As I feared, I think I am getting dependent on the pouches. I ran out last week with the intention of using up the rest of my lozenges until my final quit, but in a impulse ordered more of the pouches. I don't particularly like the lozenges as they taste terrible and upset my stomach. Plus, they don't have the "jolt" that I get with the pouches. The addiction is still strong in my mind. 

Regarding your fear of gaining weight, I thought you might like to read this article

Smoking Cessation Weight Gain and Control, by Joel Spitzer (whyquit.com)

Keep trying kid. You'll get it.

Andrew

Hi Candrew,

I'm glad you are updating.

I will lend you my advice from my experience. I know that some people here found the lozenges helpful, so I cannot speak for everyone, but in my personal experience and the scientific viewpoint, weening yourself by using lozenges is just prolonging the withdrawal and can be torturous because you are starving your brain bit by bit instead of just cutting off the supply and start the healing and do the withdraw at once instead of suffering withdrawal over weeks.  Statistical evidence show that the patches/lozenges/pouches are not very successful at helping people to stop smoking, let alone getting them off nicotine.  

It's like telling an alcoholic to gradually drink less vodka every day until they ween off of alcohol. No difference.

My the advice would be just cut it off.

Prepare yourself with tactics on how to deal with craving ( lots of it here!) and remind yourself you all the time why you want to rid yourself of this nasty addiction. Read and re-read like I mentioned before. Decide that you will no longer pay the tobacco companies to kill yourself. Decide that you will no longer pay the pharmaceutical companies to keep you addicted to nicotine. Decide that you don't only want to stop smoking but you do not  want to be a slave to Nicotine, a poison that increases your heart rate therefore over time reduces the elasticity of your arteries, hardens the plaque inside them which constrict the blood flow which in tern leads to a heart disease. Although Nicotine in itself does not cause cancer like the other poisons in cigarettes, Nicotine HAS been found to encourages abnormal cancerous cell to grow quickly and become tumors. 

Take the plunge.

Thanks Andrew!  Will post more another time, as we have company tonight. Night all.

Hey X-

You are right. I am only prolonging the inevitable. The final word in this whole process is accepting the fact that there is no other effective way to tackle this except to eliminate the nicotine 100% from my life. I have always known this to be the truth. It was the same with my dependence to alcohol some 5 years ago. "Half measures avail us nothing" as they say in AA. 

I wish there was an easier way to do it, but why torture myself any longer? Either make up my mind to X smoking (per your screen name Xvaper) or be prepared to continue on as if I don't care. Well, I do care, and I won't allow myself to give up. 

All the physical consequences are easy to accept but the mind games that us addicts play are lifelong challenges that can't be ignored even for the most disciplined. 

Again, I will pick a new date to stop all use of nicotine. That will be a commitment that I must make. No more excuses Andrew. Just do it and feel good about it.

Good day

Andrew

I just ran into your June 28 post. Excellent job 1 year!

Every time I read about someone who has more than a few months 

it empowers me to think I can do the same.

Andrew

Good morning Andrew,

You can do the same! You are so far without smoking cigarettes. This is a positive thing! I know the pouches are still in use, and therefore you still get nicotine. This is not the same as smoking though. Try to think of it as a stepwise approach. You’ve cut the cord with the cigarette, now you will cut the cord with the pouches. You can. Do not let the inner addict allow you the lack of control to pick up a cigarette. That is the head game here. It’s easy to let yourself think “oh what’s the use? I may as well smoke a cigarette instead of use the pouch”. Focus on the links that are already broken. Think about how many mornings now you’ve had your coffee without a smoke, how many things you e already done that you used to do with a cigarette or have one right before or after. There are a lot of associations of the hand to mouth need that are broken! Keep moving the direction you are. Vow to yourself you will not go backwards. And don’t. 
I have to go find X’s one year post. Somehow I missed it. I was thinking it was a bit later in July she would make a year. 
 

Hang in there. You got this! 

Lore -

I'm with you all the way.  Just shy of 7 weeks that I have remained smoke-free. Not to say I am still not depending upon nicotine for relief - I think I need it - X says pitch the pouch (joke) and get on with my recovery - I am only prolonging the agony of defeat as I plant another pouch in my mouth. Ain't nothing like the real thing but it's all I have to fall back on. There is absolutely nothing that cigarettes/nicotine do/does for me. Nothing!

Good day,

Andrew

That's the right attitude Candrew. 

You have to decide that you really want to quit and face the challenges head on. I never thought I would make it one year. There have been some bad cravings but ultinmaely I did not light up or go buy cigarettes. I just decided not to. It gets easier, I promiss. 

Nicotine and smoking does nothing for you but destroy your health and steal your money. It's a con. Refuse to continue being a victim for life of these murderers. You deserve better than that.

It's one of those mornings, woke up and meditated for a few minutes before heading to the kitchen for my first cup of coffee, plugged into a jazz channel with my headphones and danced in my chair. Oh boy, do I feel good!                       

Perfect time to have cigarette. I relate these kinds of feelings with having a smoke and understand that this is a very strong craving that I must fight. I don't need a smoke to feel good. As a matter of fact, if I did smoke it would only make me feel terrible and want another and another. You know the feeling. 

I am happy to be smoke-free this morning. I have won this battle today. 

Good day,

Andrew

Excellent news Andrew! 
I think it is fantastic that you post when feeling strong and positive. It feeds positive influence to your mind. Like so often, in a store or whatever, folks only speak to a manager when something goes wrong or service is bad. I make a point to do the opposite. I love to give positive feedback to workers and their bosses! It so often goes unsaid as human tendency seems to be to focus on the negative. When I do speak up, it is so obvious the delight that is brought to people. These are the things that fuel them to keep going! Hopefully it will help towards getting some hard working folks a raise too. If enough people spoke out about the good, it might! 
Well, same for us as individuals too. We are always at the ready to beat ourselves up over even our smallest of transgressions. Why? There is no growth or productivity from shame! Energy begets energy and it does so in whatever form it is put out. 
Today you are your own affirmation! It has come naturally from within. How wonderful is that? So wonderful. 
I wonder if at times we give the addict voice that we all have a tad too much credence. Not that it isn’t a very loud, boisterous voice mind you. We all know it is. We have other voices too. The addict’s tendency is to focus on the addict voice and tune the others out. It cannot be ignored for certain. But it can be acknowledged and told a few things (lord knows I’ve told mine some pretty colorful stuff  ) . Today you acknowledged, tuned into some fantastic Jazz and danced! WoooHooo!!  What a beautiful choice you made. Wise self in control, choosing what all the rest of you wants. Empowering Andrew. 
 

Every day is different, but every day we have choices. The more we make positive choices on a conscious level, the more they become spontaneous and naturally occur. It’s true. 
 

Thank you for sharing Andrew. I’m certain the good energy will have a ripple effect, not only for you, but for others here. It did me! 
Dance Andrew dance! Dance as though no one is watching.