Hi @Icandothis2. Welcome aboard the Quit Train. Glad you are fed up with smoking! That's great energy you can channel into a successful quit.
Mornings are tough because while you've been sleeping your brain has been deprived of nicotine for a long time. So it's desperate for a fix. Many quitters find it useful to establish a new morning routine to help disrupt those old habits and associations.
I, too, quit using patches. I would put on a fresh patch every morning, but the skin absorption is a slow release. So early in my quit I would also sometimes use a lozenge to get through that hard morning time without smoking. Using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT, patches, gum, lozenges) can extend withdrawal... the longer you keep nicotine in your body, the longer your brain receptors will stay programmed to crave it. However, I still found NRT to be a useful tool. After 40+ years of smoking, It got me over the hump of the worst initial phase while I built up some other coping mechanisms to support my quit. Then I tapered down the NRT aggressively and used other methods to manage the final withdrawal. Everybody ultimately finds their own unique combination of tools, tips and tricks. Bottom line, do whatever it takes to not smoke. Any quit that sticks is a good quit!
Withdrawal is tough, but it's temporary. If you stick with it, it gets MUCH better on the other side. Stay busy. And stick close to this forum. Joining a community like this can make a huge difference because of the positive reinforcement and the good information you can pick up. We're here to help!
Post a lot - let us know how you're doing and let us know what questions arise. Learn all you can about this addiction. When I quit, I spent hours reading everything I could in the "Quit Smoking Discussions" and "SOS" sections of this site. Knowledge is power - power you can use to finally be FREE!