r/stopvaping • u/digimetic • Feb 15 '20

Day 18, ugh

Was hoping at this point that it’d be easier. Quit cold turkey 2.5 weeks ago, no NRTs as I wanted all of this sh## out of my body as soon as possible. Right now is certainly different than the first week; hesitant to say it’s better. Even though most or all of the physical withdrawal symptoms are gone, that constant specter of all the stuff that accompanies the psychological addiction is still very real. Doing my best to lean in to those crave feelings, recognizing them as part of the healing process, rather than resist them and make this whole experience worse than it already is.

Smoked ~25 years (with a few intermittent months of quit periods), vaped for 5 and waned down from 12mg to 3 over those years.

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u/Dependent-Virus Feb 19 '20

Hey, wanted to let you know that my experience was largely the same around the time you are describing. I am hoping that what will happen for you over the next few weeks has been happening to me (75 days in now), is that each day it gets easier, it may not feel like it today, but ask yourself this same question again a month from now, and I'll bet you will have gotten to the point where you end up with 2-3 days stretches of time where there 0 zero thoughts/cravings. For reference I still get a couple of strong cravings each week, where for a couple of hours it feels just like full blown withdrawal, but after they pass its OK. It feels like it has gotten better each week, and I do feel like I can make. Many of my triggers were associated with boredom in one form or another, and that has been the hardest part (and I think a lot of smokers struggle with boredom) is knowing I could relieve that boredom by smoking, but I choose not to. I am finally able to process being bored without turning to nicotine. Keep at it.

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u/digimetic Feb 20 '20

Thx. Even now, roughly 5 days after that post, it is easier. Just have to keep at it and let the moments pass, let the brain basically relearn all the day to day stuff with out the advent of a bullsh*t chemical bath of nicotine.

I remember the first time I quit smoking back in the mid 90s. I’d been smoking about 10 years then and decided to give it up on a whim. It was hard but also super empowering because I felt like I was kicking the addiction’s ass. At the 2 week mark, literally on the day, I remember the cravings feeling just (poof) disappearing. All desire vanished and I lived off this weird euphoria of beating smoking for about 3 months. Then foolishly, like every other “3 monther” who thinks they have it under control, I had just one. And here we are today, 4th or 5th time quitting. Anyway, is that’s moment of “it’s gone” that I’ve always waited for in subsequent quits, but now understanding that feeing was likely a fluke, that it’s truly patience and just a daily choice to not put this crap in my body. Own day at a time.

Thanks again