Hello

[overcome]

I used peppermint candy to keep my mouth busy in the early days. 

[susie14]

I have been having hard candies. And carrots and nuts.

Edited January 28 by susie14

[DenaliBlues]

Hang in there, Susie. You’re going through the worst part now. We know how wretched it feels, but it gets better if you can make to the other side of the initial withdrawal. It doesn’t feel like it, but you really are doing great. Stay strong!

[Reciprocity]

I remember I had pretty bad "brain fog" for the first week I was quit. I was pretty much useless at work for a couple of days, that's for sure but it's just something we have to endure and do the best we can.

 

In terms of nicotine supliments like gum, spray or patches, it may take the edge off the worst of the early withdral but it's NOT a magic bullet for quitting as some seem to think. Believe it or not, nicotine will be completely out of your body after 72 hours (3 days) if you're not using a supliment. Maybe keep that in mind before you start adding nicotine back into your system? 

 

Stay committed no matter what challenges you face. That's absolutely critical. The longer you remain quit, the more you have to lose should you light up again.

They don't call the first week of your quit "Hell Week" for no reason. It truly is the most challenging part of quitting! But, you're developing tools to fight with now that you've quit. Try whatever you think will help distract you and get you through those really hard days. Time probably seems like it's standing still for you right now but when you look back on these days later when you quit is stronger, it will seem like the blink of an eye. Hang in there @susie14!! 

[susie14]

I'll try

[Stewbum]

Susie.

School means you can't smoke most the time anyway. So the times in life when you know there is no smoking will most likely be the same. Like being on a plane, you know you can't smoke so you just stay busy and time goes by. Just stay busy during the break times when you would have smoked. Do something different that makes you happy but you couldn't smoke doing, and the coolest thing will be no perfume needed after that break smoke. Bags of hard candy worked for me and still does. Happiness is a definite key, joke with yourself or whatever it takes to STAY HAPPY. Nicodemon loves depression.

What I have done is kept myself in the places where I wouldn't have smoked, that took the cravings away or postponed them. In the beginning it's all about time and safely getting to the next moment. The more of those moments you stack together the closer you are to calling it another day quit! 

 

My last quit started with NRT but realized that it was postponing cleaning the nicotine from my body (3 days), so after the first week or so I stopped it and just sucked on candy or gum. Kind of hard to smoke when you have a mouthful of candy....

Some things kept me busy also was looking what others wrote here during their early days, gives you some comparisons to your own feelings.

Wish you well.

KTQ, 

 

[Reciprocity]

@Stewbum mentioned staying happy & positive. He's 100% correct but I know it's hard to be "happy" in those early days of quitting. What you can do is look for anything in your life that's improving because you are quit. How much $$ have you saved? How many smokes have you not smoked since you quit. Maybe you should create a 'Ticker'

so you can follow money saved and smokes not smoked. It gives you motivation every time you log on and see the strides you've made!

Here's a post from Jillar on how to create one:  https://www.quittrain.com/topic/15042- creating- a-ticker/

Copy and paste that in your browser and follow the instructions. If have trouble, Jillar can help you out if you PM her.

 

Have you considered posting in the daily NOPE thread? It's something that some people do to recommit to themselves each day not to smoke. Also, there's a pinned thread in the SOS Board called: Prerespond to your own SOS. This is where people leave themselves a message about why they want to quit and how devastating it would be to throw that effort away. It's there in case you're thinking about lighting up but you want someone to talk you out of it. Reading what YOU wrote about how important your quit is to you could be powerful enough to diswade you from doing something you'd regret later. At the very least, it gives you time to think more rationally about your situation.

 

Hope this helps.

[susie14]

Thank you both for the messages and support. It really helps. So did beating the sticks lol

 

I know using NRT is not the best idea. I just don't know if I can do it. I have read quite a few messages about how people deal with the first few days. My mind knows what's right but my body says nope. 

 

I hate having to cover up the smell all the time too!

 

I will have a look at a ticker and the nope thread. It's kinda cool knowing I haven't smoked about 20 cigarettes already. I'm nearly 2 days now. I'm counting the minutes lol

 

 

Edited January 28 by susie14

[Brioski]

You’re doing amazing thing Susie!!! It’s going to suck for sure right now. I’m so sorry you’re feeling sad. Let it out- cry, punch, curse, eat, trash tv, etc. whatever you have to do to get it out. It will get better soon…I promise!!! Keep letting each crave pass, and you can say, I really want a cig, I’m just not going to have one. Bc that’s the truth, or was in my case lol.  
2 days is hugeeeee dude!! 
Also i know it feels like the things you’re experiencing is unique, and quite literally everyone here had those same feelings so don’t feel bad explaining how you feel, we related big time!  I literally almost put my fruit bowl through my kitchen window early on. I even think I wrote about it here lol.

You’re a rockstar gf!!
 

 

[Stewbum]

Thats the attitude. Just think tomorrow will give you 3 days and the nicotine will be gone.

Purge with lots of water and just keep to your guns.

That brain fog is temporary and a little bit of a shitty deal but all the sudden it will be gone and then the freedom increases.

 

Yea whippin me in the game was a good start to some happiness......................... for you!!

LOL

Keep The Quit.

[jillar]

@susie14, there's absolutely nothing wrong with using NRTs when you start your quit but to use them after is just reintroducing nicotine to your system. Its taking a step backward. As Reciprocity said, most of the nicotine is out of your system in 3 days the rest is the habit and all the other 1000s of che.icals in cigs that your body is ridding itself of.

I used my air cigarette and soft peppermint puffs the whole first year of my quit and they worked great! Maybe give those a try?.....

[Reciprocity]

1 hour ago, susie14 said:

Thank you both for the messages and support. It really helps. So did beating the sticks lol

 

I know using NRT is not the best idea. I just don't know if I can do it. I have read quite a few messages about how people deal with the first few days. My mind knows what's right but my body says nope. 

 

I hate having to cover up the smell all the time too!

 

I will have a look at a ticker and the nope thread. It's kinda cool knowing I haven't smoked about 20 cigarettes already. I'm nearly 2 days now. I'm counting the minutes lol

 

 

See! There's one positive thing already. You smell like a person again, not an ashtray! 

Edited January 28 by Reciprocity

[despair not]

Hi

Your doing great glad to see your sticking with the quit.

Once you get the nicotine out of your body your nearly there if I were in your position again I'd be reluctant to put  any type of nicotine back in as it would extend the withdrawal symptoms.

It's up to you but keep the quit goodluck.

 

 

[susie14]

Thank you everyone. I'm awake again in the middle of the night. I don't feel like writing too much but I'm reading everything many times. I'm so happy about all the support.

[jillar]

@susie14, insomnia is totally normal and was something most of us had to deal with. Luckily its only temporary ☺ 

[Doreensfree]

Morning Suzie,

Time zones stink …but my wonderful non smoking family across the pond has given you great support …

You have 2 fabulous non smoking days ….Well done …one more day ,and all the crappy nicotine has left your body  ( yaaa)….

All it is now is you and that nico monster …you’re stronger than him …he’s just a thought ..it’s how you react to that thought …

Dont  think about it negatively …Oh No !….Think about it positively…you’re winning this war …
A great saying I used to repeat a lot at the beginning of my journey…

Take Smoking Off The Table Even if your Arse is on Fire …my junkie brain related to that ..no matter what I’m feeling I carnt smoke ..ever ..

the minutes turn to hours and hours turn to days ect..

I also had my punching pillow ..drawn a face on it ..not saying who,s…lol….that pillow used to fly through the air …..it helped me ..

My sleep was also disturbed for a while ..it’s temporary…soon you will be sleeping better…

What you’re doing is Amazing ..never forget that …High Five xx

[Mona]

Hi Susie,

 

So I guess you're on day 3 now.  Yay...you go girl!

 

How you proceed from here is really up to you.  Everyone is so different and there is no one size fits all solution.  I have quit three times (which I don't recommend btw, one quit is more than enough) and used three different methods.  The first was cold turkey.  The second was with the patch used for the full 8 weeks with 4 weeks of step 1 (21 mg of nicotine).  The third was with the patch for less than 8 weeks (maybe 5 weeks...I don't remember exactly how long) and I only used the step 1 patches for the first few days but used the step 2 patches for at least a couple of weeks.  I went through terrible physical withdrawal with the cold turkey quit.  I felt bad for a month and then slowly started to feel better.  I had virtually no physical withdrawal symptoms with the second quit.  With the 21 mg patches, I hardly even craved a cigarette which I found quite unbelievable.  I did experience some withdrawal symptoms with the third quit but not too bad.  With NRT, I found it much easier to focus on the mental aspects of quitting when I wasn't simultaneously suffering physical withdrawal.  That's how it was for me but like I said, we're all different and what worked for me might not work for someone else.

 

In your situation, you are quickly eliminating nicotine from your system.  I have read that most is eliminated in three days and almost all of it is gone within three weeks.  Ideally, you can continue with cold turkey and you won't feel bad for too long.  However, if progress is slow and you feel like you can't function, there is no shame in using something to get you over the hump.  If you do go that way, I think you should be very careful with the doses you select.  With the patch, maybe go straight to step 3 (weakest strength).  With the nicotine gum or lozenges, use the weakest dose.  Hopefully you don't need to go the NRT route but if it gets you to your goal, so be it.

Edited January 31 by Mona
Clarification of third week time using patches

[DenaliBlues]

Good morning, Susie.

 

Oh my sleep was royally screwed at first, too! I was awake every few hours, then I lurched through the first few days like some kind of cranky despondent zombie!

 

This, too, shall pass in a while. You said you were exercising… that can definitely help. So can listening to soothing/boring audiobooks or music. 
 

Withdrawal symptoms suck. Sad and restless and exhausted and wobbly and nothing sounds good and you have a relentless headache and can’t poop right. The world seems upside down. But it comes right again. I promise. 
 

You are doing so well, Susie. Keep the quit! Then all this junk will ease up and the sun will come out…

[overcome]

Good morning @susie14 , day three the worst is almost over, you are rockin it and just think you are a non-smoker soon to have NO nicotine in your system.  Be kind to yourself an imagine your life without smoking and stinking........I hate that smell too. Hang in there it gets better for sure. 

Edited January 28 by overcome

[Reciprocity]

See all the honest support you have from your new non-smoking family @susie14. This place is special and the exact place a new quitter needs to be. Take in all the good advice and stories of what others have gone through in their quits. Those stories are all honest recollections of what others have experienced. Every one of us will tell you the same thing. The struggle is worth it & it DOES get better, that's no B.S. These struggles are what binds us together as one of the closest and most respectful virtual family you'll ever be a part of. Stay with us and let us all help you take back your life!

[susie14]

Unfortunately I messed up this morning

 

I'm so angry with myself because I know it would have started to get better eventually. But I'm exhausted. I'm also embarrassed and I didn't want to write this message at all. But I need to thank everyone for helping me. You're all so amazing. I'm sorry I couldn't do it even after all your help.

 

I'm not going to stop trying. But I also need a break from thinking about it. The last few days have been so intense. The last few weeks have been intense too. I've read and learnt so much on here about quitting but I don't think my little brain could keep up with it all lol. Maybe I just did everything too fast. I only started thinking about quitting after Christmas. And I didn't know anything then. I understand a lot more about the addiction and myself now and I know I can do it! I will use all of the information everyone has written here next time.

 

Thank you everyone!

[Doreensfree]

Aww I’m saddened to read this   

I had so many fails , so no sermon here . 
Please never give up , giving up .

You can do it , so when your ready we are here for you , just don’t leave it too long , I wasted 52 years , saying next time  xxx

[overcome]

That's too bad, no need to say sorry, taking control of your addiction is for you alone.

Don't beat yourself up, but prepare and try again for your health, the sooner the better. 

Get Alan Carr's book.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Carrs-Smoking-Without-Willpower/dp/178404542X/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=DISFZHMRV8N5&keywords=the+easy+way+to+stop+smoking+by+alan+carr&qid=1706465642&sprefix=the+easy+wa%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

[DenaliBlues]

Hi, Susie. It’s a process - we understand the struggle. Sharing what happened is a good thing, part of the recovery process.
 

Please don’t give up based on this setback! Freedom and healing ARE possible. We’re here for you. No judgement - just love and support for you to keep trying. 

[Stewbum]

Susie. 

We will always be here just jump back on the train and take a seat. Everyone here knows how rugged it can be, especially those first few days.

I wish you well.

Edited January 28 by Stewbum