Okay, So... I bought the patch

[Angel]

And here I sit, gazing longingly at the 12 Newports which remain in the pack.

I've not yet used a patch. I'm still trying to decide whether to finish the pack and then begin the patch, or if I would be better off starting now and tossing the smokes.

I'm not even sure if I have it in me to actually put the pack into the garbage. A friend told me to break them, wet them and then throw them out.

Anyway, after two days of some chillin out, relaxing and taking a break from online, real life and any kind of social interaction, I've decided to quit smoking, damnit.

-sigh-

Advice? Sympathy? Trolls? Something?

 

[LukkyKnight]

Throw em out

Either you have decided to quit or you haven't. Saving some makes no sense, honestly, nor IMHO does it make sense to have a last binge but I realize there are those who disagree.

Let me phrase it as a question: If you CAN'T throw em out, have you really quit?

Good luck. It's hard.

 

[Valdimer]

If it makes ya feel any better....I'm attempting to quit as well.

I cant afford the patch or that nasty ass gum..(seeing as I have no money yet.), so I've gone to sucking on hard candy, to sedate that hand to mouth fixation.

It's worked so far.

And dont throw those cigarettes out...send them to me, I'll make sure nothing happens to them.....honest.

 

[Laurel]

You could do what this guy I knew did and wear the patch while smoking. Sure, you risk a heart attack, but what a rush!

Seriously though, that's awesome that you're trying to quit. Fun as it may be, smoking's an expensive and dangerous habit. I'm sure there are some ex-smokers around here who can give you moral support...

 

[Angel]

I cant afford the patch or that nasty ass gum..(seeing as I have no money yet.),

I decided if I can afford Newports, I can afford 30 bucks for some Nicoderm.

 

[freakygirl]

Can I have those last twelve cigs??


Wasn't today the national smoke out day?? dammit... and i was going to do it..

Angel.. Good luck.. I admire you for attempting to quit.. I haven't gotten to that point yet..

 

[Svedish_Chef]

Trolls? Something?

Now that I can do.

Spread em, bitch.

Insert the newports one by one... think about Bk.

Break them and throw out.

 

[celiaKitten]

Damn! We've got a whole club here kids! I'm on day 11 of my Cat Quit Smoking Quest.

The one thing that's really working for me: I carry grapes and baby carrots with me EVERYWHERE.

But also - that 'Damnit, I want a cigarette' thread that pops up now and again - all it is is a bunch of people cheering me on - find some cheerleaders that will help you stay focused, it really does help.

I'll be one

Good Luck all of us!

 

[Angel]

Freakygurl, yeah it was. I didn't realize it until after I bought the box this morning. Hee Hee.

I'm going to try, I just hope I don't have freaky dreams like BK did when he used the patch.



Cheffy ---

 

[miles]

You can do it!

The fist morning I woke up wearing the patch was strange. The nicotine in my system from the patch took care of the physical craving all night and was still working. There was zero physical withdrawal. For me there was some psych. adjustment - not lighting up first thing in the morning, in the car, with coffee, etc. Once you get past that, you're on your way.

You can do it. It's a little bit scary, but nothing you can't handle. Keep us posted, and good luck.

 

[Rubyfruit]

Sweetie, I wouldn't start the patch tonight. I've done it before and I had some real problems sleeping. How much do you smoke? They only recommend the patch at night for serious (over a pack a day) smokers. Otherwise, just wear it during the day.

Ruby, who is still smoking and wants to quit too but is so fucking stressed out all of the time she can't even contemplate it right now.

 

[Angel]

Damn! We've got a whole club here kids! I'm on day 11 of my Cat Quit Smoking Quest.

The one thing that's really working for me: I carry grapes and baby carrots with me EVERYWHERE.

But also - that 'Damnit, I want a cigarette' thread that pops up now and again - all it is is a bunch of people cheering me on - find some cheerleaders that will help you stay focused, it really does help.

I'll be one

Good Luck all of us!

Cool. Congrats on 11 days!

The Literotica Nicotine Anonymous Group? Twelve steps to a perverted, smoke free poster!

 

[Mischka]

I've never smoked, but I'll relate the following This Is How I Quit Story. My dad smoked five packs a day (back in the day when smoking was allowed in the office). When he finally made up his mind to quit, he cut out one pack a day over five days. Then he went to the grocery store and bought every package of whole cloves he could find. The spice, not the funky cigarette. He munched non-stop on cloves for the next week and a half. A box a day. He said it got him over his oral fixation, and numbed his mouth so much that he didn't want to put a cigarette in there. My mom said he smelled like a baked ham. That was 20 years ago, and he hasn't touched one since.

I've told several people this story (including a certain someone who is also maybe sorta going to try to quit), and none of them seem interested in trying it to quit. But I tell ya, the Clove Approach to Stopping Smoking has proven 100% effective so far.

 

[Cheyenne]

Advice? Sympathy? Trolls? Something?

Will congratulations do?

I have no first hand knowledge of how hard it is to quit. I've seen people struggle to quit though. Some do it cold turkey and have no problem. (I think they are the same people who decide to lose 20 pounds and a month later, the weight is gone. Most people aren't in this category.)

Others say it is the hardest thing they ever did, and they actually had to quit several times before they made it. Each time is part of the process though, just another step in getting to the end point of being smoke free.

May your process be short, Angel! Maybe it would help to keep posting and telling us your progress?

 

[Angel]

Miles - Thank you.

Ruby - I smoke between 12 and 20 cigarettes a day. When I came back from Florida in June, a pack of 20 would last me a week as opposed to half a day before I left.

Mid August I slipped back to a pack a day.

September I somehow managed to cut back to a pack every three days.

Around my birthday, which is about the worst time of year for me I went back up to a pack and a half again. Stress, and dealing with past issues mostly. I've since cut back a little... on and off.

One day I'll smoke half a pack, the next maybe I'll have four. The past two days I went through FIVE packs.

That did it for me. I'm quitting.

 

[Svedish_Chef]

I've told several people this story (including a certain someone who is also maybe sorta going to try to quit), and none of them seem interested in trying it to quit. But I tell ya, the Clove Approach to Stopping Smoking has proven 100% effective so far.

That certain someone should too...

 

[Valdimer]

I decided if I can afford Newports, I can afford 30 bucks for some Nicoderm.

And that, my dear, is why I'm quiting. Cant have a habit that cost's money if you aint got none.

 

[Angel]

And that, my dear, is why I'm quiting. Cant have a habit that cost's money if you aint got none.

I figured that I spend roughly 5 bucks a day on cigs. If the patch works, I'll be saving in the long run. Quitting without help didn't work. I've been trying to do that since 97.

30 bucks for step one, 40 for step two. We'll see where it goes.


BK I believe did step one and that was all.

 

[Renegade]

Angel

All I can say is best of luck on quitting. It can be a pain in the ass, but I have a feeling you're too stubborn to give in.

 

[EnchantedBeauty]

My husband smokes and it has been a battle for him to quit. He did quit for awhile...he meditated every night for about 30 minutes and he said it helped him. But then all the stress at work, me and him fighting made him go back to smoking. Now I am begging him to stop and not having any luck.

 

[Fly_On_Wall]

Angel way to go.

I"ll be here cheering you on. If there's one thing we need It's less smokers. it's good for you its good for the people around you.

(no offence to the smokers though)

Just try to stay on track.

 

[Guru]

 

[kotori]

347 days and counting

and it's still a struggle (but I was doing it for 30-years). I took to the drug--zyban--but it was expensive and insurance didn't cover it. Like $100 a month, for two months. That was actually more than I spent on smokes (but now after 11-1/2 months, I'm ahead financially). But You Can Do It.

 

[cymbidia]

Angel, i started smoking when i was 15 cuz it was cool.

When i was 21 i finally realized that *wasn't* cool, it made me and my clothes and surroundings stink, it was unhealthy, and i wanted - with desperate determination - to quit.

This was way back in the Dark Ages, before the patch. Back then it was only you and your determination, you know? I'm an addictive personality; i knew i'd never ever be able to quit cold turkey - not and make it stick.

This is what i did and it worked for me: i haven't had a cig in years and years.

I began to make rules for my smoking.
They were ridiculously easy in the beginning.
No smoking between 3AM and 6AM

I'd give myself a week to be successful - and then i'd add another rule.
No smoking around anyone who doesn't smoke.

Another week to be successful... and then another rule.
No smoking until 1/2 hour after i wake up.

The rules continued, one a week, progressively more restrictive as i became progressively better able to resist the lure of nicotine - and progressively more sure i *could* do this without falling back into smoking.

I remember the morning i had my last one.
I was driving to school, good music playing, windows open, bright warm sun coming into my car - and i suddenly realized that i was down to three cigs a day. If you can't just quit now, i thought to myself, then you're never gonna be able to quit at all.

And i was done smoking. It was almost a year after i decided to quit but i was done. I was a non-smoker.

I would never have made it if i just threw them away, declaring to all who would listen, I'll NEVER smoke again!. I'm not wired like that.

Slow and sure, though, insuring i was successful every small tiny baby step of the way, well, that worked for me.

Just thought i'd toss my bit in here.
Good luck to you, darlin'.

 

[Purple Haze]

Quitting is easy, I've done it a hundred times. Old joke, I know.

You're certainly getting some good advice on this thread, and I've got more for you Angel darling. Of all of the times I've quit tobacco, the Nicoderm patch method was the one that worked best for me. Those unsmoked Newports you've got there? Carry one around with you, stick it in your mouth, play with it, hold it. You won't light it, because you won't need to. This way you won't have the panic that ensues and causes otherwise sane people to search frantically for a smoke when it's three AM, the store is closed and you're in your underwear.

Hmmm.....Angel in her underwear.........I have to leave for a little bit...

Don't smoke!