New to this forum and not normally one to join blogs, forums etc... I've smoke 14 years give or take and quit once before for 3 years when I met my ex-fiance. She's long in the past and that's for the better except I started smoking again. Now I'm on day 4 using the patch and I don't recall it being this miserable. I already deal with good old bipolar issue an am in a funk but jesus this has tanked me and now am numb, angry for no reason etc. Beyond my normal lows. (No I'm not suicidal or anything bad). I expect the tight chest, irritability, cough, depression, so on. But the depth of it is rough, also as a 32 year old in shape guy the weird sensation of being too warm when relaxing is a new odd one I havent experienced. I work a very physically demanding job as a millwright and welder so I get a free workout daily which helps a bit and distracts me to a degree. It's the night like now when it gets really bad. I have no support and live alone except one friend and I have a pretty hard family so I dont expect much from them plus we live far apart. I see a shrink for my aforementioned reason of being bipolar which helps. It's the lack of energy and motivation to do any that are killing me. If I smoked 2 or 3 in a 10-20 minute span it was almost like a manic episode without the negatives of true mania. I'd like to get there again, I know it'll come with time but does anyone have tips or tricks to get to help out? I already get the work out through my job (have to eat 5500 calories a day to maintain my weight to put the job in perspective) sooo yea have that covered. Any other advice is welcomed with an open mind. I have no intention of starting up again since it gave me ulcers I recently found out. Well guess my rant is over, I wish everyone in the process best of luck I did once before I know all of you can and for those already past the miserable part congrats.
Community
Welcome to the Ex and congrats on your decision to quit. You've come to the right place for support. There are quitters here at different stages of their quit and understand the journey. It is a journey, not an event. The more you understand about nicotine addiction and have a quit plan in place, the better your chances of success. Read everything you can on this site to prepare and decide how you'll quit. Some of us picked a quit date and used that time to prepare. Decide if you'll quit cold turkey, use NRT or a medication. I used Welbutrin, nicotrol inhalers and a smoking cessation class. I was fortunate to find the Ex a week prior to my quit. It's important to have new behaviors in place you'll use instead of smoking. They're really aren't any tricks. We have different tools that we found helpful. I had to stay busy--walking helped me a lot. I used Sour Patch Kids and chewing on straws during a craving.
And, we're here to support you. Just reach out anytime you need encouragement. It worked for me.
Barb