1st day on step 2 of patch

[lml]

Hi everyone,

I did go to step 2 of the patch this morning. The craves are a bit strong but I breathe and meditate through them, so doing ok so far. My body and mind are definitely feeling the reduction in nicotine. Two steps forward, one step backward, but I am thankful that net gain, I am one step ahead of the game to start this week. 

[Sazerac]

You are stronger that any crave, Iml.  Much, much Stronger.  Congratulations on your quit.

 

I hope you know,  I believe there is No Wrong Way To Quit  but, I need to speak out.

 

Weaning yourself off nicotine  S L O W L Y sounds like weeks of torture.  It is weeks of torture.

I want you to have a successful quit and I am behind you All The Way

but,  have you thought about cold turkey ?

 

In three days and nicotine is pretty much gone from your bloodstream, and the rest of the work commences.

At some point,  you still have to go cold turkey,  the day your patches are done.

 

 It will still take those 3 days for nicotine to leave your bloodstream.

 

I don't want to rush you before you are ready or fiddle with your plan,  but,  I do encourage you to give it a thought.

 

 

[johnny5]

I can't give you any advice on the patch as I didn't quit that way but, as Sazerac said, you are stronger than any crave.  Keep fighting through them and it will get easier.

[lml]

I did think about cold turkey and all nrts for a few months before quit date and decided on the patch. Cold turkey withdrawal is much more severe than patch...the patch takes the edge off the torture. I have done cold turkey before and was useless for 5 days. With the patch I am able to function. But that is me. The step down has affected me, but not as bad as ct. I decided for me, I wanted to continue to funtion rather than sleep for 5 days to get through it, which I did on previous 2 quits.

 

It will be interesting to see what happens on when I finally wean myelf completely off the patch. Will the 5 days be as bad or will I still be able to function. Don't know. I am thinking it won't be as bad as ct was for me. 

Edited May 6, 2018 by lml

[WeegieWoman]

Hi lml, i used patches and the lozenges to quit. And here i am today at six months quit. You are on a good plan, i LOVED the patches. You say step two, what mg is that? Im a firm believer in do whatever you goto do to keep the quit. If you think going to step two could jepordise your quit id stay on step 1. But you sound like you are doing ok. Just keep reading and keep posting and you will be fine. 

[lml]

Hi weegie, thanks for the encouragement and description of your experience. Congrats on your quit.

 

Step 2 is 14 mg of nicotine. Step 1 was 21 mg. Step 3 is 7 mg. 

 

And I will not hesitate to back on 21mg patch if I feel my quit is in jeapordy. 

Edited May 6, 2018 by lml

[Sazerac]

25 minutes ago, lml said:

I did think about cold turkey and all nrts for a few months before quit date and decided on the patch. Cold turkey withdrawal is much more severe than patch...the patch takes the edge off the torture. I have done cold turkey before and was useless for 5 days. With the patch I am able to function. But that is me. The step down has affected me, but not as bad as ct. I decided for me, I wanted to continue to funtion rather than sleep for 5 days to get through it, which I did on previous 2 quits.

 

It will be interesting to see what happens on when I finally wean myelf completely off the patch. Will the 5 days be as bad or will I still be able to function. Don't know. I am thinking it won't be as bad as ct was for me. 

 

I am so glad you took my post in the spirit in which it was given.

Ha !  I went cold turkey and was useless for a lot longer than 5 days, Iml.  I was in the Great Smoke Free Fog for month(s?)

Nicotine withdrawal is quite,  the individual adventure but, luckily, sometimes similar and relatable to other addicts.

Yay , Weegiewoman !  This place is so great.

 

As I follow your and other quits,  I will be interested to see how your quit proceeds, how your quit Succeeds.

Thank you for your posts, informative and clear.

and remember, my only advice today  is...

'you are stronger than your crave'. You are.

[WeegieWoman]

Hi lml, i started on the 21mg too. And i was on them for between 3 and 4 weeks. I remember i was wanting to go down a step but i think the plan was ( it was a 12 week free programme) but 6 weeks 21mg then 3 weeks 14mg and 3 weeks 7mg. I think actually the first step was meant to be longer. 

The patches are a fantastic tool to use. I remember when i put one on i felt set for the day! But i was thinking am i going to be on these forever, i need them! But my pal said to me if you are on the patches forever so be it, its better than smoking! And i thought yeah, thats a great way to look at it. 

And the reality was i was only on the patches for between 3 and 4 weeks. Ive been nrt free for ages! And i felt so dependant on them in the beginning. 

So really use the patches as much or as little as you need to. They are amazing at getting you off the fags and changing habits. 

[lml]

Saz, I appreciate your taking the time to write something from a different perspective. I struggled with the pros? And cons? Of patches, other nrts, chaotic and cold turkey. I still struggle with the fact that I am still feeding myself nicotine, so even though I am not smoking, I am getting nicotine. And now that I realize the damage that is done by nicotine ( I did not realize it changes/damages DNA till I read something you wrote), the nicotine receptors and the fact that I am a nicotine addict, I appreciate that I need to get off the nicotine to begin additional healing/recovery. I really did not realize or chose not to see that I was addicted. Perhaps someday I will feel what you say is true about me - that I am stronger than the crave. But right now, I feel very weak, vulnerable and fragile and I need all the help I can get - And the patch is helping me recognize my strength and come to believing that I can do this. I am going to be seeing a quit smoking therapist next week. 

 

I appreciate yours and the thoughts of everyone on this forum. And it means a lot to me that you take the time to encourage me and offer other ways of moving forward. I don't understand why it means so much, but at this time, in my vulnerable state it really helps.

 

Weegie, thank you for sharing your experience. I really thing the critical ingredient is a strong desire to not smoke any longer...for yourself. But I also think I do have an addictive personality so I need to be diligent right now regarding my getting dependent on the patch. I am thinking 4 weeks may be right for me. 1 week on 21mg, 2 weeks on 14 mg and one week on 7mg. But I will probably carry one on me for a long time. Smoking another cigarette is not an option. There is no thing as just one for me. So even though it tries to entice me sometimes with just a puff...i know the lie.

[Sazerac]

Don't forget, You quit smoking.  That is friggin' AWESOME. 

Quitting smoking as YOU HAVE DONE, will bring you a lot of rewards, you'll see. 

You will acquire strength incrementally every hour, every day by just witnessing you own success.

Quitting has enabled me to trust myself better and you will feel that inner trust too before long, I promise.

 

We are all here because we are addicts and we will always have a special place in our hearts for others beating this addiction.

I am going to be really chuffed watching your progress.  You quit smoking, the rest will follow.

Let us know if there is anything you need. 

Think about posting your own pre-response to a SOS.  It will serve to remind you why you are quitting and also let us know how to help you if need be.

 

Tomorrow will be your second day on step 2.  Hope you find more strength and joy, you deserve it.  You quit smoking.

 

 

 

 

 

[Giveintowin]

Good luck with your quit.

 

Just to let you know, I quit with patches. I was on them for a long time. I don't think either way CT or patches is preferable. I think we should do whatever we need to do to quit. I was advised to follow the instructions, ie 4 weeks on 21mg then 4 weeks on 14mg then 4 weeks on 7mg. 

 

Is it working for you doing it over days? 

[lml]

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Think about posting your own pre-response to a SOS.  It will serve to remind you why you are quitting and also let us know how to help you if need be.

 

 Sounds like a good idea. Thanks.

 

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Hope you find more strength and joy, you deserve it.  You quit smoking.

 

Thank you Saz. We all deserve strength and joy. Weird how your "wish" for me did bring me some strength and joy.   

 

Hi Given, Thanks! I wouldn't say I am doing it in days, but weeks rather than months. And if I need to go back on schedule that nicoderm recommends, I will do so. But now that I have learned some about nicotine, and know that I am an ADDICT, I HATE nicotine too...lol. Not just smoking. Grrrrrr. I believed my lies to myself for a little bit, but more and more is unraveling. 

 

Not sure whether it is working for me, or I am working it! Sometimes, I feel some of that inner strength that Saz talks about   

 

I quit, don't like to smoke, don't believe the lies I tell myself about how I enjoy smoking or how it relaxes and calms me down, I don't want to smoke, and I want to get off nicotine! Hard to believe that I actually believed those lies and that sometimes, I still begin to believe them when they creep into my thoughts, but I say NOPE - not true!!! I will not smoke TODAY!

[Sazerac]

We all believed the lies of addiction and they replaced our own thoughts. We basked in avoidance.

Addiction replaced truth about damage and our own truth about our ability to put it down. 

Addicts love denial and we all worked it to extremes to one degree or another.

 

The quantum leap for me was admitting I am an addict, that is just a raw truth. 

I don't need to feel sorry or shame about that, it is just a fact.  I am an addict. 

When I could no longer deny that truth, the healing began, the strength I forgotten I had returned.