feeling_patchy

Yes, absolutley, go for it! And don't use my reccomendation as an excuse not to--the book even states that the biggest part of the battle is learning confidence yourself in dealing with cravings, so you're following it's advice anyway! Well done on eating the huge burger too! I'm so glad, for you, that you've had a much better day!

Thank you @DenaliBlues I actually read after I'd put the patch on the author reccomended to carry on till I'd read it all! Given it had only been a few hours, and I found switching to the patch so easy, I thought why not! And yes, they're going to end up where they belong very soon!

Thank you very much @intoxicated yoda, @Doreensfree and @Mac#23 for your positive welcomes! I'm actually vaping again, today, but because I wanted to! The book I'm reading makes so much sense to me that I wanted to do it as reccomended by the author (doing the exercises whilst vaping). I'd only quit for a few hours, when I began to have realisations from what I'd been reading and decided it would be more constructive to experience the exercises first hand, rather than from memories. It's different for everyone, but for me I now trust this method so wish to do it fully. Anyway, thank you again and I can assure you I'm going to reset my ticker in the near future--I've never wanted anything so much, if I'm honest!

Could I also please reccomend you try Gillian Riley's How to Stop Smoking and Stay Stopped for Good. I read Allen Carr's books too (the tiny one, the regular one and the very thick one!) and whilst they're excellent at dispelling the myths about smoking, I still found something lacking--well, in that I never found it easy to quit! They did help me very much to understand the two monsters, though, and how little cigarettes actually give to you. I do still use them daily in my mind! ... Gillian's book resonated more easily with me, though. She is very pragmatic and easy to understand. It's a far gentler and less dramatic approach I found and I've come away feeling very relaxed and in control of my quitting. If nothing else, it's well worth reading the first part to get a good basic understanding of nicotine addiction and why it's so difficult to break free. If, like myself, you felt lost, it helps you to stabalize and feel in control again--no matter how many times you've failed in the past.

Well, stuff like that's enough to make anyone angry! I think many are addicted to the internet without realizing it and it would be easy to link internet withdrawal symptoms to nicotine and panic! ... At least you haven't let it get to you by the sounds of it, well done! That in itself is something to feel proud of!

Good luck @Shymaid I'm sorry to hear about your relapse and really hope that you have a better experience today

Why thank you @jillar, I thought it was rather a fetching ticker myself! .... Tomorrow's mission is to come up with an avatar!

Thanks @jillar I'm surprised I managed that so easily! If I'd tried to do that the other day I'd have had panic attacks! It's a great way of seeing how much progress you've made! @Shymaid I'm actually really enjoying this. I was so depressed--I gave everything, down to the knuckle!, only to be right back where I started again--it just feels so good just two days later to be free of vaping so easily

Yep, just where they belong! 3 hours now, feeling good. The main thing is that I'm having cravings--especially after dinner--but they're so easy to handle, compared to a few days ago. I know coming off the patches will still be hard work, but at least I won't be battling the habitual aspect so strongly. And I'm already starting to breath better and feel more relaxed. Going to have a nice, tasty pot of Rooibos now

My patches have just arrived so I'm going to have a shower now and put one on! Yesterday I bought some disposable vape sticks and I was about to throw them in the bin when I recalled that my dog had left a package on the lawn earlier. It was most fitting, and very satisfying, to bag them and bin them together! Good riddance to it! Thank you @MarylandQuitter I just read your message as I was writing this. I'll be sure to watch a fair few of those videos in the weeks/months ahead!

I actually had that the other night! I thought I remembered my tea ritual from last time and thought it would be a good idea to swap the buzz of nicotine for one of caffeine, I think that's why I was up all night with an upset tummy! (The last thing I needed during a cold turkey attempt! ) I managed on decaf, last time (when I quit drinking): it's not so much about the buzz but the taste. The further you get away from nicotine, the nicer things taste! I think the important thing to remember is that it is mainly psychological. We don't wake after a long sleep in the state we're in during a craving meltdown do we? Even if we normally light up/vape first thing, it's still pretty easy to make ourselves a drink or take a shower beforehand. It's only when we let it get to us that it becomes a downward spiral to hell. Likewise, I can easily go hours without vaping when I'm with my girlfriend and it doesn't bother me. Yet, as soon as she's gone, I'm left diving for my vape mod! I think I'm much of the way there, already (I truly don't want to vape anymore, I honestly wouldn't miss it, I know how to retrain myself and start to gradually tackle--rather than run away from--my triggers). I just need some respite--hence the patches. I want to be off vaping now, and formulate a plan of attack--rather than simply thinking I'll be able to get through it. I'm going to bury myself in photography and start going for longer walks daily--taking photos whilst I'm out. I'm also going to start a daily routine (stretching, showering, patch-on, then out for my walk, a nice, simple breakfast and a pot of good tea when I return) to get the day off to a positive start. I do think I need to plan it all better, though (which is where the book and patches will come in). I'm just grateful to be able to end vaping so easily, and start to break the habitual addiction whilst I plan for the mental challenges ahead. (Including only consuiming decaf, after midday!)

@Shymaid I can appreciate that! In the past, I'd always found camping to be my solace (from drinking as much as from smoking)--yet going back to the real world was too much! Like you, I was at peace whilst away, yet the closer it came to returning home, the more I'd fantasize about sitting in my drinking chair with a good box set or film to watch (Game of Thrones was especially bad for it!), a few bottles of beer in the fridge and some strong eliquid in my tank! By the time I got home, I'd be frothing at the mouth for it! I actually managed to finally quit drinking in-reverse... By activley tackling my worst fears, rather than sheltering from them. I do find making a little base camp in the real world (enjoying a nice cuppa, savouring every mouthful) a good place to start. It's something that's readily available and turns nicotines strongest advantage against it--fearing having a nice cup of tea or coffee without a smoke/vape is one of the hardest things to endure. And yet, once you get used to enjoying a drink without a smoke/vape, it's something you can constantly use to say to your addiction: "I'm the one in control here!" I think the mistake I made, this time around, was thinking that was all I had to do! I was completely engulfed when the physical symptoms struck home, I wasn't prepared for such a battle for survival! Like yourself, I find music calming too. I think it's important to live life, instead of shutting yourself away from it. When I quit drinking, I made an effort to enjoy food, film, books, culture, everything and anything I could get my hands/mouth on that would prove to me that life without drink/vape was far better. I used to enjoy new boxsets and watch different sorts of films, read new books, simply to reprogram my addictive triggers. I forgot about that, though, this time around! I wasn't ready for it: I won't make that mistake again!

Thanks all! I must say I'm quite taken aback by the level of support already offered to me on this forum! I thought I'd be able to quit cold turkey... Around 2 and a half years ago, I quit drinking and vaping cold turkey and managed to get through 27 days of it before I buckled! (I went back to vaping, but haven't touched a drop of alcohol since). I wasn't expecting it to be this tough! Anyway, I've checked and my patches are due to be delivered later on... It's on! I realize I'm going to have to go through it again, but hope that in breaking the habitual side first it will make it a little easier. Like you @DenaliBlues I'll probably accelerate things once I get to that stage, but I also want to make sure I'm in the right frame of mind to quit too! I am done with vaping, at least there is that! (My experiences last week just underlined how addicted I am to it and I no longer want that in my life anymore!) Thank you again to everyone for their supportive and kind comments. I'll definitley get to know the forums and come back often to help get me through and beyond the withdrawal!

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.