My way
Third time posting today but writing helps me, it did last time in the early stages of my journey so this is what I'll do.
After I quit last year for over 12 months I had a lot of new directions that I needed to take in my health and life in general. I have lost 27 kilos in 6 months so I am on the right path, my life is going in the right direction.
So now I need to fight this addiction and I will because I know I can, I did it before.
Like I said in a previous post I'm on the nicotine patch and I know it works for me and that everyone has their own way, their own journey but I can't help but feel I won't be an ex smoker until the nicotine is out of my system. Am I cheating doing it this way? Is it the coward way out? There's no way I can go cold turkey not with my husband still smoking even though he is quitting but he is cutting back slowly and that's his way not mine.
On another note--- I feel dizzy can you overdose on nicotine? I went for my daily run after work and my patch fell off so as soon as I got home I put on a new one because I knew I wouldn't make it through the rest of the afternoon and night. I have taken the patch off so hopefully I start feeling normal again..
I am disheartened after reading your story. Sorry but so scary that people quit for such lengths of time and then take it up again. This is by far my biggest fear.
I'm on patches (most of the time) and am on day 60. I don't see it as cheating. What ever works for you. Yes, you're still putting nicotine in your system, but you are changing your habits and slowly reducing the amount of nicotine. I unknowingly started on Step 2 and I can honestly say that I feel no different whether I wear a patch or not. I can't feel any sort of 'hit' or 'relief' when I wear a patch. I only really wear it now because I want to complete the course. I don't want to be able to use not following the course as an excuse to start smoking again. I think if you didn't notice your patch fall off, you wouldn't have known.
Don't get me wrong, I struggle constantly, but I don't believe I have any withdrawals as such, I just constantly think about smoking. If I really think about whether I want to put a filthy tar filled stick in my mouth and have that nasty smell and poison around my 7 month old bub, I would say definitely not, but it doesn't stop me from constantly thinking about it.
Sorry, I'm rambling and pretty sure I haven't helped at all. Good luck.
Just read your other post. You have nothing to feel disgusted or ashamed of. For however many years, smoking was your crutch. It's what we turned to in our times of stress or depression. It's no wonder you turned to it again.
Don't beat yourself up. Love yourself instead. Enough shi$$y things happen to us that we don't need to heap more crap on ourselves. Just try and try again and love yourself regardless.
It's not cheating so much as transferring. look at it this way- you're choosing to quit the hand to mouth action and the physical act of having a cigarette first, and then choosing to quit nicotine. I too read your last post, and I'm so very sorry you had to go through that. I think you need to ease up on yourself and take this one day at a time. if the patches are working for you for now, then go for it. you'll know when you're ready to give them up.