53 Days(Nicotine Gum?)

[wayne1]

My friends!!!I've got a what is probably an incredibly stupid question.I have a 50 piece box of 4mg nicotine gum.

Though it's been 53 days since I've smoked a cigarette,I still want to light one up.(Though nowhere near as badly----thanks to all your help!!!)

At this point would chewing it be helpful with my cravings,or will it just re-introduce all that toxic s#^+ back into my system and make it more difficult to no longer desire it?

If this is an issue that has been previously addressed,please forgive my ignorance....

[OldBones-Larry]

At 53 days, the nicotine is gone from your body. Chewing the gum will just put you back on that rollercoaster.

I say, throw, or give, that gum away.

Larry

[jonilou]

Yes, I agree with Larry. You'd be seriously sabotaging your quit.

[elvan]

I think re-introducing nicotine is a very dangerous thing to do, I had people suggest that I use a patch after I had been nicotine free for a couple of weeks and I didn't dare. The nicotine is gone, your psychological addiction is still strong and you need to stay as far away from triggers as possible.  

[elvan]

Have you tried any crave busters like sticking your head in a freezer or biting into a lemon, rind and all.  You need to distract yourself from the crave, yell STOP to signal your brain (you can do that without ACTUALLY yelling out loud).  Brush your teeth, go to places where smoking is not allowed, there are more of them now than places where it IS allowed, dance, sing, walk, do jumping jacks, do crossword puzzles.

[freeneasy]

You are fighting with yourself-a battle you can't win.   Rethink all the reasons why you quit. 52days is a good amount of time to be smoke free and you don't want to throw that time away. Move forward, there are no good reasons to smoke only excuses.  

[JonesCarpeDiem]

The gum will not help you think of smoking less often, you will just begin to associate the thought pf smoking with the gum.

[smorgy8513]

DO NOT put the nicotine back in your system!!!!

Would you consider making a list of crave distractions??????

See you haven't done the other suggestions on main page yet.

Since this is the psychological piece you are dealing with now....you need to understand AND and believe that you are an addict.        For me the psychlogical part was harder than the physical so I was glad I had learned and accepted that I'm an addict.

Keep listening here.

Stay strong and stay smart!

Sharon

[JonesCarpeDiem]

when you get the thought of smoking say "I don't do that anymore"

It's a simple reminder tht retrains your brain away from smoking.

it will become what you think of.

[YoungAtHeart]

No more nicotine - period.  That ship has sailed.

Maybe put a rubberband around your wrist and smack it when you have a crave?  The sting will remind you that you don't do that anymore - and then DISTRACT yourself.  We have given you LISTS of suggested things to do.  Get busy and DO some of them.  Sing out loud, laugh out loud, play a computer game (I played Angry Birds for DAYS!), or just solitaire with cards,

Hang in there - I promise it DOES get easier!

Nancy

[JonesCarpeDiem]

PS Each piece of 4mg gum equals what nicotine you'd receive from 4 cigarettes

[AbasKid]

I'm glad to see you did not pick up a cigarette. Part youself on the back for that!

[Thomas3.20.2010]

The Law of Addiction:

"Administration of a drug to an addict will cause re-establishment of chemical dependence upon the addictive substance."

[Legend]

Congratulations on 53 days WOOOHOOOO!!!!!

I never could use the gum it made my dizzy it was like smoking 4 cigarettes at once so I never used it after that one time.  

[bonnie-12-28-14]

I got addicted to the nicotine gum and ended up smoking at night and chewing nicotine gum all day at work for about 12 years.  Talk about an expensive habbit.  Keep yourself busy and find something to distract yourself.  

NOPE

[Junior7]

I have been smoke free for 40 days, but am addicted to the gum.  I say, if you have gotten this far without the gum--stay away from it. 

[Eric_L.]

I'd recommend throwing them out.  Sounds like you are fixating on them if you are still thinking about it almost 2 months later.

If you do use it, let us know what happens, please.

[Eric_L.]

ALSO, if you haven't already, check out Allen Carr's Easy Guide to Quitting Smoking.  You should be able to find a free .pdf by searching for it on google.  It helps dispel a lot of the myths that we smokers tell us about nicotine.

AND, bookmark your days here. 

[Danno_11-10-12]

Say no to the nicotine.  It's a psychological battle now.  NOPE: Not One Puff Ever.  You don't do that anymore.