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Yes, I hit a number of challenges around the 4 month mark too. I was beset by triggers. My mother died unexpectedly. Work blew up. Big stuff went wrong with the house. Quitting had become a strong pattern by then, but being a smoker was recent enough that the cravings and temptations were quite vivid. I felt empty and adrift… like I’d lost the part of my identity that was a smoker and I didn’t have a mental model for being a nonsmoker. It was a strange feeling of loss and limbo. Things turned a corner for me around the 6 month mark. That’s when some switch in my head flipped from abstinence (not smoking) into true recovery (mental, emotional and relational). Give it time and you’ll find a new groove. Meanwhile, congrats on 4 months!!

So proud of you @Kdad! Living proof that quitting IS possible!

Hi @BettyBlue. There really is no perfect time to quit… if it isn’t a vacation, your addict’s mind would probably invent some other reason to procrastinate. (I used every excuse in the book… traveling, work stress, family stress, pet stress, in a bad mood, in a good mood, LOL.) Whenever you choose to stop the patches/ lozenges you will go into full withdrawal. And yes, it will be uncomfortable. But perhaps not as gruesome as you might think. By rationing your nicotine (and using the slow delivery system of a low-dose patch), you’ve already been in a prolonged withdrawal state for a while. So it will be unpleasant, but it won’t feel totally alien. And the sooner begun, the sooner done! It doesn’t last forever. Stay busy, stay focused. Whatever else happens, don’t let yourself lose ground by smoking again. Change situations, post an SOS here, use a lozenge if you have to - just don’t smoke or vape. You can do this!!

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You are doing really great @Benny smokeout And as @Reciprocity said the first few weeks are the most difficult but as the time goes own the withdrawal becomes less and less. Keep coming on here and real all the info, do the daily Nope pledge and if you need support, we are all here! You can do it!!

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G’day NOPE .....Not One Puff Ever.... (replace Ever with Min,Hour, Day as required.)

One positive thing to keep in mind regarding going on holiday is that you'll be in a completely different location from home and doing stuff you don't do at home. That all equates to a change in routine which is a huge benefit for someone trying to quit smoking/vaping etc. When your mind is occupied, which it will be on holiday, there's less idle time when your mind can slide into those smokey thoughts. It's hard for anyone to give you advice on what you should do regarding staying off everything or going back to the patch or taking lozenges with you on holiday but here's my logic: You have 10 more days until you go and if you stay off everything then all nicotine will be flushed from your body with 3 days of stopping everything. Now; that's not to say you will be completely safe from cravings and urges by day 4. The longest and most tedious part of quitting is changing your day to day routine from being a smoker to being a non-smoker. That takes months to complete. Most will agree a full year to get past all the situations that created an urge to smoke. But, because you're going on Holiday, your mind will be pretty distracted that whole time because you'll be in a different place doing different things that aren't a part of your daily life where smoking urges are predictable. My recommendation would be to stay off everything for the 10 days prior to Holiday and during your holiday as well. I feel going on holiday is a real godsend opportunity to kick your addiction in the butt for good. Here's the other thing to be aware of; we are always looking for the perfect time to quit where any whithdrawal issues won't screw up our daily activities or plans. I get it! Been there done that myself many times but the truth of it is that magical time simply doesn't exsist and therefore we tend to talk ourselves into why we shouldn't quit at a particular time such as ...when we're about to go on holiday or at Christmas or Thankgiving or around any other special time of year. There's thousands of excuses we all talk purselves into to in order to delay our quits but the truth of it is, the sooner you begin your quit, the sooner you'll reach your goal of complete freedom from this ugly addiction. Believe me, there's nothing better in this world than to be free of this deadly addiction. Have a Great Holiday what ever you decide @BettyBlue!

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Great Job @Benny smokeout ! You're through hell week and now one day into WTF week. The first three or four weeks are really the toughest and where you learn all your coping skills (or not for some). You seem to be coping really well. Remember, as the cravings and what not start to become less intense and less frequent to always be on guard mentally. One thing this addiction is really good at is bushwhacking you later on when you least expect it. I think the reason for that is your addiction figures if it lets you think you've beaten it then you'll let your guard down a bit. Then wham, it hits you big time outta the blue thinking you'll cave in more easily. Just store that info. in you mind and be ready at all times with a plan to fight those sudden urges. I think the last one I had that I cam really close to caving was at about the 6 week mark of my quit. Of course we're all different so you just need to be mentally prepared at all times. Other than that ... carry on to Freedom!

Your quit is the most important thing , so guarding it with your life has to come first If you intend on not putting anymore nicotine in your body , then I would put other tools in your toolbox for your holiday Gum , boiled sweets etc . Your Quit is very new , so you need to be on your guard on holiday Congratulations in taking your life back

Your doing great, the mornings are the hardest , I completely changed my routine , drank orange instead of my usual coffee Here is a well earned Pat on the back

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