Today I have been smoke free for four months. Instead of celebrating I'm feeling very disappointed with myself. Stopped taking the 1 mg lozenges at Christmas without any trouble. About 10 days ago, had bad cravings and a bad week in general. The only good thing is I didn't buy a packet of cigarettes, I took myself to Boots to buy another pack of lozenges.
When I first quit I only had 8 at most a day and gradually reduced them. I'm now back on between 5 or 6 a day already. It doesn't sound a lot but I feel myself starting to depend on them which is making me fed up. I just want to stop taking them.
I can't get an appointment with the stop smoking nurse at my doctor's surgery as apparently I'm not a high enough priority! I have been on a waiting list to see her since October but still haven't heard anything.
I've read a few posts recently about using patches to help with this sort of thing. I wonder if I should try this. Any advice would be very much appreciated.
Written by
Sally6
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You've done magnificently well to get this far, I'm sure you won't blow it, but the question is about which NRT to use. As Max says, if it has to be a lozenge, it has to be a lozenge. Do you have any ecigarettes you can occasionally puff on? You can get them from the pound shop.
First of all, MIGHTY congratulations on reaching 4 months. That's a HUGE achievement! 1/3 of the way to the Penthouse. Well done you!! :D:D
I'm with the others. Quitting is like that- you suddenly hit a bad patch for no apparent reason. Contrary to beating yourself up, you should be proud of having done exactly the right thing in using some NRT to get you through it (rather than succumbing, which would have been so easy to do). A few 1mg lozenges are not going to hurt you and once you feel you're over the hump you can start to wean yourself off them again. Rather than making you a failure your actions have made you a winner.
I wouldn't bother with patches. The lozenges are doing the trick for now and that's the important thing.
Thank you all for your replies. I felt I'd let myself down as I'd proved I could get by without the lozenges for 3 weeks. It over-shadowed my four months off the real things.
Today I've put them in the car so if I want one I have to go outside and get one. I'm also cutting them in half, the pharmacist said that wouldn't work but if it helps me I think its worth doing.
I only have ever used the 1 mg type, just couldn't bear the stronger ones. I used fishermans friends when I first quit. I don't much like them but they definitely helped so I'll walk to the shop in a bit to get some.
Thank you all again, I really don't know what I'd do without this forum.
I think it just sounds like a blip. Suck the lozenges and don't pressure yourself too much as in a week or so you may feel confident enough to wean down on them again. Well done Sally xx
I just an to add my huge congratulations, doing fantastic, this is a long term goal, no rules just do whatever , but just don't smoke .
Remember when you were little, you had stabilisers on your bike, when they were taken off and put one more than once I,m sure, just untill you could handle the wobbly bit, and that's what's happening your having a Wobbly bit, just keep going your doing great, get through to day, you can do it I know you can.
The difference between a quit and fail is giving in! But I know you won't.
Sorry to hear you are going through a rough time Sally. You did the best thing so don't beat yourself up over it. You haven't smoked and I know you won't either! You will get over this blip and in the meantime just remember how hard it was to get here. Congratulations on your 4 months!!! X
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