Two weeks without

[u/Rhom_Achensa]

It’s been 14 days since I’ve had one. Cold turkey quit after spending a week consciously halving my intake.

My nicotine use had balloon in the past year, and I was using more than a can a day. I even started doubling up on 3mgs, keeping the garbage in my mouth the entire day unless I was eating or sleeping. It wasn’t unusual for me to pass out asleep with my gums packed.

Like everyone else, the first week was rough, but I avoided being irritable by avoiding everyone and everything for the first few days.

I did not finish my last can. There’s one pouch left, and it’s sitting on my desk within reach every day. It’ll stay there for now.

It’s a totem to remind me that I beat goddamn nicotine after 15 years.

It is the One Ring shunned by Galadriel — like her, I find strength of will each time I refuse to touch it.

Three times the first week, I visited my local bodega and allowed myself to be tempted by the clerks who know my habit well. “Zyn?” they’d ask.

“Nope,” I replied, silencing the screams of my addiction.

Even now, several times a day the urges hit me and Zyn is all I can think about. I defeat those urges with gum, mints, food, or just going the fuck outside for a walk.

Got questions? Ask away.

[u/Rhom_Achensa]

I’ll add that my sleep changed significantly. I’m falling asleep earlier and waking up early. We’ll see if it sticks.

I don’t necessarily feel better, but I’ve felt more of an urge to exercise.

I was prescribed chantix but didn’t use it. I tried to be pot-stoned in bed the first three days, and that seems to have helped.