Acceptance ~RP~

 Becoming OK with discomfort solves all problems of procrastination, anger, anxiety, regret, fear and facing the things you think are bigger than you. It also helps deeply with getting through cravings and on to the other side of addiction. 

BECOME OK WITH DISCOMFORT. Face it, invite it and embrace it daily!

Adam
D4
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Comments on Cravings

From Robert1 on 5/5/2001 8:08:23 PM

Good day friends.

Here are some comments on cravings from my experience. I hope they may help someone.

For the first few months of my quit, I white knuckled it and fought the cravings tooth and nail. However the demon is strong and patient - over time I found that I was wearing down and my quit was in jeopardy. I was afraid I would cave in. My prayers were answered and I was shown a new recovery tool - ACCEPTANCE.

I was told that I should accept the cravings rather than fight them. Let them wash over me and know that they will pass because cravings always do. Well once I started accepting my cravings, they lost their power over me and I knew that I was now on the road to recovery. My experience is that the cravings become weaker and farther apart over time. Mine just faded away and I haven't had a real craving to smoke for a long time.

A craving is a sign that the addiction is in trouble and is fighting for its life. Cravings are really signs of healing and recovery, even though it doesn't feel that way.

Refusing to accept cravings is what I did when I smoked. Between cigarettes I would go in to withdrawals, the craving would come and I would smoke because I would not accept it. If I accept the craving, I don't have to smoke.

Cravings always pass whether I smoke or not.

Nobody in the history of the world has ever died from a craving.

Ever since I quit smoking I have heard the stories about people craving after many years. Well that has not been my experience. I suffered lots of emotional ups and downs and horrendous cravings - but that has all gone by now and I am feeling great. I have not had a craving to smoke for a long time.

I recommend that we do not compare our quit to that of others because we are all somewhat diferent. Some of us recover quickly and others more slowly. The bottom line is that WE ALL DO RECOVER - Just so long as we don't take that first puff.

Your friend in recovery

Bob (aka Robert1)

Smoked forty years

Quit April 25, 1999