Willy - cold turkey is the only way to quit. With the patch, gum, whatever, you're just changing the delivery method of your favorite drug. We've got guys here who chewed, dipped, smoked, vaped, snused and at least one guy I know of used pouches filled with nicotine salts.
All just different delivery methods for the same poison.
By cutting down, cutting back, you're just stringing out the symptoms of withdrawal from nicotine. I've seen too many stories of someone coming off the patch or using gum who ended up with in increased tolerance and a bigger habit than they had before. Hell - I'm one of those folks. Tried to "quit" with nicotine gum many years ago. I ended up saying, "Screw it, the gum's too expensive" and went back to dipping... and saw my usage increase to two cans a day.
I'd like to encourage you to toss the patch and quit with us. This link explains how KTC works -
Here's How You Quit... Ball Is In Your Court Now.
Your next step would be to get on over to the
September quit group and post roll. That's the basis of quitting here at KTC. Roll is our way of promising each other that we will not have nicotine for the day. Our system is pretty simple. Wake up, post roll, and keep your word for the day. Then, the next day, do it all over again. There's even a video on
Posting Roll on KTC Kill the Can to help you get started.
I'm not going to lie to you. Quitting may be simple - just don't use nicotine - but it's also one of the hardest things I've ever done. You can read up on the site about
What To Expect When You Quit Dipping and
Symptoms of Quitting Dip and Chew. Doing it alone is close to impossible. Thousands of people here can tell you, though, that quitting
together with other people was what made the difference for them and allowed them to succeed.
That's what you're getting, really, when you quit here. A support system that is like no other you will find anywhere else. We've all been through it - the shame, the frustration, the humiliation, the stress and triggers and anger and depression - so we know what it's like, and we're here to help you get past all that and take back your life.
Yeah, it's tough. There's not one person on this site who regrets quitting, though. It's absolutely worth it for your health, your life, and your freedom.