Have gained nothing positive

[Gwenivere]

I am almost 6 months into this quit.  I’ve never felt worse in my life.  I feel like an oddity as everyone else is so positive about the changes.  I have no motivation as I have many health-and emotional problems that have been exhaserbated since I started this.  I’ve been reluctant to post again because of replies telling me te suck it up, give up the NRTs, I’m making myself worse and other responses that leave me feeling more isolated.  NRT or not, the nicotine delivery or lack of, I tried dropping them, has altered my medications I take daily and cannot find a harmony with anymore.  I have contacted my doctor and it’s one experiment after another.  I am alone in this with no family or friends.  I was forced into this and while I’ve had plenty of time now to educate myself, I’m still left wondering why I feel so much worse.  I can’t take a walk because of pain.  I can’t think clearly because of that, anxiety and bad sleep.  Just ne ede d to vent a bit.  I’m Glad all of you are experiencing positive results.  Wish I could join you.

[indingrl]

Beautiful Pat just like YOU - in HIS love and service- I love you and thank YOU for ALL YOU DO my BELOVED sister.

[IrishRose]

indingrl , thank you for your kind and loving words.  I love you too, My Sister Dianne Joy!!!!

Gentle (((((hug))))) for you!

[mpnaegle]

Gwen. I so so so can relate to the difficulties of quitting on top of the other emotional issues.  I have a history of Depression and anxiety.  Unfortunately it runs in my family and I got dealt that hand.  I agree with what one of the members wrote, that everyone’s quit is different.  Try not to compare your quit to others.  You must follow your own path, and please don’t give up.  We are all glad that you are here, and I will pray that you find some comfort soon.  Don’t give up.  You got this.  Hugs, Mark

[Kkplayhouse]

Jen I feel your pain and this journey is by no means easy or should be taken lightly. I have been quit for 98 days. My journey is fraught with challenges since the day I quit and I expect that to continue. I too have health issues. One of my best friends died the week I quit. Then my husband quit his job and I had to start seeing a therapist. I still get cravings but they pass pretty quickly because I know what they are. I have Lupus and am experiencing flare ups that come with pain. I pray that relief comes to you soon to enable you to see you are going towards the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. We are all here for you.

[Mommamich]

I can honestly say for some it's never easy. I quit  1.5 years ago and I still miss smoking. It was a wonderful time for me. Do I feel better? The jury is out on that. I can say that I never want to quit again as the journey was horrible so all I can say is take it day by day and try not to focus on it. I did hypnosis and honestly it helped more than anything else. Good luck to you. Keep moving forward as starting over would be horrible.

[Troutnut1]

I think many people, myself included, underestimated the time it would take for my body and brain to normalize once I stopped using the drug nicotine. It’s been over 19 years now but I still recall the first day I went all day without thinking about it. It was Thanksgiving 2001 and I had had my last nicotine 2/28/2001. So about 8 months. And that didn’t get me completely out of the woods. It was just the first day nicotine left me alone for 10 hours or so. I did smoke up to 3.5 packs a day for well over three decades, so I was a heavy user. But still, I wasn’t expecting how long the process was to become a happy former smoker instead of an unhappy smoker who just wasn’t smoking.

Nicotine is one of the planets most addictive and powerful drugs. It was a long walk into the woods and we can’t expect to walk back out overnight once we stop using. 

My suggestion for everyone has always been “give it a year without nicotine” in order to have a good basis of comparison. And “don’t quit 5 minutes before the miracle”. 

Your friend in Montana

Troutnut1-Dennis