Im on day 91, I found this today from a young buck here on KTC.
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Awkwood
Day 26 and I have been in a bit of a funk these last couple days. I started thinking about this funk and began wondering what the hell it really was. I started some research about nicotine effects and withdrawals and I think I may have figured it out. This probably is nothing new to many of you and I'm sure some of our fellow MD quitters can shed more light on the subject, but for me it was sort of an Ah-Ha moment. I think the fog and funks set in during periods of reduced dopamine levels due to the reconditioning of the brain. It's the brains way of trying to induce a dopamine release that was typically always present but now is no longer there. Trying to fill the void of sorts.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that reinforces behavior that is essential to survival. It's the driving force behind our cravings for food, water, reproduction, physical activity, etc. For example, when someone is hungry dopamine levels will drop and cause a craving for food. Once the stomach is full, signals are sent to the brain and it releases dopamine to create that satisfaction/euphoria feeling. Nicotine itself has the ability to bind with dopamine release receptors in the brain and cause large amounts of dopamine to be released. Kind of makes sense now why it used to be so easy to go most of the day without eating. Also explains why the first few days of the quit are so difficult. The brain has been trained to think that nicotine, because it causes the release of dopamine, is a necessary component for survival. That's why the cravings are so intense at the beginning and why you feel like you can't live without it. Overtime, the brain adjusts and rewires and begins to release dopamine more appropriately. However, because we do have addict brains, there will always be an imprint/pathway that will always desire nicotine. A reminder to the brain that "nicotine is essential for surivival". That's why just one more, one time, one can, won't work. It instantly reinforces that imprint and it comes back to life.
It also explains why the KTC method works. Another instinct we have is to form groups for survival. When in a group, we feel stronger and more empowered to fight anything. Helping each other through these trying times strengthens our bonds and guess what else it does? Yup, it releases dopamine. That's why many of our users are so passionate about this site and what it stands for.
So in short, the secret to getting through the fogs and funks is to KTC it up, eat, drink water, workout, and quit like $#@! Proud to be quit with all you bad ass quitters!
Awkwood15/2015
