34 hours, 32 minutes and counting. And God am I counting the seconds.
Would it be wrong to roll up one of these patches and light it?
Also - has anyone ever managed to put a nicotene patch on without it peeling off? I am reduced to attaching them with boatloads of surgical tape.
oooooh. I’m rolling up some Bali Shag, it’s rich and spongy. Smells of raisins. I’m stretching it out across the paper. Rolling it gently so it’ll draw nicely. I lick the outside of the paper so it doesn’t unravel. I trim the end and bring it to my lips…
Oh, hey. Got a lighter? I see you don’t need one anymore.
Yeah, I’m an asshole. Filthy habit, kills us, better to quit. REally is. I’ve just never been able to do it.
I am vacillating between pricing flights to PR to track you down and attack you, and sobbing uncontrollably into my keyboard.
You are mean!
Yeah, that was mean. I never mentioned I’m the Devil’s friend, a world class enabler, and a professional bad influence?
I envy your willpower. I’ve gotten rid of ashtrays, had 5-6 ‘one last cigarettes’, woken up to a supposedly tobacco free house, should have ridden out the worst of the withdrawal asleep. And by 9am I’m smoking butts off the parking lot asphalt.
36 hours? You’re a better man than I am, Gunga Villa.
Sorry to hear of your struggle! Just stopped in to give you encouragement.
I recently had a bout with trying to break an addiction and the thing that stopped me from “just having one” was that I was afraid it would put me back to square one - and I didn’t want to ever feel that bad again. So I just kept sticking it out, and eventually it all worked for me.
But I have never had to try and beat nicotine, so I can’t say it compares.
Sending supporting thoughts your way!
Quitting cigarettes was the toughest thing I had to quit, and believe me, I’ve had to drop some pretty bad habits.
As stated above, I can’t even have ONE, or I am right back where I started (or ended, which was 2.5 packs per day). It’s been 15 years, and although I don’t regret it AT ALL, I miss it now and then.
Just don’t fucking smoke today.
Just to set the bar at a more readily achievable level, just don’t fucking smoke this instant when the urge hits you. Then repeat that decision in another minute or two when you crave another. I found it took at least a few months before I could start thinking about “days”!
I hear ya. 23 years here, and there are still times …
The good news is, the nicotene cravings do go away after a little while.
The bad news is, the smoking habits take much, much longer to get rid of. I managed to quit for two years once (before having the “just one cigarette” that brought me back to square one, just as others have suggested). During that time, I still always had habit-related cravings (cig with my morning coffee, cig after a big meal, cig if I have to kill 5 minutes while waiting for a bus, and so on and so forth).
I’ve done it before, so I know it is possible. 7 years without a cigarette.
Difference is, that time I had a non-smoking wife in the house, and for much of the time a kid there. Living alone makes it much harder.
I’m a little over 7 months quit and counting. Some days it’s a struggle still, but most days now I just don’t even think about it. Sending supportive thoughts your way.
Dumb question, but if you quit for 7 years before, why did you ever start back up smoking again?
I quit smoking 7 years ago also and there is no amount of money on this planet that could be offered to me to get me to start them again.
Why are you quitting? Let’s talk about that.
I actually started again for two reasons - first because it is freaking wonderful. And second, I actually restarted because of anti-smoking legislation. I was at my friends wedding in Ireland, which was totally no-smoking inside. I had changed over to cigars - one or two a week. When on vacation, slightly higher, but never more than one a day. Anyway, it wasn’t really practical when with a group of friends to walk outside to have a 45 minutes cigar. So I decided to have the odd cigarette with my friends, knowing I would quit when I got back.
Anyway, I got back, and went straight into trial preparation, then trial, with half of our trial team smoking. So I decided to give up after trial. That was now 8 months ago.
And the other reason I restarted again - I am weak and pathetic.
If it helps, think of the money you’re not spending on smokes. I ring up people all the time who, as they hand over a ten for two packs of Benson & Hedges, say things like, “Welp, I’ll never see that ten again, I really need to quit…”
I’ve decided to be utterly irresponsible with the saved money for the rest of the year. $40 or so a week for frivolous things.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck
Fuckkity fuck fuck cigarette fuck fuckity fuck fuck
Fickitty fackitty fuckity fuck-fuck
cigafuckingrette
fuckadoodle-doo
fuck-stick fuck-bat fuck-club fuck-rod fuck-branch fuck-stem
hickory dickory fuck, a mouse ran up the clock to fucking smoke a fucking cigarette
fuckkekrrararrrrrrrrrrrrgghhhhh!
We had about ten months in the Rhythm household. Then there was the “one.” Then another (since we were able to smoke “just” the one without a problem. A few days later, of course we could get away with having another, since, you know, we didn’t really smoke anymore. Oh, what about a pack for this special occasion? No problem, we’ll just smoke the one pack and that will be it. That was three months ago. Today is day ten of non-fucking-smo-fucking-ing.
FUCKa-fucka-fucak-fucka-FUCKa-fucka-fucka-fucka-FUCKa-fucka-fucka-fucka-FUCKa-fucka-fucka-fucka…
Good fucking luck!
Regarding the OP’s question about nicotine patches, when I used them, they were damn near impossible to remove, and didn’t catch on clothing or anything. If they’re so loose on you that they need to be taped on, I imagine the contact isn’t good enough to allow a good dose of nicotine to transfer, which might explain some of your current cravings.
Anyway, basic transdermal patch best practices to ensure good adhesive contact: avoid skin that is going to come into friction with clothes-- for instance, on the arm, place the patch high enough so, say, your polo shirt sleeve cuff would catch on it. Choose a relatively hair-free area; peach fuzz is okay, but not full-on arm hair or something. Wash the area with PLAIN soap-- no moisturizers, no lotion, no aloe. And use soap, not cold cream or “beauty bars.” Make sure the area is completely dry (wait a few minutes after towel drying, or blast it for a few seconds with a hair dryer), but try to apply the patch shortly after cleaning. By avoiding the big transdermal-adhesive-killers-- friction, body hair, oils, and moisture-- you will probably have a patch that sticks so well that it’ll be a chore to remove the next day.
The patch is doing a pretty good job on the nicotene cravings - I have had those before and toughed them out. I just keep thinking about walking outside for a smoke, then have to jolt myself back to reality.
I used nicotine gum when I gave up dip. Seemed to fill the need for of having something in my mouth whcih was a big part of the ritual. Of course, then I had to kick a gum hadit and that took over a year.
Oh, and good luck. Its tough but it gets easier and is well worth it.
My husband had to quit smoking because of MY habit of loading cigarettes. He never knew if or when a smoke would blow up in his face. ;D