Gentlemen,
since Thursday the 14th, 2 AM my time, I haven't smoked a single cigarette, didn't have a single draw of a cigarette, but sometimes I DO miss it. All because I will have to undergo minor surgery a few weeks from now and the doctor told me to stop because non-smokers have their wounds heal much faster than smokers do, so I contacted my gp the week before stopping, sat down for a chat, told him that I'm going to quit, that I wanted to do it cold turkey, and if I need help I'll ask, no need to contact me and ask me how it's going. He agreed and told me I can call any time I need help or advice, so that was that.
I bought one extra packet of tobacco (50 grams, as usual) during the weekend, smoked the last bit of tobacco until there was just this crumbled and dried out crap left, smoked that too until it was bedtime (Thursday 2 AM), tossed everything away and went to bed, realizing I was up for a challenge, even though I started with a positive attitude because of Allen Carr's book.
Day 1, Thursday the 14th: went as expected. Didn't feel an urge to smoke for the first two hours after coming out of bed, but then it hit. I decided to take deep breaths, pace around and focus on other things. Feeling went away, but I was still quite anxious so I decided to clean and get my mind off things. That worked for about two hours and the craving came back. Called my parents, nobody home. Cleaned some more, played a video game or two, made dinner, called parents again, told them about me stopping (they already knew, but now WHEN I'd stop) and they obviously fully supported me. The evening went by at a snail's pace, but I managed to go to bed without taking a single drag.
Day 2, Friday the 15th: the need for nicotine was lower, but I felt other withdrawal symptoms kicking in; shivers, shakes, weakness in my arms, extreme tiredness (since nicotine can act like caffeine and I missed various hits by then), so I took two naps during the day. Was too tired to go to my parents for dinner, so my dad came over to bring me some food and have a chat with me. I talked. A LOT. Like a nervous junkie who hasn't had a needle in his arm for too long, and my dad picked up on that, so he was calm and just listened until I gradually relaxed as well. Took another nap that evening and went to bed early. Managed to go to bed without taking a single drag again.
Day 3, Saturday the 16th: now this day (yesterday) was a bitch. A true bitch. I was annoyed, aggressive, anxious, CRAVED nicotine, constantly hit the wrong keys on my keyboard while typing messages and was THIS close to bashing that thing into pieces. I was also THIS close to going to the store for tobacco and booze, but I once again called my parents, had a great 20-minute chat and all cravings went away. I even took a spontaneous 3,5 kilometer walk! No real need to nap that day and once again managed to go to bed without taking a single drag.
Day 4, Sunday the 17th: today is good! I still kinda wish I had tobacco at home, but the physical need is gone. The psychological need is still there though, if subdued. I can already breathe easier and deeper, I can smell and taste better, I have more energy, and whenever something inside me tells me I could use a cigarette, I breathe in deeply, say "no I don't", breathe out, read something, and get rid of the cravings. I rode my bike to a few stores to get groceries, then took two extra walks just for fun, giving me a total distance travelled of 5 kilometer. It's late in the evening now, and while I would still like to smoke a ciggy before I go to bed in about two hours, I know I don't have to, and that feels good.
Day 5, Monday the 18th: don't know much yet about tomorrow, only that I need to go to town again for something small, and I'll either ride my bike or walk. Thing I need is a button cell battery for my scales, because I wonder how much weight I'll lose if I take two walks a day and don't drink any alcohol for a while. That's another thing, I haven't had a drop of alcohol since the previous weekend, mostly because I was too afraid that I'd run to the store to buy tobacco, because when I drink my smokes taste better. I'm contemplating buying rum tomorrow evening and just suck on a pencil if I feel like smoking, or breathe in deeply and ignore the fact that there's no nicotine this time, because hey, if there's nothing there to taste "better", I don't miss it, right?
I might keep you updated if there's any interest in my progression, but I can already tell that I feel much better, and I encourage every member to kick the habit, no matter if you smoke once a month or two packs a day. I was very suspicious about my odds going cold turkey, but I found out I have more willpower than I thought, and that feeling is awesome
PS: if you quit cold turkey, expect to cough, gag, dry heave and puke a couple of times the first day, and spitting and blowing your nose a lot, that's just your body expelling the bad shit.