The Threes [View all]

It's a bit unnerving, posting in a group that hasn't seen a new post in close on a year. Call it forum necrophillia if you like but I'm heading towards three years without nicotine and this post from Warpy inspired my thread.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=18109569

I once heard that the crucial times when giving up smoking are three days, three weeks and three years. As I said above, I'm nearing three years; the past couple of days I've had a powerful urge to smoke.

Instead of relenting and buying tobacco or cigarettes, I'm reverting to the method that allowed me to break a fifty year habit that was killing me. I'd rolled my own for years, so the transition was not difficult. This link on Wikipedia is a list of smokeable plants that are not tobacco:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_plants_used_for_smoking

I had several growing in my garden, others grew nearby. I harvested, dried and ground up enough foliage to fill a few jars, stocked up on nicotine patches, gum and lozenges and having taken care of the nicotine craving, used the dried herbs to break the 'hand to mouth' habit. That is, I smoked - but not tobacco.

It took a remarkably short time to get over the nicotine, which actually tells me a lot about the nature of my past addiction. The main thing is, I never felt deprived; having a wine or coffee? Smoke a herbal blend. I was able to deal with the triggers for nicotine with a combination of smoking herbs and nicotine therapy.

After a remarkably short time the nicotine craving had passed. I grew up soaked in tobacco smoke - while my mother was carrying me, as a child and then I invariably took it up myself. I was hooked from the first inhalation. Tobacco gets you THAT quick. For around a year I puffed my herbal blend at ever decreasing intervals. It's not perfect but its a hell of a lot better than smoking thirty a day. It also gave me insight into the reasons I smoked - these were not necessarily coupled with tobacco addiction.

I had no trouble admitting that I was an imperfect soul - I wasn't one who could do the cold turkey walk and feel no effects. Instead I found a compromise that, while not absolutely perfect, worked for me and importantly broke the nicotine habit. My health has improved, so has my COPD. The biggest improvement is to my wallet.

As I write, I'm going through a three-year moment of weakness. I started thinking about smoking. It never, ever goes away, so strong is the habit and urge. Instead, I ground up some leaves and herbs that I had dried for such an occasion and I'm puffing right now. But not nicotine. I'll feel a little guilty tomorrow, but no real harm has been done.

If I can do it, so can you.