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.

Well done Andrew - I am so happy for you.  8 Weeks is a solid foundation.  Keep on building, you are doing great.!!!

Hey X

How are you doing?

I remember a reply of yours last month. It had to do with my use of the pouches. Going on 11 weeks no-smoke I am still sucking on them. I know that the only way I am going to truly lick this addiction is eliminating all forms of nicotine 100%. This is absolutely true. 

I am using them almost as compulsively as my 2 pack a day habit was. I like the charge I get from them much like the Marlboro Red's gave me. That coupled with my excessive coffee intake, I sail thru the day in a hyperactive manner. Although I don't see this as a problem, I do think it could affect my no-smoke commitment when I stop using the pouches.

Lori asked me to lookup "No Man's Land" on Google. It has to do with a critical time like my 2 months abstinent. People can get complacent and find themselves thinking of having just one after a brief period of quit. I have been fighting this mindset with my mantra "I just don't smoke anymore" PERIOD. i experienced some big-time stress the night before last and had considered getting a pack. Considered is the key word. I will not jeopardize my progress on a whim. It's too important for me to fail this early in the game. 

Again, continued use of nicotine is likely to end in relapse because the pouches are not anything like the real Macoy. Of course, I think about the "pleasure" that I experienced with a cigarette but as Allen Carr says cigarettes do absolutely nothing for you. 

I need to remember this. 
 

Take care 

Good day,

Andrew