I've been regularly smoking for about 5 years, since I was 16. At first it was fun and social, but now it just feels like a burden and I've been thinking about quitting more and more as time goes by. I keeping thinking about it in such a matter-of-fact type of way, "Why the hell do I smoke? What does it do for me? I'm burning something, and inhaling all of it's contents and blowing it back out. Who does that?" That's probably what's helping me the most, because when you think about it for what it really is, it doesn't just seem pointless, but ridiculous.
Anyway, my mom (God bless her) bought me nicorette yesterday, but she bought me the 4mg for people who smoke 25 or more cigarettes a day... I smoked about 10 a day, so I cut each piece in half. I love it, I had my last cigarette last night and then started the gum, and it's great. I'm almost 24 hours free, it's amazing... and I can get my nicotine while I'm taking a shower or taking a relaxing bath, watching TV, as I'm typing right now LOL... I can have my nicotine while talking to someone and not worry about making someone else smoke just because I do (second-hand)... and non-smoking areas! It's SO convenient. And I don't smell!!!
Oh yeah, my question... well they have a schedule of 12 weeks, which seems kind of lengthy to me. I heard that when you quit cold turkey, it's hard the first 5-7 days, but after that it gets 10 times easier. I was thinking more like 4-6 weeks and lessening my intake after the first week instead of after 6 weeks. Do you think it's really a big deal to stick with the directed schedule? I just kind of feel like it's there so they could make more sales. Because another thing is that it says you should chew 9 pieces a day for best results, but if you could do less then shouldn't you? I mean, if someone has 5 cravings throughout the day, wouldn't it be a good thing that they only needed 5? Not to mention that the mg are more than in a cigarette... if it's 4mg and it lasts for half an hour, then wouldn't that be the same amount of nicotine as 4 cigarettes in half an hour?
I was also wondering, because I'm a guy and I've always had trouble putting on weight and people have told me that cigarettes contribute to that... and how when people quit smoking, they'll gain weight. But if you use nicotine products, will it slow weight gain like cigarettes do?
Well, thanks for reading... I'll definitely being doing updates at least weekly... wish me luck, and here's to good health and always smelling good.
JB68711,
Welcome!! It really does my heart good to see a young person quit this awful addiction. Congratulations on your courage to tackle this.
I can't help you much with the gum. It has been too many years since I tried that. But if you only need 5 pieces a day...only use 5 pieces. To me that just makes sense. Maybe someone else can help here.
Keep us posted on your progress. I'm very interested to see how successful you become. Keep this in mind now...Smoking is no longer an option.
You sound wise beyond your years. Your analogy of why you smoke is so right on....it surprised me when you stated your age. Bravo to you for wanting to give this stinkin' habit up NOW, instead of 20 or more years after starting, (like so many of us others here).
One thing I want to say is, the gum does work very well, it's how my husband quit after 38 yrs of smoking, and I quit via the patch, until one day I chewed a piece of my hub's gum....and I was HOOKED, line and sinker...so be careful. He was on it for over 3 years, lol....he absolutely loved the taste of it, (the reg. flavor), and I have to say, I loved it too. It was absolute hell to get off of it...I'm not kidding you. We would try and try....finally, I just started cutting down by cutting them in 1/4's.....and decreasing 1/4every week or two. Even after we finally stopped, we thought about it for a long time, and missed it and craved it terribly....so see, you do need to be careful. I've seen other people come here too that were hooked. I was doing fine on the patch and was down to the little 7 mg. patch, and felt almost ready to stop using it....I think I could've stopped using that one real easilly.
For me, I didn't need to chew it every time I got a craving, cuz after I while I didn't have many cravings. I would chew a single piece for hours. He chewed them all day long, there was a piece in his mouth all the time, and I noticed he was even going to bed with it too. (I put a stop to that!) I really had to get all over his $hip (and mine too) to make us get off of it for once and for all.
JB...I personally think it's okay to go a little beyond the directed schedule on the box/insert, in fact I have read they think people stay quit and succeed more often when they stay on it longer,...but watch out...limit yourself to just so many pieces a day....5 sounds good to me. There was a guy that wrote here one day that he was chewing 30 pieces a day, and he wanted to know how he could get off of it!!! And another gal wrote and told her story of how addicted she was to the gum too, and had to wean herself for months to get off of them. I'm not saying the gum is bad, it's not, I'm just saying, take it easy, be aware that it is very addictive. I think because it's the oral gratification we derive from it.
This is funny.... a few weeks ago while I was cleaning the top of this bookcase here at home, I was up on a ladder dusting the top, and whad' ya know, I found 2 new pieces of it up there. (Probably my hubby trying to hide some while we were trying to taper down) After all of this time I've been off of it now, I wanted to tear one open and chew it!! But I didn't!! I ran to the outdoor trash can and threw them into it, and aimed for the bottom.
Good luck quitting though, you're smart to quit so young, so,.... good for you! If at all you feel that you are starting to get too addicted on it, maybe try switching to the patch.
Best of luck to you....
Deda
Last edited by Deda; 02-17-2007 at 12:31 PM.
Reason: spelling errors
Hey, thanks for your replies. I've really wanted to quit young, I just always imagined smoking being a "phase". I think the hardest part is that I just turned 21, and I'm not a heavy drinker... but you know how well cigarettes go with alcohol lol. Even non-smokers know that. But whatever, I'm just not going to drink for the next month or two.
Back when I was 15, I was hanging out with my friend and his brother who was 20. I was having a cigarette with him, I rarely smoked... only when someone offered. And I asked my friend's brother how long he's been smoking for, and he said "5 years", and I was like "Damn, 5 years is a long time". Now a couple weeks ago, I was hanging out with my friend and her younger sister who is 15. She doesn't smoke at all, but she asked me how long I've been smoking for and I told her 5 years, and she goes "Wow 5 years?" And all I can hear in my head is "5 years is a long time"... right then and there I'm thinking "crap I gotta quit." Then she goes "Can I try one?" And I'm like "Nope."
I just passed my 24 hour mark... exciting. Also I've only had 2 so far today, and I'm gonna have one more before I go to sleep (I haven't been cutting them in half though). I have thought about the possibility of getting hooked on the gum, but wouldn't it be A LOT better than smoking cigarettes? I don't think there are great health risks, etc... and like I said in my first post, it's more convenient. I don't see why people don't just do this instead of smoking. Wouldn't it be better to be addicted to the gum than to cigarettes?
I wanted the gum over the patch because, like you said, the oral gratification. The feeling of craving and then satisfying that craving in a similar way. With the gum, it can replace the cigarette... but it doesn't work the same way with the patch.
Alright, time for one more and then off to bed. Thanks for your replies, encouragement, and support!
I just passed my 24 hour mark... exciting. Also I've only had 2 so far today, and I'm gonna have one more before I go to sleep (I haven't been cutting them in half though). I have thought about the possibility of getting hooked on the gum, but wouldn't it be A LOT better than smoking cigarettes? I don't think there are great health risks, etc... and like I said in my first post, it's more convenient. I don't see why people don't just do this instead of smoking. Wouldn't it be better to be addicted to the gum than to cigarettes?
Hi again JB--
Must've been meant for you for that 15 year old to tag along... as all things happen for a reason!
Yes, by all means I DO think it's much better to chew the gum than smoke cigs....of course, and that's what my H. and I always said to each other all along. I did develop some bad intestinal problems though, JB, severe acid reflux, and I don't think it was actually the gum that brought that about, but I think it aggravated it immensely, as it became so much more tolerable after I finally gave up the gum.
One day I went to see my GP, (for something else) and my H. went with me, and we "confessed" to her just how long we had been on the gum. (we were embarrassed to tell her) She was shocked! Her eyes popped open wide, and she said, "That long???" ....and "Oh my goodness, I don't know if I should recommend that to my patients anymore then". Well, I asked her if there would be any health repurcussions due to being on this gum for so long? She said it could mess up our hormones. We thought later....how can it mess up our hormones, when all that's in it is plain old nicotine?? You never have heard of smoking cigs messing up your hormones, right? And when you're smoking cigs, you get a heck of a lot more nicotine than when you're using the gum. (if you smoked a pk to a pk and a half, like we did)
JB...I would say, just to stick to it since it's working for you so far, but just be aware than some of us have become badly addicted to it....so just try to watch out for that. Try to limit yourself to just so many pieces per day.....and then when you feel strong enough to quit using it,...do it gradually, like I did,...then it's easier. I felt some bad cravings, (had to be mental, as I was hardly chewing any gum near the end....like only 1/2 a piece a day, then 1/4 piece the last week or so....it so much easier to wean off like that. My H. just broke it off cold turkey. It took about a month for our heads to clear and feel like normal again. Then we were very proud to finally be totally off all forms of nicotine for the 1st time since we were teens.
I think you'll do fine....you sound like a very sensible young man.
I wish you the best, and congratulations to you on making it the 1st 24 hours! Keep going, and let us all know how you do...
I really had to get all over his $hip (and mine too) to make us get off of it for once and for all.
But I didn't!! I ran to the outdoor trash can and threw them into it, and aimed for the bottom.
If at all you feel that you are starting to get too addicted on it, maybe try switching to the patch.
We thought later....how can it mess up our hormones, when all that's in it is plain old nicotine?? You never have heard of smoking cigs messing up your hormones, right? And when you're smoking cigs, you get a heck of a lot more nicotine than when you're using the gum. (if you smoked a pk to a pk and a half, like we did)
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