Hey all!
I am officially one week away from my quit, and I've been learning about what this addiction does to my brain. I use Juul pods, which are downright EVIL. This week, in preparation for quitting on 10/30, I switched from the 5% (jet fuel) strength pods down to 3%. I am happy to report that I'm not making up for the reduced concentration of nicotine by vaping MORE. I'm consuming the same amount as before. So, my body is absolutely getting accustomed to less nicotine.
This means that the bazillion little nicotine receptors that I've so expertly cultivated and nurtured in my brain for years are going a little bonkers, wanting their fix. I am already feeling a lack of concentration and fatigue. I am susceptible to depression, and I am fully expecting to feel some of those symptoms creep in as I get further along in my journey.
Knowing that I am about to enter the land of having a dopamine deficiency, I did some homework last night to find natural ways to increase dopamine in my brain. There is a lot of stuff out there if you do a google search, so I highly recommend this to anyone struggling with the reduced dopamine in their body. The good news is that the receptors we've grown in our brains as a result of our addiction - they eventually die off after about three months of being nicotine free! Hooray! Kind of like not watering your plants. Don't feed them, they starve, and they stop screaming at you.
Here's the link to a webpage I found on Healthline that I thought had a lot of great suggestions. Feel free to respond if you have suggestions of your own, as well. The more tools we have in our toolbox, the more likely we will be successful.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-increase-dopamine
Hope everyone has an amazing day! And enjoy the photo of my feet from a recent hike at Valley of Fire State Park.
