I haven't looked at the new reponses to "Uh Oh" yet -- been a heck of a day, working 2 jobs from 2 different locations -- but I saw my old buddy Dunedad and thought I'd throw in my two cents worth.
First and most important, I thank the drugs for getting me to today. I also thank God, this group, and some other things, but definitely want to give the drugs their due. But for me, and only for me, not being able to find the 14 mg patch was like a "sign." I was tired of the patch and wanted to be done with it. Tired of nicotine and wanted to be done with it.
Spouse is wonderful, a little nervous about my going patchless after such a short time, but very supportive; made a to-die-for fillet mignon dinner tonight to celebrate 2 weeks. I'm all about running out to the store in the middle of the night for patches if I need to (God knows I did for cigarettes long enough, so it's not a question of pride!!) -- but I feel like I know my body, and my body has gotten up the nerve to ask for mercy after all these years of drugs. It's asking me to stop pumping more nicotine into it, and I'm listening.
(Once I get on my body's good side, I'm going to ask it to help me find my abs again.)
I think once we get into the whole quit mystique, we enter a whole new dialogue with our bodies. (I know, do I sound like Shirley MacLaine or what?? How embarrassing!!) The thing is, I'm all about expert advice -- I'd be dead in the water without it -- but I didn't want 6 weeks on a 21mg patch, followed by x-number of weeks on 14, and so on. I knew it was time to be done, but just for me.
Your body knows exactly what it needs to quit (once you start listening to the body and not the addiction), and I think your body will tell you how much time it wants on how much medication. There is no right or wrong in any of it (well.. except for listening to the addiction and lying to ourselves by saying we're listening to the body!); patches, pills, inhalers, teddy bears, whatever --- it's all good. One of the byproducts of mastering the addiction is a new-found confidence in our own judgement and healing power. All I'm saying is trust your own judgement.
(HA! Or put another way -- Do what the voices inside your head tell you to!!)
Don't know if this ramble is helpful o