I’m a fucking rock star! It’s been twenty-eight days and counting. I made it though the stress of my surgery (which went really well, by the way) without lighting up. It was exceedingly difficult. I managed by using the patch and lozenges; and the support of my partner and those close to me.
This is an insane addiction, not that they aren’t all a little more than crazy, but nicotine takes the cake. We have nicotine receptors in our system which makes it especially hard to give up; and don’t think tobacco companies aren’t always looking for ways to make their products more addictive.
If you have been following this topic, I didn’t use any of my own great suggestions (except writing in my blog) to beat tobacco…yet. I had just quit when I had a surgery come up which altogether put me into freeze mode. I couldn’t smoke in the hospital and when I got home I was coming off some powerful meds so I wasn’t able to smoke. I’m supposed to take it easy for the next few weeks so I can’t do some of the physical things I had suggested either.
At this time I am down to only using one milligram lozenges, no patch. I accelerated my own timeline because I want the nicotine out of my system as soon as possible. If you’re wondering how long you should use what kind of patch, talk to your pharmacist, they are a great resource.
A few years ago I did attend a smoking cessation support group through Mental Health and Addictions and they provided a prescription for the patch and lozenges for a maximum of six weeks. They estimated a person would be able to move to the next step every two weeks. The support group also met once a week, which I did find helpful. You could always try contacting your local Mental Health and Addictions team to see if they have a similar program, if you too want to give up this stupid addiction.
Click here for more resources by province (Canada).
My Phoenix Rising 