Tips To Get Off NRT Gum

[notsmokinjo]

@Kelly someone mentioned you had asked in the Chatroom about tips for getting off the NRT gum. I used NRT gum (chewies) to help me quit.

 

So... the way I see it you can..

 

Option 1. Stop cold turkey... ultimately this would be the best way, detox is quick and over and done with in a shorter time... but if you are anything like me that option wouldn't work.. I know myself well enough to know that would never have worked for me... so the detox craziness is hard and fast but over much quicker, just more intense... but you are free quicker.

 

Option 2.. You ween off which is what I did. How you go about this would depend on what strength you are still on... I was on 2mg and what worked for me was:

 

 I set myself a daily limit of NRT gums... and a minimum amount of time between each gum. Now this next bit worked for me because I have a bit of a competitive issue... but my goal was to push the limit... if I was allowed to have 6 gums a day and they had to be 3 hours apart then i would try to only have 4 and get as long as I could between each one.. i turned it into a competition between me and the addiction... so I said it was ok to have 6 a day but most days I was having 4 or even 3. The other thing I did was allow myself to have as many non-NRT gums as I wanted in the time between.. so I was still chewing.. just not NRT. After a few weeks of this I set a new limit of 4 a day.... with the same rules, try and beat it... see how long I could go without.... and I just went on like that. Always allowing myself as many non-NRT gums as I thought I needed/wanted... then one day I went to get a chewy out of my bag and realised I hadn't had an NRT for about 5 days so that was it... no more NRT gum.... I still carried a sheet of them around for about 2 months but now it is all gone from my house (passed on to a friend who smokes and is thinking of quitting) and I have even kicked the normal gum habbit... but I chewed that for a good couple of months after I quit the NRT. Pro of this is the detox is less intense, but it is prolonged... over a period of weeks or months... which makes other quit stages seem to drag... and it gives the nicob1tch a nice little foothold in your brain.

 

I know a few others had to break the NRT gum habbit, maybe they will see this and come and share their tips.

 

 

[Sslip]

Hi Kelly, 

 

My experience of getting off the gum is not too dissimilar to Jo's. I started by setting myself a limit and trying to better it. I used a lot of regular gum while transitioning off the NRT stuff. 

 

The other thing I'd add is that I found it not too different to giving up smoking. Plenty of water for hydration and to minimise headaches. Some sugary sweets to suck on. It ultimately wasn't as big a deal as giving up cigarettes for me. 

 

One thing to remember is at least the gum is not smoking so it should always be your first port of call if you are at breaking point. Don't compromise giving up smoking for the want of a piece of gum. 

 

You can do this. Any questions just ask here. 

 

 

[Reciprocity]

So I am just curious here and want to ask if all of you had used just NRT Gum when you first quit or was there any other quitting aid involved? Clearly I am not very educated on the  NRT gum thing.

[notsmokinjo]

3 hours ago, reciprocity said:

So I am just curious here and want to ask if all of you had used just NRT Gum when you first quit or was there any other quitting aid involved

 

In my case @reciprocity I just used the NRT gum. I didn't use any other aids. I actual sort of fell into this quit. I had a tight week money wise and had enough money for a pack of smokes that wouldn't last until my next pay no matter how tightly I 'budgeted' them OR i could by some NRT and ride out the 3 or so days until payday, then get more smokes... bu the chemist had the bulk NRT on special for 50% off so instead of getting more smokes I got more NRT and well taking it a day at a time I decided to see how far I could take it. In my case I can honestly say I wouldn't still be here without the gum. I needed the gum emotionally and psychologically and with all the drama that was my first 2 months quit that NRT dragged my arse over the line. From hindsight using the NRT did prolong the hold of the nicob1tch over me but it gave me the buffer to break the 'habbit' part of the quit, which for me was just as big and issue as the physical addiction. When I decided to take my Quit seriously (around week three) I gave myself 3 months on the NRT (within limits) and then I would break that habbit. Around the 2 month mark I decided the NRT would be OK to use for 6 months because even though I was only using 6 or less pieces a day I was afraid to give it up because I really did want to keep my quit. I did a big post outlining my plan to ween off (not here, over there) and I felt OK. I had a plan and secretly I knew putting the plan out into the universe I also had a challenge... that might of beeen my plan but I was going to beat it. Life doesn't go to plans, as I said above I realised one day I had stopped using it altogether. Being part of a quit community was the main thing to keep me on track but the NRT got my arse over the live each day in the early days.

[Sslip]

5 hours ago, reciprocity said:

So I am just curious here and want to ask if all of you had used just NRT Gum when you first quit or was there any other quitting aid involved? Clearly I am not very educated on the  NRT gum thing.

 

In my case I was already using a lot of (far too much) gum for those times I couldn't smoke. When I gave up smoking and vaping (yeah I was game for any nicotine delivery mechanism) I carried on using the gum, but right from the outset was trying  to wean off it. It took me about three weeks into my quit to accomplish.

 

So while the determination to quit and the support I received from people here that I am now proud to call friends were the two primary factors, the gum was a crutch I needed. I always believed it to be the best buffer between me and smoking in the early days. Though I don't need it any longer and never envisage using it again, it would be the first place I would go for nicotine fix. It remains a buffer I don't need to use.

[notsmokinjo]

Confession: (so for those of you who haven't realised this will be the final proof you need that I am certifiable) .... the fact Sslip is 5 weeks behind my quit date and gave up the NRT gum so early in his quit made me more determined to get off it because, well he was beating me... and now you know why I am called a looney bird.

[JB 883]

Or instead of gums one could try chewing tobacco, the stuff that comes in a pouch.

I promise this - you will never want to touch nicotine NOR tobacco again.

It is vile and toxic like even the worst chain smoker cannot imagine.

[Reciprocity]

Thanks for the responses on this. I find it interesting the different methods people use to be successful in their quits. There's those who swear by cold turkey and there's the NRT peeps (gum, patches and spray), the there's the Chantix/Champix crowd as well!

 

As Jo pointed out there's the physical addiction then there's the mental part or the habit part as she called it I think. They say the flushing of the nicotine from your body takes about 3 days, which isn't a lot of time in the grand scheme of things but that mental reconditioning part is the real issue that we all struggle with and this is also the issue that takes so long for us to become comfortable with.

 

I can well see wanting to tackle only one issue at a time in the beginning because things can be pretty intense for most people early on. Wrestling with the most intense symptoms of the mental quit while still supplying the body with nicotine makes sense. Get rid of the nicotine later, once you are more mentally prepared to deal with an additional struggle from weening off the nicotine. The Chantix thing is a whole other issue I suppose. I know a lot have used this method successfully. Again, I don't know much about it but I guess it works on the brain to eliminate the urge to smoke somehow while you work on reconditioning your smoker's brain part. The nicotine is out of your system pretty quick like cold turkey unless you combine the Chantix with another NRT product.

 

Myself; I sort of fell into cold turkey. I started out the first couple of days using the 21 mg NRT patch then forgot to put one on day 3. Mid-day I decided; let's just see how bad this gets. I really couldn't tell if things were worse than when I had the patch on or not so I just stuck with no more NRT. It wasn't pretty those first days and weeks but it obviously worked for me.

 

The thing that we all seem to have in common here is that we all at some point made an unbreakable personal commitment to ourselves to kick this crazy addition in the ass! That and the educational material available at places like this plus the association with others who truly know your struggles is what in the end really makes the difference. No matter what method or combination of methods you think will work for you, it really doesn't matter as long as you have that unbreakable personal commitment and a group like this to help keep you on the straight & narrow!

[Reciprocity]

23 minutes ago, Jetblack said:

Or instead of gums one could try chewing tobacco, the stuff that comes in a pouch.

I promise this - you will never want to touch nicotine NOR tobacco again.

It is vile and toxic like even the worst chain smoker cannot imagine.

 

What! Vile and toxic you say?

[JB 883]

Chew is more poisonous, grosser, tastes worse, more offensive...

 

AND it looks like someone is taking a dump out of their mouth.

 

3 minutes ago, reciprocity said:

 

What! Vile and toxic you say?

[Wayne045]

2 hours ago, Jetblack said:

Or instead of gums one could try chewing tobacco, the stuff that comes in a pouch.

I promise this - you will never want to touch nicotine NOR tobacco again.

It is vile and toxic like even the worst chain smoker cannot imagine.

 

When I was a 11 or 12 years old, before I started smoking, my uncle gave me a "pinch" of his smokeless tobacco.  you didn't chew, just put it between cheek and gum.   It was just awful and I ended up gagging and spitting it out within 15 seconds and then had to go brush my teeth to get the taste out.

 

I remember thinking how does anybody get to normal use of this.  Years later I became a smoker and I had my answer.  Then the question became "How stupid am I" ?

 

[Giveintowin]

I quit using NRT. I did not want to use it. I was told to use it by the quit smoking counsellor. She told me I was a "dependent" smoker and I needed it. It did help in the beginning but I found coming off the gum much harder than coming off patches. If anyone is thinking of using NRT I'd say try with patches first since these are the least addictive and easiest to stop.

[Kelly]

Thank you to all. I am not good with computers and this format is unfamiliar to me. I used only gum. The thing that bugs me is I was off for two months.Then for no reason I could figure out ,I was having a rough time keeping my quit. I figured The gum was better than the smokes. I am 7 months without a puff. I just do not want to be hooked on anything. SIGH!

[Reciprocity]

Kelly, this happens to most of us. That is to say, struggling with our quit a couple or three months in. We need to just put our head down and power through those few days. @Jetblack

knows this very well as she struggled at the 3 month quit point. She got through it but I know it was tuff for a while.

 

I hope you find a way and the right time to kick that gum out of your life. Yes, it'll probably create some anxiety for you but that's only temporary. Freedom from nicotine is FOREVER providing you just follow the NOPE principal

[WeegieWoman]

Hi kelly, try not to be too hard in yourself. I remember early in my quit i felt really dependant on my patches and lozenges and id think how will i get off them, i NEED them! But my pal said to me Eve if youre on the patches forever, so be it, its better than smoking! And i thought, hey thats right. It kinda flipped my thinking from panicking about being dependant on nrt to feeling relaxed about it. And low and behold not long after that, same as reci, i started forgetting to put a patch on. Then one day when i realised that i hadnt put one on, i thought ill just see how i get on without one. And i was totally cool and that was me off the nrt!!! So id just try chill out about it if you can. You arent smoking, your gum isnt going to kill you like fags! I think me chilling out about being on nrt helped me get off it. 

 

 

 

[Sslip]

10 hours ago, Kelly said:

The thing that bugs me is I was off for two months.Then for no reason I could figure out ,I was having a rough time keeping my quit. I figured The gum was better than the smokes. I am 7 months without a puff. 

 

7 months is hugely impressive and just to say smart move on using the gum rather than smoking again. That is the kind of quit that really should be celebrated and you should be feeling enormously proud in your achievement. 

 

You will get there with the gum as well, but you do need to approach it in a similar way. Decide when the time is right for you, then make sure you practise all the techniques that have got you here. You have quit smoking, the gum didn't do it for you. 

[Doreensfree]

7 months smoke free..is flippin Amazin..

Having the odd nico gum has to be better..but...we would love to see you nicotine free...

Try regular gum.it worked for me...your brain and your body will soon adapt to not taking in the nicotine...this too ..is one day at a time...

[Kelly]

Thanks again people. I decided I am just going to use up what I have left and be done with it. I feel pretty good about this choice.

[jillar]

You're doing awesome Kelly, I remember a member say that he was still using the gum a year and a half into his quit. Just goes to show that each quit is different so you do you!

Edited June 28, 2018 by jillar

[Reciprocity]

Keep us informed on your progress please

 

Your positive attitude will carry you a long way! Keep up your determination and stay close to this place for support or just so we can get to know you better. Remember, we are all in the same boat here and understand completely what other quitters are going through

[BAT]

Stay glued to this site and any other stop smoking site and NOPE everyday. Post anything. Just stay glued to the QT. I looked at non-smoking cats and dogs till  I had fur growing out of my eyeballs. Trust me it works.

[Runfree]

^^^what Bat said.  Stay close to the board.  I found my mind to be way too scattered to put words together, so I didn't post much, but I was here and reading and feeling safer than if I was out there on my own.  NOPE every day.  I really does make a difference. 

[notsmokinjo]

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