tocevoD

I add my 1,207 cigarettes into this fire. RIP to the lovely Jill and thank you ever so much for the kind words of inspiration.

Oh no, has jillar passed away?

Thanks for your kind words Gene. Means a lot mate. Your previous posts helped me aswell.

Just checking in again. Had a stressful week or 2 just gone. Been in and out of the hospital with my son, appendix had to be removed. All went well then we were back about a week later with a flare up. Thankfully it came to nothing. Never once felt the need to head to the shop for the dreaded ciggies. I feel like a non smoker now. Sporadically having the lozenges. I can go without them but still like the taste so need to get going on finding myself a pack of nicotineless lozenges. Could be the final hurdle. Haven't been out for a drink as yet which was always a hurdle in the past. I actually feel like I don't want to drink anymore aswell as that makes me wake up the next day feeling like death warmed up no matter how many I have. I sometimes think I have some sort of allergy to drinking and ciggies as both make me feel anxious, alcohol the day after and ciggies as and when I'd have one. Maybe my body is telling me to steer clear of alcohol aswell. Anyway, got to keep fighting the good fight. Off the patches and only sporadically taking lozenges as I say. It's been a good few months. Just got to keep going.

Im not going to post durations anymore, just check in every so often and update that I'm still going strong. I think if I keep updating like a 1 week, 2 week, 3 week etc. etc. It is like I'm counting the days, whereas I'm not anymore. Anyway, no phone consultation this week. As I said last time I got 2 weeks worth of patches and lozenges to see me through the 2 weeks. I'm still on the patches daily, but the lozenge use is down. I find I don't need to be eating them as much as I was. I think it's about 3.or 4 lozenges a day now. I may at some point just buy a packet of non nicotine fruit lozenges and give them a go as I think it's the fruity taste I like more than the nicotine within. That's a plan for the next few days. Things are going well. I've got more energy now. I noticed when having a football kick around with my son. I had to walk up 10 flights of stairs in a block of flats yesterday with a smoker work colleague. He was puffing and panting at the top and I wasn't even out of breath. All noticeable things for me that are evidence of the progress made. I still haven't been back the gym. I need to get myself back in there but that's more of me finding the time than actually avoiding it. I have my son around a lot so squeezing gym sessions in around work and my son is hard at the moment. I've got a little exercise bike in the house so may try and fit in half an hour a day on that to start my fitness adventure and the gym can follow that. Small steps at the moment. One thing I have noticed with every quit, and moreso with this. When I was a smoker I would bite my nails a lot. Now Ive got proper finger nails. The biting of the nails is a nervous smoker thing. The anxiety of the wait for the next ciggie making you go for the nails.

4 weeks completed. Had my weekly phone call today. She said there won't be a call next week so she's giving me a double prescription. 2 weeks of patches, fine I said. Then she said I'll give you 80 lozenges to cover the full 2 weeks. I had to be a bit persuasive with her explaining I've had 80 a week so I want 160 for the 2 weeks. After a little umming and ahing she agreed. They're probably after trying to not lay out as much money now. I actually asked her when we can start lowering the dosage of the patches and she said give it a few more weeks, maybe week 6 or 8 she said. I had to explain that the lozenges are the big help at the moment so thats why I want the full weekly quota again. I find that sucking a lozenge for about 45 mins is a great substitute for a ciggie. I think I'm becoming addicted to lozenges. I'll have to find some zero sugar lozenges for when I ween off the nico lozenges. I know when Johan Cruyff the Ex Holland and Barcelona player packed in he became addicted to lollipops.

Into my 3rd week. Still on the 16 hour 25mg patches and lozenges alongside them. Feeling good. I know how to occupy my time now. The gym could be calling tonight if I can gee myself up. Been throwing myself into tidying the house massively. All stuff that would have been put off if I was still heading to the back door every 45minutes to an hour. When smoking it felt like I was just sitting round waiting for my next hit of nicotine. Now I'm getting stuff done. This thread and updating the progress is therapeutic for me at the moment. Hopefully there will come the day when I only pop in to say hello and help other people with their quit, I must say though I know that day is a while off yet, got to kill my own addiction first. Until then though I'll keep updating my progress. NOPE

what's all that about? That post above is acting like it's quoted something I wrote but I wrote no such thing. Same thing happened at the start of my quit.

Just been reading the first few pages of this thread I started. I forgot I even packed in for a month last August/September. Absolutely nuts. That was a cold turkey approach though. I'm fully equipped this time round with plenty of NRT. As I say I'm on prescriptions at the moment from the smokefree intitiave in my city on the NHS. I've paid for 3 months pre paid NHS prescriptions. I'm not going to let them start lowering doses until I'm happy and ready myself. At the moment I feel the patches and lozenges are a massive help.

2 weeks now. Still on patches and gone back on the lozenges. The lozenge lasts a good 40-50 minutes to waste away in your mouth whereas the spray was too quick. I find using the lozenge substitutes for a ciggie quite well. Haven't had many cravings at all. They come and go, mostly in stressful situations. I'm using my time well though. That time not spent sitting on the couch waiting to go for a ciggie. Feel more energetic to get stuff done around the house. Ciggies really did drain me of any energy to get anything done.

Just over a week in now. Had my second consultation. To be fair the consultations are absolutely nothing. Just some woman trying to speak without being spoken to. Probably just trying to get as many calls in as she can in the day to get her wage. I understand that. The conversation went along the lines of "So how you doing. That's great. Right I'll sort another prescription out for patches and lozenges." I cut her short and basically said jib the lozenges I want the mouth spray. She sorted it and I picked them up straight away. Will get on the spray sometime today. Patches must be doing their job during the day, administering the nicotine.

Very dubious of clicking a disguised link off someone posting their first ever post on a forum. Would advise that no-one else clicks the link also.

Thanks jillar. Thankfully he still doesn't know. He's 8 now so this has to be done. Just taking my patch off from my first day and it has helped along with the lozenges. I suppose it's a case of keeping going one day at a time. Patch back on tomorrow, more lozenges and onto the next day. One day at a time. I'm actually taking him for a game of football over the park tomorrow. Ive been less energetic when playing football with him lately, the consequence of 16+ ciggies a day. It will be great to be able to run around over the next few weeks with added energy. Long term I want to get using that gym pass I've been paying for without using for a year and a half now. One day at a time though. I've done the whole looking too far into the future one too many times.

Well it's been a long time but I'm back here as I'm at that point again. Last Friday I was driving and seen a bus in my city with a smokefree helpline number. I texted it and was given a consultation date of Monday which was yesterday. Had my consultation which was basically a chat on what I'm doing now smoking wise and that I wanted to quit. The lady on the other end said I seemed very determined, I always am. Anyway the call finished with me getting a prescription for patches and lozenges. I told her I didn't want the vape. I made a conscious decision the patch was going on as soon as I got out of bed this morning and that was going to be the start of the quit. Patch has been on since 6am we are now at 10:10 and thats where I'm at. Had 2 lozenges so far and feeling good. I was starting to smoke heavier than what I have before so something had to be done and here we are. Early days I know, been here before, I needed help and the speed at which the prescription was dispatched to the pharmacy was a massive help. Next consultation next Monday when I'll get more patches and more lozenges. Looking forward to the challenge now I have the help I need.

Sorry for not posting Genecanuck. I'm at the place I need to be to get posting again now.today is my quit day. As mentioned in previous posts it's easier when I've got my son. Got him till Wednesday night next week. Going out for a drink, which I do rarely, is a gateway as is boredom which I have lots of. I need to occupy my time when my son is not with me. The determination is there again. When you go back to it you realise how it makes you feel. Heartburn, lethargy and wasting money. Time to get back on the train.