EPT1. pseudo-cravings
you know you've made it far in quitting when after sex, a meal, or when you get drunk, the thought of having a cigarette no longer crosses your mind. you've graduated to full time non-smoker. cigarettes come up for me so rarely that they hardly cross my mind at all. but it does happen, and it is quite interesting when it does.
the first and most common time i want to smoke is when im reminded of smoking. characters on tv shows smoking or seeing an ad at a gas station are common potential triggers. it is different than a normal craving though, because it is a complete knee-jerk reaction to thinking about smoking. i think of it as a pavlovian response.
the second time i still want to smoke is when i am feeling good, or what i used to call the "accomplishment cigarette." it is basically using the cig to boost the current good feelings you are experiencing. though not that common, ive noticed a theme of it popping up after something positive happens in my life.
the tool i've been using when confronted with these pseudo-cravings is to simply reaffirm i am a non-smoker. a simple, oh, i could have a cigarette, but i am a non-smoker now tends to do the trick. maybe another thing to point out is these cravings are not nearly as intense as the cravings are in the first few days, and thus are more easily handled by simple responses.
2. i no longer smell like the inside of an ash tray's anus
i spent a day with a friend who smokes american spirit blacks (fairly nasty full flavored cigarettes). the guy smelled so bad. i had no idea that is what cigarettes do to you. i always thought it was a joke when people would comment on the smell, but it's true. even more mystifying is how i ever got laid smelling that shitty. god only knows.
3. my teeth are white
i havent noticed any differences health wise. lung capacity and the like all feel the same. but since quitting i decided to whiten my teeth and it's great. having yellowed teeth really bothered me, and i found i never bothered to whiten them whilst smoking because i would always quip back with "i am a smoker, they'll just yellow again immediately." using these, http://www.amazon.com/Crest-Whitestrips-Supreme-Professional-Strength/dp/B000XS3FYM
i feel really good about smiling. huge game changer.
4. quitting isnt the big deal, the experience is
quitting isnt a big deal. all that you've really done is gone back to where most people on the planet already are, which is non-smoking. so instead i like to focus on the experience of quitting as the real testament.
by quitting, you have developed some great tools of discipline and control over your mind. you've been on both sides of the fence, and will take from the experience wisdom to become a more rounded and empathetic human. there is an inner confidence boost, that you can say to yourself, i can overcome whichever challenge, because i already developed the tool set needed.
. It's funny how a lot of smokers are in denial about their smell/yellow teeth etc. Smoking is not sexy, especially after 10 years..
