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G’day NOPE .....Not One Puff Ever. Manly boat harbour

NOPE

Nope!

NOPE!

NOPE!

NOPE!

NOPE!!

I am not going to smoke today. NOPE.

Nope

NOPE! 💫

N.O.P.E. 🙏

Not Tonight!!

NOPE

NOPE!! For tonight. La Conner harbor and tourist trap. Mt. Baker in the background. Primary launch area for the boats we build.

NOPE…

G’day NOPE .....Not One Puff Ever.

Good Morning NOPE!!

Yup! We're all addicts. It's simply a matter of those who continue to allow their addiction to rule them and those who have learned how to rule their addiction. I'm in the latter group and now that you've seen the light ... so are YOU; Congrats!!!

Excellent observation & conclusion! When you get to the point that you clearly understand and pity (and have empathy) seeing those still caught up in active addiction and feel the shift in your thinking about it, you've won your life back! Gratefulness and peace is your reward. Bravo!

You are doing so well @tocevoD Just keep doing what you are doing! 👍

NOPE!

NOPE for today!

NOPE!!

NOPE!

NOPE…

NOPE

N.O.P.E. 🙏

Well done @tocevoD! You're doing amazing! Your observations are very similar to mine. Seeing people smoke was a trigger for me too, not so much now. You're right there are so many people vaping now! Although I do understand their need to do so (addiction), I now feel sorry for them that they are where we all used to be before we quit, that frame of mind. I watch people I care about smoking with no thought and I hate it. Keep up the amazing work!😊

NOPE

Now at 8m 1w 2d. A few small observations. In previous quits I used to see smokers everywhere and this would being one of the triggers. Now I hardly see smokers. I see vapers, they're everywhere. I actually pity them. I think in my head "Why do you need to do it. Introducing that shite into your lungs." I don't understand the need to stand there and get a pull in whenever they can. Then it hits me, the answer. They're addicted, I was addicted. The addiction to nicotine in all its forms of being administered is a pitiful life story.

NOPE

Good Morning NOPE!! The start of breakfast at my cabin on the Treager.

NOPE for today!

I forgot how long this lethargy lasted for me. Seems to be dragging on? I know I wrote about this during the last quit I will have to keep looking. KTQ

That’s right . Feel sorry for the poor smokers They are still in the middle of addiction Thankfully you are free Great job 🐸

You are doing greaat @tocevoD Awesome job!

Nope

NOPE! 💫

Happy Friday, everyone. Rejoice in being free from the destructive, self-inflicted enslavement! NOPE!

NOPE!!

NOPE!

Do you realized what one of these beer pitchers weighs when full? And this is one handed as well!!

I don't know what ingredients are in the lozenges or whether there'd be long term use issues with the inside of your mouth or throat but seems to me if the lozenge packaging says you should wean yourself off them at some point, then that's likely what you should do. The other issue I would worry about is that as long as you are still craving nicotine, there's a greater danger of relapse than if you had kicked nicotine out of your life completely. The most difficult part of quitting is reshaping your daily life to exclude nicotine, not getting nicotine out of your body - that's fast; 3 days without and you're clean. My 2 cents is you should make a plan to wean off those lozenges very slowly and if you need to replace them with mints of some other suckable (sugar-free) candy. Do it before you develop a mental block that makes quitting nicotine a bigger deal than it should be.

Hi @tocevoD Yes, it would hurt because it's going from one addictive substance to another type of the same substance. Nicorette is only supposed to be used for a certain amount of time, not forever. It can be just as bad as cigarettes, if used for too long. Here are some of the side effects: increased blood pressure, heart rate, and a higher risk of metabolic issues like insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Long-term use may also cause other issues like persistent mouth irritation, sleep disturbances, and the potential for withdrawal symptoms if you try to quit later. My advice is to use the Nicorette the way it's supposed to be used and then go off of it. It can be done just like quitting cigarettes can be done. If you want to get rid of the addiction, you need to stay close to this forum because I know we can help you, but you must get rid of the lozenges.

^^^ This! It's how the addicted brain works. Gratification is elusive because the only thing a nicotine hit does for us is make us want another nicotine hit. Lozenges, gum or patches are better than smoking - for sure. But I found that when I was using NRT I was in a more or less constant state of withdrawal. It wasn't until after I quit the NRT that the cravings finally started to shift and ultimately dissipate. Fruit Tic Tacs, Flavigny rose and licorice pastilles, mini butter mints, Glitterati and Columbina all were helpful to me. The occasional pack of Pop Rocks, LOL. Also lots of fresh carrots (not the horrible "baby" ones that come in packages), fresh radishes, baby cucumbers and young turnips. Do whatever works for you... the oral fixations are temporary. Keep fighting! Sweet freedom awaits.

Gday I found fisherman’s friends and mints etc tended to burn my taste buds. Especially at the amount I was consuming. Sugarless gum well just read the label. To much consumption can have a laxitive effect…… I settled on fruit tic tacs. I enjoyed having a “packet” to carry around. It also gave me a ritual. I’d stop open the lid take out one without dropping any and pop it in my mouth. Put the little box iback in my pocket. Had the added advantage of having less than 2 cal per serve. They say a black coffee and 2 tic tacs are the breakfast of super models

Your thinking is right on in many aspects that you have found/find yourself in. I also went through the "phone calls" where one of them was definitely reading from a written script to me in a dull bored voice (yawning included). One even told me if I get cravings while reading posts on-line in their dedicated community that I shouldn't go on-line then. 😮 Those experiences served me well later when I became a certified volunteer to teach an 8 week smoking cessation course to individuals. Personal experience and giving a sh!t does make a difference for successful outcomes. Until you are nicotine free your body will continue to crave even more of what you are feeding it that's why it's so addictive. You might try alternating the lozenges with some other substitute (ie cinnamon hard candy) to gradually taper off the lozenges. Otherwise "just" choose an end date for the lozenges and end the active addiction using the other tools you chose to use when you quit smoking from your "Quit Kit" (distractions, activities, self-talk, substitutions, etc.). Once nicotine free, your body and mind will eventually find its new normal. Time and patience heals & recovers you. Smoking thoughts/cravings will lessen but may/will still pop up from time to time (fewer and further & further apart). The difference is we made our choice and once the physical addiction is dormant it becomes easy to acknowledge the thoughts/triggers (even laugh them off) and just move on from them. You're doing great! Keep it up!

Good morning @tocevoD Noticing that you have more energy is a nice benefit of not smoking. You are probably entering the phase of your quit where you have to work on relapse prevention. What are the little triggers in your world that you have to be aware of that might catch you off guard? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! You have an awesome quit. Keep it going. Here is a handy checklist regarding relapse symptoms that I picked up in Quitnet back in 2005. Following is a checklist of relapse symptoms we can watch for: Exhaustion - Allowing oneself to become overly tired, usually associated with work addiction as an excuse for not facing personal frustrations. Dishonesty - Begins with a pattern of little lies; escalated to self-delusion and making excuses for not doing what's called for. Impatience - I want what I want NOW. Others aren't doing what I think they should or living the way I know is right. Argumentative - No point is too small or insignificant not to be debated to the point of anger and submission. Depression - All unreasonable, unaccountable despair should be exposed and discussed, not repressed: what is the "exact nature" of those feelings? Frustration - Controlled anger/resentment when things don't go according to our plans. A lack of acceptance. See #3. Self-pity - Feeling victimized, put-upon, used, unappreciated: convinced we are being singled out for bad luck. Cockiness - Got it made. Know all there is to know. Can go anywhere, including frequent visits just to hang out at places that allow drinking\using. Complacency - Like #8, no longer sees value of daily program, contact with other alcoholics\addicts, feels healthy, on top of the world, things are going well. Heck may even be cured! Expecting too much of others - Why can't they read my mind? I've changed, what's holding them up? If they just do what I know is best for them? Leads to feeling misunderstood, unappreciated. See #6. Letting up on disciplines - Allowing established habits of recovery slip out of our routines, allowing recovery to get boring and no longer stimulating for growth. Why bother? Wanting too much - Setting unrealistic goals: not providing for short-term successes; placing too much value on material success, not enough on value of spiritual growth. Forgetting gratitude - Because of several listed above, may lose sight of the abundant blessings in our everyday lives. "It can't happen to me." - Feeling immune; forgetting what we know about the addiction and its progressive nature. Omnipotence - A combination of several attitudes listed above; leads to ignoring danger signs, disregarding warnings and advice from fellow members