RE: Dear Nicotine

Okay here goes. I have been thinking about you alot as vapes are so dangerous as well!

I tried to give up many times, but in the end my husband and I settled on a few tricks that worked better than anything. You might have heard them before and by no means do I want to be preachy as I know how no one likes a lecture and every person has to do this journey themselves and it's different for everyone.

I think the first thing for me was not to talk about it like all the last times and just do it. Instead of saying that I was giving up, I just kept telling myself over and over: I don't smoke. Stopping that identification was key.

The next thing was just internalizing the fact that nicotine doesn't stay in your system that long, so what you are kicking is actually neural pathways (the same ones that 15 years later have me checky pockets for a lighter after dinner once in a while). That is, it is intensely psychological and that PISSED ME OFF. Brain, fuck off - I am controlling you not the other way around. So reaching for a vape is still 🚬. What you need to do is recognise that brain kick and LET IT PASS, in the wisdom of Buddhist masters. And sometimes your brain is kicking you really badly so you have to smoke to shut it up - I know, it's Soo intense.

So you just need to distract yourself. Get up, have a glass of water. Go for a walk. Take the bins out. Anything until the feeling passes. Tidy the house. Move to a different room. Go to the loo. Whatever. Just wait til it passes. Because that feeling will pass, over and over, until it's fewer and fewer and fewer in between. And if you do cave and smoke, don't finish it - and start again being a non smoker.

Do things that trick the brain. So if you are used to having a fag on waking, change the bed around or sleep on other side or something. Don't sit in same chair you'd normally smoke in. We moved countries at the time ahaha.. so that helped too.

Also, I bought a big bag of licorice root to chew. It gives you something to do with your mouth, and it helps regulate cortisol or the stress response. My husband ate alot of those pickled peppers from Aldi.. like a LOT hahaha. Find a nibble that works for you.

Anyway I wish you luck. The fact you wrote about it tells me it's your journey to give up and honestly it's the best thing not to be spending so much money and risking your health and making other companies rich just because you can't get a grip on the sheep tracks in your brain.

I feel I should say I was a chain smoker too... It was totally nervous energy for me. I reckon these days i would add meditation more to help but it Wasn't where I was at then..breathing exercises are great too... Square breathing or alternative nostril breathing (you can Google).

Anyway I hope you got to the end and I hope it helps xx may the force be with you!