Quitting using Nicotine patches Day 1_New here!

[SD2026]

Hello All,

 

I'm new to this forum and I've been reading some posts which are super helpful.

Just to give a brief intro about me.  I have quit before, for 2 years which has been the longest.  I have smoked on and off for just over 30 years. I truly wish I never started, don't we all think that!

 

I understand it's best to go cold turkey however I have zero willpower and the patches will really help me cope.  It's the act of smoking I struggle with.

I had my last cigarette at 11:45pm last night. I couldn't even finish it as I was coughing a lot which hurt my chest!  I think the cigarettes were giving me up!

 

I'm looking forward to getting healthier and fitter and I know being part of this forum will be valuable.  I also want to include fitness and keeping active so I can imagine I'll be doing lots of tidying and cleaning around the house.

 

Good luck to everyone!

[Doreensfree]

Hello and welcome @SD2026

Glad you found us 

We support the patch Quit . As long as it’s followed correctly .

All Roads lead to Rome 

it doesn’t matter how you there …

Just Get there .

I found taking the daily pledge helped , once I made that promise each day 

I wouldn’t break it 

Looking forward to to getting to know you 

better

[QuittingGirl]

Hi @SD2026 Welcome aboard the train!! So glad you found us.  I agree with everything Doreen has said.  I too am on my 2nd and last time quitting, because who wants to go through the withdrawal symptoms again, not me!!  What helped get me through the "act of smoking", I took cinnamon sticks and pretended they were cigarettes.  I would suck in the air and pretend it was smoke that I was blowing out.  I used them for probably the first couple months of my quit and besides helping, they tasted really nice, a whole lot nicer than cigarettes, that's for sure.  If you don't like cinnamon, you can use cut up straws.  Do whatever it takes but just don't smoke.  I know it's not easy, we all know, because let's face it, that's why we are here.  Stay close to this forum and do the daily NOPE pledge every day, it will help you to stay focused.  There is a games section too that will keep your find occupied when you want to smoke.

 

Read all the information on here and just remember that YOU CAN DO IT!! We have people here who have been quit over 20 years, newbies such as yourself and everyone else in between.  

 

Good luck and I look forward to seeing you on here again!  Happy New Year!

[johnny5]

Welcome @SD2026  You are doing a great thing in quitting smoking.  Keep close to the board, read up on the quit smoking posts, and reach out if you need help or encouragement.  It is great to have you here.

[SD2026]

1 hour ago, Doreensfree said:

Hello and welcome @SD2026

Glad you found us 

We support the patch Quit . As long as it’s followed correctly .

All Roads lead to Rome 

it doesn’t matter how you there …

Just Get there .

I found taking the daily pledge helped , once I made that promise each day 

I wouldn’t break it 

Looking forward to to getting to know you 

better

Thank you Doreen! I'll keep taking the daily pledge as can see that will hold me to account.  Appreciate your advice. 

[SD2026]

53 minutes ago, QuittingGirl said:

Hi @SD2026 Welcome aboard the train!! So glad you found us.  I agree with everything Doreen has said.  I too am on my 2nd and last time quitting, because who wants to go through the withdrawal symptoms again, not me!!  What helped get me through the "act of smoking", I took cinnamon sticks and pretended they were cigarettes.  I would suck in the air and pretend it was smoke that I was blowing out.  I used them for probably the first couple months of my quit and besides helping, they tasted really nice, a whole lot nicer than cigarettes, that's for sure.  If you don't like cinnamon, you can use cut up straws.  Do whatever it takes but just don't smoke.  I know it's not easy, we all know, because let's face it, that's why we are here.  Stay close to this forum and do the daily NOPE pledge every day, it will help you to stay focused.  There is a games section too that will keep your find occupied when you want to smoke.

 

Read all the information on here and just remember that YOU CAN DO IT!! We have people here who have been quit over 20 years, newbies such as yourself and everyone else in between.  

 

Good luck and I look forward to seeing you on here again!  Happy New Year!

Thanks so much for your advice and the cinnamon sticks are a great idea! I love cinnamon.  I'll be checking out the forum as can see there are lots of tips and support here.  You're right, we can all do this! 

39 minutes ago, johnny5 said:

Welcome @SD2026  You are doing a great thing in quitting smoking.  Keep close to the board, read up on the quit smoking posts, and reach out if you need help or encouragement.  It is great to have you here.

Thank you so much for your support, much appreciated! 

[DenaliBlues]

How’s it going @SD2026? It’s great to have you with us - participating in the daily NOPE pledge, the games, and other posts. Over time, we see that active forum participants tend to have the most successful quits, so it’s great that you’re involved from the start!

 

I, too, used NRT (patches and gum) temporarily to stabilize my initial quit. It helped me build some “quitting muscles” before I then went cold turkey. 

 

Everybody’s experience is unique, so let us know how this first week is progressing for you. We’re here to help! 

 

 

[SD2026]

Thanks for the welcome! @DenaliBlues  Overall I'm doing better than I expected but I won't be fooled into thinking it'll always be like this   Day 3 and the morning of Day 4 has been the toughest so far.  The morning of Day 5 I removed my nicotine patch as my arm was sore and itchy from the patch. I meant to replace it in a different area using half a patch but got distracted with work and since then, I haven't put a patch on!  I have half of one ready just in case of course!

 

I agree that being active on this forum and checking in daily really helps!  I can see you're 3 years quit!  That's fantastic, well done! 

[DenaliBlues]

Glad you are doing well!

 

For me, I kept a mini NRT lozenge handy to protect my quit in “emergencies”… that way I had more control over the timing of having nicotine in/out of my system. But I was soon able to leave the lozenges behind, as well. 

 

The first days were the hardest, for sure. But after that, things turned a corner. The cravings dissipated. Each and every time you feel like smoking and do not, your quit is growing stronger. Stay determined and you’ll soon taste sweet freedom! 

 

 

 

 

[Reciprocity]

5 hours ago, SD2026 said:

Thanks for the welcome! @DenaliBlues  Overall I'm doing better than I expected but I won't be fooled into thinking it'll always be like this   Day 3 and the morning of Day 4 has been the toughest so far.  The morning of Day 5 I removed my nicotine patch as my arm was sore and itchy from the patch. I meant to replace it in a different area using half a patch but got distracted with work and since then, I haven't put a patch on!  I have half of one ready just in case of course!

 

I agree that being active on this forum and checking in daily really helps!  I can see you're 3 years quit!  That's fantastic, well done! 

That sounds very famliar to me, what you said about forgetting to replace your patch. I think I was on day 2 and took my patch off to have a shower. I forgot to put it back on and when I remembered, I thought ... hummm, maybe I'll just see if I can do this cold turkey now. Why not get the nicotine outta my system right now. It worked out fine for me in the end so yes, it's very doable.

 

I also agree about staying connected to the forum. I was never a social media person but I was pleasantly surprised how much hanging with a bunch of quitters was in helping me though the tough days. Stay the course @SD2026 and you'll make it to freedom!!

Edited 15 hours ago by Reciprocity

[GonSo]

Hi SD2026, so you are now a couple of days without nicotine? Very good!! Now patience comes in play: it will gradually going better.  Have faith in yourself: you can do this!! 

[SD2026]

3 hours ago, DenaliBlues said:

Glad you are doing well!

 

For me, I kept a mini NRT lozenge handy to protect my quit in “emergencies”… that way I had more control over the timing of having nicotine in/out of my system. But I was soon able to leave the lozenges behind, as well. 

 

The first days were the hardest, for sure. But after that, things turned a corner. The cravings dissipated. Each and every time you feel like smoking and do not, your quit is growing stronger. Stay determined and you’ll soon taste sweet freedom! 

 

 

 

 

Thank you @DenaliBlues  If a tiny octopus in a top hat believes in me, I certainly have to believe in myself too! 

[SD2026]

2 hours ago, Reciprocity said:

That sounds very famliar to me, what you said about forgetting to replace your patch. I think I was on day 2 and took my patch off to have a shower. I forgot to put it back on and when I remembered, I thought ... hummm, maybe I'll just see if I can do this cold turkey now. Why not get the nicotine outta my system right now. It worked out fine for me in the end so yes, it's very doable.

 

I also agree about staying connected to the forum. I was never a social media person but I was pleasantly surprised how much hanging with a bunch of quitters was in helping me though the tough days. Stay the course @SD2026 and you'll make it to freedom!!

That's exactly it! I'm around 48 hours nicotine free now (on Day 7 no smoking) and if you told me at the beginning that I'd leave my patch off the first week I'd laugh saying no way! I'll see how it goes but will always be wary of any hiccups! 

[SD2026]

45 minutes ago, GonSo said:

Hi SD2026, so you are now a couple of days without nicotine? Very good!! Now patience comes in play: it will gradually going better.  Have faith in yourself: you can do this!! 

Yes 2 days now!  Thank you!  I have thought about smoking a few times but not wanting to do it.  I brushed it off and got stuck into doing something else. Hopefully this will continue! 

[Doreensfree]

Your doing great …I believe in you 

if I did it after 52 years , I know you can 

Keep focused and your eye on the prize

 

[Cbdave]

Gday

Quitings a journey. One step after another. It’s just a simple task then.

Looking back at all times and would be, if could be’s is a waste of energy. 
Same with looking ahead. That will happen anyway without you worring about it.

Your task is simply to live now. 
You don’t need me to wish you good luck cause you’ll do this.