I had never suffered from depression or anxiety before I quit but, like you, started to do so in the early days of my quit.  I was unbearable to live with - restless, angry, dissatisfied, frightened, suspicious - you name just about any negative emotion - I had it.  Luckily, I was assured that this was all part of my quit.  I didn't completely believe this and thought that I would be like it forever.  I was so wrong.  After a while the extreme swings of emotions started to become less and less.  I did experience a feeling of 'missing something but I didn't know what' for quite a long time but, eventually, that also disappeared.  So, what you are feeling is perfectly normal and will pass in time.

Patience, knowledge and determination are key to quitting and I can assure you that, once you have freed yourself of this addiction, you will feel such an improvement in your self-respect, you'll never look back.

This article may help you understand what you're going through:

Verywell

Why Quitting Smoking Can Make You Feel Depressed

Understanding why you feel depressed after quitting smoking and what you can do about it will help you manage smoking cessation more easily.

Read more from Verywell

Have a wonderful, smoke-free day.

Hey Susan

I'm so pleased to hear that you are finding this Forum helpful.  

I know that you already have a quit plan in place but thought that this article may be of interest to you:

Verywell

When Is The Best Time To Quit Smoking?

When is the best time to quit smoking? For the best shot at getting a good start, use these tips to pick a quit date.

Read more from Verywell

Have a lovely day.

Hey Bev

How are you doing?  I saw you pledge nope this morning which is great.

How was the film yesterday?

Sue,

The movie was very good. It was 2 1/2 hours long, so I chewed a piece before, after, and during.

Bev

Quit January 1, 2018

One day, 7 hours, 21 minutes and 21 seconds. 39 cigarettes not smoked, saving $3.92. Life saved: 3 hours, 15 minutes.

Anita,

Happy New Year to you too!

Bev

Quit January 1, 2018

One day, 7 hours, 23 minutes and 36 seconds. 39 cigarettes not smoked, saving $3.92. Life saved: 3 hours, 15 minutes.

Sue,

I'm not doing too bad this morning. I have been up a couple of hours and have chewed 2 pieces of gum. I'm going to pop in another piece in a few minutes.

The movie was great! If you are a Star Wars fan, I recommend going to see it.

Bev

Quit January 1, 2018

One day, 7 hours, 25 minutes and 27 seconds. 39 cigarettes not smoked, saving $3.93. Life saved: 3 hours, 15 minutes.

Hi Bev,

YAY!  So great to see you posting.

Yes, we can....

Betty

Hi Bev,

Glad you enjoyed the movie.Just think if you had been smoking you would have been trying to find a way to sneak out and have a smoke.

We got some more snow overnight - not a lot but maybe 1 inch.

Have a good smoke free day...sue quit 3/17/2016

Welcome to the forum Susan,

Nice to meet you. Congratulations on deciding on January 8th as your quit date, I am so happy for you.  Start out with the links below and when finished, go over to the left side of the page;  in the "DISCUSSIONS" section scroll down to near the bottom and click on the "Quit Smoking Library" button.  This is where you will find the forums collection of theme related smoking cessation articles written by our Host Terry Martin, the moderators, and motivational stories written by members collected over the years.  Also check out the "Forum Navigation and Rules" folder under "DISCUSSIONS" this is where you will find a lot of "How To" information.  We believe that an educated quitter is a successful quitter.......so get ready Susan you are starting on the road to your Phd in smoking cessation.

Delphi Forums

Homework for New Ex-Smokers

Hello to all and newbies especially! Please take some time to check out these articles. Education about this addiction is one of the key components of long-term recovery from nicotine addiction. An educated quit is a successful quit! Your Quit...

Read more from Delphi Forums

Best wishes.