Question:
i just stopped smoking 3weeks from yesterday and wanted to know why i still have these urges to smoke like shouldn’t thewy be gone by now
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Answer:
Smoking is much more than a bad habit. Unfortunately, it is a very real drug addiction. In smoking, the addiction is to Nicotine, and that is a drug that is known to be just as addicting as heroine, the most addicting of all the substances. What this means is that the neurons or nerve cells in your brain are craving a "quick fix" of more cigarette smoking. It is a compelling urge and hard to resist.
I can report to you that I stopped smoking thirty years ago and it took a good ten years to be free of all cravings. Now, I did not crave cigarettes everyday. In fact, during the first five years, the amount of wishing for a smoke gradually diminished until I thought I was free. Then, suddenly, I would begin having dreams about having a smoke and would wake up wishing I could have that taste again. I probably relapsed once or twice but got "on the wagon again." It was only after ten years that I was completely free of any desire to smoke, not matter how brief or fleeting the desire might have been.
The urge to smoke after having stopped after a long time is called "spontaneous regeneration" in psychology. Old habits can reassert themselves just when we believe we are free. This is one reason why so many smokers who stop smoking relapse again and again.
You need to be patient with yourself. One thing you might try is an organization called "Smoke Enders" and they will teach you strategies to remain free of tobacco. Also, just take one day at a time. In other words, tell your self "I did not have a smoke today."
Good luck and good health with this. You will really feel much better in ways that may surprise you.
