Advice to help reduce cravings? I am gonna run up the wall.....

the initial craving last around 3 minutes....have a mint or go walk ....I use jolly rancher or a carrot

Thanks man.

just stay positive and keep busy. the craving will pass.

The cravings do not initially decrease in strength but they do get farther apart. You are almost past the physical part but the mental part will be with you for a long time. Plan for it and avoid situations that tempt you. The strong part of the craving eventually gets where it does not last as long.

The thing that always sucked me back in was bars with cigarette machines. Drink a few beers, say "screw it", buy a pack and I have leftovers in the morning and it's back to smoking again.

I am building up to my next quit from the last time I screwed up. Good luck to you, stay strong!

I slipped up

However I threw away the pack and quit again. The nicotine gum helps with the extreme cravings.

SLip ups happen dont quit, keep on going. Break the cigs before you throw them away.

As Fatty says, the cravings only last so long - if you search my posts in this topic you'll see that I used the dismiss & distract method - dismiss the craving with an affirmation of your resolve to not have another - I used the Serenity Prayer - some times 20 or 30 times in a row.
- distract the craving with something oral - I used sugar-free cough drops - they last about as long as a cigarette would have - some times I'd pull over to the side of the road and walk around for a bit.

Don't grub a smoke from one of your smoker buddies. . . . .

Don't buy a pack at the convenience store . . . . . .

Don't put one to your lips . . . . . .

For the love of all that's Holy - don't light one up . . . . .

and in a year or so you'll have enough days stacked up that you'll not want to start all over again.

I still get cravings and I still have smoking dreams - but I will not light one today.

I am on day 2. My blood feels "hot" but I haven't lost it on anyone or anything yet. i need to stay away from the beers this weekend and eliminate tempation. Beer has been the downfall of all of my other quits.

Hang in there - as stated earlier, dismiss the craving and walk away from the "trigger" that brought it on. Say the Serenity prayer - only YOU are in control of the habit.

If you get to thinking you can't quit - you're probably right.

If you change your mind and know you CAN quit - you're probably right.

Chew bubble gum, go for a walk, dig a hole, fart in church...anything to take your mind and energies away from the thought of lighting up another.