advice from ex-smokers..?

I'm 5 days in to quitting, and although the cravings have got easier to
cope with I now can't concentrate - especially at work or at chess
(which some days is pretty much the same thing) - I get stressed over
the tinyest things, to the extent of nearly having panic attacks, and I
get angry so easily I nearly don't trust myself to drive - someone cut
me up yesterday & I was tempted to ram them off the road...
I'm a mess - are there any successfull quitters out there with tips on
how to keep my sanity?
And the first person to suggest a cigarette might help WILL incure my
immediate wrath ;o)

Jon

There you go all those who are young and have not yet tried smoking... don't do it, you'll end
up like Jon and myself.... in a very bad place...!

Joe

But no one ever has to be there!

If you can think, then you know you don't need to smoke. Find a pro
to help you. I WILL be one of the best decisions of your life.

I hate correcting myself! ---> "IT will be one of the best decisions of
your life."

yeah, I know it's easily for the best - and the wierd thing is that most
of the time now I don't even WANT to have a cigarette. But it's the
withdrawel that's getting me & I'm trying to live and work in the
meantime, and it's sending me mental. I'm serious about the driving
thing too - on the way back from work someone sped up behind me,
less than 1 foot away from my bumper at 130km/h, flashing his/her
lights wanting to pass & I had to really force myself not to hit the
brakes... I don't want people to get the wrong idea about me, I'm a
nice guy - but right now I'm getting a good view of what it must be like
to be the sort of person who I would usualy detest. Seriously girls, is
this what PMS is like??
I must appologuise for using the forums to rant - I guess I need an
outlet. & with no family or friends about at the moment you're it (until
I'm told to shut up)

Better of ranting in these forums than taking it out on strangers, even
if they do deserve it. Things to remember are just how much better
you will feel, not to mention the money you will save. Another
foolproof trick that worked for my friend: he got his girlfriend to only
have sex with him if he hadn't smoked all day. He gave up pretty
damn quickly!!!!

Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner. But does that mean that he got
sex everyday if did not smoke? It is good to be supported by the
ladies. Kirk

Sadly the story does not have a happy ending - they broke up and he
took up smoking again, but at least he gave up for six months and
got plenty of sex! It was the healthiest I have ever seen him! :-)

the sex thing might work, only that my girlfriend (the beautiful one in
the photo) is on the other side of the world for 3 months (Argentina).
But the idea made me smile ;o)

You might work out an arrangement with your hand. Kirk

Believe me, a good stop-smoking program can make the withdrawal
much easier to take. There are methods you are unaware of that can
make quitting much easier.

There are some great medications out there that can help you quit.
Go see a physician and ask about getting a patch and a trial of
wellbutrim. Pretty standard course for those wanting to quit. If you
need further help, come visit me and we can go visit some of my
patients for whom every breath is a constant chore, even in sleep.
Don't give up. Also, find another addiction like running or going to
work out. The cravings will pass over time. Good luck and it's OK to
be destracted in our games! Kirk

You might want to consider professional help. I’m serious.

This may sound strong but quitting the smoking habit is not easy to
do alone or even with family support. But it can be done with the help
of pros, and might be easier than you think!

It was for me. I smoked for over 24 years and only managed one 6-
day quitting period on my own during that whole time. And during that
short period I was irritable, and looked for any excuse to start up
again, which I found, of course. I wouldn't consider quitting again
until my doctor told me that I had early signs of emphysema! This bit
of information pushed me into the land of reality. I decided living was
more important to me than having my cigs, so I would have to find a
way to stop.

This decision caused me to sign up for a two-week program through
my health care provider, and I was utterly surprised that I could quit
for good without feeling that I was missing it so badly. This was in
1989 and I haven’t smoked since.

If you can't quit now, I truly hope you find the courage when your very
life is threatened due to smoking.

Learn to enjoy the cravings. With every craving you get, visualise your body healing itself. You'll never be an ex-smoker, just a smoker who doesn't smoke. You'll probably never know what it really feels like to be a non-smoker. Water is good. Drink loads of it. Not only is it good for quashing the craving (and NOT bringing on cravings like coffee or coca-cola can do), but it's good for you anyway!

But, most important - enjoy the cravings and the jitteriness - let them be pleasurable rather than destructive! Act externally the way you wish you felt internally - after a while you'll start to believe it and end up feeling that way internally.

Hope that doesn't sound to pretentious. Anyway, giving up is easy - I've done it dozens of times...

-Chris

I quit every night before bed, it's the mornings that get me.