Nicorette Oral Spray - Not To Be Taken Lightly
First thing I would like to say is; yes, the Nicorette Spray (mint) worked so well for me. Initially I used it to dial back the amount I was smoking, which worked so well, soon I didn’t want to smoke at all. That should be a good thing shouldn’t it? I thought so.
Cut to 5 years later... I have not been able to successfully quit this spray. The addiction response from your brain can be overwhelming. It’s easy not to notice at first that you’ve become dependent on it, I mean your breath is fresh and you’re not “wasting time” smoking, you can spray anywhere at anytime, it’s so convenient... By the time you realise you might have a problem, it’s well and truly embedded itself into your brain.
I have a history of PTSD and related depression and anxiety - trying to quit this NRT puts such strain on me, physiologically as well as psychologically, that eventually, in order to maintain sanity, I give in and buy more. Which I cannot really afford. $60 for a pack of two. Yeah, no..
I put this all out there so hopefully someone doesn’t make the same mistakes I did. If you’re gonna try it, make sure there is someone else who can accurately keep track of how much you’re taking. If you find yourself wanting to hide how much you’re having from that person, you have a problem.
If you have issues with insomnia or anxiety, I wouldn’t recommend, end of story.
How terrible for you TriGGa. All drugs should be taken with caution and we know already how addictive nicotine is. I should think however than the nicotine however delivered would be out of your system for all intense purposes in about 72 hours.(if you could manage to do that) How long have you managed to abstain?
After 5 years of not smoking I should think that that psychological dependence and habit would be long broken. Nicotine in any form of delivery can still make us believe feel that we need/enjoy it. You clearly despise having to have this fix and it is not peer pressures or being glamourous that keeps you hooked. It is the same feeling of relieve we had by taking a drag to allieviate the cravings that the nicotine itself causes.
Please read all you can here and learn the mindset to quitting smoking which applies to all addictions. You can beat nicotine. I do know of a couple members who also still take nicotine after years of quitting smoking. You are not alone in having this problem, nor alone in solving it. Thank you for sharing your story and warning others about nrt's. That does not mean that i am against them just because i quit cold turkey, just that nicotine is still nicotine however delivered and to be careful.
Please try reading Allan Carr's book which is available free on line by clicking on my name here and finding the story with a link to the pdf file. All free! I hope it helps. Let us know how things go. Believe you can overcome and you will.
I gave up using the spray. What I did was go on to gum for a few months and then quit the gum. I found that I still had cravings but they were no to bad. For a few weeks I missed the gum but now after 6 months free of gum I have little cravings. Gum will also save you some money.
I find that to be an excellent idea Dougie52. By switching to the nicotine gum, is like quitting smoking and using the spray for your nicotine fix. It becomes your new "habit". Once you are comfortable on the gum then start chewing regular gum as well and lower your use of nicotine gum. Bonus is that is said to be cheaper. I shouldn't think that you will have a psychological attachment to the spray. You may become a habitual gum chewer.....At some point you will, as everyone does, have to make the jump off of ALL nicotine. Believe it or not, that is the easy part. How many quit smoking only to and start over and over? Though unpleasant, many get past the nicotine addiction but it is the acceptance of living without smoking that is their downfall. That is why I believe that the mindset is so important. As Red67 says, you really only need to quit once!
Thank you for your advice to others who may have the same mental health problems and stopping smoking.
Substituting one habit with another, such as hand to mouth, is difficult for some without other problems to contend with. It is important to remember you are not alone regardless of how many times you have tried.
Well done for overcoming both problems at your own pace, without too much trauma. I am sure there are many people who want to quit that have these medical conditions, and should not be taken lightly, as you say. I am sure you have given insight and courage to them.