Genecanuck

Good morning. I am a long standing quitter and have been at this for a long time. I'm not proud of this. I have done a great job of overcoming the psycological reasons for smoking and I no longer romance the smoke. BUT I obviously have to work on the stinking thinking that smoking can give me anything: pleasure, satisfaction etc. I live with a partner who smokes and I started smoking with him again occasionally. Oh yes, that stinking thinking that I can have just one or I can smoke for the night with him and stop the next day. We all know how that story ends. I know that if I want to protect this new quit, I can't have one puff ever. I decided that I need to get back to basis and focus on not one puff ever. I am not going to smoke today.

Staying free of Nicotine today!

Hi @Doreensfree, I agree that Alan Carr is an excelent read and resource.

NOPE, Since my last nicotine patch. Have not smoked for a long time.

Hi @Sazerac, Unfortunately, I did not have the luxury of zoning out and staying home today. I got througt the day by focusing on work (had to work today). But had my moments when I just could not focus. But here I am. Day 2 - Nicotine Free. Thanks for your support. Gene

No Nicotine in any form today. KTQ! Gene

Congrats Pumpkin, Kind Regards, Gene

Hi all, I hear your feeback. I will not enter into a debate with anyone about the merits of different methods and approaches to dealing with addiction. The goal for me is to stop using nicotine. The school of hard knocks approach to offering advice also does not work well for me. There is an AA phrase that I think applies well in life. I will take what I need, and leave the rest. However, I appreciate the fact that people offer advice and support because they mean well and want to help others quit. I am happy to report that I am off everything today. Decided to just go cold turkey and take off the patch. So, today, Day 1 - Nicotine Free!! Cheers Gene

HI all, I am not smoking cigarettes but this 'quit" for me is about getting rid of nicotine. I am still using the patch but I am also counting down from the day that I stopped using nictone lozenges. KTQ

Hello evveryone, I want to share a post from danl1 who posted this message on Quitnet on 9/9/2004. Cravings do not exist. Cravings - that tightness in the gut, the lungs, the throat. The moodiness, anxiety, and irritability. Those things that seem to be your body and mind SCREAMING for a smoke - they don’t exist. Oh, the symptoms are real, but they are the symptoms of stress, not a `craving`. That stress might have been caused by withdrawal, maybe by fighting a desire or `craving`, or often enough by the puts and takes of everyday life. We’ve come to call it a craving only because we’ve been self-medicating our stress for so long with nicotine that we don’t properly recognize stress when it smacks us in the face. It’s time to learn more effective, much safer methods of stress management. Apply them here, and the `cravings` disappear in short order. ----------------------------------------- This makes me think that we have to learn to tend to the root causes of what we call cravings. KTQ Gene

Not smoking today and not using Lozenges today. KTQ Gene

Thank you @@Sazerac I am on day 5 of stepping down from Lozenges and Day 5 on the patch. I am using 21 MG right now because I was using the equivalent amount of MG daily of Lozenges. I appreciate your comments because, speaking frankly, I am feeling embarassed that I am still addicted to nicotine after so many years of quitting smoking. But my main goal is to become Free of Nicotine. I have to hold myself accountable to following the patch step down program to the letter. I am on 21 MG for four weeks, and then stepping down to 14 for 2 weeks and 7 MG for 2 weeks. How am I feeling? Emotionally, almost the same as the first week I stepped down from smoking during a cold turkey quit but not with the same intensity. Yeserday, I was having a good day but when I became tired, I had a serious craving for a lozenge. Once I started resisting the craving mentally, I felt more tired. Feeling better this morning because I got lots of sleep last night. I really apprecaite this site and your support. I use to be an active member of Quitnet a while ago and was disappointed when I found out they closed. Kind Regards, Gene

Thanks for all your feedback everyone, I do not disagree with anything you are saying. Yes, I know that I am addicted to nicotine right now. But I also observed that people do become free if they follow an NRT program. I am taking a harm reduction approch to getting rid of nicotine. My goal at this point is to be off nicotine totally in six weeks. I am following the patch step down program. Many thanks for your support. KTQ Gene

Not one smoke or nicotine lozenge ever!!

Thanks for all your feedback everyone, I do not disagree with anything you are saying. Yes, I know that I am addicted to nicotine right now. But I also observed that people do become free if they follow an NRT program. I am taking a harm reduction approch to getting rid of nicotine. My goal at this point is to be off nicotine totally in six weeks. I am following the patch step down program. Many thanks for your support. KTQ Gene

Thank you @garry mhudson I have been down this road before. Taking things one breath at a time. Cheers. Gene

Not one puff every. And no lozenges today!

Thanks Jillar, I stopped using the Lozenges today and started the patch. My commitment is to follow the program for six weeks to become totally nicotine free. Thanks for your support. Gene

Hello everyone, I am a Quitnet oldtimer. I joined that site back in 2003. I have had may starts and stops with my quit and quit again in 2016. The challenge I am now facing is that I became addicted to Nicotine Lozenges. So today, I decided to stop using them. I am using the patch but plan to follow the program to become nicotine free in six weeks. I am looking forward to meeting new friends and supporting others. KTG Gene