Cold turkey/NRT

[Linda]

Did most of you quit cold turkey or use some form of Nrt? I am using the patches which means I am still getting nicotine. So I have some concerns about that. But I don't think I could do cold turkey.

[jillar]

Do what works for you Linda, there is no one size fits all. The end goal is to never smoke again. That being said, I quit cold turkey but we have a lot of successful quitters who used NRT's. 

[beazel]

I quit cold turkey, however I have tried NRT's before. 

 

I'm not saying they don't work, I just don't think I was ready/serious about quitting until this quit.

 

I agree that you should do what works for you....all roads lead to Rome (or Quitsville).

 

If you have concerns, would you consider talking to your doctor about them?

Doctors love quitters & I'm sure would be thrilled to help you decide on a plan with NRT's.

[Missdixie]

I used the patches this time and followed the instructions and went a full 10 weeks with them, even though I felt like taking them off and being nicotine-free before that time, I kept up the program to ensure my success. It got to be that I would forget to put a new one on and that is when I realized I didn't need them anymore and I had zero problems with withdrawal when I stopped using them. For me it was useful to be on the NRT while I battled the psychological part of the addiction, which lasts longer than the 3 days it takes to rid your body of nicotine.  Everyone needs to quit however is the best way for THEM, if it is cold turkey great, if it is NRT or Chantix, great, as long as you quit and stay quit how you got there doesn't matter.  

 

[Doreensfree]

No Rules .. Sweetheart .....just getting yourself to Freedom is all that matters ....

I used the Fear of your Life method ....facing both feet amputation ...it worked for me ...but I wouldn't recommend you wait that long ....!!!!!

[JohnQ]

I've done NRT (maybe 5 times), cold turkey many times, even medication (champix) once, but nothing worked for  the past 24 years of trying to quit.

 

At the end, the thing that worked for me this time is the understanding of the Nicotine addiction, so from my experience of countless quits: "Education" is the best method to quit.

 

I did cold turkey this time, but having the understanding of the addiction, I no longer felt any strong urges to relapse, and the best thing is that I could feel the cravings much milder than before.  I realize now that the strong, intense cravings that I thought I suffered in the past were all in the mind, the actual physical cravings were not strong at all.  And I have absolutely no temptation to ever light up again.

 

I strongly urge new quitters to educate yourselves about the "Nicotine addiction" and free your mind from the perception of cravings, then you will have very little issue of overcome the urges and truly enjoy your new found freedom.

[Sazerac]

5 minutes ago, JohnQ said:

I've done NRT (maybe 5 times), cold turkey many times, even medication (champix) once, but nothing worked for  the past 24 years of trying to quit.

 

At the end, the thing that worked for me this time is the understanding of the Nicotine addiction, so from my experience of countless quits: "Education" is the best method to quit.

 

I did cold turkey this time, but having the understanding of the addiction, I no longer felt any strong urges to relapse, and the best thing is that I could feel the cravings much milder than before.  I realize now that the strong, intense cravings that I thought I suffered in the past were all in the mind, the actual physical cravings were not strong at all.  And I have absolutely no temptation to ever light up again.

 

I strongly urge new quitters to educate yourselves about the "Nicotine addiction" and free your mind from the perception of cravings, then you will have very little issue of overcome the urges and truly enjoy your new found freedom.

 

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

THIS !!!!!

 

fabulous post,  @JohnQ, thank you.

[Mac#23]

Hey Linda,

 I quit cold turkey but there's a lot that led up to that moment. In the past I have tried a few times and failed. I attribute those failures to being not ready and no prepared. For about a year leading up to my current quit I subconsciously kept telling myself that I needed to finally give up this terrible habit. It took me awhile before I went through with it because mentally I wasn't quite ready. During the pandemic I had a small bout with pneumonia which I believe was covid. Finally on April 4th I decided that to continue smoking would be the dumbest thing I could ever do. I was finally fully prepared for my quit both mentally and physically. My cravings haven't been over the top crazy and some triggers have been fairly easy to overcome. I attribute this current quit success to being 100% committed to being a non smoker with no regrets. You can have a successful quit as well. You just need to be fully committed to being just that a non smoker. I'm rooting for you and I will be here to support you all the way.

[Nana20]

Linda, 

All the advice my fellow quitsters are rock solid. You need to educate yourself, but at the end of the day. whether you quit cold turkey or If it takes NRT's to get free of nicotine then so be it. For me I am 48 days quit and I used Chantix and Bupropion (basically Wellbutrin and Zyban). I am on finishing up the Chantix and still have a month or two on the Bupropion. But no matter how you get there meeting your goal is the key and your goal is to be smoke-free.

[Linda]

Thank you all for the helpful information and feedback. Today is my sixth day of not smoking so I'm trying to be through this one day at a time. I appreciate all the support.

[jillar]

That's awesome Linda, one more day and hell week will be done!

[Doreensfree]

Well done Linda ....this is how it's done ....one day at a time .....

[NADA]

I tried quitting dozens of times - most with some sort of NRT or smoking suppression medication.  A rough estimate of quit smoking aids I had bought over the years: 

• 50 boxes of patches (various dosages)
• 30 boxes of nicotine gum
• 4 prescriptions of Chantix
• 5 boxes of lozenges

None of these resulted in a sustained quit.  It wasn't until several things converged that I was able to earn my forever quit. Those things were:

• Coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing every night when I lay down to sleep.  This caused extreme anxiety and sleeplessness.
• Coming to the realization that only a 100% unwavering commitment to not light up would work. No more listening to my junkie brain telling me I could have just one or that it made more sense to put off my quit until after I finished a project at work, or after the holidays, or after........
• Finding and giving support to others who were going through the same thing.

I ended up spontaneously committing to quit when I was having a particularly rough night of difficult breathing and coughing. So, cold turkey worked for me. But whatever method you choose make sure your mind is in it 100%. With or without NRT, you'll still need to fight for your freedom.  It rarely just falls in your lap. Trust me when I say it's ultimately worth whatever struggles you go through in the beginning. 

 

   

[notsmokinjo]

I quit this time with NRT. My crutch of choice was the gum. For me this was the best decision to ensure my forever quit. I learnt from past quits. For me the psycological/habitual aspect of quitting was the biggest hurdle...I knew I could fight the physical side, no biggy, but for me breaking the rituals/habits and breaking the emotional/psychological dependency were my stumbling blocks. In total honesty i stumbled into this quit, no intention to quit. I bout 1 pack of 30 nrt chewies and 1 pack of 200...when i stopped the nrt i still had over 70  gums left...but i was ready..sure for the next 12 months or so if I was stressin i'd have a normal not nrt chewie to get me over the anxiety line but I remain nicotine free.

 

I previously had a long term quit that was cold turkey. I don't talk about this much, not because of shame but because I don't want to give any newbies or early quitters the wrong idea. So please note: This is just my experience, influenced by the events of my life and essentially who I am...it is in no way indicative of the 100s of people here who have quit cold turkey...cold turkey is brilliant, just not for me.

 

I only count a quit a quit if it lasted more than 2 weeks AND it wasnt because of pregnancy...so in that regards i have had 3 quits, 1 cold turkey, 1 Champix and 1 using NRT gum.

 

Champix - I'm not touching this beyond saying for me it did not work in the worst kind of way. You want details im happy via pm because i know for many this is a kick start that saves their lives but you will notice I tend to avoid discussion on this.

 

So my cold turkey quit lasted well over 6 years, almost lasted 7. This quit (the nrt one) is nearer to 3 years than it is 2.

 

The cold turkey quit (CTQ)... every single day, I wanted a smoke, I analysed everything that happened and I looked for an 'acceptable' reason to smoke until I found one that fitted my twisted logic and breathed a sigh of relief as i took that first drag. Mental right!....the whole time I sought out the chance to pass smoke, to breath deep of others poisonous clouds. I burned with an aching want for any excuse to light up...I carried an emergency smoke every single day...I held it...i put it to my lips....I played with a frickin lighter constantly and then one day I found an excuse I was 'comfortable with (car bingle) and like the idiot I was I lit up. This quit didn't fail because it was cold turkey, it failed because I didn't deal with my emotional or psychological addiction...i romanced the smoke and grieved its absence from my life. I was still drinking...i was still using drugs during this time..i was messed up in so many ways. 

 

This quit....the thought of smoking makes we wanna chunder....the smell literally makes me gag and my eyes water...I don't envy smokers, I look at them in their shackles and know that never, ever again will that be me. The NRT didnt do this..didn't make me reach this level of enlightenment, freedom and self respect...but it did help get me there because it took that mental edge off for me to deal with educating myself, creating new patterns and rituals and coping mechanisms without the gnawing, burning ache that was 99% psychological...it allowed me the breathing space to become emotionally strong enough to love myself enough not to need the nicorknw crutch. When I was strong enough to not need it I ditched it...my nicotine legs were still wobbly and newborn...but my mind was strong enough to deal and I had an amazing support network behind me just a few key strokes away.

 

NRT is not what makes this my forever quit, in a way it prolonged the whole experience BUT for me it was a vital aid I needed to get me to where I am....FREE.

Edited July 24, 2020 by notsmokinjo

[Linda]

Wow, thank you for sharing your story. Congratulations