Thank you very much..9 months..very happy. Had  a lot cravings this past month because I was at a place where everyone smokes and its right there to be taken, but I did not! It makes me feel stronger because I past this test. 

Thank you again for all the support, it does help alot.

Bye!

Hey xvaper, 

I'm sorry I missed posting this yesterday but I'm still so happy for you. You're doing wonderfully and inspiring others too! Congratulations also on being in those situations where others smoke and resisting temptation. You have a lot to be proud of! We're all proud of you too! I hope you did something special to celebrate not only this wonderful achievement but also to celebrate that terrific accomplishment. You deserve it. You really are doing great and it's wonderful to see you so active on the forum. Again, big congratulations xvaper!  

Have a great day.  

Thank you so much for remembering . It was a challenge I had to face and it went well overall. I’m still taking it a day at a time, I’m not yet where I want to be mentally, in the sense that I will have zero interest, but I will get there with persistence. I advise to everyone to just make a decision and stick to it. No plan B, not reducing amounts, Just do it. You have to be the responsible adult of yourself, which is not easy, but it’s the only way.

Denim, you have inspired and cheered me on through this journey and it means so much, so thank you again. my birthday is in the 29 of May so I will celebrate the two together!!

 Xoxoxo

XVaper

Congratulations on your 9 months, I hope you are celebrating?  

I follow you by a little over 1 month.  I read lots of your posts and get a lot of help from many of them.

Kathy

Thanks Kathy! Look at us.

I will Celebrate my birthday and my 10 months next months as they are on the same day :)..

xo

Hey xvaper, 

I have no doubt that you will get there. 

Thank you again for encouraging words to others too. 

You're very welcome. I'm so happy to celebrate these milestones with you. Thank you for your kind words also. I think it's wonderful that you'll be able to celebrate both terrific occasions together next month! That's great! I hope you have something extra special planned. You deserve it and I can't wait to celebrate those special occasions here with you too. 

I hope you're enjoying a wonderful weekend. 

Have a great day.  

xvaper....

I admire your persistence and willpower.  I am using 6-7 lozenges a day once again, after 9 weeks of being lozenge free.  I just have a lot of changes going on in my life, and sucking on the lozenges is my way of coping.  My bipolar disorder has been active, and if I don't suck on lozenges I find that I snack and gain weight, and that stresses me out.

I have talked about my situation ad nauseum.  I want to look forward to quitting the lozenges again, but this time, like you did... For good.  Cold turkey.  No cutting down... Just nip it in the bud.  If I managed 9 weeks, I should be able to do the real quit.  Oh, the pain of relapse... Which is why sometimes I think I should just have a  supply of the lozenges and use them only in desperate situations.

I am worried about weight gain and I am worried about my mental health amidst the changes both in my professional life and my personal life.  If either one of these gets out of hand, I am afraid I will be headed towards difficulty.  But God provides!

I pray the rosary almost daily.  I also pray to various saints for help with my mental condition, and my work and my personal life.  I just may find a new saint to pray to about quitting the lozenges!  It gives me hope to think I can do it!  It gives me great hope and comfort to hop on this forum and read both words of encouragement and similar struggles others are going through!

If we encourage one another it gives us the drive to quit or at least cut down or to try again!  I, for one, am feeling once again hopeful!  I start my new job tomorrow.  I am excited!  I will keep you all posted on my plan of resolve to quit!  I want to ask for advice, but know that it all just starts with... Me and me changing the way I think.  Good night all.

Hi Jerthie,

Sorry for the delay in replying.

I have struggled with depression my whole life and thankfully now there are medications for that, and I have found the best combination with my Psychiatrist. But as you know it's not always smooth sailing. I will tell you what though, I know now that nicotine had zero positive effect on my depression, in fact it makes it worse. It's a myth that we believe because our junkie brains tell us so, and because society validates it. If your none-smoking friend would experience a loss, or trauma, would you offer them a cigarette because it would help them to cope?

Nicotine does nothing except replenish the previous nicotine hit that your brain is starting to run out of. I stopped smoking right after I had a rough patch during the covid lockdown, as many people have experienced. I was smoking through he whole thing and it did not stop the fall, nor pulled me out of it. There are none smokers who also suffer from depression and other mental issues who do not smoke and they are no worse for it.

I am not a religious person but I am not discarding your believe. However, I think praying for a change to come is not necessary in this case because the power is within you. You can do this if you want to. We will always be addicted to Nicotine, and though time will lessen it considerably, even after a long time there still may be occasional triggers, but it is nothing but a conditioned reaction. As long as we never take another puff, there is no danger of relapse. If you have a trigger, you just wait until the feeling is over, whether it take 5, 10, 20 minutes or an hour, but what is one hour compared to your health? We don't always get what we want in life, I want to eat cream cakes all day long, but I don't because it is not healthy for me.

Like all the rest of its health effects, nicotine addiction is detrimental to mental health. It has the added stress of being  a slave to a substance that makes you jittery and lethargic at the same time, quickens your heart pace, hardens the plaque in your arteries and stiffens them. 

My mood and energy have increased since I stopped smoking and I have gained a lot from it. I recommend it whole heartedly.

Hope this helps in some way.