An account here calms me down , so can i please keep this account ?

[Lilly]

It's great our skins look so amazing. There are so many benefits to not smoking. 

 

When you say ruining it do you mean you think about smoking again. I think about smoking all the time but I'm sure that will settle down for both of us. 

 

 

[Sunshine59]

@Lilly

 

I hate smoking to be honest .

But i have some anger issues all the time whenever i try to quit smoking

 

I become angry easily whenever i try to stay away from smoking

 

It is like my brain is vibrating really fast if i do not give it cigarettes .I have no idea how to calm myself down sometimes 

 

And all these anger goes away as soon as i eat a nicotine gum .This is very weird , lol

 

I have been drinking a lot of types of herbal drinks in warm water  .It can be easily made with stuff available in your kitchen .

 

It is supposed to flush the toxins out of ones body

 

I hope it is playing its part too . Because i am very sure there is massive amount of toxins in my body from the past three years of smoking .

 

My god , i never thought cigarettes would be this addictive .

 

 

[Lilly]

I have only been quit for a very short time so believe me I am no expert. 

 

I think you are feeling the way you do because of the nicotine gum. 

 

Cigarettes have nicotine which is the addictive part. You get angry or desperate for a cigarette so you pop in a gum and the world is great again.

 

You're still smoke free and that is something to be very happy about. 

 

Enjoy the tea

[JB 883]

It kind of bites but when we decide to quit, we don't get off easy. We have to suffer and pay some dues to prove to ourselves we are serious about not wanting to die a nicotine/tobacco infested death.

 

Alright look, we all started somewhere. Now look at the celebrations. Some have been quit over a year now. We went through the same thing in the beginning. Being pissed off, tired, cravings, and other BS. But we get through it.

 

 

I think minor cravings are something that could last years but the really big ones do die down after a couple weeks, if that.

[Sunshine59]

@Lilly , @Jet Black

 

Sometimes when i stay away from cigarette my head feels a bit mental

 

I have learned a few things from my last quit which lasted for 7 days

 

I have not bought any cigarettes since the last 10 days , i think it is very important not to buy or keep any cigarettes with you if you are serious about quitting

 

For me the craving is still there especially in the evening after 6 to 10 ...

 

After that i do not think much about cigarettes  .

 

Anyway life for me  for the past couple of days is like

 

As Freud said, "Love and work..work and love..what else is there really?"

[Lilly]

Good work - just keep getting through one day at a time

[Reciprocity]

Read what others have posted early on in their quit Pott. You will find it is very common that people are more agitated and quick to anger in the early days of their quit. Your body and mind are still craving the nicotine fix and your mind is trying to figure out how to live at peace without smoking. It takes time Pott. Be patient and all these bad symptoms you are experiencing will go away in time providing you remain smoke free. You will have to plan to get rid of the gum though at some point when you feel you can without losing your quit. As long as you are still chewing nicotine gum, you are still feeding your nicotine addiction. 

[Sunshine59]

@Lilly , @reciprocity

 

Since this is my 5th time trying to quit after three years of smoking i have learned a lot from my past mistakes .

 

This quit is still going strong and this time i threw away cigarettes forever . I am never going to touch this thing in my life ever again .

 

I want to have a normal death  , lol .Not a disease prone one

 

I have heard news about death related to cancer at least 3 times during these three years of smoking .

 

Every time it scared the crap out of me .

 

I thought my smoking habit was a bit new compared to many other people , but i am done because i am scared of cancer to be honest .

 

The cravings come and go .

 

i usually used to smoke from early in the morning , after half an hour from the waking up time .It was fun , but that made me tired the whole day

Nowadays i wake up early in the morning and relax 2 or 3 hours before i go to work .

 

Therefore i have time to get fresh , that is how this whole quitting journey re started .

 

Nowadays the only problems are the evening when i come back after work , too tired , dull and the climate is still warm here .

 

But that goes away too if i rest for 2 or 3 hours then i  feel very fresh again

 

I have learned and conquered that cycle .

 

That is how my work cycle goes .

 

I think its important to narrow down your fresh feeling times and dull feeling times  .

 

I was very vulnerable during my dull times  .

 

Anyway i  have learned to avoid smoking somehow and for me the nicotine gums have played a major role in helping me avoiding inhaling the toxic smokes .

 

Everyone new to quitting should seriously try the nicotine gums .

 

It helps a lot .

 

I will throw away the gums too maybe in a week or 2 .

 

Thanks for all the support

Edited November 28, 2018 by redemption3

[Lilly]

Better to be using the gum than smoking. Just give yourself a plan with the gum and stick with it.

[Sunshine59]

@Lilly

 

Yes i am going to continue using the gums

 

Mostly going through this these days ...

 

Hungry, Angry, Lonely , Tired + Bored

 

Drinking a tea and trying to think of something to do ...

[WeegieWoman]

I used the patches and lozenges for around 3 or 4 weeks. I'm a big fan of NRT and don't think I would have managed to quit without it. In fact I categorically would not have quit without it. 

In the UK we are advised by the nhs to taper down the NRT ie go down in strength over a period of 12 weeks. I just naturally stopped the NRT once I was used to not smoking fags. But it was necessary for me in those early weeks.

With the gum what I think is good that people say here, is you can maybe start swapping in a normal gum occasionally. But really, you know you and your quit. And hopefully what you need to do to keep it. So just keep going. You are doing a really good job.

 

[Lilly]

There you go Redemption - hopefully Weegie Woman's post will make you feel happier about things

[Sunshine59]

@WeegieWoman , @Lilly

 

Yes for the 1 millionth time i find it impossible to stay away from smoking without the nicotine gums .

 

Today went out and drank three bottles of beer when i was had a strong craving . And i did not smoke too .

 

So it was an awesome day .

 

The nicotine gum has the right amount of stuff in it to stop the cravings and it is an amazing and must have tool for anyone trying to quit

 

I think i only ate 3 nicotine gums today .I am chewing the third one as i type this ,lol

 

Wow , i feel good about not smoking and i am very happy to quit properly before Christmas and new year

 

I am never going to touch cigarettes till the end of my life

 

That is the plan

[notsmokinjo]

This quit is getting up there, nearly a week now....so I had my 1 year anniversary this week..... and I used NRT gum... it worked for me, I needed it but I also knew it wasn't going to be forever so I don't think we are against you using NRT... for many it is a valuable tool... there are a few of us here who have used it successfully I think we just worry that you are going to make it your new addiction because the thing that makes the gum so good at helping the cloudy feeling, and the anxiety, and the anger and releaving the boredom is exactly the same thing that smoking does and the NRT doesn't stop the anxiety, or they anger, or the boredom, or cloudiness, or any of those things it just stops the nicotine receptors in your brain causing those things and making you feel those things.... i think some are just worried you don't have an exit plan.... I think you should use the NRT for the first 2-3 months and then quit that too.... just remember the gum can't quit for you, it can only make some of the withdrawal symptoms a little easier for little windows of time.... but you also have to want it... and to fight for it... but those first few weeks I wouldn't have made it through those without the gum.... so chew away...... oh and i did find after the first 2 weeks every second time I wanted/'needed' a gum I would just have a not NRT one... it helped me stop the NRT gum too... but I didn't stop until I was ready and you will know when that is... don't follow anyonelses time line with that but your own.... but please keep this quit... I have been waiting a very long time to do a 1 month anni post for you...

[Reciprocity]

I agree with Jo in that I think many people look to something, anything, to have an easier time quitting. That's fine as long as you realize that using an NRT is just stretching out the withdrawal timeline for you. And, if that's what is required for you to stay quit then that's completely fine. But In the end, we all have to do the same amount of work to achieve a long lasting quit. It's just a matter of how we do that work and in what time frame. There's NO right or wrong way but the thing we all have to figure out is which is the best way for us as an individual.

 

And yes, have an exit plan for whatever NRT product you might want to use because that's part of your quit. Getting off the NRT product at some point. 

[Lilly]

Just out of curiosity why are people focussing so much on Redemptions nicotine gum use?

 

He is so early in his quit and he isn't smoking which is an achievement all on its own. 

 

As Weegie said the usual course is 12 weeks and he is nowhere near that. 

 

NRT allows people to deal with the psychological side of quitting and then once it finishes the withdrawal has to be dealt with. In my humble opinion the withdrawal is the least of people's problems when quitting smoking. 

 

Would be nice just once for people to congratulate him on another day quit rather than keep posting about his NRT usage. 

 

 

 

 

[Reciprocity]

^^^ Earlier on another quit he mentioned chewing a lot of these nicotine gums, basically far exceeding the recommended dosage. That's what appeared to be happening and the concern was 2-fold. Number one, his health. Too much nicotine from any source is NOT good. Number 2, increased intake of nicotine is counter productive to the whole quit process. Doesn't make sense to quit smoking but increase the dosage of nicotine you are taking in each day. Recipe for failure right there. 

I don't think anyone here is against NRT products as we realize they can be a useful tool in quitting "if used appropriately". That's the key - appropriate use. That's the concern here.

[notsmokinjo]

6 minutes ago, Lilly said:

Just out of curiosity why are people focussing so much on Redemptions nicotine gum use?

......

Would be nice just once for people to congratulate him on another day quit rather than keep posting about his NRT usage.

 

Basically we are focussing on Pott's NRT use so much because he does.

 

Pretty sure the first thing I did was congratulate him for his 6 days of success???

 

Pretty sure I was supportive of his NRT use, I used NRT gum and it is a big part of why I am still here... said that too....

 

I posted on his NRT use a) in support of his use of it and b) to try and explain why everyone keeps mentioning....maybe wasn't clear.

 

I think everyone keeps mentioning it because Potts does... and it may be a language barrier issue but it comes across as if he see's NRT gum as a magic cure all that is going to give him his freedom... we talk about romancing the cigarette but the posts Pott makes about NRT gum are almost like he is romancing that and it is a warning sign for that it may become an issue futher down the track or even lead to another failure and noone here wants him to fail.... so why did I post... because I wanted Potts to know that I think using gum as a tool to help is fine and cool and not bad... but as someone who used nrt gum and made 1 year of freedom I wanted to pop in a reminder that it can't do the hard work for you and you do need an exit plan... because for 3 months we have read him post about the miracle of NRT gum and how it is keeping his quit but its not... we want him to succeed... we want to throw him the biggest Lido Welcome party the train has ever seen but it reads like he is putting all his eggs in the nrt gum basket and speaking from experience, and guess what I actually can because I used NRT gum....you can not just rely on the gum to get you over the line.... it wont work that way... it hasn't worked that way yet for Potts because it is not a cure all....

 

Potts (as I have said numerous times) should use the NRT until he knows its time to stop... I gave myself 6 months with the NRT gum... I went 9 weeks.... but that's me... I knew it was the right time for me to change my attack.... Potts needs to reach his own conclusions that's all.

[Lilly]

That was addressed at the time Reci.

 

Redemption hasn't turned into the Robert Downey of NRT and he clearly said in his post he had 3 today. 

 

All I'm saying is a bit of encouragement would help his quit much more than flogging the NRT intake. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sunshine59]

@notsmokinjo , @reciprocity , @Lilly

 

First of all thanks for all the replies .

 

I have tried cold turkey way at least 5 times before , the side effect was that my brain activity was way too hyper for me to handle .

 

I knew that my brain was craving for nicotine and i had a very hard time controlling it all the time .

 

There was extremely fresh times when i avoided smoking , But that never lasted too much time .

 

After 2 hours of freshness the cravings was back , so cold turkey method was not exactly working for me .

 

Then i myself discovered these nicotine gums myself , nobody told me to use a nicotine gum instead of smoking .

 

In the beginning i used to eat the nicotine gums a lot , but nowadays its very less .

 

Avoiding smoking 100% and becoming clean suddenly is a bit unusually hard for a long term chain smoker like me .

 

So i had to rely on these gums .

 

The good thing about the gums is that its a really effective method .

 

The gum manufacturer says about a 12 week plan

 

1st week - 12 gums per day

12th week - 1 gum per day

 

But it does not take that much amount of gums to stop smoking .

 

I have only ate 18 or 19 gums since my quit . No smoke or other toxic gases has gone in since i started chewing these gums which is a huge advantage .

 

I think that dense  cloud of smoke related thought has gone away from my life . I can clearly think about a lot more other interesting  things to do .

 

I have been very happy and fresh since the past 1 week .

 

 

 

[notsmokinjo]

Owe Potts... nearly 2 weeks... that is impressive... you should be proud of that achievement... and as I say... use the gum cos it worked for me... 1 year now... and I want to see your post when you are one year... and this is the quit... this is the one that will make it.. nothing wrong with the gum to take the edge off... I used it.

[Reciprocity]

I too applaud your almost 2 week quit Pott! As far as the gum goes, use it if it helps you but just make sure you don't abuse it is all I;m saying and, have a general time frame in mind as to reducing your use and eventually getting off it. If that's what's happening - great! You're well on your way to establishing your forever quit which is what we are all here for after all.

[Lilly]

2 hours ago, reciprocity said:

I too applaud your almost 2 week quit Pott! As far as the gum goes, use it if it helps you but just make sure you don't abuse it is all I;m saying and, have a general time frame in mind as to reducing your use and eventually getting off it. If that's what's happening - great! You're well on your way to establishing your forever quit which is what we are all here for after all.

 

You can't help yourself can you!!!

 

You were wrong in another thread. You're not a "closet" a-hole

[Reciprocity]

Not sure why this is all so upsetting to you Lilly? My comments are not directed toward you but toward Pott and they are being made only with his best interests at heart. It was unclear to me, and I think others, as to whether he is using the gum as directed because a couple of weeks ago he was not, by his own admission. If he's now adhering to the daily dosage recommendations and it's propelling his successful quit then all's good. Can we drop the conversation now please?

[Sunshine59]

@notsmokinjo , @Lilly , @reciprocity

 

First of all , Thanks for all the support everyone .

 

 

I week and 11 hours to be precise .There was a little error in the sig , sorry about that .

 

 

 

More than one week over and i still have a bit of mental feeling the evenings . I feel a bit mental when i run out of my gums , lol

 

I am not sure if it is smoke related or some other issues dealing with house related issues .

 

I thought the strength of the cravings goes away after a week

 

It is not there in the morning

It is not there in the noon

 

I still crave a lot for a smoke in the evenings

 

But i am never buying cigarettes .

 

The best thing to do is to stay away from the computers in the evening and try to do something else like reading a book

 

I should buy some good books to read , i almost have no good books to read with me right now

 

I love history related books , must buy a few books  soon