After 23 years of dipping and numerous failed quits, I am on day three of no tobacco. This is longer than I have gone without it in 23 years..
From reading the posts on this board, it sounds as if many of you disapprove of using nicotine patches.
I guess I can understand the logic since the patch is giving you 21mg of nicotine a day. However, I have tried and failed to quit many times cold turkey. Call me weak, a wimp, whatever... I don't care because it is working. The patch has (so far) made it manageable to go from 1.5 cans a day of Red Seal to no tobacco at all.
I realize I will have to taper from 21mg to 14mg to 7mg, and then to nothing. That seems a lot more realistic to me to go from 7mg to nothing than to try to go from the stratospheric levels that I was using to nothing.
I passed a C-store this morning on the way to work and was very tempted to stop for a can. Instead, I came on into work, and pulled up this site.
Thanks for having this site. It is helpful.
Welcome to the site, Red.
You really haven't quit. You've merely altered the form of the carrier that brings the drug into your system.
The side effects of quitting will be essentially the same whether you are on the patch (whatever dosage) or still dipping.
The best thing to do is to flush everything, fight through the first weeks one day or even one minute at a time, join your quit group and commit to posting roll every day.
You can do this. If I did, so can you.
Go for it!!
I didn't say that I have quit. I said I was on day three of no tobacco.
From the responses, I see that I have touched a nerve by admitting that I am using nicotine patches. You guys make some good and valid arguments, but I am still not sure that I agree with you.
Here is the best way I can think of to explain my logic:
For arguments sake, lets just say that as a heavy dipper, I was putting 35mg of nicotine into my system. I don't know that that is a valid number, but I know it is higher than the 21mg I am getting on the patch because I still feel strong cravings.
So, switching from snuff to the patch, I have lowered my intake from 35mg to 21mg. After a few weeks, I will lower it again to 14mg. A couple weeks after that, I will lower it again to 7mg. Finally, after two more weeks I will lower it to 0mg.
In my mind, it seems a lot easier and realistic to go from 7mg to zero than from 35mg to zero.
As I said before, cold turkey has not worked for me. Why is it so awful to try things a different way?
I greatly appreciate the responses so far, and I look forward to hearing responses to this. My mind is not closed, but so far I have not heard a good reason to not give the patches a try. Altruistic and sanctimonious ideals are great when they provide results, but sometimes the solution to a problem is ugly and not elegant.
Regardless of whether we agree or not, you guys are doing a good and helpful thing here, and I appreciate it.
I don't really care if someone chooses to use patches or not. All they are doing is delaying the inevitable. You might think you are 'softening the blow' by weaning off the nicotene, but IMO you are just prolonging the physical withdrawal.
To me it is just like jumping into very cold water, versus slowly wading.... or ripping a band-aid of your hairy arm versus slowly pulling back on it. Is it better to feel less pain over a longer period, or have a bit more pain but be done with it fast???
Me? I'll always jump right into the cold water and tear the band-aid fast. Thats just the kind of guy I am.
just my 2 cents.
No one has told you to leave. No one has told you you're wrong. In fact, I see nothing but support from a lot of solid quitters. Some of which have used the exact method you are using now.
Here's the thing: You say you haven't heard a good argument to NOT try the patches. I haven't heard any argument from you to go cold turkey except, "I've tried that before". Well, that's the whole difference.
You try, we do.
My stance on this is, at some point, you're going to HAVE to go cold turkey. You say that cold turkey will be easier from 7mg than whatever you're taking in now. What makes you so sure? Withdrawal is withdrawal.
The other big difference between you and us is, I KNOW I will not ingest nicotine into my body today. I've made my promise. I don't have to worry, or wonder about "in a few weeks".
Listen, you're welcome here. Please, sit, read, read, and read. When you are ready - when you have the MINDSET that you are ready to kick this little whore to the curb...we are still going to be here, ready for you. The question is, are YOU ready for us? Are YOU ready to Quit?
Shoot me a PM when you're ready...
It's obvious that your still letting the addict speak for you. You want to quit, but not quite willing to do what it takes. Addicts can always justify their behavior. Addicts cannot be reasoned with, even in the face of hard facts (speaking of, can someone help me find an old skoal monster post laying out all the hard facts against NRT).
Give our method of cold turkey, large nuts, and solid support a chance for just a bit. Then the quitter within will gain strength over the addict. And once your inner quitter is speaking for you, success is guaranteed.
Look man I see your logic, I really do. 63 days ago I was you. Sitting there with that itchy ass 21mg nic patch on my shoulder. I had dipped a can to can and half a day for 23 years as well. Our similarities are eerie to say the least. I even dipped redseal for crying out loud. I reasoned the same way you did. I did my research and and found most cans of snuff have about 400 mg of nicotine in them. I then calculated I absorbed maybe half or at least a quarter of that so I was cutting my dosage down by a factor of 5 at the least. It all made sense to me until.....
I was 13 days through using patches when I found this site. Thinking oh wow cool a support site. I stumbled into chat and started chatting with two guys name tarpon17 and klark. It started harmlessly at first until they found out I was sitting there with a patch on my arm. The ripped my ass and called me every name in the book. Slave, addict, pussy, you name it.
Reeling with a wounded ego and very hurt pride I stormed out of chat. Then I got pissed. Fuck those guys, I don't need this damn patch, but still I didn't take it off. I was afraid, of the unknown, of the withdrawl, of failing.
The following morning I woke up and went through my routine. It wasn't until I got to work that I realized I had taken off my 13th patch without ever putting #14 on. I panicked, called my wife and asked her to drop it off with me on her way to work. She came by about an hour later and gave it to me. I looked at that white square package and thought about what they had told me in chat the day before. Then I said to myself "well I've been quit this long, I'll just see how long I can make it. If it gets too bad I'll just put on the patch." I put the patch in my shirt pocket and kept it with me for 4 days. Then I threw it out and haven't had any nic since then.
My point of this long story is that you can do it cold turkey. This site is full of guys that have. You don't need that nicotine pacifier on your shoulder. I'm walking talking proof of all this. Don't waste time feeding your nic addiction. Take the patch off, and grind it out. It is going to be tough, but rage got me through. Anger at my weakness, my addiction, my past failures. All of it motivated me through.
You can do this my man, I got your back.
