Becoming Nicotine Free

[Adam]

When the time comes, I'm thinkin' crack.

Argggg!!! What a perfect lead in to a butt crack photo. I just can't get myself to post those here. I suck. [No, no - no need to link to your self-serve monkey photo. ]

 

[Adam]

How are those dreams treating you?

 

[Alex2507]

How are those dreams treating you?

Yesterday was closed out with a 36 hour old patch that didn't have much nicotine in it when I went to bed so no problems on that score. As the nicotine was running low, I was informed that my behavior and cognitive abilities were erratic.

Today (Day 8) started off with about 3 hours sleep in me, a fresh patch and taking my g/f to the hospital for a scheduled medical procedure. A few mild urges to smoke weren't too bad to deal with even though the day was a little stressful. I'm trying hard not to be a full bore prick and I'm trying to control my thoughts with varying degrees of success. A few more hours and I'll be putting Day 8 behind me as another win.

I let my g/f read the first couple of pages of this thread and she was very impressed with the level of support and the quality of the advice.

Again, this is a great place. Except for Tom Andry.

 

[Rickster71]

So, how goes it?

Too bad you didn't live closer.
I'm moving my sub to the other side of the room along with the dedicated 20 Amp outlet.
It would take your mind off smoking.

 

[Alex2507]

Day 10 begins. It's going well. My g/f quit using the patch 3 days ago and is fine. Sometimes she gets a little cranky but I think that's gender related.

I will continue to use the patch and ween myself off of nicotine for the next month or so. My lungs are my new best friends. It doesn't seem reasonable that you can smoke for 28 years and your lungs feel better after a few days. The worst of it for me is cycling through being lazy, cranky, confused, sleepy and hungry. I got on a scale a couple of days ago and I am 264.4 lbs.

I am 6'4" but still ... Sometime before the holidays I was 250 and that's heavy from not working. Lately when women look at me it's because they need to find an alternate route. You wouldn't want to get caught between me and a ham sandwich.

 

[tattoo_Dan]

I had to put the angry face up there as a goof.

I'm on day 4 of being smoke free. I'm on the 14 mg dose of the 'patch'. I plan to do the 14 mg dose for a couple of weeks and then the 7 mg dose for another two weeks before going completely nicotine free.

Any suggestions, insights and related links to the subject matter would be appreciated.

TIA,
Alex

good luck ! keep it up !
I kicked a 2.5 pack-a-day 28 year habit in 2000,best thing I ever did for myself !
it was the 4th attempt to quit

 

[Alex2507]

Tip of The Day

Do Not Speak to Your Ex-wife While Quitting.

It only made me wanna smoke a little. If it wasn't for the patch I don't really know how that would of went.

Day 10 down. In the patch lies my deliverance. Amen.

 

[Rickster71]

Day 10 begins. It's going well. My g/f quit using the patch 3 days ago and is fine.

Alex, I wasn't going to say anything while you were in such a delicate condition...but.
You let a girl beat you?

I can't believe it's been ten days already, you're doing great!

 

[Alex2507]

You let a girl beat you?

Every chance I get.

I can't believe it's been ten days already, you're doing great!

I am! It seems so easy that I'm tempted to just quit using the patch now but I know better. I may go to 7mg after I use my 2 remaining 14mg patches. A patch lasts me from 36 to 48 hours depending on where my sleep cycles fall. The point is that it will be 2 weeks on 14mg and then 14 more patches of the 7mg dosage that I would use right up until the red hour: 0mg/no nicotine.

That's when the $h!t really hits the fan:

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Man, I am so proud of you. I too am hooked on that nicotine demon. Mine comes in the form of the nasty COPE. My last quit was 2 years ago and lasted for 262 days. The first 4 weeks my brain wouldn't work at all and I was the meanest guy on the earth. I had support from a "quitters" online forum that helped a lot. Even though I knew better, I feel into the "just one dip" trap and it got me. I haven't tried to quit again but you have me interested in trying.

 

[Alex2507]

I'm not really on any other forums. I've tried it but I already know people here. I think this thread has been more of a help than a quit smoking type support group would be. Even though our circumstances are all different, here we do have something we like in common and at this stage of the game we have shared some laughs and some grief. If this helps anybody else out, great.

Nicotine is no joke.
I feel that if PMS can be used as a murder defense, needing a smoke should be a license to kill.

 

[majorloser]

We're still cheerin' for ya' Pork Chop.

I got my wife to quit nearly 20 years ago. I could never really smoke unless I was heavily drinking. Asthma kind of make smoking a little difficult at times.

 

[Rickster71]

Alex, how are you making out?
I'd like a day by day account.

I wanted to ask you about the physical part of quitting.
Do you miss the routine of carrying around a lighter and a pack of ciggs, then lighting it? How does it feel without that part of?
I've never smoked (maybe a cigar every now and then) and to me it would be a pain in the a$$ to carry around that crap all the time.
What do you think so far?

 

[Alex2507]

I'd like a day by day account.

By the time I got to day 10 of being on the patch I was so worried about what was going to happen when I got off the patch that I just got off the patch. It occurred to me that now really is the time to get this over with. I'm not working and there is nothing stressing me out. The only thing that would make this easier is my g/f having a really serious case of low self esteem. That way I could have someone to abuse.

Just Kidding!

I don't miss the paraphernalia, I miss the drug. I'm on day 4 of being nicotine free and am just getting over a pretty bleak couple of days. It's gonna take a while before I feel good about anything. I guess my little brain needs to balance out it's neurochemicals on it's own for the first time in a long time. I guess this is the price you have to pay for messing around with $h!t you're not suppose to mess around with.

My cravings are actually pretty mild. The worst is not really having any happy thoughts. I would really groove on breaking things and hurting baby ducks right now.

 

[Rickster71]

Do you think going off the patch 'cold turkey' was too much too soon?
What if you cut a patch into thirds? That is... if you don't mind letting me test my idea out on you?

 

[Adam]

I would really groove on breaking things and hurting baby ducks right now.

Sounds cruel, but what most people don't know is that baby ducks are the largest producers and exporters of refined tobacco in the southern states. They look so cudly and innocent...until they get into the board room at Marlboro.

 

[STRONGBADF1]

Quack
Did you hear something?
Quack Quack
I swore I heard something?
Quack Quack Quack
Baby...Was that baby [snap] ducccccaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh





























Find a release buddy.

 

[Alex2507]

Do you think going off the patch 'cold turkey' was too much too soon?

You don't want to be cutting these into pieces.
I could have stepped it down from the 14mg dose to the 7mg dose but I'm just sick of it. The patch hurts whatever arm I put it on all the way down to my hand and having my sleep messed with was pissing me off too. I still have a couple of 14mg doses left but I just want to get this over with.

People quit cold turkey all the time. What screws people is that 'just one puff' crap. The reality is that if you never have another puff, you'll never have another puff, period. I have been a pretty active participant in the Better Living Through Chemistry Society and am just done with it. If I can get away with smoking for 28 years without anything more serious to deal with than this, I'm in.

Edit: Scented candles reek.

 

[Alex2507]

Find a release buddy.

I think the trick is to to acknowledge the fact that you're irritated for reasons a, b & c. Then get over it by remembering that if you were so smart you wouldn't be undergoing withdrawal to begin with. This may be the way to go instead of indulging oneself. It's calming also.

 

[STRONGBADF1]

I think the trick is to to acknowledge the fact that you're irritated for reasons a, b & c. Then get over it by remembering that if you were so smart you wouldn't be undergoing withdrawal to begin with. This may be the way to go instead of indulging oneself. It's calming also.

Release by self analysis...Putting ones self in ones place...I like it.