Can't even try to bring the funny today.  I'm now fully into the drudgery that is ridding myself of an incredibly unhealthy addiction.  So, some actual facts:

I'm using NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy) to try to get past it.  I've tried this in the past with the gum, but now I'm trying the lozenges.  The lozenges (at least for me) have several major advantages over the gum.  I can chew the nicotine out of the gum super-fast, thus actually boosting my nicotine addiction while kidding myself that I was working to cure it.  Sure, I can chew up the lozenges, but this actually ruins their delivery mechanism rather than enhancing it.

The lozenges leave a nasty chalky aftertaste in my mouth which makes me want to use less of them, whereas I actually liked the gum.  This aftertaste can last for a long time.  Hell, I wake up with dry-mouth from these things.  So, on balance, I get a lot less nicotine in my system with the lozenges, while they actually last longer than the gum.  Although this front-loads the difficulty a bit, it's definitely good for actually quitting, rather than just substituting delivery mechanisms for my addiction.

The bottom line:  quitting any major addiction requires time and dedication.  Whether it be cold-turkey or NRT for smoking, a 30-day stay in Betty Ford for drinking, or whatever, there's a huge 'hump' you have to get over to even have a chance at making it last.  I'm still working my way towards the top of the hump, but I'm far more committed to quitting than I have ever been before.  Maybe this time I'm serious enough about it to make it last.

Posted by: Hermit Dave at 06:14 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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