I have been quit for 5 Days, 9 hours, 23 minutes and 27 seconds (5 days). I have saved $41.51 by not smoking 188 cigarettes. I have saved 15 hours and 40 minutes of my life. My Quit Date: 1/13/2007 11:30 AM.

 

Ryan,

 

I think this is the longest I have ever been off the drug in 3 decades of trying every method to withdraw that exists except NTAP! I spent about 10 days on www.whyquit.com before starting. Hated hours 0 to 24! Started strong at hour 0 and by hour 2 was already starting to panic! Hours 24 to 48 I could never explain and for that period I said at least one time per minute NTAP!!!!!!!! 48 to 72 the panic really let up. I did find myself repeting the commitment often though.

 

Now on to your question. I only had to write because this was one of the top lessons for me. I have been through partial withdrawel so many times the the AHH is a very vivid thing that I understand. You may not really recognize the ahh without thinking it through but it is there and the key to relapse. Think about going to an event that lasts all day. Before you go in you tank up on 5 or 6 butts knowing that will be it for the day. As you leave the event you are barely out the door as you and me and a bunch of others block the walkway as we stop to light up. After all we have been crashing for 8 hours! One half life every two hours in our blood nicotine! The AHH is that moment of instant relief as we get that first rush in 6 to 8 seconds. Oh yes that puff is a very real ahh! Sometimes you will even have to sit for a short moment as the 8 second relief hits you!  A life long friend asked me a question not long ago (he has never had a puff). If nicotine is a stimulant how come people look so relaxed outside leaving the sport event. Easy to answer now, it is the relief of ending the crash! Funny thing is that after that ahh you will smoke 5 or 10 thousand butts waiting for the next ahh!

 

Thank You Joel and John! The first article that made me throw away my supply of new Zyban and a new box of 21 mg patch's was John's How Long Article. Please thank everybody at why quit for passing the information to me that I needed to even have a chance to ever run again.

 

Harry Munroe