I gave up smoking nearly 3 weeks ago (after being a light smoker for 10 years) and at least once every 2 days I've been getting these really bad lows where I'm crying a lot and can't stop having negative thoughts. Then I'm fine again. It's like just pressing a switch.

I was feeling a little depressed before quitting so I guess quitting must make it worse. And I suppose it must always be harder if you are susceptible to depression/have a history of it.

I was wondering whether others had similar experiences?

[Raindropvampire]

Oh I know. I would cry and then I'd be angry. I kicked/punched over 6 holes in the walls. It was like toad's wild ride. I have BP so I don't know if that made it worse or not. Good luck to you with quitting.

[Artchic528]

I am not nor have ever been a smoker, so I can't relate exactly on that level. However, I can explain the obvious. Cigarettes contain a lot of different chemicals, and some of them boost your serotonin levels, giving you a calm, pleasurable feeling when you smoke. Your body adjusts to these boosted levels and it becomes a sort of normal for you. When you remove the cigarettes from the equation, your body begins to lack in the serotonin levels and you begin to feel sad, depressed, and generally moody. This is, of course, what I assume is part of the whole withdrawal ordeal smokers go through when they quit.

However, if you keep up not smoking, your body will eventually level out and you'll get some semblance of normalcy. If you feel these thoughts and feelings become too much, or are leading you down a dangerous path, you can always seek the help of a therapist or the like. I understand that quitting cold turkey is hard, but I've read that it's one of the more successful methods of kicking smoking for good.

[Swabbingred]

Smokers have stunted emotional growth in my opinion, now that you've abstained - your energy is going haywire. Doubt it'd last.

Yes, I was all over the place emotionally the handful of times I tried to quit on my own, so I finally went to the doctor and asked for help.

She put me on the patch to taper me off the nicotine, and during that time she also instructed me to come up with ways to busy myself other than all the physical rituals, routines and behaviors that go along with the smoking addiction.

I've been smoke free for 23 years and 5 months now ...

I hope that you get the help you need to get through this, it certainly isn't a walk in the park.

Wishing you success!

Sincerely,
Pfrog!

Oh, and to kinda relate to how strongly this particular addiction holds sway ... For months after quitting I would have dreams about smoking and could literally taste it in my dreams ... Sometimes I would panic and wake up all freaked out that I had messed up and gone back to smoking in real life ... Other times, being aware it was only a dream, I would simply sit back and enjoy that smoke because it was only a dream.

Again, wishing you success because this is a real life biggie and not so easy to do, but with determination and proper assistance, you can beat it!

Sincerely,
Pfrog!

It is normal... to have mood swings... just hang in there...exercise will help with this..

Originally Posted by Pfrog

Wow!

Yes, I was all over the place emotionally the handful of times I tried to quit on my own, so I finally went to the doctor and asked for help.

She put me on the patch to taper me off the nicotine, and during that time she also instructed me to come up with ways to busy myself other than all the physical rituals, routines and behaviors that go along with the smoking addiction.

I tried patches but they made me feel ill - even the low dose ones. Luckily though I'm feeling much better Thanks for your encouragement and advice; it is much appreciated.