Stop Smoking

Following up on my ‘Day 4’ post, today is four full weeks. The 14mg nicotine patch is the answer that works for me. Some days I put it on first thing in the morning, other days I wait until noon. A few days I have waited until 4pm. I take it off right before I fall asleep because if I forget to take it off, I have super intense dreams. I have taken precisely zero puffs off a vape pen. My heart and lungs feel significantly better. I have started exercising and I really feel like I will be off the patches soon.

I am switching to 7mg patches tomorrow. I have read that it is a mistake to stop using patches too soon so I am going to do the 7mg for at least a month. If I start thinking about vaping too much, I’ll switch back to 14mg patches.

I’ll give another update in a few weeks to report on the transition from 14mg patches to 7mg patches.

If anyone reading this is considering quitting vaping or smoking, get the patches and throw everything else away. The patches eliminate strong cravings, and the occasional craving you do get is totally manageable. At least this is the case for me, and I was consuming around 1-2 packs of smokes per day worth of nicotine since I was a teenager.

I’m 36 and started smoking at age 12. I was over a pack a day for most of those years. I switched to vaping about 7 years ago. I have been going through about 1.5 - 2 pods a day (1.9ml 2.4%)… I believe this is equal to about 70+ mg of nicotine per day though my math could be off.

My lungs hurt, my heart palpitates, I can’t climb a flight of stairs without being out of breath. Sometimes I think I am about to have a heart attack yet for some reason I can’t stop puffing that vape, even in the midst of a panic attack caused by heart palpitations.

Switching from combustibles to vape was a big step for me. I was proud/happy to not smell like smoke but I didn’t realize just how much more nicotine I would end up consuming. Switching to vape was not too difficult and after a few years I could honestly say I didn’t want a regular cigarette anymore. I did however become horribly addicted to the vape.

The past few years I have given a lot of thought to quitting but I keep putting it off. It’s a sad and depressing cycle of hating myself for how much damage I am doing to my health, while constantly puffing away on the vape.

It doesn’t help that I have unlimited access to free vapes.

4 days ago I made the decision to quit and I am feeling really motivated. I took a sleeping pill to get me through the first 24 hours, which I think was a good strategy. On day 2 I bought some ‘step 2’ nicotine patches. These patches are 14mg slow release over 24 hours. Instructions say to keep the patch on overnight but I have been taking them off, and waiting as long as I can in the morning to put a new one on.

The patch reduces the severity of the cravings. The cravings still occur, but they are manageable. I have noticed that the cravings come in clusters. I’ll get a real strong craving, that lasts for about two minutes. That initial wave of fear and anxiety tapers off but then comes back 5 minutes later. This happens 4 or 5 times over the course of a half hour or so, then a few hours go by without any craving at all. Day 3 was easier than day 2, day 4 has been easier than day 3.

I am determined to see this through to the end. I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I plan to go another 3 weeks or so, then switch to the 7mg patch.

It’s amazing how significant the impact has been on my lungs. I feel like I have twice the lung capacity compared with how I felt yesterday. My heartbeat is normal, my breathing is normal. It’s weird how quick and significant the changes have been. I really like how it feels to not have a constant nicotine poisoning. This feeling is very much worth the short bursts of crippling withdrawal, and I know it will get easier.

Not sure if anyone will read this, but I’ll try to update in a week or two. I’m also happy to answer any questions.

I stopped smoking last year and shared some of my experiences in /r/stopsmoking, which was one of the few places on Reddit that actually helped me. I hope this place can grow large and active enough to help other people quit the stinky sticks.

I started smoking again in March this year.

But today I'm quitting again. it's 15.20 here and I haven't smoked yet today. I hope I can stay off the smokes for good this time, but I have a stressful elweek ahead of me, so I'm a bit worried I'm going to fail.

Edit: I'm actually surprised how many people have replyed to my post, I guess this community has some lurkers even though there aren't many subscribers. Thank you for the positive thoughts, everybody! 🤗

Hey everyone, I wanted to share my experience with you all.

It's strange you know. I stopped smoking in november 2018. After a lot of tries. But there's a context. I was smoking like 20 cigarettes and like 15 joints per day for 10 years.

I had surgery (unrelated to tabacco/weed), and the surgeon told me : "There are two roads ahread of you. Either you continue smoking like you do and we can already book another surgery in 6 months. Or you stop and there's 50% chance you won't need to come back".

I was ready and stopped 2 weeks later. Weed and tobacco at the same time. I had surgery. That surgery had a major impact on my everyday life. I could barely walk for a whole year and had to take very strong painkillers every day. Had to stop sports, and had trouble going to work in constant pain. On top of that, I started vaping and consumed incredible amounts of sugar to cope with frustration.

In the end, I did it. But as a consequence to withdrawal and forced immobility.. I went from 70kg to 90kg.

And today, more than 4 years later, I still struggle to lose those kgs. And it's so frustrating, and I'm so estranged with my new body, I started again smoking from times to times. Still resisted the urge to buy a pack, but for example, when I'm waiting for a train, I ask people for a cigarette. I constantly think about my weight.

That's.. a weird feeling, and I'm not sure how to deal with it. I used to do a lot of Martial Arts. Now I'm learning Tai-Chi and I love that. Doing a but of jump rope once or twice a week. Paying major attention to what I'm eating.

Well, here I am now. It all seems a bit ironic. But it's not all so dark. Yesterday, I picked an appointment with a dietetician. Hopefully, it will help me in this complicated moment.

I wish you all good luck !

I smoked for about 30 years and almost beat the addiction in 2021 via vaping but due to lobbyists making vapes pretty much unaffordable in my country I quickly went back to tobacco. I am determined to make it this time. I refuse to let this stuff control my body and mind any longer.