I'm on day 5 using the patch, gum and inhaler. Day 2 and 3 were absolute hell even with the NRTs but it's sure worth it. My lungs feel better and I have more energy already. Hopefully this time around it will be for life. Anyone have suggestions as to when and by how much you start cutting down on the NRTs?
Thanks for all the info and encouragement. I'm on day 14 today with just the gum and inhaler. Unfortunately I couldn't tolerate the patch. My family doctor is part of a family health team at the local hospital and he encouraged me to see their pharmacist who is smoking cessation counsellor. She got me onto the NRTs and checks up on me and keeps me motivated. She also provided me with this website which I have found very helpful. I have an additional major motivator to stay quit and that is that my mother was recently diagnosed with invasive bladder cancer due to 60 years of smoking. Spending 2 to 3 days at the cancer centre of our local hospital every week is a very sad but powerful motivator to never light up again. I hope I can remain focused and committed. I truly think I can this time around.
Thanks for the feedback. I am working with a pharmacist who is a smoking cessation counseller at my doctor's clinic. She is suggesting to gradually reduce every 4 or 5 days starting 1st with getting rid of the inhaler in order to eliminate the hand to mouth association. I guess I'm like Working On It, I tend to be stubborn and contrary and want to get it over with. When I had to stop the patch because I developed a reaction to it and was left with the gum and inhaler only, I got the withdrawls for about 2 days so I have had a small taste of how lousy it is. I too did everything wrong 3 years ago when I quit drinking. I went cold turkey even though you really shouldn't do that because of the medical risks. However, luckily I've been sober for 3 years now. The only thing about going cold turkey with the smoking that I'm afraid of is caving to buying cigarettes. I definitely have no desire to smoke anymore but physically I still really crave the nicotine and when I have the gum or inhaler it instantly improves my mood which crashes into depressiveness and irritability when my nicotine levels get really low, much like when I was smoking. I guess I'm tired of the roller coaster and want to get it over with.
Extremely liberating! I can enjoy a nice dinner out without racing for the door after my last bite to go out and smoke, or worse still, sometimes between courses. I'm not clock watching at work during meetings. Believe it or not sometimes I would have a cigarette at the transition station between events during my duathalons! How addiction controlled is that!!Now I can focus on the event rather than wanting to smoke.
Thanks Jim for the suggestions. I've cut out 1 of my 2 inhalers starting yesterday and plan to slowly start reducing the gum. I know I never want to smoke again and the smoking cessation counsellor I was referred to gave me a good bit of enciuragement too. She reminded me that these products essentially do no harm so not to pressure myself too much to let go of them too soon. She said that most people take 3 to 6 months to completely get off of them. I guess I'm just being impatient but with the support and feedback I've recieved, I have a better attitude towards the whole thing today. Afterall, I've been smoking for 30 years, I can't expect to just drop it overnight with no problems. I keep reminding myself of everything I've gained already by not smoking and will persevere with the battle. I excercise every morning before work and that's a huge mood booster too.
I can so relate to everything you're saying especially the part about the sense of disorientation because of not knowing what exactly is causing the bouts of sadness and irritability. By 2010 I was up to 1 1/2 large packs a day and then I quit for 3 months in January 2011 using the gum but unfortunatley I couldn't give up the gum and then one day I just gave in to the craving and bought a pack. I have smoked on and off since then continuing to use the gum. This is th first serious attempt to stop since last year but I think I have a more committed mindset now and am very hopeful that this will be the last and final quit. I'm looking forward to the day when I set my mind to the complete detox. I admire your courage and determination in sticking through the hell days.
I know this helps me destress a lot . . . not just with quitting smoke butin dealing with life stressors in general. When I go to my yoga classes the "breathing" is the relaxation reward at the end of putting your body through a good workout. Different teachers do the relaxation breathing in different ways but it's all good. I find the more I excercise right now the more it manages the mood swings not to mention couteracting all the sweets I'm craving and often giving in too!
Freedom from every waking, and some times sleeping minute, being controlled by the urge for my next fix. Freedom from people's negative comments about smoking. Freedom from the stink in my hair, car, house, etc. The list of positives just goes on and on. I'm not completely free of nicotine a I'm usong NRTs but at leat I'm not getting the 100s of other chemicals and I'm slowly slowly weaning myself off the NRTs too.
It’s been a while since you were active on this site. Please extend your session below
You have been logged out due to inactivity.
Please sign back in.
We use cookies to help us learn about how our platform is used and how we can improve your experience. To
learn more please see our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
