Need frank discussion on nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)

[intoxicated yoda]

@nicotine_freesorry to see you smoked but very glad to see you haven't given up.  if the gum keeps you from smoking then use it.  and remember, it maybe only 4 days since your last cigarette but you have a not smoking record of 39 and 1.  Keep yelling it to yourself...."I'm 39 and 1 and still kicking ass!!!"  and scare those craves right away.

[BAT]

@nicotine_free Your back that's all that matters. Stay with us. Like there is not one of us that hasn't stumbled. You'll quit when you're ready or when you're 6 ft under. That's just a fact. And trust me if my ass can quit after 35 yrs of smoking anyone can quit. That's also just a fact.

[KEL]

Yeah it is like being possessed sometimes. But it passes whether you smoke or not. And by smoking you just ensure that "demon" will continue to rear its ugly head. 

For me, I had to learn to ride the waves of craving and to prepare a toolbox of responses when I fell into those blank spaces. I hit a really bad one about 18 days in this time and got up to go to the store. But something stopped me and I was able to give myself just a bit of time to breathe. The craving passed and I haven't yet been seriously tempted to pick up again.

Not saying there haven't been cravings, more emotional than anything else. But it does get easier. Hang in-we are pulling for you.

 

[Sunshine]

Nicotine free. I just now was reading through this post and did not realize you had a minor set back. So glad you took control of the situation and are back on track. We are now real close on quit dates. Do whatever it takes to keep moving forward. One really bad crave today that put me in bed. I never smoked in bed so I knew I was safe there. Drink lots of water. It has really helped me through some intense craves. Don't be ashamed of the relapse...be proud that you got right back on that awesome quit. I actually was sitting here reading posts and out of nowhere reached over to the end table to get a cigarette. I could not believe it. That kinda shook me to the core. Of course there were none.  Sure is an ongoing battle. 

[nicotine_free]

Thanks @SunshineI appreciate your encouragement. I'm not having the best day today but I am committed to not smoking one day at a time. I've been reading quit smoking stories from people on reddit and that has helped my resolve. I figure if I can make it through the bad days then I will be rewarded with good days eventually.

[Sunshine]

That's the best way to do it. Just one day at a time. We just have to be patient and stay the course. I'm routing for both of us. 

[Christian99]

Hello NF:

 

I don't check this site as regularly as I should, but I wish I would have seen your original post in early February.  If I had, I would have applied a little pressure to your assertion that "everything I'm reading about nicotine addiction is telling me that my best chances for success are to no longer take in nicotine in any form."  It's definitely true that there is vocal and large part of the quitting (and actually non quitting!) community that concentrates on this position; however, that is definitely not the only or universally accepted approach.  Many smoking cessation experts understand that SMOKING not nicotine is the central issue to be addressed, especially in the early stages; and, crucially, at one month, a quitter is still in her/his early stages of quitting and recovery.  For some (maybe many?) people, it is possible and preferable to completely nicotine free as quickly as possible; however, for others, some form of nicotine replacement--even if that NRT is uneven and has some periods of increase--is more beneficial and conducive for a long-term, lifetime quit.  That's my view and the view of some medical experts, the latter who even endorse long-term NRT maintenance therapy for some quitters.  And even in those cases, ultimately very few quitters actually remain on nicotine for exceptionally long periods of time. 

 

I'm sharing this not to make you feel bad about your decision to cease your NRT use or the loss of your original quit (who knows what would have happened had you continued to chew), but just to invite you to rethink your views about NRT and the assumptions about how it's always in one's best interest to get off of NRT as quickly as possible.  Personally, I don't think that's true; in fact, I think that message--powerful as it is in the established quitting community--can actually be quite quite harmful, especially for quitters in their early stages of quitting and recovery.  In my book, a day that you don't smoke (whether you use NRT or whether you don't) is a win. 

 

Wishing you the best,

 

Christian99

20+ Years Quit   

[nicotine_free]

Thank you @Christian99I did elect to go back on the gum and am still using it. I will cease using the gum when I run out, much like I quit smoking.

[Christian99]

4 hours ago, nicotine_free said:

Thank you @Christian99I did elect to go back on the gum and am still using it. I will cease using the gum when I run out, much like I quit smoking.

Good for you, NF, and glad you're back on track.  FWIW, I'd recommend that you remain flexible with your plan with gum:  after this current supply runs out, if you find yourself in an absolutely untenable and desperate situation, it's reasonable to at least consider extending your use.  And it certainly wouldn't make your quit any less authentic or legitimate than one without NRT.  I've been quit for more than twenty years, haven't ingested any nicotine for nearly twenty years, and haven't had a single craving for a cigarette for nearly eighteen.  But if I ever found myself in a situation in which I though I might smoke (pretty much unimaginable and unintelligible to me, but still....), I would chew a piece of nicotine gum in a second and consider that a courageous act in protection of my quit.

 

Keep up the great work, friend.  We all know you can do it. 

 

Christian99   

[JohnRPolito]

It's entirely normal to want quitting over and done by day 28.  But it took years to walk this deeply into dependency's forest and it takes patience to walk out.  It's also entirely normal to believe that gradually weaning ourselves off of nicotine via ecigs or NRT makes perfect sense when, as smokers we always had the ability to smoke one less cigarette per day.  And how did that turn out?

The good news is that you've navigated 28 days of use cues without once inhaling nicotine.  The good news is that you've likely extinguished all but remote, seasonal, holiday, infrequent and possibly hand to mouth smoking cues.  The good news is that your body's 37 trillion cells have basked for 28 days in far more oxygen and far fewer toxins than normal.  The good news is that with each passing day you move closer to easy street.  While nicotine withdrawal is normally the shortest recovery layer (peaking within 72 hours and neuronal resensitization complete within 2-3 weeks), there's still  a bit of work to do.

You've come far and invested much.  Your determination is admirable.  Don't get discouraged.  

[nicotine_free]

Thanks, John. I realize that the gum is not magic. I still had strong urges at work last night and dealt with them by  just saying to myself, "Nope!". I am determined to stick with it for the long haul, one day at a time.