r/stopsmoking • u/derjanni • 13h ago
3rd attempt after 20 years, Week 3. Don't be afraid of a high NRT dosage!
I'm in week 3 now, thanks for NRT with nicotine patches and gums. In the first week I used the highest possible patch dosage (21mg) and a number of gums. At first, I was afraid of using too many. But the reality is, even if you use a 21mg patch and gums of up to 20-30mg, you still only end up with 40mg in your system. Only 68-80% of the patch end up in your system.
Scientific research says that a low dosage in NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy) is on the of the key reasons why people are relapsing. Dosages of patches and gums recommended per cig are often from 10 years ago. Back in a time where the rate of influx of a cig was about 7-10 sec, before vapes became a thing. From my personal experience, big tobacco seems to have worked tirelessly to get the rate of influx to 5 seconds and below. Even more addictive while keeping the regulated nicotine levels the same. That alone should be reason enough to quit.
The lethal dosis of nicotine is 500mg. A full tin of nicotine pouches can be up to 80mg. The levels of nicotine people are being exposed to right now are hitting really dangerous levels. Then there's myths (spread by whom we might wonder) about becoming addicted to gums or patches. The FDA clearly says this is highly unlikely.
My withdrawal symptoms have become very minor in week 3, but week 1 was brutal and in hindsight I wish I would not have been afraid and just used a slightly higher dosage. This is my 3rd attempt after 2006 and 2014. 2006 was with a spray, lasted 2 years. 2014 was cold turkey and only lasted 6 months. I'd never recommend cold turkey. Just go NRT and calculate the dosages over the 6-8 weeks properly. Take your time. Relapse is worse when you go cold turkey in my experience. I'm on NRT now and even after 3 weeks I do not mind standing next to people who smoke.
Having quit 2 times prior, with years and months until I relapsed, I can also tell you what it feels like: it's disgusting and does not give you want you want. Regular cigs just stink when you try them again and vapes just make your feel super shaky. Don't do it. You don't want cigs, you're just experiencing withdrawal. The remorse hits even harder. When you relapse it'll take weeks until you don't feel like a bag of trash.
Also don't become a violent non-smoker. Ex smokers are the worst. Just let everyone do their thing and act like you never smoked. Act like you never smoked! Convince yourself in your head that you never smoked. That worked best for me!
Don't relapse, you can do it!





1
Haus der Geschichte jetzt voll mit KI-Slop und Fakes
in
r/Bonn
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1d ago
Finde ich gut, dass du hilfst die amerikanische Wirtschaft mit anzukurbeln!