Andrew....

I have been reading your posts, and congratulate you on your quest to beating the nicotine addiction.  It certainly takes a hearty soul to get back up after a relapse.  FriendoBill, welcome to the forum!  It is a great corner of warmth and encouragement, understanding and intelligence.  Best of luck to both of you... In quitting nicotine in order to be your best selves!  We are all on a journey to become our best self, and along the way, as hard as it may be, we must choose health over sickness!  I too, am quitting nicotine lozenges for probably the 50th time.  Day One starts tomorrow.

I know, that for me, nicotine replaces thoughts of eating. Having struggled with eating disorders my whole life, I need to find a new and healthy way to deal with either dieting or binge eating.  I am trying to find a new and healthy balance.

I sucked my last lozenge half an hour ago, and hopefully this time it WILL be the last of them!  I am looking forward to this time around!  I will keep you all posted.  I apologize if I have been away for a while.  Life has been so full and busy.  Blessings!

Wouldn't you know that I just opened up my last jar of lozenges and thought of you and then discovered your post in my mailbox. Interesting ,,,,,

Been wondering how you were getting along. Good to hear that you have decided to give it another whirl. This on again and off again has got to end. Frankly I'm getting tired of the all the energy that I am using to quit. I have far better things I could be doing besides dealing with this problem. 

Four weeks and four days smoke-free. Speaking of eating, I now have a new addiction called chocolate. My waist is growing but interestingly enough I have not gained any weight. I am exercising, walk 2-3 miles a day, water aerobics three times a week and keep busy with projects around the house. I keep on the move as much as possible. 

Cravings? Yes, but not overwhelming. I have not had any "near misses" this time. Even though my wife smokes in front of me, I don't let it bother me as I know that I really don't want to smoke again. The power of positive thinking.

I have been using nicotine pouches daily. At 8mg they are more potent than the 4mg lozenges. My target for stopping both is July 1st.  Wish me luck, the same to you.

Andrew

You can do this Andrew!!  Day One begins.... Now.  It is 7:00am.  Coffee with NO lozenges afterwards.  Yikes!  But I am excited... Really. I am excited this time around.  The last time I quit was because I developed canker sores inside my mouth. So I did that quit out of force.  It lasted 9 weeks, then I gave up because the canker sores left and I began to eat more.  Lozenges have always been a way to help me regulate my eating.  We shall see where the day takes me!  But I am excited and full of hope and new energy!  This time around I am not quitting out of fear but out of a yearning to NO longer be a slave to nicotine.  Oh, and chocolate sounds divine.  Keep on truckin' Andrew!!

Glad to see you are still going Jerthie.  It's a beautiful life.

Ernie

Thank you Ernie .... I am still sucking on the lozenges though.  I quit yesterday for 12 hours then I caved and bought a pack.  I don't know about quitting sometimes. I want to but I don't.  I love the lozenges.  What I don't like is the fact that I am addicted to nicotine.  I might try to cut down tomorrow.  I don't encourage anyone to follow my footsteps.  Stay strong on your quits people!  Hopefully I will join you again soon!!!

Hey Jerthie

Sounds like you are so busy lately. No time to think about much except what has to be done.

Found an excellent e-book by John Polito "Freedom from Nicotine, The Journey Home.

A few passages that I thought you may be interested in.

Recovery does not generate the "bulk" of cessation weight gain, eating does. Long term, if unaddressed, a decrease in metabolism and return of a normal appetite may add extra kilograms or pounds. While 20% actually lose weight, the average one-year weight gain is 4 kg or 8.8 lbs, with most of the weight gained during the first three months. Overall, there are four choices. Do nothing and gradually add 5 to 10 pounds, increase your daily activity, decrease your calorie intake or a combination of the two.  
 

As real addicts in every sense, many of us engaged in pretend quitting games. I certainly did. It allowed me the peace of mind that I was working on the problem, that it was simply a matter of time, that someday I'd discover the key to success.
Moments of significant stress are a normal part of life, it's a formula for failure. Why treat quick access to nicotine as though a life jacket? It's a jacket, but more like a straight jacket that restrains and enslaves, not saves. The smart move is to destroy all remaining nicotine. Keeping nicotine delivery handy is contrary to learning to live without it. Isn't it time to give "serious" a try? 

Hope this helps.

Good day, 

Andrew

Thank you Andrew!  It helped.  It helps a lot.

It is true.  Nicotine is a straight jacket, not a life jacket.  And stress in life is inevitable... And some stress is actually good for us!  Yes. I can see it all too clearly now, everyone!  The clouds are gone.  I just popped in my mouth my last lozenge, and did not even suck on it to get any nicotine out.  I just bit down on it, while quietly saying... No more.

I am at peace with my weight now.  I allowed myself to eat a donut today.  I also had half a muffin lol.  Medication weight gain was challenging for me.  I gained 12 pounds in three months.  I thought quitting the nicotine would add even more weight.  But somehow, I now have a feeling that I will gain only my joy back.  My joy and my peace.

I will also gain integrity.  As I have a passion for wellness that I share with others, I had been feeling like a fraud for so long!  Talking about exercise and nutrition, meanwhile controlling my weight with nicotine. And the thing about sucking lozenges, is you can hide it.  No one sees you lighting up.  No one sees you out in front of the house or outside a building, or sitting in your car with the windows rolled down.  

Oh how long did I feel like a fraud!  With smokers you can see them doing the deed.  With people who use the lozenges or the gum, no one knows that we too, are just as addicted.  We look innocent.  Yes, the lozenges helped me to get off of nicotine, but I knew damn well that they were only to be used for three months.  I hung on for nine years!

But now... No more. I am so sick and tired of pretending.  I am so sick and tired of feeling like a fraud.  I am sick of using cutting down instead of quitting as my way of being healthier.

Cutting down is horrible.  It enslaves you even more than quitting.  Tonight and tomorrow and hopefully the rest of my tomorrows, I say... No more.

Good night all.

Strong work Andrew!

Im really happy you are doing so well. One moment at a time will get it done.

Yes, that’s a great e-book! It helped me a lot to understand more about nicotine addiction. I’m glad you are reading it.

Hello FriendoBill -

I ran across one of your posts from last month. Just wondering how you are getting along.

I am using the pouch to satisfy my need for nicotine. I haven't had a smoke for 8 weeks and 1 day. Overall things are going well but I am concerned that I am becoming addicted to the pouches where my intent was to decrease the intake of nicotine until going cold turkey. I missed my target date of July 1st. 

Oh well, at least I'm on the right track with my smoking. 

My latest addiction is chocolate milk. Better than vodka and a lot cheaper. My sugar cravings are overwhelming at times, and I have gained 2" in my waist. I'll deal with this later.

I can say that my life couldn't be better. I have much to be grateful for and look forward to each day that I am on this earth. Good health, wonderful marriage and happy to be sober for almost 5 years. I stay busy and enjoy my free time in retirement. 

I believe I will remain smoke-free this time. I now know how badly I was fooling myself into thinking that I needed to smoke, it really did nothing for me except rob me of my health and money. I feel so much better physically and exercise daily. 

Just a quick note to check in. Let me know how you are doing these days. Love to hear from you.

Good day,

Andrew

Hi Candrew, I love the positivity, and I am sure from your current attitude that when you decide to get rid of the pouches completely and for good - you will be able to do so.