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Well, this last week has been tough! I recently started dating (for the first time in years) and though she hasn't said anything, as my fiancee has children (and has never taken nicotine), I want to quit. I don't really like vaping and it's the right time for me. We've been seeing one another for 4 months now and it's starting to become more serious. Last Tuesday, I threw out all my vaping gear... I was vaping again by Friday (yesterday) morning! I then threw my new vaping gear away and was buying more disposables again this evening. Though I found switching to ecigs quite easy, I've never had a love for them I had for smoking. So, in one respect, I'm in a fairly strong position (I don't want to vape!). The trouble is, I'm hellishly addicted to nicotine! Thursday night was the worst... I was up all night long; I finally drifted off to sleep around 3am, then awoke with an upset tummy about 5! I've had enough. Tonight, I ordered some of the strongest patches and am going to switch to using them tomorrow. I thought I could quit cold turkey, but realize that I need to break the habitual aspect first--then the physical addiction later. It is too much, at present. I'm taking it seriously--I've also ordered a copy of Gillian Riley's book and decided to sign up here as part of my commitment to quitting! I'm hoping that in having somewhere to come, to talk about my feelings--and to learn of other's experiences--if will help me to get through it. Wish me luck! (Before vaping, I smoked cigarettes for around 20 years and pipes for a couple of years). I'm 48 and a full-time carer, so can't afford the stress of cold turkey. I do need to be on the ball.

G’day NOPE .....Not One Puff Ever.... (replace Ever with Min,Hour, Day as required)

NOPE!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOPE!

Nope!

Nope!!!

NOPE…

It sure is easier now that I don't put up an extreme version of Plato's Cave anymore! In earlier tries I've let the NicoMonster grow to enormous proportions and caving. I still get the cravings of course, thinking some variation of 'I want a cigarette' in the same inner voice where I would normally go take that cigarette or cave when abstaining, and even seriously thinking 'I'll just take one [puff], then go back'. That one popped up just a few seconds ago. But it just lasts a few seconds, so if I just hold on for those I'm fine. I'm done being a slave! I want my freedom back! Health, money etc is secondary to me. First and foremost I want control over my thoughts and actions back!

NOPE…

NOPE

NOPE!

Congratulations @Sirius on eight years quit! Hope you check in and let us know how you're doing

Time for a monthly update. Not sure what triggered the smoking dreams but I haven't had any for the past couple of nights so that's a good thing. I've made back the lost ground from all the detours i've had in losing my quit weight so hopefully I am back on track and can stay there until I hit my goals. I quit coffee again this past week. Not sure how many attempts this makes but it is as they say what it is. One would think it wouldn't be difficult since I was drinking decaf exclusively for a while but guess what...decaf isn't totally decaf and the addiction mechanisms are the same as with cigarettes. The difference this time is that I didn't get the headaches and insomnia like I have the last attempts. I'm starting to see some benefits with my digestive issues from quitting coffee. As far as craves go, I still think about smoking a lot more than I should at this point but I can't say I really crave it. I miss it kind of like I miss my ex girlfriend. And by that I mean I miss who she was, not who she is now, and the cigarettes are the same. I miss the old days of smoking but they are gone and there is no going back. Anyhow, as hard as things had gotten for a while in my quit it seems like things are leveling out at this point. I'm sure there are still challenges to face but for now all I can see that's left to do is get the rest of my quit weight off. A few of the extra benefits I've noticed since quitting smoking and finally getting off the sugar and carbs. My palette has changed. No drink tastes as good as water now. My appetite is finally getting under control. My nails are starting to get stronger and less brittle and my nail beds are healing. My digestive issues are starting to normalize. Bloating is the exception now and not the rule. The depression is easing off a quite a bit and lastly I feel like I'm not as inflamed as I had been. Happy Memorial Day everyone. Be safe and be kind yourselves.

Howdy, Patchy. Welcome to the Train! So glad to hear that you are ready to quit. You've come to the right place for good company, perspectives, and encouragement. We all know what it's like, so we'll have your back through the ups and downs. I quit in early February using the patch. The combo of patches and occasional lozenges helped me navigate the first phase of breaking free from 40+ years of smoking. I had some wackadoodle dreams and skin issues on the full strength patches, but they really helped with the cravings. Once I had my feet under me, I ultimately chose to accelerate my taper through lower dosage patches - to clear the nicotine out of my system faster and get through the withdrawal once and for all. It got easier over time, and I am gratefully nicotine free today. You can do this, @feeling_patchy!

Trust me patchy, you are no more or less addicted to nicotine than any of the rest of us around here were. The key component for me was making an unbreakable commitment to quitting no matter how bad things got. There were times I nearly gave in but I somehow found the strength to just keep saying NOPE! That stands for Not One Puff Ever and that's all you have to commit to. Never taking another puff again. Take it one day at a time initially and embrace the experience because you'll only have to through it once providing you live up to that commitment you've made to quit! You may feel lost initially because you will be rebuilding your daily life around being a nonsmoker and that takes time and repetition. It's challenging, no question but it will be the best thing you have ever done for yourself. And, no luck is needed! It's all in your hands now and you have lots of other quitters here to help guide and support you on your journey to freedom!

N O P E !

Welcome, @feeling_patchy You are making a great decision in quitting smoking. Prior to quitting smoking for good, I attempted to quit three times by switching from regular tobacco cigarettes to vaping. Each attempt lasted less than 2 weeks and I felt I was vaping more than I was smoking. I started feeling sick, nauseous, and eventually decided vaping was not a good way to quit. I can't speak for the patches as I did quit cold turkey but I do know there are a lot of others on this site who did quit that way and I'm sure they can give you good advice. The most important thing is, you are putting the cigarettes behind you. Use what method you think is best. You are doing a good thing in quitting smoking.

Stay strong @Shymaid! You’re doing great. And @jillar is right. All of that which you are experiencing is normal. I skipped feeding the craving for sweets. I have always been slim too. I’ve always taken care of myself and eaten sensibly too. I didn’t want to kick Nicodemon’s butt just to say hello to the sugar fairy. But it is strange how I craved sweets when quitting smoking and now the same with the coffee. It’s why the next thing I’m going to work on is cutting out as much sugar as possible. At least processed and added sugars anyway. Anyway, you ARE doing great!

And everyone going "You're so lucky to be slim! I can't believe there could ever be any problems with that, you're not anorexic, so.... " Then "Why have you become so skinny? Is something wrong?" Hopefully it will get easier without the NicoMonster!

Oh, I know! I have a strong urge to have a deep clean of the whole body! Not sure I would've been able to sleep during the day today, as I'm very restless and the whole body is buzzing. And as nothing is open tomorrow and there is nothing for me to do, I might have a nap if needed. Hopefully it will be a bit easier, the first three days are the hardest on the body. I'm already noticing a difference physically, which is really encouraging! Oh, wow! I just crave something undetermined sweet stuff, I have no idea what I want. So frustrating! Unless I find something I really want, I'll probably just let this pass on it's own, I think. The bloody anger has been the hardest part so far! Oh to have a boxing bag...

@Shymaid, everything you're experiencing is normal in the early part of our quits. Listen to your body and if its hungry, eat. Tired, sleep, etc. It's working extra hard right now to clean out all those years of smoking. The dizziness, or brain fog can sometimes be helped with sweets. I craved soft peppermint puffs my whole first year quit lol. You're doing great! PS. I know the pain of not being able to gain weight, I've experienced it my whole life and it IS just as bad as someone who can't lose weight!

So, two days under the belt! And this one has been way harder! Mainly because it has highlighted how I have dealt with anger by smothering it with smoke. First being just generally irritable, then more and more sleepy around midday; which had my thoughts spinning. It's been a rough year; and one thing that happened was what I thought was a friend showing his two-faced nature. Granted, I haven't talked to him since, so nothing has been resolved that way; apparently I'm still pretty pissed about being kicked while I was down. Sometimes when my thoughts starts spinning, it can be hard to get them on a different track. And I suppose the NicoMonster grabbed hold of that and spun it for all it was worth! Eating is a bit easier; I generally eat too little and struggle to keep my weight on. (No, it's not a blessing, but just as much of a curse and having problems keeping the weight off) Not sure how conscious it has been, but it seems like I've fallen into the trap of taking a cigarette when I feel hunger coming on instead of eating. So naturally I eat too little, duh! So today I've eaten more regularly than in a long time! Yay! My head is a bit dull, and I've been a bit dizzy these two days, but hopefully that is just the majority of the nicotine leaving the body! And again I'm fairly glad I can soon go to bed and sleep That is always a good thing on a bad day! Also, my CNS really had a tantrum today, and has been buzzing away wanting a fix. So it also started craving caffeine and sugar - and I do mean really badly! I was a bit skeptical to have coffee in my quit at all, as I have a strong association with coffee and cigarettes; I usually have both together. But it hasn't been that much of a problem other than the increased urge for more caffeine. But perhaps I will have less tomorrow, either just tea or one or two cups of coffee. Hopefully I will be less sleepy than I've been today. If I fall asleep around noon I just know I won't be able to sleep at night, and I really don't want to sleep all day and be up all night!

G’day NOPE .....Not One Puff Ever.... (replace Ever with Min,Hour, Day as required)

@GusI never had abstinence symptoms from the Coke that I can remember. Not sure it even crossed my mind as a possibility. The hard part for me was walking past the isles in the store without getting that 1,5 L I had drunk every day for a few years. Perhaps I was lucky in that I hadn't drunk that much for a long time, so it hadn't established itself that hard in mind or body. After that I longed for waking up one morning and not wanting a cigarette either @DenaliBluesI'm not sure caffeine and nicotine has balanced itself out in my body, but I've pitied my CNS for years! What hell I have put it through! Changing that now, though, and trying to change my view from stop beating myself up for these 25 years, to 'better late than never'. Right now the focus is nicotine, but coffee will probably go as well in time. Don't think that will be too hard, as I've had periods the last year with only one cup with no problem. Take your time with the Coke, while respecting how your body reacts to it. @jillarThat's what I'm hoping will happen to me, just a natural decrease. I don't have a particular goal of being 100% caffeine free, but going down to one cup or less wouldn't be amiss. Or just switching to tea or something. It's the *I need that cup of coffee!!!* that irritates me!

congrats shymaid. keep that momentum.

Thank you! I have a loathing for word salads, and sometimes think/suspect I get a bit too wordy But I'll keep posting!

8 years smoke free is awesome. Congratulations @Sirius

NOPE

NOPE

Good job Yoda. Here's that monkey gif you like...

Another month down @intoxicated yoda, how cool is that?! Hope you treat yourself extra special today

Hello! I'm Shymaid, and I've been a Nicotine Addict for over 25 years. On 05/26/2022 I lighted up my last cigarette at 05:40 PM CET. A Cold Turkey quit. The road to this point in time has been long, as you all can see, and with uncounted attempts of quitting behind me. This time it will be different, though! Why? Because I've started to work with where the problem really lies: in my head! I am an addict, and I have to admit that. Being an addict makes the NicoMonster seem like a huge thing, when in reality it really fairly small. I might just have 24 hours under my belt so far, but for the first time I haven't been climbing the walls for those hours! So how did I come to this final point? Well, that's a long story; and while I made several attempts on and off over these long years, they became more and more serious over the last 5-10 years. Two years ago I decided I really did want to quit. Well, I didn't really want to quit, as picturing a future without nicotine was impossible. So while I've been constantly trying to free myself for two years (!!!), I didn't manage it for several reasons. In October I had my last serious try; a week at a family cabin, alone, without cigarettes or any other form of nicotine. No car of bike, so getting to a store was not possible. I did survive that week. I didn't fall over dead for any reason, the world didn't collapse etc. You probably know the doomsday thoughts going through your head when you try to pick up the nerve for yet another try. However, when departure time came, I had known for hours that I would start again that night. And I did. While I was disappointed in my self to the point of self-loathing, I had also learned a very important lesson: now I KNEW the physical addiction wasn't as bad as I had thought. The main hurdle was in my head. At the cabin I wasn't going up the walls because of the withdrawal pangs, as it did when at home. When I didn't have any access at all to nicotine, the monster was also much smaller compared to when I do. One attempt some years back I controlled myself for about 6 weeks, and those weeks were pure hell where I couldn't even go shopping food. If I did, I knew I would get a new pack and start up again. And I did. With a few months of 'trying to cut back, so the final quite becomes easier' BS, I had stumbled upon a few resources that made today possible. Some times the YouTube algorithm works in mysterious ways. Last spring it recommended a yoga channel to me, right at the point where I was so claustrophobic that I couldn't breathe. With 9 months on and off I finally continued a daily practice from 1 January this year - Day 147 today! This has helped me prepare for this moment more than I probably know. In January I was recommended a meditation music video, which in the end led to a channel called Minds in Unison. It is run by a hypnotherapist, Thomas Hall, and has various kinds of methods to help people with various problems. I went for some subliminal, and unlike many other channels, he actually includes what subliminals he puts in there. A very important point! So I figured I'd try it out, for various problems, and have been listening on and off since. Not all related to smoking, but then everything is connected. For this time my smoking has been bothering me more and more, and almost driving me as far up the walls ans the withdrawal pangs has done! So the other day I decided to check out Mr. Hall's website, and he has a blog there. One recent post was on how to stop smoking, with one recommended resource was forums. Which led me here. While lurking I saw the praise of Allen Carr and his book, so I did a search and found a pdf version. As this is somewhat of a confession time, I will admit it was put up for free. I just hope one day I will be able to pay it forward somehow. Stolen or not, I started reading it on Tuesday, continuing into Wednesday. As I was overripe for putting this filthy thing behind me, I tried to quit from Thursday morning. Problem was I had 10 more left in my packed, and it had not been hidden while I spelt as promised... So I lasted for a whole hour when I got up yesterday. Not the other person's fault for forgetting, as it was all down to my own weakness! Open packets have been too hard for me to resist, in particular my own packet. So I smoked these 10 cigarettes while starting to type up Mr. Carr's book. At the same time I played 9,5 hours of subliminal music for self-forgiveness. And I felt the fear of a nicotine-free life starting to lift. When that was done I switched to stop smoking music, and have been playing that almost constantly since. The last cigarette was lit just over 25 hours ago now. It was the 11th of the day, actually, as the 10th was smoked while I was too distracted and I wanted to smoke that last one focused. Why? So I didn't feel deprived of really 'enjoying' that last one. Quite ridiculous when you think about it, but there you are. At least I don't have to sit and pine about how I didn't pay attention to my very last cigarette, haha! Since then it's been surprisingly easy. While living somewhat on an hourly basis and having to emergency-read in Carr's book to remind myself that I am now a non-smoker, the pangs have been fairly weak and easy to handle compared to what it's been before. As I said, my problem was in my mind. Have i successfully retrained my brain? No, absolutely not! But I have good tools now, and I really, really, REALLY want to be free of this damned cigarettes! Increasingly I've been feeling more and more sick after one, or even just a half; having a very bad taste and feeling of tar covering the inside of my mouth long before the end of the day; etc, etc. So you could say that my mind has been preparing to take this step for some time. Including realizing that NRT wouldn't be the way for me, as I really had to kick the nicotine itself, and to do that handle the FEAR. The fear of the withdrawal pangs. The fear of never, ever feeling that nicotine hit my brain. The fear of who I really am, as I have never known that. This last point is a very important one for me. I started in my early teens, before I knew who I was. So the only me I know is the slave to the dead weed. The Nicotine Addict. And that is really really scary! I mean, what if I actually manage to quit?!? Who am I then? Where will that lead? Can I face up to who I've actually been while living in this self-imposed slavery? Stepping into the unknown can be very frightening, but it was no option of continuing as I have these 25 years. So it really was just 'DO', haha! So this is my brief story up to this point! So far it's going very well, surprisingly well! I will stay strong! P.S. I apologize for this wall of text, and if you managed to come to the end I thank you for listening. If this can help anyone else, even just one, it will be worth having put out here.

Welcome aboard @feeling_patchy and congratulations on your decision to quit smoking. I used the patches. I skipped the Step 1 patch and although I still went through some MAJOR withdrawals I survived. I’m talking night sweats, tears, headaches, abdominal pains, mind bending anxiety, etc. I had it rough. I do not think it would have been AS bad if I had started at Step 1. The main thing that you need to realize is that when you step down from 1 to 2 and 2 to 3 and finally from 3 to none you are going to suffer from withdrawal pangs each time. The only reason I used patches is because I suffer from severe anxiety and I knew that I could not survive cold turkey. Drink plenty of cold water and take a mad dash down the hall or out to the mailbox and back when you feel like you are fixing to lose it. Just don’t light anything up and stick it in your mouth. Hoping for the best for you! Keep us updated. Getting on here to vent or just let us know what you are doing to keep your quit will help you so much and it will also help others. See you around!

NOPE

Welcome aboard our train full of quitters @feeling_patchy. There's no wrong way to quit smoking or vaping and like @johnny5 said we have lots of members here who have successfully quit using patches. We have a whole forum dedicated to Vaping and the harm in it so be sure to check that one out as well as the rest of the forums here. Lots of information about our addiction can be found and if you can't find it, ask us and we'll share our experiences

Hi, Loren. I also use the Activity | All Activity view lot.

Haha, maybe I'll try that one if the next few days gets hard! This evening has been fairly easy, though, seems like the worst is over for today *fingers crossed* So I'll take the opportunity to hopefully slip into sleep before there's any petal to the metal again!

Congratulations on this epic quit. Kudos for staying strong.

Indeed! Since reading Carr's book, I've been reviewing all the excuses I've used over the years. A bit fascinating how they changed depending on circumstances! All silly in the end! I hear you! I'm at a time where many changes have to happen, both by choice and by force; which includes thinking about what I'm doing and why. A bit if soul searching, and that's not always fun. So perhaps it better to say that I wonder/fear how much I've been holding back with techniques like smoking, but far from limited to that one. That remains to be seen! Looking back at your life can make you question 'What if...?', which is ok as long as it doesn't drag you under.

Great start Shymaid. Congratulations.

Welcome aboard the Quit Train Shymaid. Good call on giving up the smokes. The difference between my real quit and the hundreds of mini-quits that were thrown away after a brief period was a change in mindset. Really digging in and trying to understand my addiction made all the difference. Once I realized that "facts" about smoking that I accepted as gospel truth were in reality complete garbage and the "reasons" I gave for smoking were just excuses to continue feeding my addiction...the whole game changed. You are on the right track Shymaid. Smoking was not as big a part of our identity as we made it out to be. I had the same concerns when I quit: "I'm a smoker, it's who I am!", "My cigarette is like the sixth digit on my left hand, I can't lose that!" It was all much ado about nothing. On a trip to my parents house, I saw a high school photo of myself from right around the time I started smoking. I had a peach-fuzz mustache, a mullet, and owned at least two pairs of acid washed jeans. I wasn't a slave to those bad choices anymore, why would I feel obligated to continue smoking? The process of quitting forces you to face some difficult truths. It also teaches you some valuable lessons about yourself that will have a positive impact on other areas of your life. Quitting smoking is a temporary challenge that will reward you for the rest of your life.

Glad you can look back on Day 1 with a sense of pride. Here’s to many more to come!

Exactly! As I've struggled these past two years especially, I've time and time again thought the last cig of the day would be my last one, and then suddenly realize I couldn't remember smoking it And yes, I did feel deprived. Yes, I didn't feel I'd said the goodbye I needed to say. For better or worse, it's been some sort of 'companion' over the years, so putting that final line in the sand felt right. Then turn and walk away forever!

Thank you, @jillar! I will admit I've thought about taking one puff over the last hour or so (there's another smoker in the house, so it can be scary!), but it's not really been a serious thought and only lasted a couple of seconds before I put it aside! And yes, my savings will explode!!! I live in a very expensive country, in particular when it comes to cigarettes and alcohol. Won't miss putting all that money into the treasury, that's for sure!

Woohoo @Shymaid, see how that's done?! A whole day done already!! And you've already saved over $14.00! That's AWESOME

Congratulations on 9 months smoke free, Yoda. Great job

The old saying "hard work pays off" really counts!! Congratulations!!!!!!

Congratulations Yoda, you are doing so great. Keep it up the Lido deck is just around the corner.

Congratulations @intoxicated yoda!!!!