Boring post, just killing a few minutes

When I quit (90%) in May, I was using the patch.  Day 1 was bad, day 2
was worse, day 3 was just a fog.  Smoked a couple on day 4 (Calculus
final), and it did help.  Well, the one before the test stabilized me,
but the one after was a mistake.  There I was with a patch on my arm
and a pack in my hand.  Left the pack on a picnic table, all nice and
neat for some other "lucky" soul.  Thus began the "bumming phase".

Had I had my druthers, I would have quit the day after the final, but
the quit day was defined by the program I am in.  I chose to join the
program, not the exact quit day.

After 2 weeks, went from 21 to 14mg, again had a few days that were
"not good", though not anything like those first few days.  While I was
aware of some additional "gnawing nico-hunger", it was not that bad.

Why quit the patch?  Because it served its' purpose, and I did not want
to go through the 14 to 7 and 7 to 0 transitions.   After 4 days at
14mg, I knew that the nicotine level in the patch would never satisfy
the need.  Since I learned that there is a psychological desire
separate from the physical desire to smoke, I just wanted to get rid of
the lesser physical component as rapidly as possible.

While this was probably more uncomfortable than taking it in two
transitions -- and it was not a "walk in the park" -- I just needed to
take an active step.  I was also tired of chasing the rectangular red
itchy spot around my arms.

Got through Stage 1 (Agitation) without killing anyone.
Hanging out at Stage 2 (First Slump).

I fully committed to quitting on 6/8/2006 just before lunch.  I set up
this meter when I took off the patch, several weeks after I almost
completely quit smoking.  That was Four days, 1 hour, 3 minutes and 40
seconds ago. I have now not smoked 72 crappy tasting stinky cigarettes,
saving $23.62. Life saved: 6 hours, 0 minutes.  My goal and primary
motivation is to embark on a new career in a non-smoking environment
where I can make a difference.

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So, are you saying that going through the first two steps of the patch
didn't contribute anything to your quit?

I'm kinda confused about what you're saying.

Seems to me that you were working the patch program for two-thirds of the
recommended time, then decided to skip ahead.  Whether that was right for
you remains to be seen, though at the moment you're quit, which is
fantastic.  I wouldn't say that the patch program hasn't been helping,
though.

Conventional wisdom holds that it takes a minimum of six weeks to change
basic, ingrained conditioning.  Six weeks to recondition the old triggers,
and that is why the patch program lasts for six weeks.

Some people find it takes longer, some much longer, and some find it takes
less.  Some deal with the whole thing together and find that workable, and
some need to break it into more manageable chunks.  As long as no one
smokes, all of them end up quit in the end,  The only thing that matters is
that you do the thing that works for you.

hugs,

elle
6y


"Jimbo" <jim.nastics@queensknight.com> wrote in message
news:1150142310.959555.20660@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com..
> Boring post, just killing a few minutes
>
> When I quit (90%) in May, I was using the patch.  Day 1 was bad, day 2
> was worse, day 3 was just a fog.  Smoked a couple on day 4 (Calculus
> final), and it did help.  Well, the one before the test stabilized me,
> but the one after was a mistake.  There I was with a patch on my arm
> and a pack in my hand.  Left the pack on a picnic table, all nice and
> neat for some other "lucky" soul.  Thus began the "bumming phase".
>
> Had I had my druthers, I would have quit the day after the final, but
> the quit day was defined by the program I am in.  I chose to join the
> program, not the exact quit day.
>
> After 2 weeks, went from 21 to 14mg, again had a few days that were
> "not good", though not anything like those first few days.  While I was
> aware of some additional "gnawing nico-hunger", it was not that bad.
>
> Why quit the patch?  Because it served its' purpose, and I did not want
> to go through the 14 to 7 and 7 to 0 transitions.   After 4 days at
> 14mg, I knew that the nicotine level in the patch would never satisfy
> the need.  Since I learned that there is a psychological desire
> separate from the physical desire to smoke, I just wanted to get rid of
> the lesser physical component as rapidly as possible.
>
> While this was probably more uncomfortable than taking it in two
> transitions -- and it was not a "walk in the park" -- I just needed to
> take an active step.  I was also tired of chasing the rectangular red
> itchy spot around my arms.
>
> Got through Stage 1 (Agitation) without killing anyone.
> Hanging out at Stage 2 (First Slump).
>
> I fully committed to quitting on 6/8/2006 just before lunch.  I set up
> this meter when I took off the patch, several weeks after I almost
> completely quit smoking.  That was Four days, 1 hour, 3 minutes and 40
> seconds ago. I have now not smoked 72 crappy tasting stinky cigarettes,
> saving $23.62. Life saved: 6 hours, 0 minutes.  My goal and primary
> motivation is to embark on a new career in a non-smoking environment
> where I can make a difference.
>

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elle wrote:
> So, are you saying that going through the first two steps of the patch
> didn't contribute anything to your quit?
>
> I'm kinda confused about what you're saying.
>

The only reason you could possibly be confused about what I am saying
is that I am confusing! ;-)  I'm not even clear about what I am trying
to say.

I'll try it this way: For me, quitting smoking (a work in progress) is
much harder than quitting nicotine (now a fait accompli).

The patch did contribute to my quit by providing:
- A "break" from the addiction while learning [some] new behaviour
- An understanding that all of the cravings are not just physical
- That physical dependency is not my big issue

The patch then detracted from my quit by feeding an insufficient level
of nicotine into my system, insufficient in that it did not satisfy the
craving, and never would satisfy the craving.

Anticipating a follow-up question, would I use the patch at all if I
had this to do over?  Yes, I would use the patch, or gum, or spray, or
something.  Given how bad the first few days were *with* the patch, I
would not have wanted to go through them without nicotine too.

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"Jimbo" <jim.nastics@queensknight.com> wrote in message
news:1150148253.861260.243980@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com..
>
> elle wrote: 
>
> The only reason you could possibly be confused about what I am saying
> is that I am confusing! ;-)  I'm not even clear about what I am trying
> to say.
>
> I'll try it this way: For me, quitting smoking (a work in progress) is
> much harder than quitting nicotine (now a fait accompli).
>
> The patch did contribute to my quit by providing:
> - A "break" from the addiction while learning [some] new behaviour
> - An understanding that all of the cravings are not just physical
> - That physical dependency is not my big issue
>
> The patch then detracted from my quit by feeding an insufficient level
> of nicotine into my system, insufficient in that it did not satisfy the
> craving, and never would satisfy the craving.
>
> Anticipating a follow-up question, would I use the patch at all if I
> had this to do over?  Yes, I would use the patch, or gum, or spray, or
> something.  Given how bad the first few days were *with* the patch, I
> would not have wanted to go through them without nicotine too.

Okay, I think I get it now.  Thanks for clarifying!  BTW, congratulations on
this awesome quit.

hugs,

elle

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imo, the patches are one of the reasons that i was able to quit.
i would slap on a patch and when i craved, i would then be able to know that
is was PSYCHOLOGICAL!
i was able to focus ALL my energy, on changing my thinking.
i wore the patch as directed and at the end of the 7mg patches, i wore two
weeks more by cutting 7's into 3.5mg.
after that nothing........and a whole lot of time under my belt,
learning how to identify STINKING THINKING.

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