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Third Day of the Rest of My Life, I Can't Sleep but Happy to be Smoke-Free

tibbetsethan
Member
3 15 204

Hey everyone, this is my first blog post. It's officially the 3rd day. I am using NRT only when I absolutely need it but not as a crutch. I took my Ambien earlier tonight and was able to sleep 4-5 hours all together tonight. Something has me restless and I can't quite get comfortable or back to sleep. I feel like I may be up again until I tire myself out.

I have Huntington's Disease, Depression, Anxiety, and Schizoaffective Disorder so I thought quitting was going to be out of the question, actually my doctor even recommended I keep vaping because he was scared I'd get suicidal or homicidal just because of the drastic changes that come with stopping or slowing nicotine intake so drastically.

Honestly? Yeah I have a few problems with quitting, sometimes I have randomly burst out crying or laughing, I get anxious and sometimes I get cravings so severe I almost can't handle them unless I revert to NRT to help me get through just that. But also, I've learned to not depend on NRT too much, I have learned that regular gum can get you through a craving too, you just gotta get through it in a knock down drag out fist fight. 

Withdrawals haven't been as bad as I thought they would be. I have a headache some, my muscles are a little tired, insomnia is there. I also get sudden hot flashes out of nowhere and have to be in front of two fans at least to cool me down. But it's okay because I already am feeling better, for some reason. 

It's like my body is healing itself, it's easier to breathe, my blood pressure isn't spiking randomly and I'm not getting the pressures in my head when I get up. I'm able to get around a little better than I was. I mean I feel like crap to a degree but physically, bodily? I feel like my body is healing from like... an open sore or a deep scab that is my body. 

I got offered my first cigarette last night on Day 2 and was able to turn it down and talk to my sister about why I couldn't be around smoke right now, she was very understanding and proud of me. That means a lot to me. Everyone I've talked to has been so supportive it's just sometimes I've felt alone. That's why I am on this site. I like reading other people's posts and being able to reply or post stuff. This site has played a huge part in getting me off vaping and cigarettes. 

If anyone ever asks, honestly, ecigarettes/vaping is worse for your heart than cigarettes are because the nicotine amount is so much higher and constricts your blood vessels more and sends your blood pressure and pulse sky high. Don't do like I did and start vaping to quit cigarettes, although it's been a bit of an easier quit than cigarettes, it's still awful that I had to learn the hard way to the point it severely has impacted my health. I'm only 27. I shouldn't have heart disease or even HBP. So, take it from me. Vaping is not a safe alternative. Quit while you can!

15 Comments
YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

Congratulations on your decision to quit vaping and your first successful days.. It sounds like you have created a pretty good plan for quitting, and your head seems to be in exactly the right place.  I will give you a bit of homework to do and some ideas that have worked for others to help you get through these early days. It makes sense that only air is completely safe to inhale, and a LOT of people bought into the "better  than smoking" myth created by vaping's purveyors.  It reminded me of Big Tobacco's campaigns with their filtered and light cigarettes.

 

Although primarily a smoking cessation site, I have seen a huge increase in the number of people coming for help to break free from vaping. You will need to substitute “vape” or “device” as you do the reading I will recommend. Research suggests nicotine may be as addictive as heroin and cocaine. Because vaping is available to you most anywhere, anytime, I believe it might be more difficult from which to break free than regular tobacco products - but it CAN be done!

I recommend that you educate yourself on what nicotine does to your body and mind To that end, I suggest Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.” . Vaping was not a concern when this was written, so you will need to sub “vape”as necessary. This is an easy and entertaining read which can be found online or at your local library. If you do nothing else to get ready for your quit, please do give this a read. Here is a video to inform you further about nicotine addiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpWMgPHn0Lo&feature=youtu.be.

 

Considering vaping to be “safe” is far from a given - there is much research to be done. What we know is that vaping raises your blood pressure and spikes your adrenaline, which increases your heart rate and the likelihood of having a heart attack. There are many unknowns about vaping, including what chemicals make up the vapor and how they affect physical health over the long term. Recently vaping has been in the headlines because of the possibility of it causing severe lung damage in young people. An August, 2019 study at the University of Pennsylvania showed that a single instance of vaping immediately lead to reduced vascular function: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190820101601.htm.     

Nicotine addiction is nicotine addiction - no matter the delivery device - and how to beat any of them is about the same. Every time you read :"cigarette" in the information I will give you, just sub "Juul" or “vape,” or “device.”   here: https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/quitting-smoking-vaping/quitting-e-cigarettes.

As far as NRT's are concerned, I offer the following.  I prefer the products that don't let the addict control the dose.   If used properly though., gum, lozenges and inhalers are fine, but they need to be used only as a last resort after you have tried to delay and distract.   I have seen folks become addicted to them if they substitute them for every cigarette they used to smoke - just trading one addiction for another.  You need to start out with a plan to reduce use of them over time - which the patch does by decreasing the dose contained in them..  For the gum, you can start by cutting each piece in half, then in quarters, then sub regular gum of the same flavor in between, adding more and more regular gum.  For the lozenge, you need to start subbing a mint in between to begin, increasing the number of them over time.

 The idea is to change up your routines so the vaping associations are reduced.  Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand in a place different from where you vaped. Maybe switch to tea for a bit.  If you always had that first puff with your coffee, try putting your tennies on right out of bed, going for a quick walk, then taking your shower and THEN your coffee! Rearrange the furniture in the areas you used to vape so the view is different. Take a different route when you are out and about so you aren't driving by your vaping supply shop. Take a quick walk at break time instead of vaping.


You need to distract yourself through any craves.  You can take a bite out of a lemon (yup - rind and all), put your head in the freezer and take a deep breath of cold air, do a few jumping jacks, go for a brisk walk or march in place, play a computer game.  Keep a cold bottle of water with you from which to sip. Don't let that vaping thought rattle around in your brain unchallenged. Sometimes you need to quit a minute or an hour at a time.  You will need to be disciplined in the early days to distract yourself when a crave hits.    Here's a GREAT breathing exercise you can use anytime, anywhere, to get you past a crave and can be used anytime,anywhere to reduce stress: 

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Get busy, too!  Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of vape if you need some fresh ideas:
 https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instea...


The conversation in your head in response to the "I want to vape" thought needs to be, "Well, since I have decided not to do that anymore, what shall I do instead for the three minutes this crave will last?"  Then DO it.  You will need to put some effort into this in the early days, but it gets easier and easier to do.

 

Stay close to us here and ask questions when you have them and for support when you need it. We will be with you every step of the way!


 Nancy

MarilynH
Member

Welcome to the community you've made the best decision that you'll ever make in your lifetime and it's definetly the best gift that any of us will ever give ourselves which is the gift of LIFE, stay close because we're all here to help you in any way we can and please read everything you can because there's a wealth of information right here on this site to strengthen your resolve to kick the nicotine poison to the curb permanently it's not easy by any stretch of the imagination BUT thankfully it's doable and so very worth it to be Free, if you can take a nap whenever you can it'll take some time to get through the roller coaster of ups and downs of withdrawals and moodswings and lack of sleep BUT with commitment and perseverance you will get to that good place in your quit where you realize how much better life is as an EX Smoker Non Smoker or EXer it doesn't matter what you call it as long as you stick with your precious quit journey Congratulations on being on DAY three YAY for each and every Day WON with many more to come..... tibbetsethan

LeftysLady
Member

tibbetsethan‌, good morning Ethan I hope you were able to get back to sleep, it will help your body in the nicotine withdrawal.  Congratulations on 3 Days of Freedom.  It wasn't so long ago I was in your place.  Yes, it will get better.  I am glad to hear that those around you are supporting your quit.  Who knows you may be leading them here before long.

I am also glad to here you are quitting at such a young age.  I started smoking at 10 I am now 55, on quit number I don't even know.  I do know that this time it is sticking a lot easier.  I am not saying that it is easier to quit, but thanks to this site it is easier to stay quit.

Keep deep breathing during the cravings, find something that you enjoy for when the thoughts start that lead to the anxiety, I have a smiley face ball I squeeze to get me through the stressful moments.

Take care, we are here.  You are doing well.

Pam

17DOF

Cousin-Itt
Member

Welcome. and Congratulations NO cigarettes in 3 days is great.    I'm happy you have support from family members but remember how proud they are of you YOU should be the proudest because you are the one accomplishing this journey

Barbscloud
Member

Welcome again.   Congrats on your 3rd day smoke free.   I'm sure you've already learned from reading posts on this site, that everything you're experiencing is normal early in your quit.   Knowing what you experience is shared by other quitters really helps.  

So happy for you that you've decided to quit at such a young age.  Hopefully, you can avoid many of the health problems other's are experiencing.

We're here to support you on your journey.   Just reach out anytime you need encouragement or just want to share your experiences.

You got this one day at a time.

Barb

indingrl
Member

animated_1600596812786.gif choosing NICOTINE FREEDOM - Yahooooooooo - I am so glad you have PROFESSIONAL help for yourself and I am very glad you are here and I hope you have a GOOD N.O.P.E. day

maryfreecig
Member

Welcome to Ex. Congratulations on your quit, 3 plus days. Yes you can, one day at a time.

sweetplt
Member

Hi and Welcome to Ex’s...tibbetsethan Congratulations on 3 days of your quit...you have received some great advice above me...do the work and readings and keep the quit...Be sure to come to the support site often for help...Happy Saturday ~ Colleen 663 DOF 

tibbetsethan
Member

I just finished an awesome piece on withdrawals and it helped me see a lot, I'm gonna watch some videos, talk to people, maybe read (if my attention span will allow it lol) but today is actually my hardest day so far. I woke up feeling very sick, achy, like I had the flu. Once I got up and moved around, I've felt better. I am motivated as ever to not give up. Thank you guys for all the information and the encouragement. I will keep an account on my blog as much as I can cause it gives me something to think of to get my mind off things. 

Barbscloud
Member

There is actually something called quitters flu.  It's can be a real eye opener  the things that happen to you when quit.  Often quitters think they should feel "better" right away.  After all, you quit smoking.  It does take some time.   Of course we're not doctors, so when in doubt consult a professional.

Barb

tibbetsethan
Member

As soon as I got up and moving around I felt better Barbscloud‌ I think its just the withdrawal right now but I'm going to talk with my doctor on Monday and see if we can get a game plan going, im doing good though today, only had 2 pieces of gum all day!   Hope all is well with everyone!

indingrl
Member

Thank you and I am very glad for you also

SMILINACCOUNTNT

Way to go on day 3! Glad you are here and finding the site useful, I know it helped me through many an urge. 

RoseH
Member

Insomnia is a common side effect when we quit smoking  tibbetsethan

The first seven (7) days of quitting smoking is called Hell Week (in the former Quitnet.com)

The next seven (7) days is called Heck Week...

May I suggest you talk with your family doctor regarding “Natural” sleep medicine like melatonin...  I used this myself in the early days and it works...

tibbetsethan
Member

Melatonin worked good for me for a long time but my medication got changed around recently, I will ask the doctor to see if any of my meds will interact with the melatonin, the only reason they put me on Ambien is because a few weeks ago (before I quit) I was having panic attacks and couldn't get any sleep for 3 days so my doctor said that he would give me one month of Ambien to take whenever I was feeling too anxious to sleep. Unfortunately it isn't working too much in any way other than the anxiety the next day. I have Huntington's Disease and several psychological problems that stem from it so I am on a lot of medications and they weren't even sure I'd ever be able to quit nicotine because they were afraid it would make me I guess go really bananas lol. 


I appreciate the idea and will definitely be running it by my doctor whenever he's in.

Thanks,

Ethan 3 DOF

About the Author
I was raised in Small Town Texas, started smoking at age 13. At age 19 I started vaping on and off because I liked the rush. At 21 I ended up getting tested for Huntington's Disease because my family on my Mom's side has it and came up positive. Then early the next year I was formally diagnosed with it active as JHD due to muscle movements and weakness called Chorea and Ataxia which began when I was 14 years old. I use walking assistance now and have been in and out of the hospital a lot, but I haven't stopped that from wanting to quit vaping and cigarettes. In fact, vaping was making me so sick, I decided enough was enough and that I wanted to quit. So here I am. I'm proud to be an Ex!