Gobs,
Congrtulations on making it through 'hell week'! Way to go!
'Heck week' is the next challenge...
Our Support Group members call the second smoke-free week ’heck week’. It’s called ‘heck week; because the withdrawal symptoms and cravings are not as severe as they are during ‘hell week’ (the first week).
However, during this second week you might feel ‘tired of fighting’ the withdrawal symptoms and cravings. It’s important for you to measure the difference between feeling tired of fighting withdrawal symptoms, and their actual level of severity. After you set your quit date we begin to have you fill out your Cravings Diary. Your Cravings Diary (located in your Glove Compartment), has been designed to allow you to actually see how your withdrawal symptoms and cravings decrease.
By seeing how cravings decrease the diary will help you visualize the difference between cravings and feeling tired of fighting. Make sure to use your Craving’s Diary each day for the first few months of your quit.
It’s also important to realize that each quitter experiences different withdrawal symptoms - yours will be unique. Although they may be unpleasant, they do and will pass. When you experience withdrawal symptoms and cravings, remind yourself that each symptom is a sign of recovery. Your body is healing itself and is learning how to live nicotine.
If you have a withdrawal symptom that persists or seems worse than you expected, you should immediately consult a doctor. It’s possible that your tobacco use has masked the symptoms of some other illness, and when you quit these symptoms may abruptly become noticeable.
Breanne, Bilingual Health Educator
