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Nope... Rember to stay strong through out the holidays.

NOPE!!

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Yesterday I was a year and a half quit! The time is going quite fast but every now and again I still get the urge when I have a few glasses of wine. Thankfully it doesn't last long. Thanks again everyone for all the support you have given me!! I truly appreciate all of you helping me not to go out of my mind even more than I already was...LOL!!! Onward to 2 years!!!

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

I never gave up my wine, either. I would just stay inside instead of walking outside, and sing and dance!

I never stopped my normal drink routine all the way through my quit. Drinking was no more of a trigger to smoke than many other things for me and having a couple of drinks never weakened my resolve to stay quit so for me, drinking was not a major issue in quitting the smokes.

@QuittingGirl, I used my JAC a.k.a. jillars air cigarette and it still did the trick I will tell you though that I kept having my couple beers a day but not in the garage where I also smoked. I stayed inside with my JAC at the ready

Happy year and a half @QuittingGirl, you've come so far from where you started, you should be super proud of yourself

Those occasional, fleeting thoughts of having a smoke are just that ... fleeting memories of your past smoker's life. They will become even more occasional in future. I can't remember when I had my last serious thought about it being nice to light up a smoke. The whole smoking lifestyle just seems so ridiculous to me now. Hard to bekieve I wasted that much of my life attached to those things

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Thanks for being such a good inspiration @QuittingGirl.... I nomally drink wine or coolers. I had to have a plan in my head before I started drinking to remind myself that I was not going to smoke. I stayed in my smoke free apartment and read the news on my phone while my partner went outside to smoke. Essentially, distracting myself.

Congratulations Sweetheart A year and a half already … It’s been wonderful watching your quit grow I was never a big drinker , even though a joke about it for fun . So it really wasn’t a problem , I did have the odd wine ..I put diet lemonade in it lol ok I’m a light weight . Once again well done

Thank you both so much!!! @Reciprocity @jillar @Reciprocity, when you drank your drink of choice, beer or wine? Right after you quit, and had your first beer right after you quit? Same for you @jillar, please tell me what happened to you?? Anybody else, tell me how you dealt with all this if you drank whatever. Thanks!!!

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Congratulations @QuittingGirl! You’ve had an amazing year and I’m so proud of you!

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Back story quit cigarettes back in September of 23’ have took one drag while on vacation over the summer disgusting! Have no desire! At that time I switched to vaping did enjoy it, although I was constantly itchy/skin rashes this year on Halloween it finally clicked to me that maybe it was some chemical in the the vape I was allergic to so I ended up switching to 4mg mini lozenges. Was working great for me until they started giving me a sore throat! I just can’t win! So last Monday I switched to the patch started with 14mg patch but that lasted for 30 minuets as it made me dizzy nauseous etc so I switched to a 7mg patch have been using that for past week. Definitely not working as well as the lozenges still crave pretty frequently not horrible I guess. Pretty proud I haven’t have a cigarette in over a year and haven’t vaped since Halloween though! But I am super depressed that I have no desire for a cigarette or a vape but I am still craving “nicotine” in some form I guess. I get I’ve only been on 7mg patch for a week but like am I always going to feel this way/crave?

Hello @Mike-318... Congratulations on quitting smoking and vaping. I think I understand your experience because I have also used lozenges and eventually became addicted to patches over time. I agree that remaining smoke free is your number 1 priority and if you feel that you need to remain on the patch to do that, that's better than smoking. BUT.... you are exactly where I landed after many years, becoming addicted to nicotine in the patches. I had many many lost quits. I would stop smoking for a period, then quit, then go back on the patch and then start smoking again and then..... REPEAT. NRT did help me to disrupt the habit-forming triggers that caused me to smoke. But once those life triggers where gone, all I had left was raw nicotine addiction, which I was feeding with NRT. And I decided that my true path toward wellbeing and freedom was to step down from the patches for good. My friend @jillar reminded me that I was delaying dealing with the normal withdrawals that everyone on this site had to experience when they stepped down from nicotine (smoking, vaping, or any NRT) So, I decided to treat Day one without the 7 MG patches, like I did my Day 1 of not smoking many years ago. I did start to feel better after three days and continued to feel better after a week. After a month, not wearing the patch started to feel normal. According to Infiniterecovery You are doing awesome @Mike-318. I recommend wearing the 7 MG patch for two weeks and set a quit patch date. You can do this the same way that you quit smoking. You will find that those craves your experiencing right now, WILL GO AWAY over time. Stick around here and you will find lots of support.

Welcome aboard, Mike! Glad to hear that you're neither smoking nor vaping - good work! In listening to your story, I wonder if your body is telling you that it no longer wants nicotine? I have no doubt that you get withdrawal cravings that you experience as "wanting" a nic fix. But rashes, sore throat, nausea, dizziness... all of them sound like signals that underneath the chemical addiction, your body may be having a deeper systemic aversion to nicotine. So rather than finding a new way to ingest it, might it be time to find a way to STOP ingesting it? Something to think about. In the meantime, I can share my experience with NRT, for what that's worth. I 100% agree with Christian that any form of NRT is better than smoking or vaping. But nicotine is still a powerful addiction, and there can be a price to pay for it. I have experience with patches, lozenges and gum. I was a heavy cigarette smoker and I used all three to help with my initial quit. They helped, but absorption thru the skin or the mouth was a much less potent vehicle than inhalation for the delivery of nicotine to the brain. So it took quite a bit of NRT to make any dent on my cravings. And that much orally or via patch could absolutely give me rashes, nausea, etc. It was a delicate balance to get enough but not too much. Even using NRT, I was in a pretty much constant state of withdrawal. In the end, I got fed up with the whole thing... NRT was expensive and a hassle and was less "gratifying" than smoking had been, anyhow. So I tapered fast, then knuckled down to get through the final withdrawal phase. I ditched the patches, lozenges and gum and become fully nicotine free. It was tough for a while, but it feels great now. Every quitting journey is different, so "your mileage may vary." The important thing is to find your own path toward wellbeing and freedom. This forum is a great sounding board and support system.

Welcome @Mike-318 and congratulations on deciding to quit nicotine. Prior to quitting smoking, I attempted to switch over to vaping thinking that it was somehow not as bad for you. I believe I wound up vaping more than I smoked and got headaches and a weird feeling in my mouth. I would not be surprised if @QuittingGirl is right and that vaping may actually be worse. The best thing to do is putting smoking and vaping behind you. I did not quit by using patches but many people here have so I would definitely suggest sticking with it and following the instructions. Quitting is worth the early struggles.

Hi MIke-- FWIW, I'd urge patience and grace with yourself regarding the patch: while I think I'm sort of in the minority on this site when it comes to NRT, I'm convinced that the most--and perhaps ONLY--important thing that matters is not smoking or vaping. If patches are helping you maintain complete abstinence (and you're achieving that), that is an absolute, unqualified success. Years ago, when I was very active in smoking cessation communities and very aware of the best peer-reviewed smoking addiction research, it was clear to me to that the scientific consensus was that not smoking was and should be the emphasis. In fact, many addiction experts were recommending NRT beyond the officially stated guidelines. In my experience, it's best to see smoking/vaping as the enemy, NOT nicotine. I'll admit that my "expertise" (such as it is/was), is probably about 15 years old, so I can't really speak to what the contemporary research shows. But I'd say you're doing great, friend. Do whatever you need to do to maintain this momentum. Keep up the great work! Christian99 Nearing 23 years quit

Welcome to Quit Train @Mike-318! Very glad to know that you quit smoking and vaping last year. Vaping, from what I heard, is even worse than cigs. Here is an article from the NY Post of what happened to a young 32 year old woman. It was horrific. https://nypost.com/2024/09/16/lifestyle/vaping-addict-finally-quit-when-lungs-collapsed-black-goo-came-out/ I don't have any experience with the lozenges and/or the gum, but I do believe several people on here have, so they should be around soon. Please stay around so we can give you the support that you need. Lots of great people on this forum and many have been quit a very very long time. There is also lots of reading material and videos to read about the cigarette companies and all types of articles related to quitting and how bad smoking is. Stick around and good luck to you!

Fluffyyellowduck Quit Date: 27/12/2020 Posted December 15, 2020 I keep around a lot of index cards because I have ADHD and I forget things. I'm very flippity and kind of all over the place, so I keep them in my pocket to help me get through the day and remember what I need to do. I'm using 1-2 of these index cards to write down a plan for when something comes up because things will always come up. I was wondering if you guys could help me come up with ideas that I might not have thought of. This is all I have so far. Instead of smoking I will ... Boredom Python course Crochet Cleaning Sudoku Solitaire Sadness ????????I have nothing????????? Anger Workout Pray/Read Bible Vent Write Oral Cravings Carrots/Celery Drink lemon water Brush teeth Cup of black tea If I'm invited or offered... Remember NOPE Journal Feeling Anxious Breathing exercises Stretches After a Meal Brush teeth Reward After Hard Work ....? Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/14848-instead-of-smoking-i-will-need-help/

OO Another STICK TROPHY

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Welcome aboard Mike Congratulations on Quitting Smoking and vaping . We have some great information on our Main Discussion Board to help you along . I didn’t quit with a patch , but if it helps you to Freedom that’s great .. It does sound like your body is not agreeing with Nicotine any more .. Is it possible to cut the patch in half to ween you off . Glad you have found us

And freedom is something I DO NOT plan on letting go of ever again......not for anything.......I've tasted it........it's WORTH the fight. HANG ON! TOOTH AND NAIL!! This is YOUR life. Don't keep playing Russian roulette with it. So True …

Do You Ever Wonder Where the Power Behind the Crave Comes From, Quitnet Repost, March 31, 2003 From melder7777 on 3/31/2003 12:01:58 PM Try looking in the mirror YOU have the ability to give it strength. Every time you tell yourself you can't take it....every time you think of quitting as some form of pain.....every time you tell yourself you are giving up something when in reality you are TAKING back something.....your freedom....your health. Oh yeah....I know....you're different....you have more problems....more reasons to justify that one cigarette.....your will power is less....etc ...etc...etc. Sorry....not buying......we've ALL been there......that's why this site exists.....because we all didn't believe that we could actually kick this habit. Well....you can. Hard to believe huh? The next time those pesky "unbearable" cravings grab a hold and start taking you down that path of destruction again.... Try facing them down......ask yourself just how bad you REALLY feel. I guarantee you ......the repercussions of NOT giving up this habit will give you a whole new perspective on what "unbearable" is all about. Right now you have this choice to make......you have it in your grasp. If you let go of that choice I guarantee you will have regrets and once that happens you can wish you had chosen differently all you wanted but you don't get a second chance. Hanging on guarantees freedom. And freedom is something I DO NOT plan on letting go of ever again......not for anything.......I've tasted it........it's WORTH the fight. HANG ON! TOOTH AND NAIL!! This is YOUR life. Don't keep playing Russian roulette with it. Maureen PS - and try to remember that you're NOT smoking because this is a choice YOU made (and a good one)

Thanks so much Bri!

Congratulations QG!!! What a year gf. You should be proud of yourself!!!

Thanks!