tocevoD

Ah well been a bit of time since I've been on. I'll be honest, I'm best staying away and just popping in every now and again. It's what works for me, it's doing me good. I like popping in and sharing how things are going though, keeping you updated and that, it helps. Anyway since I was last in I think I have had 1 hefty night out with friends. In the past this would have been a go to for a failure and an end to my quit. As I have said in the past it feels different this time. I just don't have the feeling anymore. It feels like it's gone, the urge, it feels like it's finally been laid to bed. I hope it has, I hope it never rears it's head again. I'm wary of saying it's gone forever, I don't want to let my guard drop. I have a hatred for it now, I think thats a good thing to have, it has to be demonised. If you have pure hate for it and all it's done in the past to you and your body then that's a help in keeping that guard up. Anyway next Saturday 10/10/26 is 1 year since I last had a cigarette. I was on the lozenges for a month or so afterwards but as far as I'm concerned I set out to pack the ciggies in, they were my addiction to kick after 35 years so that day will be my celebration. I may have another for the day I packed the lozenges in but the lifelong addiction was ciggies so the 10/10/26 is my day.

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.

Ended up going out Friday for a good drink with friends watching the Cheltenham gold cup. Was out for a good 7-8hrs and never once felt the urge. I think I have demonised it enough and knocked it into my head how it used to make me feel. This was another massive hurdle for me to clear. In the past when getting ready to go out if I hadn't smoked for a good while on an attempted quit I would talk myself into smoking. Now it seems I don't even have to talk myself out of smoking. I'm not naive enough to think the battle is won this easy, it's still a battle. Just got to keep the thoughts I have and keep on along this path I'm on.

Still plodding along. I do feel different this time to the failed times from before. I can't even remember if this quit has been NRT free at the beginning. I think it has, my memory not so good. Just checked my quit tracker and it's 4m 3w 3d. On previous quits I was romanticising having one, this time around I'm remembering the way they made me feel, the anxiety mostly. It used to cripple me. I felt terrible off smoking, I'm remembering them days. I haven't had an urge.to have a ciggie at all which is so different to the other quits. It just feels different all around. Feels great to be honest. *Just checked through previous posts, came off the lozenges late November. Best thing I did with the good advice of people off here. Thanks people.

Nearly had an upcoming test tonight. Was nearly going out for a drink with friends. It's had a late fall through though. I think it would have been a massive test so I'm not too bothered that's it's fallen through. Now I can just keep on keeping on this course I'm on and am determined to see through. Might even do a bit of shopping with my free Saturday instead. Get some presents and get some clothes to go back the gym finally. Been packed in now for 2m 2d 17hrs (just checked app) so it's time to start moving onto the next phase. Gym and getting out and walking a bit more. Start to feel the benefit of these healthier lungs.

I was stewing for a bit and thinking about everyone's comments on here. "What do they know." "How bad can sweets be." "I'll stick with these sweets if I want to." Took me an extra week and a bit to realise that everything everyone was saying on here was spot on correct. I was becoming reliant on the nicotine in the sweets. I was starting to have that hankering I'd get when when waiting for my next ciggies. A sickly feeling that I thought has gone when I packed the ciggies in was continuing with the lozenges. Been off the lozenges since about Tuesday. I never marked the date like when I packed in the ciggies but when I think about it it was another milestone day. 1m 1w and 5 days a non smoker and I can now add no nicotine aswell.

Just on me way home from a music gig on the bus and this place just piqued my memory. Haven't been on here in a while. I've just been quietly trying my hardest for the quit again. Just checked in with my quit tracker and I'm at 4w 1d 7hrs. Had 4 pints watching the music gig and didn't feel the need for a coggies at any point. I'm eating nicorette fruit lozenges quite frequently. I think to myself I like the taste but I know it's because I like the nicotine aswell, they do have a lovely taste though. Anyway, my point is. I have been on off smoking for 35 years of my 48. Would it hurt to be addicted to lozenges knowing they are better than coggies and vapes. Vapes have never been for me. The lung damage could be just below ciggie levels when the damage is known later in life. Everyone on a vape is a guinea pig at the moment for them future findings. After 35 years of smoking my dependency to nicotine is going to be high. I have had people in the past saying "You shouldn't have too many lozenges." And "The advice leaflet says you should wean yourself off the lozenges." My question is, if I'm not smoking and I feel fulfilled and like the taste of the lozenges and they keep me away from smoking then is it that bad to be addicted to the lozenges? The smoking and all the harmful chemicals was what I didn't want from smoking. Surely eating lozenges is more preferable.

Thanks mate. Think I'm gonna take a look at fisherman's friends. They're small and of similar size and have quite a few different flavours. I can't do mint, they seem to do something to me aswell.

I don't know whether becoming addicted to the lozenges is actually serving me well. The fact I have turned back to lozenges rather than succumbing to ciggies is reinforcing to me that the addiction is most definitely nicotine and not the physical act of smoking. Smoking is what left me feeling like crap more than lozenges. Smoking is the act with the most downsides. It's why I didn't want to dally with vapes, it's too akin to smoking with the physical long term effects on the body still unknown. I don't want to be stuck on lozenges for the rest of my life. I just need to find an alternative to the lozenges now. As I say I'm a very active person, always on the go so I am feeling the positives of not smoking on my body and that's with still eating the lozenges. I just need to be free of the drug that is nicotine. I think I will do as you say my friend and find myself the alternative to these Nicorettes and set a pack in date for these. Anyone got any alternatives to Nicotette fruit lozenges? Same taste and same size minus the nicotine?

Just popping in to update. The phonecalls with the prescriptions have finished. I missed a call and that was the end of that. As I said at the very start they're not bothered about you as a person or how you're doing. It was all just lip service to give you the prescriptions. I think there was probably some sort of local funding from government and they just have to keep throwing prescriptions around to keep receiving the government money so they're not really bothered about the individual. Anyway, onto this week. I don't know why but there were temptations this week. Id been finished with the lozenges for a week or two and midweek this week, Wednesday to be precise, had me thinking the unthinkable. I never succumbed to the pressure. I thought how horrible it would be in the end. The feelings of anxiety I used to get off smoking are still in my mind. I know how smoking used to make me feel and it was not good. All them feelings have gone this last 3 months odd, and that is because I have packed in. I was around at my lads mum's on the Wednesday in question, I had to go in the kitchen to get a plastic bag to take some stuff she passed me, her ciggies were on the side, open with a good few ciggies gone so she wouldn't notice if I took one. It was a quick temptation, the thought was gone as fast as it came but the temptation was there. Can't work out whether I've actually won with that battle by not taking one. The temptation being there probably means the opposite but the knocking back of the temptation must cancel that out. Needless to say last night I went to boots and got myself a weeks worth of lozenges. I need to kick this nicotine habit. I know I don't want to smoke, Ive knocked that temptation back. Just got to kick the lozenges now. It's like nicotine in a different form is taking a hold now.

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.