Tomorrow's the day

[feeling_patchy]

Well, this last week has been tough! I recently started dating (for the first time in years) and though she hasn't said anything, as my fiancee has children (and has never taken nicotine), I want to quit. I don't really like vaping and it's the right time for me. We've been seeing one another for 4 months now and it's starting to become more serious.

 

Last Tuesday, I threw out all my vaping gear... I was vaping again by Friday (yesterday) morning! I then threw my new vaping gear away and was buying more disposables again this evening. Though I found switching to ecigs quite easy, I've never had a love for them I had for smoking. So, in one respect, I'm in a fairly strong position (I don't want to vape!). The trouble is, I'm hellishly addicted to nicotine! Thursday night was the worst... I was up all night long; I finally drifted off to sleep around 3am, then awoke with an upset tummy about 5!

 

I've had enough. Tonight, I ordered some of the strongest patches and am going to switch to using them tomorrow. I thought I could quit cold turkey, but realize that I need to break the habitual aspect first--then the physical addiction later. It is too much, at present. I'm taking it seriously--I've also ordered a copy of Gillian Riley's book and decided to sign up here as part of my commitment to quitting! I'm hoping that in having somewhere to come, to talk about my feelings--and to learn of other's experiences--if will help me to get through it.

 

Wish me luck! (Before vaping, I smoked cigarettes for around 20 years and pipes for a couple of years). I'm 48 and a full-time carer, so can't afford the stress of cold turkey. I do need to be on the ball.

[johnny5]

Welcome, @feeling_patchy  You are making a great decision in quitting smoking.

 

Prior to quitting smoking for good, I attempted to quit three times by switching from regular tobacco cigarettes to vaping.  Each attempt lasted less than 2 weeks and I felt I was vaping more than I was smoking.   I started feeling sick, nauseous, and eventually decided vaping was not a good way to quit.

 

I can't speak for the patches as I did quit cold turkey but I do know there are a lot of others on this site who did quit that way and I'm sure they can give you good advice.

The most important thing is, you are putting the cigarettes behind you.  Use what method you think is best.

 

You are doing a good thing in quitting smoking.

[jillar]

Welcome aboard our train full of quitters @feeling_patchy. There's no wrong way to quit smoking or vaping and like @johnny5 said we have lots of members here who have successfully quit using patches.

We have a whole forum dedicated to Vaping and the harm in it so be sure to check that one out as well as the rest of the forums here. Lots of information about our addiction can be found and if you can't find it, ask us and we'll share our experiences

[Reciprocity]

Trust me patchy, you are no more or less addicted to nicotine than any of the rest of us around here were. The key component for me was making an unbreakable commitment to quitting no matter how bad things got. There were times I nearly gave in but I somehow found the strength to just keep saying NOPE!

That stands for Not One Puff Ever and that's all you have to commit to. Never taking another puff again. Take it one day at a time initially and embrace the experience because you'll only have to through it once providing you live up to that commitment you've made to quit!

 

You may feel lost initially because you will be rebuilding your daily life around being a nonsmoker and that takes time and repetition. It's challenging, no question but it will be the best thing you have ever done for yourself. And, no luck is needed! It's all in your hands now and you have lots of other quitters here to help guide and support you on your journey to freedom!

[Gus]

Welcome aboard @feeling_patchy and congratulations on your decision to quit smoking. I used the patches. I skipped the Step 1 patch and although I still went through some MAJOR withdrawals I survived. I’m talking night sweats, tears, headaches, abdominal pains, mind bending anxiety, etc. I had it rough. I do not think it would have been AS bad if I had started at Step 1. The main thing that you need to realize is that when you step down from 1 to 2 and 2 to 3 and finally from 3 to none you are going to suffer from withdrawal pangs each time. The only reason I used patches is because I suffer from severe anxiety and I knew that I could not survive cold turkey. Drink plenty of cold water and take a mad dash down the hall or out to the mailbox and back when you feel like you are fixing to lose it. Just don’t light anything up and stick it in your mouth. Hoping for the best for you! Keep us updated. Getting on here to vent or just let us know what you are doing to keep your quit will help you so much and it will also help others. See you around!

[DenaliBlues]

Howdy, Patchy. Welcome to the Train! So glad to hear that you are ready to quit. You've come to the right place for good company, perspectives, and encouragement. We all know what it's like, so we'll have your back through the ups and downs. I quit in early February using the patch. The combo of patches and occasional lozenges helped me navigate the first phase of breaking free from 40+ years of smoking. I had some wackadoodle dreams and skin issues on the full strength patches, but they really helped with the cravings. Once I had my feet under me, I ultimately chose to accelerate my taper through lower dosage patches - to clear the nicotine out of my system faster and get through the withdrawal once and for all. It got easier over time, and I am gratefully nicotine free today. You can do this, @feeling_patchy! 

 

 

 

 

 

[Shymaid]

Welcome, Patchy!

 

Just got on the QuitTrain myself, though I'm going Cold Turkey myself. Been working toward this point over the past couple of years, and at this point I've realized the problem is mostly in my mind. I CAN handle the physical withdrawal, it's not really that uncomfortable; unless my mind blows them out of proportion as it has in the past. So getting that under control is the most important aspect for me.

I can't advice you on patches, but I can have your back through this journey as much as I can. You can do this!

[feeling_patchy]

Thanks all! I must say I'm quite taken aback by the level of support already offered to me on this forum! I thought I'd be able to quit cold turkey... Around 2 and a half years ago, I quit drinking and vaping cold turkey and managed to get through 27 days of it before I buckled! (I went back to vaping, but haven't touched a drop of alcohol since). I wasn't expecting it to be this tough!

 

Anyway, I've checked and my patches are due to be delivered later on... It's on! I realize I'm going to have to go through it again, but hope that in breaking the habitual side first it will make it a little easier. Like you @DenaliBlues I'll probably accelerate things once I get to that stage, but I also want to make sure I'm in the right frame of mind to quit too! I am done with vaping, at least there is that! (My experiences last week just underlined how addicted I am to it and I no longer want that in my life anymore!)

 

Thank you again to everyone for their supportive and kind comments. I'll definitley get to know the forums and come back often to help get me through and beyond the withdrawal!

[Shymaid]

We all have to find our own way through this addiction, and I know you are strong enough to make it through!

I had a week off cigarettes while at a cabin in October, and found that it was all in my head. The physical craving was manageable, but my thoughts kept circling over smoking worse than some scavenger bird! And before I'd left the cabin I'd decided to start smoking again when reaching civilization... So this time I've focused on my head, purging the excuses, rationalizations, etc.

One thing I've found helpful is hypnosis music, with subliminals (all listed so you know what you get), from the channel Minds in Unison. I've tried several of his tunes, and it's helped me get my head straight. One on forgiving yourself was essential on the day I quit, easing the fear of a smoke-free life. So try it out if you want!

[feeling_patchy]

@Shymaid I can appreciate that! In the past, I'd always found camping to be my solace (from drinking as much as from smoking)--yet going back to the real world was too much! Like you, I was at peace whilst away, yet the closer it came to returning home, the more I'd fantasize about sitting in my drinking chair with a good box set or film to watch (Game of Thrones was especially bad for it!), a few bottles of beer in the fridge and some strong eliquid in my tank! By the time I got home, I'd be frothing at the mouth for it!

 

I actually managed to finally quit drinking in-reverse... By activley tackling my worst fears, rather than sheltering from them. I do find making a little base camp in the real world (enjoying a nice cuppa, savouring every mouthful) a good place to start. It's something that's readily available and turns nicotines strongest advantage against it--fearing having a nice cup of tea or coffee without a smoke/vape is one of the hardest things to endure. And yet, once you get used to enjoying a drink without a smoke/vape, it's something you can constantly use to say to your addiction: "I'm the one in control here!" I think the mistake I made, this time around, was thinking that was all I had to do! I was completely engulfed when the physical symptoms struck home, I wasn't prepared for such a battle for survival!

 

Like yourself, I find music calming too. I think it's important to live life, instead of shutting yourself away from it. When I quit drinking, I made an effort to enjoy food, film, books, culture, everything and anything I could get my hands/mouth on that would prove to me that life without drink/vape was far better. I used to enjoy new boxsets and watch different sorts of films, read new books, simply to reprogram my addictive triggers. I forgot about that, though, this time around! I wasn't ready for it: I won't make that mistake again!

[Shymaid]

Indeed! I'm in my third hour or so with constant addict talk in my head, on why I should take one - 'it's just one to alleviate the cravings; then you can get straight back onto that train! It's ok!'

It's one thing when you CAN'T because there's no tobacco to be had. Quite another when you have to make the CHOICE not to smoke. At times I've wished I could be put into an induced coma for a few days to a week until my body was over the worst cravings. But I'd just start up again, probably, as I wouldn't be prepared for the addict brain.

I find myself remembering what that first week was like at the cabin, taking solace that it wasn't that hard to go through AND I was in a very bad place mentally with some stuff that had happened right before (hence the trip, lol). Not sure why I feared coffee so much this time, as I had morning coffee everyday then! Perhaps it was more a fear that I would start binging coffee to get that buzz and having a complete caffeine overdose

I've found the music on that channel very helpful as it literally rewrites your brain while you listen to it. Sometimes you need to hear it several times, others might need a few minutes or through one night. At this point I'm less in need of that song, and enjoying silence once again. I'll be taking a looooooong walk very soon, but will back-up with that music just in case. And right now I truly do find solace in 55 non-smoked cigarettes! Every day life has to be changed, even if it stays the same just without cigarettes. And that takes time!

[feeling_patchy]

I actually had that the other night! I thought I remembered my tea ritual from last time and thought it would be a good idea to swap the buzz of nicotine for one of caffeine, I think that's why I was up all night with an upset tummy! (The last thing I needed during a cold turkey attempt! ) I managed on decaf, last time (when I quit drinking): it's not so much about the buzz but the taste. The further you get away from nicotine, the nicer things taste! I think the important thing to remember is that it is mainly psychological. We don't wake after a long sleep in the state we're in during a craving meltdown do we? Even if we normally light up/vape first thing, it's still pretty easy to make ourselves a drink or take a shower beforehand. It's only when we let it get to us that it becomes a downward spiral to hell.

 

Likewise, I can easily go hours without vaping when I'm with my girlfriend and it doesn't bother me. Yet, as soon as she's gone, I'm left diving for my vape mod! I think I'm much of the way there, already (I truly don't want to vape anymore, I honestly wouldn't miss it, I know how to retrain myself and start to gradually tackle--rather than run away from--my triggers). I just need some respite--hence the patches. I want to be off vaping now, and formulate a plan of attack--rather than simply thinking I'll be able to get through it. I'm going to bury myself in photography and start going for longer walks daily--taking photos whilst I'm out. I'm also going to start a daily routine (stretching, showering, patch-on, then out for my walk, a nice, simple breakfast and a pot of good tea when I return) to get the day off to a positive start. I do think I need to plan it all better, though (which is where the book and patches will come in). I'm just grateful to be able to end vaping so easily, and start to break the habitual addiction whilst I plan for the mental challenges ahead. (Including only consuiming decaf, after midday!)

[Shymaid]

Yeah, caffeine isn't the best substitute later in the day!

The withdrawal pangs aren't really that bad with nicotine, which is why it can be such a fight with the addiction. It's not like we get seriously ill without it, so if we falter it's so easy to start beating ourselves up for being "weak". And so end up in a bad circle where we end up still getting our nicotine fix one way or the other.

 

Having a plan should make it easier, or at least better mentally prepared. You'll find the way that works best for you!

[MarylandQuitter]

Welcome aboard and congrats on your decision to get rid of the nicotine and deal with the addiction!  

 

First, please believe me when I tell you that you can quit smoking. There are more ex-smokers than there are smokers (yes, vaping is smoking - likely worse) and you will be an ex-smoker the INSTANT you take your LAST PUFF. Period.

 

You seem to do a lot of planning and think you need more planning to accomplish this. What you need more than anything is to:                                                                                   

1. Make a pledge right now that you will never, ever take another puff. Make a promise to yourself that you're done. You deserve to be a non-smoker and you WILL become one the instant you stop vaping nicotine.
2. Treat nicotine as a drug addiction and learn about how it affects your body and brain. Watch the many, high-quality documentaries we have. Watching them provides perspective.
3. Focus on The Health Benefits Timeline. Keep this timeline handy on your phone at all times and look at it even when you don't desire to smoke.
4. Pre-respond to your own S.O.S. If you feel like smoking, read it!

 

 

[feeling_patchy]

My patches have just arrived so I'm going to have a shower now and put one on! Yesterday I bought some disposable vape sticks and I was about to throw them in the bin when I recalled that my dog had left a package on the lawn earlier. It was most fitting, and very satisfying, to bag them and bin them together! Good riddance to it!

 

Thank you @MarylandQuitter I just read your message as I was writing this. I'll be sure to watch a fair few of those videos in the weeks/months ahead!

[DenaliBlues]

Love your poo bag tactic, Patchy! Good riddance, indeed! 

[feeling_patchy]

Yep, just where they belong! 3 hours now, feeling good. The main thing is that I'm having cravings--especially after dinner--but they're so easy to handle, compared to a few days ago. I know coming off the patches will still be hard work, but at least I won't be battling the habitual aspect so strongly. And I'm already starting to breath better and feel more relaxed. Going to have a nice, tasty pot of Rooibos now

[jillar]

That's awesome @feeling_patchy  

If you want even more inspiration consider making yourself a ticker for your signature. You can watch all the time, money saved and cigarettes NOT smoked add up. I used to love coming on first thing in the morning to see my ticker my whole first year  

[Shymaid]

9 minutes ago, jillar said:

That's awesome @feeling_patchy  

If you want even more inspiration consider making yourself a ticker for your signature. You can watch all the time, money saved and cigarettes NOT smoked add up. I used to love coming on first thing in the morning to see my ticker my whole first year  

I do like watching my ticker as well, and get a bit annoyed when it doesn't move when/how I think it should

The tickers of all you pros on here is very inspirational as well, as I can see it's possible and doable!

17 minutes ago, feeling_patchy said:

Yep, just where they belong! 3 hours now, feeling good. The main thing is that I'm having cravings--especially after dinner--but they're so easy to handle, compared to a few days ago. I know coming off the patches will still be hard work, but at least I won't be battling the habitual aspect so strongly. And I'm already starting to breath better and feel more relaxed. Going to have a nice, tasty pot of Rooibos now

You can do it! Soon you will be completely nicotine free!

[feeling_patchy]

Thanks @jillar I'm surprised I managed that so easily! If I'd tried to do that the other day I'd have had panic attacks! It's a great way of seeing how much progress you've made!

 

@Shymaid I'm actually really enjoying this. I was so depressed--I gave everything, down to the knuckle!, only to be right back where I started again--it just feels so good just two days later to be free of vaping so easily

[jillar]

@feeling_patchy, very nice ticker  

[feeling_patchy]

Why thank you @jillar, I thought it was rather a fetching ticker myself! .... Tomorrow's mission is to come up with an avatar!

[intoxicated yoda]

welcome aboard @feeling_patchy  stay committed and don't over think it.  you can and will do this.

[Doreensfree]

Hello and Welcome @feeling_patchy and @Shymaid...

Good to have you aboard this Wonderful Train ....If you stay seated and enjoy the view ,it will take you all the way to a land called Freedom !!!

You are with Friends here who want nothing more than  to help get you there ....

Check out the Main Smoking Message Board...and read all the post marked with green ..this is a great place to start and hopefully help you with any concerns you may have just now ...

The ones who stay and join ,help each other are the most likely to succeed....

Don't be out off  asking  any worries ...we have heard them all....

Few helpful hints ...Don't overthink...Take it one Day at a Time ...take the NOPE everyday ..huge help....

You can do it ...We where all ,where you are ...

looking forward to getting to know you both ..

Edited May 30, 2022 by Doreensfree

[Mac#23]

Welcome Shymaid and Patchy, to the train. You have just made the best decision of your life to quit smoking or camping. It's not going to easy but it will definitely be worth. So, stay informed by content and the support the train provides. We are here for you at all times because you deserve to have a happier and healthier life. Just have faith in yourself to conquer this addiction and believe that it is possible. You really can do this.