*New Here* Question about NRT gum

[LeahD]

Hi all. I'm on my 7th or 20th quit - something like that. I decided this time around to try gum. I guess I really fear cold turkey.

My question is this: I'm getting nicotine - so what am I craving right now?
When do I stop craving the cigarette to mouth, smoke to lungs, exhale feeling?
I understand the nicotine gum is just a way to get one of the several aspects of the smoking addiction fulfilled, but is there an average amount of time a person is on gum before they stop needing the physical act of smoking (as much)?

The main reason I'm asking is because I don't even want to wean off the gum until I can stop thinking about the cigarette 24/7.

[sparkling]

Hi and welcome to the board, I would say that you will experience emotional withdrawal for a few weeks as your mind and body retrain themselves to the new you. Gum does not contain the same amount of nicotine in cigarettes so you will naturally feel some withdrawal for a little while as your body adjusts. The gum will initially take the edge off for you so you can get through the first week of cravings.
Drink plenty of water as this helps the body flush the 4,000+ chemicals out of your body and also if you get a craving to smoke do deep breathing and change your activity and the craving should pass after a few minutes tops.

About 4 years ago I tried nicotine gum and I stopped smoking for 58 days. I failed after the gum ran out and you know why?? Because I never read anything. I had no knowledge from forums or websites. You need to treat your quit with your life and make your desire to quit is stronger than your desire to smoke, that is how you will win.

Visit whyquit.com and read as much as you can as knowledge will help you overcome this. This board has a package for new people to read and also please post here when you need someone. There are many great people here who can help you in various ways through knowledge and experience. Good luck

[LeahD]

Thank you for your response.
The gum started to aggravate my migraines! I thought it was quitting that was making the headaches worse, but I stopped chewing the gum for 8 hours and the headaches went away ... bad news. I think it looks like I have to re-start my quit without a crutch.

I'm going to read, read, read. If I've learned anything from this forum it's that most of the quitters here have armed themselves with literature.

[cookielinda]

Give the lozenges a try, and follow the directions on the box. Lozenge plus gum plus forum is a good road to success. Do some research and check out the latest success rates for products.

[ehutch]

I use the gum but only when I'm FREAKING out. I've only been quit for 10 days and I didn't feel like I needed any gum for a few of those days. It definately takes the edge off, but at the same time they tell you to chew a certain amount of pieces for 12 weeks. I don't think thats neccesary. I feel like at this rate, I won't need the gum at all after another week or so.
GOOD LUCK!

[WTBF]

Welcome to the board, Leah! If you follow the instructions for the gum, you will find that you are not thinking about sickarettes 24/7 long before you finish the course. The first couple weeks are the worst; you should be having less cravings by then. The answer to your other question is more difficult. Over the years that we smoked, we learned to associate smoking with just about everything. Drink coffee, smoke. Get in car, smoke. Finish dinner, smoke. I could go on an on. The good news is that we learn NOT to associate smoking with those day-to-day activities pretty quickly, as long as you don't give in and smoke. What takes more time is all the occasional triggers that we don't face every day. Stressful days at work, arguments with SO, etc. It takes time to run across all those triggers.

The best thing I can suggest is to surf over to www.whyquit.com, where they have tons of information that will help you learn more about the addiction and the quitting process. That's where you will find answers to a lot of questions that come up. Education is very important; I like to think of it as a road map for the journey to freedom.

[WTBF]

I use the gum but only when I'm FREAKING out. I've only been quit for 10 days and I didn't feel like I needed any gum for a few of those days. It definately takes the edge off, but at the same time they tell you to chew a certain amount of pieces for 12 weeks. I don't think thats neccesary. I feel like at this rate, I won't need the gum at all after another week or so.
GOOD LUCK!

Welcome to you too, Ehutch! I have the same advice for you that I had for Leah; get yourself over to www.whyquit.com and read, read, read. You may not realize this, but you are making it harder on yourself by using nicotine gum occasionally every few days. When you stop smoking, it only takes three days to rid your body of nicotine, assuming you are NOT using NRT. Occasional use of nicotine gum only prolongs the time it takes to get rid of the nicotine, without really giving you the benefit that it is supposed to provide, which is gradually reduce the amount of nicotine over a period of weeks. Instead of a gentle decline, what you are getting is a bunch of spikes and drops, which just makes it harder. I'll bet that's why you are freaking out.

[Larry]

I know some people don't approve of NRT but I use the patch. It helps you maintain a "normal" life and you just taper off. You only use it for a couple of months and then it is over. You hardly notice when you go off of them. Each person is different so you ahve to find what works best to help you stay smoke free. The most important thing for me is to read as much as I can about the addiction. I can't understate this.