Three Months -Dilemna: I think I have a... - No Smoking Day

No Smoking Day

5,207 members32,485 posts

Three Months -Dilemna

nsd_user663_34855 profile image
34 Replies

I think I have a problem guys. By the end of today I will have completed three months, the problem I have is that I am still using my inhalator. I always intended to bin it when I got to three months but the thought of not having my inhalator is quite scary. Some people say, well so what it's better than smoking, but I don't want to end up like my friend who is still using NRT spray after 5 yrs quit!! I already feel like I've had to quit nicotine quit ten times over, first the cigs, then came down off big patches, then came down off medium patch, binned patch altogether, now I need to get rid of this :(

I'm at a very wobbly stage for some reason so do I continue with inhalator for a bit longer just to be safe, or do I go cold turkey while I'm home over xmas?

Decisions decisions, don't know why I love this inhalator thing so much, I hated the patches and spray and had no problems ditching those !! This however is giving me headaches and making my teeth ache but I just can't stop picking the damn thing up. My name is Pip and I'm addicted to a piece of plastic :eek:

Written by
nsd_user663_34855 profile image
nsd_user663_34855
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
34 Replies
nsd_user663_32615 profile image
nsd_user663_32615

Hey Pip

First of all, a huge well done on completing three months - that is a massive achievement! :D

I didn't use NRT, so not really able to advise you from my own experience. One option could be to get some emergency spray in advance of stopping the inhalator. That way, you still have access to some NRT if you feel too wobbly, but because you don't like the spray, you will feel more inclined not to use it?

Whatever you decide, and however much you wobble, just don't fall down! You have done a great thing. :D

Good luck

nsd_user663_33894 profile image
nsd_user663_33894

Hey Pip,

Well done on your 3 month achievement!

I'm still using NRT, and I plan to cut down then stop after the stressful, er I mean festive season is over. I feel at the moment I'm still too likely to go back to smoking if I quit it now - I haven't retrained my brain enough yet.

I guess you have to weigh up whether for you, personally, the Xmas period has more associations with smoking than 'normal' life - i.e. did you smoke more, less or the same in the past? If you think you might be more at risk of relapsing back to smoking, it might be worth staying on the inhalator for a bit longer.

The other thing you could try is switching to another NRT, but that would depend on how much you're using the inhalator. I have heard that swapping to patches, even if it's a temporary higher overall nicotine intake, is less addictive as there isn't a 'peak' blood plasma level like with the inhalator. That's the theory anyway.

Sorry, that's about as much advice as I have, and it's not based on personal experience, just from stuff I've come across while surfing the net :o.

nsd_user663_34380 profile image
nsd_user663_34380

hey pip,

I know someone who has been quit about 6 years and still uses nicotine gum. Its better than smoking...IMO. If you worry, stay on it for a bit, and stop when you want to stop, not just cuz u planned to cut it out at x date.

But, hey...3 months is friggin awesome!!

nsd_user663_34855 profile image
nsd_user663_34855

Thanks for the replies everyone.....quick update!

Tried to go without from 10.00 am.....no inhalator. By 3.00pm was in floods of tears having a mini breakdown. I think I'm going to have to tackle this with a bit more thinking. I defo can't manage without it, wanted to smoke badly, came home needless to say the inhalator is back in action :mad:

Got to do something or I'm going to need a brace for my teeth, I think I have totally replaced smoking with the inhalator habit, maybe will try the spray again then....I don't like the spray so should be able to control it better.

Thanks again all, another day another strategy eh xx

nsd_user663_36288 profile image
nsd_user663_36288

Hi Pip - I think I shall be posting an almost identical message in 6 weeks time! I'm into week 7 now, but already worried about my dependence on minis (4-6 a day).

I intend to plan a withdrawal in the same way that I planned my quit - and take it just as seriously. But I definitely wouldn't do it if I felt 'wobbly'.

And unlike the quitting of the cigarettes themselves, I don't think there's any harm in keeping some emergency NRT there as a safety blanket. The crucial thing is not SMOKING. Though I do think that a different form of NRT sounds like a useful idea ... definitely one to add to my self help list!

And definitely a thread to watch for other thoughts ...

Good luck, whatever you decide to do - and a huge well done on getting to three months - it is a massive achievement!

Sue

nsd_user663_37212 profile image
nsd_user663_37212

What?

What the heck is an "inhalator"?

Just quit, move on, be strong.

nsd_user663_35351 profile image
nsd_user663_35351

Simple resolution - Quit NRT and go cold turkey - Sure you will feel a little ropey for a week or two but long term it will be easier.

Goes back to my point a few months ago which I got slated for, whats the point of keeping the nicotine drug we are all addicted to in your body? It defies logic.

nsd_user663_34742 profile image
nsd_user663_34742

OTE=Teleguy;248316]What the heck is an "inhalator"?

Just quit, move on, be strong.

Hey, you have access to a computer - try this.. helpwithsmoking.com/nicotin...

Hope it helps

To Pip

Don't be hard on yourself. 3 months, as we've all seen is a difficult time for many. It is also an awesome achievement, remember that.

Just try again when you're ready. As you say, NRT is far far better than cigarettes. You're doing so well.

JQ xx

nsd_user663_33441 profile image
nsd_user663_33441

Hey Pip,

Like JQ says 3 months is an awesome achievement so give yourself the kudos for that cos you done good lady :D I am not an authority on NRT or anything else for that matter, cos I never really got off the starting blocks with patches and stuff, I used to last for 24 hours and then rip the patch off and go smoking :rolleyes: I know I will get slated (again) for saying this, but I think using NRT is the hardest way to quit as like you say, you have to go through nicotine withdrawals several times and that sucks. I don't know what strength inhalator you are on, or how often you use it per day, but could you set yourself a target to use the inhalator say once every two hours, rather than going for five hours in one go without it, and then every two and a half hours, and cut it down very gradually like that? Don't know if that is any help :( Reckon I will have some major meltdown when I come off the Champix as that is probably all I have holding me together.

Anyways, don't cut your inhalator down till after Christmas as that is too big. And enjoy yourself :D

TC,

Zoe xxxx

nsd_user663_34855 profile image
nsd_user663_34855

Anyways, don't cut your inhalator down till after Christmas as that is too big. And enjoy yourself :D

Think I need to carry on with it for a bit, maybe the less stressful atmosphere will help, broke up from work now so should be able to chill a bit more yeay :D

I keep having the NRT argument with my ex- smoking relatives who quit cold turkey, they can't understand why I feel so wobbly after three months and I keep saying it's the b****y nicotine replacement !!! I think it's been much harder in the long term whereas CT is the short sharp shock and you're over it much quicker. Even so, don't think I would have managed CT so I'll have to keep torturing myself with the NRT till I have the strength to fight my inhalator quit :D.

I'm going to sum up: CT as harder/easier and NRT as easier/harder

All roads lead to quitting, some are just more winding than others :D

nsd_user663_20978 profile image
nsd_user663_20978

i wouldnt be 12 days away from the penthouse without NRT and thats a fact some people are cut out for CT some are not

and even if i had a wobble at this stage i still have my inhalator and would use it rather than smoke

you have to do wats best for you and not wat other people think is best for u, it will all eventually fall into place and this will all seem like a little hiccup when u look back

your not smoking and thats wat matters

you have spent alot of your life training yourself to smoke in every situation and now you are training yourself not to and that doesnt happen overnight

boo

nsd_user663_35439 profile image
nsd_user663_35439

they can't understand why I feel so wobbly after three months and I keep saying it's the b****y nicotine replacement !!!

Pip...My quit was cold turkey after 6 days of lozenges...I'm getting close to 3 months and am having serious wobbles along with a number of others on here!!! must be the mad season :p

nsd_user663_35351 profile image
nsd_user663_35351

No Francob you did not get slated for your opinion, you got slated for being jolly rude to anyone who gently queried your theory.

For the record as I am now addicted to NRT I agree with you but being rude is not acceptable.:(

Either way Una-G it surprises me how so many people around my time frame on this site are still finding it so difficult and wobbling - I mean some people who have gone 2, 3 and 4 months are still fighting so hard not to smoke and some others have actually smoked.

I'm sorry If I come across as sounding harsh in my posts but the fact of the matter is MOST not all have been using some form of NRT or Champix/Zyban and relapsed.

I'm fully aware that we are all different, different personalities and will power etc but except for the first 3-4 weeks with my quit I haven’t struggled once, I don't even need to use what some people call "will power".

Why ? Because I handled the nicotine addiction in the first 3-4 weeks and read Alan Carr and any other articles I could find to fully understand what smoking is and why I smoked - I coupled this with understanding my triggers and hey presto my mind-set is 100% different to what it was 4 months ago.

Finally I am read some post on here where people are saying things like "I've had the week from hell" " I’m under so much stress" "This has happened in my life and it terrible" Blah blah blah. I am not trying to be insensitive here because we all have problems me included and I myself have had some tough time in the last 4 months but because I have dealt with the addiction and understand why I smoked it means the very last thing I will do is light a cigarette.

All of sudden new posts are up "I've smoked, i hate myself" "Can’t believe I smoked, it was horrible and tasted so bad" blah blah - I mean what do people think ? Do people really think "If I light this cigarette all of my problems will disappear, my job will be fine, I will be richer and can pay the bills, my close friends or family will magically get better"

Please, reality check people !!

nsd_user663_6426 profile image
nsd_user663_6426

I can see where Francob is coming from...I do believe that for a quit to be successful you have to sort your mindset out....if you don't then it'll really threaten your quit later on. If you change the way you think about fags...then you don't need will power so much (I only need it when I encounter a stressful situation just to get me past my first thought of "I want a fag"). It really makes giving up cigarettes a lot easier. My husband is amazed at how I'm tackling this quit...he's says it's so different to all my other quits. At first he was in the same camp as all my friends, family and work colleagues...the "I've heard you say you'll give up a thousand times and you never do it" camp...now after seeing me quit for nearly 2 months, he knows like I do...that I will never smoke again.

All the best with your quits.

Lisa x

nsd_user663_34742 profile image
nsd_user663_34742

Thoughtful and informative post Francob. Just be a little more tolerant of other people's weakness. I'm glad your quit is going so well, have a good Christmas:)

Una, I like you!!

I, however, will continue to bite my tongue :D

nsd_user663_35351 profile image
nsd_user663_35351

Whats wrong JQ? Surely forums are about opinions and open discussions and of course you are entitled to yours so why not share as I have done.

There is no need to bite your tongue - I for one will certainly not be offended if you disagree with me.

Some people pussy foot around too much, I didn't think you were one of them.

nsd_user663_33894 profile image
nsd_user663_33894

Perhaps the reason that so many people who feel wobbly and ask for support are NRT/Champix users is more that they just need more support overall - correlation does not necessarily mean causation.

And Alan Carr's theory is flawed IMO. Nicotine is a psychoactive drug and will therefore affect everyone differently, just as prozac will lift some people out of depression and do nada for others. Conversely, stopping nicotine abruptly will also affect people differently.

Yes, your mindset helps your quit, but for some people it's not enough. It's a bit like telling someone who's depressed to stop feeling down :rolleyes:.

I feel this forum would be much more useful if people didn't keep trying to undermine other users' quits, however well-intentioned they may be. If your method of quitting is different to the OP, and the question is specific to their method, then it's worth asking yourself whether you should post in that thread.

nsd_user663_6426 profile image
nsd_user663_6426

:rolleyes:

nsd_user663_39132 profile image
nsd_user663_39132

Quit Nazis - HERE???

Come on, really! I've run into enough people in my real life who sneer & tell me my Quit isn't 'pure' because I'm using Champix... they tell me this as they frantically paw through theit pockets for their cigarettes & lighter or as very overweight now-smokers, reach for that fourth eclair.

My Quit is MY Quit. I've never gone to 24 hours until this Quit. Is my Champix a crutch? Probably. It can be a full blown battery operated scooter as far as I'm concerned. It all comes down to one little fact... I'm not smoking. So to the nay sayers... pphhtt!! I have started cutting back on the Champix because the side effects are rather... unpleasant. By the end of next week at the latest, I'll be off the Champix... unless I find things are getting rougher over a few days. At that point, I'll hold where I am until I feel less wobbly.

Every single thing I do right now is selfishly weighed against one question: "Is this helping my Quit?" And as selfish as that sounds - even to me - it's not as selfish as stinking up my home, my clothing, my person. It's not as selfish as wasting money I don't have on cigarettes or stealing time from loved ones so I can smoke.

It doesn't matter how we successfully quit, as long as we do. I've seen people using every method under the sun be successful... and fail. I've also seen folks who've quit for years wobble badly during a tough time. Nicotine is an ADDICTION. Yes, we have to change our mind set but even successfully changing our mind set doesn't magic away the issues, the difficulty many experience.

I've yet to read Allen Carr's book but understand his methods revolve around removing the doubt & fear smokers experience. That sounds wonderful, logical, sane. There is little that's sane about an addict's mind or thinking processes. And that empty feeling? It's big & at certain points during a Quit, looms even bigger. There are some people with whom Carr's teachings will immediately resonate; who will 'get it' straight away & find their battle eases. But not all.

I submit there's no one method that will work for everyone, else smoking would be far less of a social/health/economic problem in our societies. We all have to find our own way - be it something unique, something borrowed from others or an oringial combination of different techniques.

Whatever works... works.

nsd_user663_6426 profile image
nsd_user663_6426

I think people need to calm down...stop being so sensitive. This is making me want to leave this forum and I ain't done anything. If you read through my old posts I advocate quitting by whatever method is best for you. I am just saying that for me (and I stress ME here)...cold turkey has been the best method. Like I have said, I will only post short posts from now on as this arguing about quit methods and insinutions against people is upsetting.

Lisa x

nsd_user663_39132 profile image
nsd_user663_39132

Oh goodness Lisa, not you

I've not been here long at all but your posts have never struck me as adocating one method over all others. It was a general comment because the longer I get into my Quit, the more people in my real life learn about it, the more I find I'm being quizzed about HOW I'e done it so far... then criticized for 'not doing it right'.

I'd hate for that to take hold here, is all.

nsd_user663_35351 profile image
nsd_user663_35351

There is no right and wrong way - like Lisa I just find that CT was the way forward for me.

nsd_user663_39132 profile image
nsd_user663_39132

Advantages of CT

You'd only have to go through one period of withdrawal - no stretching that out as you wean off or simply stop pathes, inhalers, gum or lozenges...

Any symptoms of that sort might be worse but again, they wouldn't linger.

nsd_user663_20978 profile image
nsd_user663_20978

i used patches went on to inhaltor read allan carr and went CT six weeks in so i have pretty much covered everything except champix and i am eleven days from the penthouse so watever it takes i say it really doesnt matter

nsd_user663_39132 profile image
nsd_user663_39132

'Penthouse'

I've seen that tmer used here in a number of posts. It seems it means a year away from smoking - is that correct? If so, well done!

nsd_user663_20978 profile image
nsd_user663_20978

yes almost a year hehe

nsd_user663_34855 profile image
nsd_user663_34855

Don't know if I dare mention what happened today when I tried the nicotine spray instead of the inhalator !!! :eek:

nsd_user663_34855 profile image
nsd_user663_34855

Thanks Karri, feel safer now.....:)

Well, to cut a long story short........Sprayed the spray, went all funny, coughed spluttered, wheezed, ran to the toilet and........well suffice to say I got a good view of the toilet pan :eek:

Have now relieved myself of another £20 odd quid and purchased Niquitin Mini's, seem to be coping a bit better with those.........anyone want a hardly used pack of Nicorette spray, I did wipe the the vom off it ??? :eek:

nsd_user663_34855 profile image
nsd_user663_34855

Karrie please feel free to laugh, my 9yr old daughter did much the same at the time, wait till she feels sick next time hmmf :cool:

Perhaps I should also clarify that it didn't have that effect on me during the first week. Wondering if I'm on such a low dose of nicotine with the inhalator that the spray is now too strong for me?? Anyway, just wanted to say that as I wouldn't want to put anyone off using the spray, it works great for many people :). Just not for pukey pip ..........

nsd_user663_34380 profile image
nsd_user663_34380

I'm sorry Pip....I jsut had a good giggle too....its the mental image that makes it!

Good for you for trying yet another product though!

Keep it up!!

Steve

nsd_user663_39132 profile image
nsd_user663_39132

Oh no!

I hope the 'sicks' passed quickly. We don't have the inhaler available in Canada - I think our only options right now are the varying strength patches, gum, lozenges & inhaler when it comes to NRT. The only other choices are Champix or Zyban - prescription only.

nsd_user663_37212 profile image
nsd_user663_37212

Amazing

Francob, you must be an amazing person as your will power is incredible. You must be extremely fit. You must eat all the right foods. You must be at least a PhD or something unbelievable (perhaps an astronaut).

I mean, really, if it is sooo easy to quit smoking, and it's just willpower, you must set your mind to all sorts of great achievements.

Note the sarcasm. I'm struggling after 63 days yet I consider myself a strong person - three degrees, relatively fit, successful in my career, etc.

The point is simple, and CanadaSue said it best - we are all different and need to cope with this addiction in different ways, that's all. So, ease up unless you truly are this perfect person (in which case, you probably would never have started smoking in the first place!).

nsd_user663_35351 profile image
nsd_user663_35351

Francob, you must be an amazing person as your will power is incredible. You must be extremely fit. You must eat all the right foods. You must be at least a PhD or something unbelievable (perhaps an astronaut).

I mean, really, if it is sooo easy to quit smoking, and it's just willpower, you must set your mind to all sorts of great achievements.

Note the sarcasm. I'm struggling after 63 days yet I consider myself a strong person - three degrees, relatively fit, successful in my career, etc.

The point is simple, and CanadaSue said it best - we are all different and need to cope with this addiction in different ways, that's all. So, ease up unless you truly are this perfect person (in which case, you probably would never have started smoking in the first place!).

Well Teleguy as it happens 4 months ago I decided to make a huge life change as for many reasons I was struggling, this included depression and anxiety, panic attacks and something had to give so I chose life.

12 Months prior to that I was made redundant, lost my house, split up with my girlfriend and filed for Bankruptcy, to put in bluntly it was either give in and sleep on the streets or fight back and change my life.

So as part of my life change I quit smoking, I'm running 10k runs and planning on a marathon in 2012, I am back playing semi-pro football and training twice a week and yes my diet is now 100% better than what it was 6 months ago.

Not quite a PHD yet but I am enrolled for a Osteopathy Degree starting next September and plan to take my Master also.

My theory is if you really want to quit and I mean really really want to quit then you dont need will power especially if you understand the nicotine trap and Allen Carr helped me with that side of things.

I'm a true believer if you want anything out of life then hard work and determination is the answer.

nsd_user663_25112 profile image
nsd_user663_25112

Hi pip well done in getting to month 3. Personally i would stick with inhalator over xmas because if your wobbly its the best thing. Im still on lozenger with help of extra strong mints. Everyone is different when going CT we cant all be strong because ie we were we would of all given up without a hinch. Best of luck. And merry xmas pip. Jacqui. Proud member of the November N.O.P.E. group. Quit: 14.11.11.

You may also like...

Three years and one month

throughout my quit, here on the forum and texts and e-mails too. I have had a few problems in the...

Mwahahahahaha month three and exam is over...

lot of applicants so I'm not holding my breath, but hell I made it through three hours without the...

Three months and a few kilos down the line :-)

had a fag for three months!!! Done a lot more walking.... and eating aherm, but, I'm smoke free!!...

Three months is magic

I don't want to intrude on Max's tips, so I'm creating a new thread to expand on his point that...

yay, here's to month three

month three.. I remember the start of my quit and looking at the various time landmarks and three...