Plateaus

[Gwenivere]

Are there times when your body just refuses to adapt as it was doing to the lowering of nicotine?  When I was smoking, I dropped from over a pack a day to 15 relatively easy.  When I started my gradual quit, I dropped to 4 cigs and lozenges to equal the equivalent and that worked for a few weeks.  Now I have dropped to 3 cigs, sometimes less, and it’s like the withdrawl went into overdrive.  I get the sweaty feeling intensely.  Memory is shot. Don’t want to eat.  Even when I have a half cig it doesn’t stop or slow it down.  Only a lozenge will make it somewhat bearable.  This is a 1mg drop spread thru the day as I don’t smoke whole cigs ever, just a couple drags here and there and I was forgetting one which brought the allotment down.  One measly milligram can do this?  

[indingrl]

yes your doing good-MY nicotine withdraw was intense at times too as a NEWBIE-i used 50 cigs a day and got down to 3-2 a day-exercising daily-coming here reading blogs and watching Joels videoes at whyquit.com and the intense was triggered by what i was thinking and MY emotional state-i was on this site the first 90 days-12 hours-i would fail and smoked a pack-finally i just surrender to MY Lord Jesus and prayed-dear Jesus if you dont take these cigs from ME i will smoke them until i drop dead in Jesus name amen i woke in morning-jan 6 2011-cold turkey quit-been TRYING to be of love service each day to HELP the next suffering nicotine addict-thank you for blogging i do appreciate your help TODAY-love you and WE-US-OUR-TOGETHER WILL STAY QUIT IN UNITY-at each person at the PROGRESS of their OWN recovery - amen 

[elvan]

Have you considered any medication from a doctor?  You have probably already answered that in older blogs but I just thought I would ask you now.  I worked all day and I am useless this evening.  Don't give up...quitting is NOT easy and I do not know any way to MAKE it easy but you have to consider that your addiction really is kicking into overdrive...it wants more and more and more.  I WISH I could wave a magic wand to make this easy...better yet, to make it not so damaging OR addictive but, alas, I have no such wand.

Best,

Ellen

[Chuck-2-20-2011]

I think the more your mind realizes that your quit is no longer a fleeting thought but rather something that you actually intend to do, it causes the addictive part of our brains to go into overdrive.This happened to me as well when I was in the prep stages as you are right now. I used to do what I called practice quits just to see what the addicted side of my brain would try to do to me once I did quit. 

 Every person is different, but for me four in a day was the lowest I ever got, and I tracked my smokes on paper, so I'm sure of this. It doesn't mean that I couldn't get lower if I really tried but when I reached four a day, I felt I was ready to slap on a patch and enter the unknown. And so I thought I'd have a little ceremony to celebrate my quit and you know what? There was no ceremony. I was actually happy on that quit date.

 We have to find our own paths to freedom and the most important thing during our preparations is not to lose focus on what we're really doing. Reaching the day that we're ready to go to the next level and put out that last cigarette. We have to know that this is the ultimate goal in order to succeed. To not light a single cigarette today, tomorrow or for years to come.

 I think you're trying hard to get to that moment when you feel you can really put out that last cigarette. That's fine! It took me a while too, but I got there and it's been almost eight years now. Stay strong and keep learning and when your ready, we'll be right here with you. I know you want this. Stay focused and set that quit date as soon as you can!

I really look forward of hearing of your continued success! 

ONWARD TO FREEDOM!!!

Chuck

[Gwenivere]

Not planning any medications if you mean something like chantix. Just NRT's.  I’m just confused why it’s kicking back so hard having dropped in the past to where I am now.  Only difference being most the nicotine is not from cigarettes.  

[elvan]

I can't answer that, I wasn't thinking of Chantix, I was thinking of an antidepressant that may have a side effect of making the withdrawal less acute.  I wonder if much of your difficulty is the hand to mouth addiction...have you tried buying some bubble juice and blowing bubbles?  It really helps with breath control and relaxation.

[Barbara145]

If I understand you correctly, you have not quit smoking.  If you are quitting smoking and you are still smoking you are doing it wrong.  Smoking cigs or even taking drags is totally different than NRT"s.  Smoking is free-basing.  NRT"s are absorbed slowly. Quit or don't quit before you lose your mind. 

[beazel]

I went cold turkey so I can't relate, but I hope you know that quitting is hard for most of us. It's uncomfortable. And sometimes you just get through minute by minute.

Someone told me early on the only way to get over it is to go through it.

Educate. Commit. And embrace one simple fact - Smoking Is Not An Option - no matter what.

To me cutting down to quit is pure torture...that's just my opinion.

A positive mindset can work wonders.

You can do this - believe in yourself!!!

[constanceclum]

I am using a patch and lozenges. I give you credit for sticking to 3 or 4 a day. I know from experience that, is I have even 1 cig, I will start replacing the lozenges with a cigarette. Usually the same day. I think you are putting yourself through a lot of unnecessary suffering but everyone quits differently. I wish you the best!

Connie

[Mike.n.Atlanta]

If you're down to three a day your body is in a constant state of withdrawal. Better to stop completely & get it over with.