Three (3) days of  total abstinence and your dream can come true.  After the three (3) days, all nicotine is out of your system.  Then, its just a matter of taking control of yourself.  Seriously - you are in charge.  Take command and live a nico-free lifestyle.    You can if you truly want to.   

Thanks Anne. I will have to see if I really want it bad enough. That's my story.... Has been forever. I am very nervous about the withdrawals.

Picked up the following timeline on nicotine withdrawal:

Nicotine Withdrawal Timeline

Here’s what you can expect after finishing your final cigarette:

• 30 minutes to 4 hours: The effects from the nicotine will wear off and you’ll start to crave another cigarette.
• 10 hours: You’ll be very restless, physically craving a cigarette, and wondering how to fill the time. You may feel sad and hopeless. 
• 24 hours: Irritability kicks in and your appetite increases.
• 2 days: You’ll have headaches as the nicotine leaves your system.
• 3 days: The nicotine should be gone now. Your cravings taper off but anxiety will start to rise.
• 1 week: You made it a week. Pat yourself on the back, you've made it through the worst. Keep avoiding those triggers.
• 2 to 4 weeks: You still won’t have much energy, but the brain fog will be clearing up and your appetite will settle down. Your cough, depression, and anxiety will also improve.
• 5 weeks on: The challenge now is keeping a strong mental game.

Anne.... This is helpful. Day 2 of no nicotine for me. I am popping the lozenges in my mouth but swallowing them so I do not suck on them and get nicotine. Sound crazy? It kind of is, but it is working for me. I am anxious today, but just the thought that I put one in my mouth settles me a bit. Yes, I DO want to leave it parked between my gum and the inside of my cheek and let that nasty nicotine dissolve into my brainwaves and calm my anxiety. But I KNOW that that will really just exasperate my anxiety. I am determined to really quit this time, and this quirky method is working for me. I am not chewing gum or using cough drops. For me, just the act of putting one in my mouth is soothing. Does this sound crazy or what? I know I am getting zero nicotine though because there is zero sucking action on my part. I bite it in half then swallow it immediately! I am proud of myself!!!! I am anxious though. It's that feeling of insatiable tension clipping away at the nerves of my brain. Isn't addiction so hideous and evil? Isn't nicotine evil? Slowly, the anxiety is lessening but just five minutes ago it was HIGH!!! Does this sound weird? Even just keeping one in my pocket and not using it calms me down. Yesterday I was just keeping one in my pocket and I felt safe and secure. That goes to show how much I relied on the nicotine for.... What really? I am currently at work and finishing up my dinner break so I must go.... But wanted to thank you again kindly Anne for supplying me with this timeline! It will definitely serve as a guide in helping me navigate my way through this rewarding yet challenging time!!!

Anne... My boyfriend just told me that even if I don't suck on the lozenges, I still ingest the nicotine because I've swallowed it, and now it's dissolving in my stomach! I thought I was doing so well by not sucking. It is like puffing a smoke without lighting it, isn't it? I was a bit irritable today. I will google this. Good night all.

Day 3 for me of no sucking, just popping and swallowing. I don't know why or how but this method is working for me! I feel a bit of anxiety and irritability still, but tonnes less than I felt when I was sucking. When I was sucking, I felt the nicotine sensation and relief of my anxiety, but that was only good for a couple of minutes. Then the lozenge was dissolved, I was left with nothing, and now on top of the emotions or anxiety I felt pre-lozenge, I had even more anxiety. So yes, I do have irritability... But that is one sign that I am not receiving any nicotine, and that makes me feel accomplished and HOPEFUL! I don't care if my boyfriend says swallowing it is just as bad. He has never smoked in his entire life, so he seems to think that any effort short of a clean cold turkey quit is almost useless. He means well and is looking out for my best interests but I know very intimately well that swallowing instead of sucking is giving me zero nicotine. Like I said, it's just the thought of putting one in mouth that is getting me through... Kind of like puffing on a smoke that never got lit in the first place or sucking on a straw. After one more week of just swallowing, I will go to just looking at it. Just keeping one in my pocket and knowing it is there is helping me immensely! Is this a wrong approach? Any feedback is appreciated! After a week of just swallowing, I will go to a week of just looking and then throwing out. I know it is still money wasted, but I am crazy enough to think that this actually might work for me this time around! I am not telling my boyfriend about just looking and then throwing out. I know he'll get upset with me. But to me wasting money towards heading in the RIGHT direction is better than USING the money to get the nicotine in my system thus getting what I paid for but staying in the WRONG direction. I am a little off my rocker? Any feedback?

Hi Jerthie,

You are right, this is YOUR quit AND you should feel elated as you have not smoked another day!  Take a breath, drink some water, and focus on your healing.  You are overcoming an addiction and you have all the time in the world to make it right, as long as you don’t smoke.  

How are you celebrating your victories?
 

Thank you Susan! I am celebrating in the most simple way possible.... Enjoying the feeling of not being anxious and basking in it! The fact that my anxiety has been cut in half, more than half, just realizing that and feeling that relief.... Sitting and enjoying that victory is worth more than any clothing or makeup I could ever buy! For me now... It is protecting my quit. Day 3 is almost over and I sailed through some pretty anxious moments.  Anne's post to me earlier about what to expect from nicotine withdrawal helped me immensely! Wow Anne, thank you again so super much for taking the time to clip that in here for me. The article was of immeasurable value to me! It said that on Day 2 you could expect increased appetite. That I had. But knowing that the desire to eat more than usual was not due to hunger but rather to withdrawal helped me to control the urge to overeat. I do have irritability today. At times it is high, but honestly, this on and off irritability is way easier to sail through than the anxiety I used to feel in between the lozenges. Everyone, I am really doing this! So far today I have bit and then quickly swallowed 4 lozenges. I will do that again at 8pm and then once again at 10pm. And then tomorrow will mark Day Four! Thank you all for the continued support and encouragement in my journey to beat nicotine addiction.