Am I prolonging the agony of quitting?

[nwtw]

I am on Day 5 smoke free and I am using patches.  They have been a godsend and I am not nearly as jagged as I have been during past attempts when I went cold turkey.  But I know that I am still using nicotine, and wondering if I am just prolonging or postponing truly quitting?  What happens when you stop using the patch?  Thanks.

[Pops]

Good morning....

When I quit, I started with the patch for about two weeks on the 21mg, then about ten days on the 14mg, then I just quit using them at all.  I basically came to that conclusion, because I was forgetting to put it on in the morning, and didn't feel any different than I would have felt with a fresh one anyway.  It was then that I began to feel that I had truly weaned my physical craving away completely.  Now, all that is left to do, is to learn how to live a peaceful and "happy" life without smoking a cigarette during my day.  

A friend of mine would tease me and say, "you know I found that the patch works best....when you stick it across your lips?" lol  Geez I used to get so ticked at him when he would say that, but there is actually some truth to it.  In the right context, he was saying that after I had been quit for at least 6 weeks, and I was plenty weaned physically by that time.  Now, I needed to work on the emotional side of the addiction.  "I just DO NOT smoke anymore.....period!"  

So, in my opinion, you're not postponing pain, I think you are using some modern medicine to help you combat a physical element to addiction, and there is nothing wrong with utilizing modern day medicine.

Hell, I am about to have a little robot inserted into one of my arteries, and work it's way into one of my heart's valves and perform a surgery without cutting one inch of my skin open...!!!! Hey, I'm digging the heck out of this new modern medicine stuff.  Sign me up for anymore that might make my life longer and easier....

Pops w/158 DOF!

[nwtw]

Thanks Pops!  I love your outlook on this.  I look forward to being weeks into my quit and just forgetting to use the patch (or sticking it over my lips !)  But seriously, this makes sense to me!

[AnnetteMM]

I was just thinking about this question, and have been considering a post about it. It's a bit controversial around these parts. We all know that quitting inhaling poison is the single most important part of all of this. BUT...keeping nicotine in your system does create problems. Whatever you go through when you quit smoking, you'll go through a bit differently when you quit nicotine. They're two different things. I think that using nicotine replacement keeps you addicted, and so more likely to pick up cigarettes again. Others think other things.  No one answer serves everyone, unfortunately.

[nwtw]

Thanks Annette - I will let you know the results 🙂

[Barbscloud]

No you're not.  I just posted this yesterday.

https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/people/Barbscloud/blog/2020/02/01/nicotine-replacement-wrong-or-r... 

[YoungAtHeart]

The idea behind the NRTs is that you get the drug while you learn new ways to live your life without smoking. This addiction has two parts - physical AND psychological -  and with an NRT, you are conquering them one at a time.  While you are using the patch, you change up your routines - drink your coffee without a smoke, drive in your car without one, find new "rewards" for tasks completed, learn new ways to deal with boredom, anger, etc. 

I recommend that you start going down to a lower mg patch before stopping them entirely so you are reducing the withdrawal reaction.  Although I did not use patches, I have read here often that folks started to wean from them when they forgot to put one on and noticed only a small difference in how they felt. 

I would worry less about the nicotine addiction and more about not smoking in the beginning of a quit.  jmho!

Nancy

[nwtw]

Thanks! 

[maryfreecig]

Listen to your quit. If patches are working, then why trouble yourself over using nicotine?

Now you have 365 support and a one day at a time program. 

Ex is a large supportive group and all that I know of believe that if you are on the right track...stay on it.

[nwtw]

Thanks