Welcome wilmikem! I used the gum, too, and at first, just the thought of chewing turned me off, but like you I determined that I was most likely to quit using the gum. Why? Because it is much easier to control the amount of nicotine you receive when chewing the gum. The first 10 days I chewed a lot, and then almost effortlessly I began chewing less and less. Why? Because I started to become tired of chewing, and I found I needed less nicotine every so many days. (Every now and then I also thought about chewing less. Maybe that helped a little, too.) That made it relatively easy to give up the gum when the time came--six weeks later. I was down to chewing 1-3 pieces a day. So I actually had been withdrawing gradually anyway. I was really grumpy the first few weeks, but after that I found I was sleeping a little more. Most of these stages we pass through early in our quits are just that stages. They too shall pass. Keep your eyes on the prize and don't think too far ahead. Recovery can only be had one day at a time.
My Milage:
My Quit Date: 5/1/2009
Smoke-Free Days: 153
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 4,284
Amount Saved: $1,660.05
Life Gained:
Days: 16 Hrs: 19 Mins: 1 Seconds: 11
