Hello Quit Train Members

[Doreensfree]

This is true.K....you still will have to wean yourself off nicotine ,when the course of gum is done...

If it's the hand to mouth movement you are missing try Jillar,s air cigarette.... Or a straw cut to the same size....sometimes it's just the action we miss ..

You still have to put the work in ...

[Sazerac]

If you were already nicotine free, re-introducing nicotine into your body just establishes you addiction again.

You can bluster your way free.  I know you can.

Embrace the suck.  It is worth any discomfort

and that is all this is....withdrawal is just discomfort....it won't kill you and you emerge a stronger, confident person.

 

Our friend, Sirius says,

'Next time a craving plunks down on your face ask yourself, "What price you are willing to pay to own yourself?" '

 

Please educate yourself about your addiction, it is the best tool and we have great resources here.

Also, here are some things that helped us in the heat of withdrawal.

Your First Days Nicotine Free

[Mona]

A little background information.  I quit cold turkey about 2 1/2 years ago.  It took me a lot of tries.  I would stay quit for 4 days, 7 days, I think the longest was 9 days before it finally stuck.  I needed to have surgery and when I met with the surgeon, I was at 7 days.  The surgeon told me that he would not even do the surgery unless I was quit for 2 full months because smokers don't heal well enough, too much risk of complications.  I said that I didn't want to wait that long and he said OK, if you promise me that you won't smoke even one cigarette, I'll go along with 6 weeks.  As it turned out, my surgery was exactly 2 months after my quit date but that was because they needed an operating room for 9 hours and that was the soonest available.  Anyway, I did tough it out and stay smoke free.  The first month was absolutely horrible.  I was crying all the time.  A lady came up to me at the grocery store and said what's wrong honey when I was sobbing for no apparent reason.  I would get so angry and have emotional meltdowns.  This is not how I normally am.  I"m not one to show my emotions too much.  My boyfriend at the time told me that he liked the new more emotional me...lol...but I didn't.  After that first terrible month, things did slowly get better.  After 7 months, I felt great!  My quit lasted a little over two years and I absolutely loved being a non-smoker!  When I relapsed, I was actually very happy.  I'm not going to go down that road now, that's a story for a different day.  I would think the fact that I loved being a non-smoker would be enough incentive for me to quit this time.  I keep telling myself to keep my eye on the prize.  But I keep failing before I get to three days.  I think what I went through for an entire month the first time around scares me.  I don't need it to be easy but I definitely think it would help me if it were a little easier.

[Mona]

8 hours ago, notsmokinjo said:

I need to stress nrt is not a magic pill that is going to make it easy... you still will get craves, you will still need to bristle up and keep your quit and consciously make the decision not to smoke. It just takes the edge off... and if anything it prolongs the crave stage... you need to consciously acknowledge that it isn't going to just make you free of the addiction or it wont work and help you. I went in know the psychological part of my addiction, the habits and the associations (like I have a smoke after food) were the bigger part of my quit... I had to break those patterns before I could fully address the physical side.

Yes, I realize that I will not be pressing the easy button notsmokingjo.  I will still need to put the work in.  I am curious what strength gum you used.  4mg, 2mg, or both?

 

Edited February 2, 2019 by Mona

[Mona]

8 hours ago, Doreensfree said:

This is true.K....you still will have to wean yourself off nicotine ,when the course of gum is done...

If it's the hand to mouth movement you are missing try Jillar,s air cigarette.... Or a straw cut to the same size....sometimes it's just the action we miss ..

You still have to put the work in ...

I don't think it's a hand to mouth thing for me, Doreen, but that is a good tip.  Thanks!

[jillar]

I quit cold turkey Mona and my first six (at least) months were miserable so I stayed glued to the boards everyday and found that reading, supporting, celebrating milestones and socializing REALLY helped keep my mind off the misery. I also used my air cigarette all day everyday. I took it everywhere with me and found it indispensable that first half a year. You may also find that it's more the hand to mouth movement that's causing you the relapses and give the air cig or cut straw, pen etc. a try.

 

[Mona]

2 hours ago, Sazerac said:

If you were already nicotine free, re-introducing nicotine into your body just establishes you addiction again.

You can bluster your way free.  I know you can.

Embrace the suck.  It is worth any discomfort

and that is all this is....withdrawal is just discomfort....it won't kill you and you emerge a stronger, confident person.

 

Our friend, Sirius says,

'Next time a craving plunks down on your face ask yourself, "What price you are willing to pay to own yourself?" '

 

Please educate yourself about your addiction, it is the best tool and we have great resources here.

Also, here are some things that helped us in the heat of withdrawal.

Your First Days Nicotine Free

Good advice, Sazerac, but I just don't think I have it in me to embrace so much suck this time.  By the way, I educated myself on this horrible addiction the first time around.  I am well aware that smoking does nothing for me.  I don't romance the cigarette, at least not that I'm aware of.

[Mona]

5 minutes ago, jillar said:

I quit cold turkey Mona and my first six (at least) months were miserable so I stayed glued to the boards everyday and found that reading, supporting, celebrating milestones and socializing REALLY helped keep my mind off the misery. I also used my air cigarette all day everyday. I took it everywhere with me and found it indispensable that first half a year. You may also find that it's more the hand to mouth movement that's causing you the relapses and give the air cig or cut straw, pen etc. a try.

 

Wow, jillar, that sure is a long time to be miserable.  Glad things eventually got better for you.  Yes, I do think hanging around the board will help a lot!

[jillar]

It was by my own doing Mona. I wasn't embracing how awesome it was to be quit and instead wallowing in the fact that I didn't "get" to smoke anymore. 

[Sazerac]

We can make it easier on ourselves. 

We can mitigate the emotional toll.

We have choice in where our brain goes.

More choice than we realize.

This is what quitting smoking has taught me.

 

Quitting smoking does not kill.  Smoking kills.

 

When I quit, I learned all I could about nicotine addiction.

I powered through the gunk for a year.  I got better at changing my patterns, many of my patterns unrelated to smoking too.

I had no doubt about keeping my quit, I still have no doubt,  I am passionate about it.

Tenacity comes in handy, ferocity too.

 

We can never have too much education or review too much.  I can't stress this enough, Mona.

Study again and again until your eyes bleed.  I am not kidding around.

 

Addiction is malevolent malware, it has changed our DNA ffs, !

We need to stay current and informed. Current with ourselves also.

You can never know too much.  Ever.

 

So, what is your plan ?

Have you started with gum or are you doing the cold turkey dance ?

I am an advocate of turkey but, know full well that successful quits are successful quits,

no matter the method, and there are plenty with NRT experience here to help you.

There are many paths to the centre.

Edited February 2, 2019 by Sazerac

[Mona]

Don't want to say anything else until I'm off the smokes for at least a couple of days.  And rest assured, I have been studying, studying, studying, so much so that I am quite tired of it.  I just want this problem to go away.  The fact that I threw my precious quit away like it was nothing breaks my heart everyday.

[Sazerac]

1 hour ago, Mona said:

 I just want this problem to go away.  The fact that I threw my precious quit away like it was nothing breaks my heart everyday.

 

The past is gone and cannot be changed.  We learn from our missteps and our failures.

Your future is before you and you can change everything with your power of choice.

 

'I just want this problem to go away'

'this problem' is nicotine addiction.

It never goes away.

We can only put it to sleep and commit to never ever smoke again.

 

Facing the truth empowers us.

 

You needn't be clean for days before speaking your mind here.

Your journey is helpful to people quit and quitting, people active here and also anonymous readers.

Fighting nicotine addiction is heroic work, Mona.

Your story is important. Share with us, if you will, your story.  Your story of a successful quit.

All of us are on your side.

 

 

Edited February 3, 2019 by Sazerac

[Doreensfree]

Saz is right on the button...no use looking back everyday.....

You need to look forward everyday.....

All you can do is learn by it ....and never make  the same mistake ...

We will always be on our guard.....we are addicts .....

Even after 5 years ...I never get complacent..... It would only take one to get me back where I was ....and 

I haven,t got another 52 years ....

Positive attitude .....turn negatives into positives .....

 

 

[Sazerac]

Mona !

Where y'at ?

The anxiety caused by smoking and 'thinking about quitting'

is so much worse than actually quitting.

When you quit, you get a super boost of confidence and trust in yourself.

 

While you hesitate, the hill you are about to climb becomes a virtual precipice.

 

Study and start your climb with exuberance.  You will never ever regret not smoking.

Edited February 5, 2019 by Sazerac

[Mona]

So true, Sazerac.  I'll just say that my climb will be starting very, very soon!

Edited February 5, 2019 by Mona

[Lilly]

Sending you lots of positivity for your quit Mona

[Doreensfree]

On 2/5/2019 at 7:35 PM, Mona said:

So true, Sazerac.  I'll just say that my climb will be starting very, very soon!

Have you quit Mona?.....I'm confused ..I've read on  another thread your nearing your celebration day ..is this your Quit or the Lido ...

Have you thought about a ticker ...it really does help ...it's great  watching it move along ...

 

[Sazerac]

She hasn't quit yet as far as I know.

 

[Doreensfree]

Mona ....

There no better time than right now ....just jump in...you have nothing to lose...but could gain so much ...

[Sazerac]

There are a lot of good links on this thread that will be useful to you, Mona.

Are you using NRT ?

How long are you quit ?

You can do this, Mona.

IF you want to.

[Lilly]

On 2/2/2019 at 6:42 PM, Mona said:

A little background information.  I quit cold turkey about 2 1/2 years ago.  It took me a lot of tries.  I would stay quit for 4 days, 7 days, I think the longest was 9 days before it finally stuck.  I needed to have surgery and when I met with the surgeon, I was at 7 days.  The surgeon told me that he would not even do the surgery unless I was quit for 2 full months because smokers don't heal well enough, too much risk of complications.  I said that I didn't want to wait that long and he said OK, if you promise me that you won't smoke even one cigarette, I'll go along with 6 weeks.  As it turned out, my surgery was exactly 2 months after my quit date but that was because they needed an operating room for 9 hours and that was the soonest available.  Anyway, I did tough it out and stay smoke free.  The first month was absolutely horrible.  I was crying all the time.  A lady came up to me at the grocery store and said what's wrong honey when I was sobbing for no apparent reason.  I would get so angry and have emotional meltdowns.  This is not how I normally am.  I"m not one to show my emotions too much.  My boyfriend at the time told me that he liked the new more emotional me...lol...but I didn't.  After that first terrible month, things did slowly get better.  After 7 months, I felt great!  My quit lasted a little over two years and I absolutely loved being a non-smoker!  When I relapsed, I was actually very happy.  I'm not going to go down that road now, that's a story for a different day.  I would think the fact that I loved being a non-smoker would be enough incentive for me to quit this time.  I keep telling myself to keep my eye on the prize.  But I keep failing before I get to three days.  I think what I went through for an entire month the first time around scares me.  I don't need it to be easy but I definitely think it would help me if it were a little easier.

 

Hey Mona. You had a big incentive to stay quit last time with your op. I'm not suggesting you get another op lol but is there anything else you want in life that is big and will take a few months to achieve. It may help you mentally to have something to look forward to and work towards that isn't just the quit itself. 

 

Your first month seems to be giving you a bit of a mental block. When I went through my first childbirth it was horrific and I vowed I would NEVER go through that ever again. Like most women I went on to go through that pain two more times. You have to endure that pain to get the wonderful end result which is really all quitting is. 

 

Tell your family you're going to quit. It's not about the support as you can get that here. It's more to stop making relapse easy because only you know about them X x

[Mona]

30 minutes ago, Lilly said:

 

Hey Mona. You had a big incentive to stay quit last time with your op. I'm not suggesting you get another op lol but is there anything else you want in life that is big and will take a few months to achieve. It may help you mentally to have something to look forward to and work towards that isn't just the quit itself. 

 

Your first month seems to be giving you a bit of a mental block. When I went through my first childbirth it was horrific and I vowed I would NEVER go through that ever again. Like most women I went on to go through that pain two more times. You have to endure that pain to get the wonderful end result which is really all quitting is. 

 

Tell your family you're going to quit. It's not about the support as you can get that here. It's more to stop making relapse easy because only you know about them X x

Good advice Lily except for the part about telling my family.  I'm not telling anyone except for the people here.  It would not help to keep me quit so there is no reason to do it.  I just have to be tougher, that's all.  I've done it before, I can do it again.

It's wonderful to be a nonsmoker.  That is the prize.

[Mona]

3 hours ago, Sazerac said:

There are a lot of good links on this thread that will be useful to you, Mona.

Are you using NRT ?

How long are you quit ?

You can do this, Mona.

IF you want to.

I have nicotine gum.  Not sure if I'm going to use it or not.  I was using it before but it didn't seem to do much good.  Maybe because I got the 2mg instead of the 4mg?  Not sure.  I'd rather cold turkey it if I can.  Just a few miserable days and then things start to get a little better.

[Sazerac]

I am a cold turkey success story.

It isn't as hard as people make it out to be,

it is just a matter of commitment,  as is any quitting method.

You must commit to NOPE.

and educate yourself about the addiction so you can understand your journey.

Yes, quitting, even with NRT's, is sometimes a rugged, grimy business

but, it isn't horrible forever.

Each day you can find some beauty and switch up your brain

and in the long run, the freedom is delicious.

[Lilly]

How are you doing Mona? 

 

Whether you've cracked this or are still trying I'm rooting for you x