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Share your quitting journey

I quit early...

katie_k114
Member
10 10 478

I preemptively bought a box of patches *21mg; 14mg; 7mg that has been sitting on my counter for about a month "waiting for my quit date of January 15th". 

I made a promise to myself that I would NOT buy anymore pods so I was stuck with the one that I had. It lost it's flavor in December, I could deal with that. Then it started to turn the juice to a dark brown color...1st week of January, the pod tasted burnt...by the second week it wouldn't even hold the juice in the container, it was leaking out of the bottom...so January 12th, I threw it out of my truck window because I had gotten too pissed off at it. I basically made myself annoyed at the habit so I'd leave it as a non-enjoyable experience.

I got home and slapped a patch on. 

My S.O. who is also a vaper/smoker/dipper said he would quit if I did so we can go through it TOGETHER. He's been wanting to quit for a while, but he was too scared to try.... It was kind of our best kept secret. No one knew that we vaped except us so the only people that know we are quitting...is eachother. After he knew that I threw mine out the window and started with the patch, he said he would quit, too...the following day. He had to mentally prepare. After work on the 13th he came home and said  "come here a minute...I want to show you something", he opened the door to our backyard in the woods and he threw it as far as he could and asked me to help him put a patch on. We threw out ALL of the paraphernalia together. 

We're both irritable, miserable, and having cravings like a motherf*. 

I get headaches everyday. I'm tired all the time...on the weekends I take a lot of naps. I'm hungrier than ever. The patch is helping minimally, going from 65mg of nicotine to 21mg of nicotine is kind of a big jump so we're just dealing with it...we talk about how we're feeling with eachother and complain that we want our vapes back but at the same time we're not going back. I'm 6 days on the patch today and he's on day 5. Jolly Ranchers and lollipops, the saving grace of it all...that... and I have been telling myself that it's a lot like working out. When you work out, afterwards you feel sore for a few days and then it goes away but your muscles and bones get stronger. It hurts but it's worth it. This hurts but it's worth it. Pretty soon I'll be able to RUN again!!! 

Right now I am where I wanted to be months ago and it can only get better from here, it isn't going to get any worse than it already is. 

 

 

 

10 Comments
YoungAtHeart
Member

WOW - that was a LOT of nicotine you were using.  SO glad you made the decision to quit, are sticking to it and understanding the misery of the early withdrawal days will end. Sounds like you have the right attitudes to be successful.

Might you both put the money you are saving (or slips of paper with amounts) in a jar so you can watch it grow as an added incentive?    Dream how you will spend it!

Stay the course.  It WILL get easier.  Hang in there until it does.

Nancy

 

maryfreecig
Member

Quitting is so doable. Hang in there. Thanks for sharing your story and welcome to Ex. One step at a time, one day at a time you got this!!!

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AnnetteMM
Member

That's a wonderful love story of you and your s.o. and your quit together!

biscuit9
Member

Please, please keep going.  Yes, it is a struggle, but it does get easier.  Those early days were a struggle, I was a cig smoker.  You are  doing it.  Quit day FIVE!!  Means you have said no to nicotine more than a few times.  Dealing with the craves was something I got better at, as time went on,  You are almost through Hell Week!  We are nicotine addicts and one puff ALWAYS leads to another.  Quit day 125 for me.  I wasn't necessarily happy on day 5, but I wasn not smoking!  I was UNtraining my smoking brain and I had to be diligent. I wrote phrases, I watched smoking videos, read about copd.  Some people blow through a straw, whatever it takes, but do not smoke.  Break the cycle and break free.  Also, be kind to yourself during these weeks.  A small treat for yourself, goes a long way and you deserve it.  It is exhausting fighting and beating these cravings, but so worth it.  Stay strong, stay stubborn!

SuzyQ411
Member

@katie_k114 

~and your fantastic life partner~

GREAT JOB 1.19.23.jpg

❤️

 

Barbscloud
Member

@katie_k114 Go ahead.  Congrats on 4 days now?   You have plan in place to use your patches to wean off nicotine.   Good foresight.  Glad you're S.O. is joining in the journey.  But remember to make it  your quit, not one else's.   You're success is dependent only on you.

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Stay busy and stay close.

Barb

 

 

sweetplt
Member

Good for you….you took the plunge @katie_k114 now keep busy…and keep close to the support site…we will cheer you on…!

CommunityAdmin
Community Manager
Community Manager

@katie_k114 Great job at starting your quit journey early. Congrats to your S.O. as well on their journey.

Glad to hear you are supporting each other and got rid of your paraphernalia associated with tobacco use. That's huge!

Please remember to be friendly to our Earth when getting rid of tobacco delivery devices. If you can collect the paraphernalia that was tossed out (if you can find it) to your back yard and then damage and dispose of it in the garbage so you can ensure it doesn't get into the hands of someone underage. That would be appreciated. 🙂 It will also help prevent you and your partner into resuming use of it. Over the course of time I've read posts from people who dug through the trash during a craving just after they quit. We don't want you to encounter that temptation.

BBranham1990
Member

Wow! I was feeling sorry for myself with my measly 3 mg juice. Now I'm incredibly impressed with your drop! Kudos!

Barbscloud
Member

@katie_k114 Welcome to the Ex and congrats on your upcoming quit.  

No matter how you choose to quit, cold turkey or with aids, it's important to educate yourself about nicotine addiction and have a quit plan. Many have found success with knowledge and preparation. It took me 50 years and many attempts to finally get it. I went into my quits blindly and was never successful. In addition to some aids for my final quit, I found the Ex a week prior to my quit. For the first time I learned how to quit and had the support that was always lacking.

This link is a great place to start.
https://www.becomeanex.org/guides/?cid=footer_community_linktobex


Make the commitment and you can do this too. We're here to support you on your journey. So reach out anytime you need help, want to share your experience or to support fellow quitters. We're all in this together.

Start your day by taking the Daily Pledge. It's a great way to stay on track on day at a time.

Please consider creating your own post at My Journal/Blog to introduce yourself to the community and receive some well deserved support. 

Stay busy and stay close.

Barb