Im new here, but not new to the quitting game. I have smoked for apbout 13 years and have attempted to give up on and off over the last 7. I have tried hypnotherapy, patches, zyban, easyway, herbal pills.........possibly more! I have tried cold turkey but just cant get through the cravings. Zyban was good but the side effects were awful so I couldnt see through the course.
So after a chat with a quit smoking advisor I decided I would try nicorette gum.
I am really disapointed with myself for not succeeding previously and quite down about it. I know it helps to be in a positive frame of mind when giving up but the whole feeling of letting myself down has got on top of me, I am now obsessed with giving up. This is difficult as I dont have anyone to talk about it with (secret smoker!) so here I am!
So today I purchased a pack of the gum and I will start tomorrow morning.
Has any one else used the gum and succeeded?
Thanks for listening
take care
Marie
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Welcome to the forum and well done on the decision to quit possibly one of the most important you will ever make and you will be losing nothing but you will regain control of your life and that has to be good
You will find all the help and support you need on here as we all help each other just like a family we are here for you every step of the way cheering the good days and sympathiseing with the bad but the good far outweigh the bad
Read the posts on here you will find a lot of tips and advice and in the signatures of a lot you will find links to other sites just click on them Here are 2 I find very good to start you off whyquit.com and woofmang.com Read, read and then read some more as the more you read and learn about why you smoked and about your addiction the easier your quit will be
I also tried many times before but with the huge help from this forum this time I've done it for almost 8 months and know that i'll never smoke again
There are several on here that quit with the gum and I expect they'll be along shortly with advice for you
Post often to let us know how you're doing, to rant, rave have a moan whatever you like pretty much anything goes on here OK
I know I can stink, to be honest I've probably spent more money on products to cover up the smell then the actual cigs themselves!
The weird thing is is that if I walk past someone smoking the smell of it does revolt me.....yet there I am sneaking away for one. I am honestly embarrassed of myself!
So i've just read the instructions for the nicorette gum. Have just thrown cigs, lighter and 'jar' in the black bin outside...after having just one more.
I really want this to be my final and successful attempt, I dont want to feel like im going to be stuck smoking the evil weed forever. I am totally fed up with the whole thing.
I am now feeling positive and am looking forward to my sense of smell and taste coming back and having lots of energy to exercise, having the colour in my skin back and ofcourse money!
Lets see.... yes I too was a closet smoker but not completely. There were people who knew I smoked...and some who thought I did it only when drinking and then those that had no clue. I changed my clothes every time I left the house as I only smoked at home and at clubs or parties. I sprayed my hair,brushed my teeth and changed my clothes probably 6 times a day since having 4 kids I am in and out of the house constantly. Let me tell you.....having been a closet smoker is actually a little bit of an asset when quitting. I had already had to go long stretches without smoking...I hated the smell and I made it such a hassel with all the clothing changes...when I quit it was a relief.....and so nice to stay in the same clothes all day and not worry about my hair smelling like smoke! Oh and exercising is 10 times easier now.....I can't believe how much easier my cardio classes are now!
I like the gum I do wonder though if success has as much to do with the method as it does the readiness and resolve. The gum and hypnosis have helped a lot so I can't discount them...as this is number 7 quit for me. This forum has also made a big difference as well.
You can dot it.....
Heres to smelling better, better skin, no more hiding and exercise!
Hanna
quit 7: Day 21: 39 year old mom of 4: 24 yr ex-smoker, 20-30 a day
You use that feeling to your advantage and get angry about it. Get angry that this is what your addiction has driven you to. I dont' believe there's anyone here who hasn't felt exactly the same way you do about the 'quit obsessions' and feeling like a failure but someone else on here has a quote that you're not a failure till you stop trying Good luck for tomorrow and I found that typing and keeping myself very busy as well as breathing deeply whenever a crave hits helped me through the first week, sounds stupid but there ya have it
Wobbly start as I had a horrid craving and lit one up, stubbed it out after I gagged and remember what today was - day 1!
Had my first gum at 8am and have just taken it out, feel ok, but is that because of my wobble?
My hardest time will be lunchtime, I have loads to do then but usually prepare myself with a cig. So will pop in the gum and crack on. I havent got any cigs and I am not going to buy any ANYMORE!
Lets see.... yes I too was a closet smoker but not completely. There were people who knew I smoked...and some who thought I did it only when drinking and then those that had no clue. I changed my clothes every time I left the house as I only smoked at home and at clubs or parties. I sprayed my hair,brushed my teeth and changed my clothes probably 6 times a day since having 4 kids I am in and out of the house constantly. Let me tell you.....having been a closet smoker is actually a little bit of an asset when quitting. I had already had to go long stretches without smoking...I hated the smell and I made it such a hassel with all the clothing changes...when I quit it was a relief.....and so nice to stay in the same clothes all day and not worry about my hair smelling like smoke! Oh and exercising is 10 times easier now.....I can't believe how much easier my cardio classes are now!
I like the gum I do wonder though if success has as much to do with the method as it does the readiness and resolve. The gum and hypnosis have helped a lot so I can't discount them...as this is number 7 quit for me. This forum has also made a big difference as well.
You can dot it.....
Heres to smelling better, better skin, no more hiding and exercise!
Hanna
quit 7: Day 21: 39 year old mom of 4: 24 yr ex-smoker, 20-30 a day
Hi Hanna
I just had to laugh as apart from the 6 changes of clothes a day, I was so similar. I used to have a special hoody cardy and a beanie hat to wear whilst smoking and I hid these in the house, always went out with baby wipes to clean the filth off my skin, breath sprays, gum etc. my immediate family and 1 close friend knew, im pretty sure the others didnt know, but they may have just been polite. i used to dread the times where I would have to go away with the non smokers and find myself manipulating reasons to pop to the shops....it ridiculous.
Im feeling good this morning......positive......even had a yoghurt for breakfast instead of a fag!
thank god for this forum, i've actually got support! thank you xxxxxxxx
Hi Marie hope its going well, I'm was an open smoker with family but secret smoker with friends and ....lol...I used to have to go through such a performance before I considered myself 'friend friendly'! But I do suspect they suspected! Stupid really but its what we do. So well done for quitting and keep it up, stay strong and keep posting.
Really had to laugh reading Hanna's post! I thought I was the only one with special smoking clothes, showers and tooth brushing before I left the house and vast clouds of hairspray and deodorant!
I would very often feel ridiculous sitting on my swing in the backyard, huddled in the rain with my cigarette... brought up an image of Gollum from LOTR with his "precious"! This image has stuck with me ever since. Been embroiled in many a farcical scenario through secrecy;)...
Hi goodie, hope its still going well, sounds like you are doing a great job, stick with it and stay strong. It usually takes me 3 days of being smoke free and then I start smelling those around me who smoke.... and its a real eyeopener to the reality of the foul weed and a good reinforcement of one of the many reasons to stay smoke free. Here's to a whole new sweet smelling us!!!!
It is going well, although I really did fancy one today, dispite chewing the gum. I think its more the fact that I would actually get a 5 minute break from the hamster wheel of chores if I went out and smoked one. I didnt however, I just kept busy.
Im looking forward to getting past day 3, day 3 has always been the worse day for me. Thats when the nicotine monster screams from within but he hopefully wont be too much bother whilst chewing the gum.
This is good! All good! I feel cleaner already.
Is it 3 days for the nicotine to come out of your body if you are not using NRT?
You guys are cracking me up.....when you are a secret smoker you feel like you are the only silly one going to such great strides to hide it! Glad to know we are all on the road to recovery and can be ourselves more often!
At least I'll be free from incidents like running into my Grandmother (anti-smoker chief of police) with a mouthful of smoke (cigarette disposed of swiftly). Had to let it filter out slowly and as invisibly as possible with my hands flung up to my face in horror!
This was many years ago before I quit the first time... it turned out that the first thing she did when she got home was to ring my mum and tell her how dreadfully ill I looked. There's something in that I think lol
One of my moments like that was in the winter trying to have a cig in the dark of the evening whilst hubby in the garden burning garden waste on the bonfire. I thought, he'll never catch me as all he will smell is the bonfire. So I hid on the decking behind the table. Then suddenly he walked towards me in the direction of the alley and launched myself flat on the decking, hiding the red light of the cig...........I held my breath, and he carried on walking! Phew....The things I do! Whoops no sorry...the things I did!
:D:D That trumps my episode for sure... that really made me laugh, conjours up such an image! I'm going to need more of this when my process properly takes off.
Most of my comical espionage moments always involved me and my mum hiding from my grandparents - this was back in the day when my mum and I both smoked and then quit together and now I have to hide from my mum who has become anti-smoking deputy chief of police and would more than likely clip me about the ear!
We were in a pub on holiday once, merrily puffing away when in walked the grandparents who used to recieve homing signals on our covert activities. In a panic we threw the cigs under the table and proceeded casual chit chat (with frought faces) as the smoke from the cigarette duo wafted up from under the table in clouds. If they could have smokily written the word GUILTY in the air they would have and yet the grandparents didn't say a thing!
I do now wonder, since becoming a master of deceit, how on earth they couldn't have known....
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