On day 12, the struggle is definitely real.

[lwildma2]

Midnight

Congrats on your decision to quit. I feel your pain and have struggled through it. I quit 2 weeks before you and I can tell you it gets better, but you have to give it time and it will take time.

The thing getting me through are breathing exercises. 10 deep breaths counting in and out. At night I listen to a self hypnosis track on youtube. There are many different ones. I pick one for depression/anxiety. Helps focus my mind and lets me drift off.

You might also try fake chew. I have used Jake's and Smokey Mountain(found at walmart). Helps with the oral fixation.

PM me if you need to vent or talk.

I am damn proud to quit with you today.

[quark]

However, the past week, or so has been hell with anxiety, and depression. It is fierce, and unrelenting. I've felt like I was loosing my mind at some times, and obviously not myself. I've also had a hard time sleeping, as I would often have a dip before settling into bed. Also, I've noticed the anxiety/depression is worse in the morning. I'm committed to quitting, but did not think it would be this though, mentally.

Nicotine acts like a neurotransmitter and effects brain function: mood, sleep, cognition. Remove the nicotine and you get all of your symptoms. The good news is the other neurotransmitters made by your body are increasing to make up for the loss of nicotine in the brain. You just need to be patient and trust until your brain starts working perfectly again.

Also, you have been relying on nicotine for the past 3 years to deal with anxiety, and now you need another mechanism. That's why a lot of us started working out like fiends in our first 100 days of quit. Find a healthy way to deal with anxiety besides drugging yourself with nicotine.

And stay away from the alcohol for the first 50 days. You are a night time dipper, I wonder if you dip and drink at night. Alcohol is one of the biggest instigators of caving.

Stick with it. You've got this. Only a fool would throw away 12 days of quit because of anxiety, depression, some sleep problems, that are all going to get better with time.

[Mike23mx]

That story tells you just how important it is to quit now. Anything that can affect you that powerfully and you don't even know it? Nic is a bad drug.

Congrats on your quit. Your symptoms are common, but they will get better soon. Hang in there. Post roll. Read others stories.

[MidnightDipper]

Hello Everyone,

I'm 31, and have been dipping for about 3 years now. It started as something I would do with other buddies who dipped while we were drinking, and evolved into something I would do at night, almost every night. I never really got into doing it during they day, but would still say that I'm addicted. I cant really say why I wanted to quit other than the fact that I was noticing heavier, more frequent use in myself. Either way, I stopped cold turkey 12 days ago, and the past week has been rough. The odd thing is I didn't feel many cravings past the first few days, and no real noticeable withdrawal symptoms at all that first week. However, the past week, or so has been hell with anxiety, and depression. It is fierce, and unrelenting. I've felt like I was loosing my mind at some times, and obviously not myself. I've also had a hard time sleeping, as I would often have a dip before settling into bed. Also, I've noticed the anxiety/depression is worse in the morning. I'm committed to quitting, but did not think it would be this though, mentally. I expected cravings, especially while drinking with buddies, or at night watching a ballgame, but not this. Thanks for listening!