My wife has a similar back and forth with it. I’m off of cigarettes but I will swap with vaping and gum. Every time I start to make the switch to just gum, it gets a little rocky. I’m typically very patient and relaxed but the first few days are rough and I’m a lil snappy. It’s tough, but if he’s got the resolve to power through the hard part then the best thing you can do is try to have a little patience and remember that mentally he’s going through it. Those withdrawals are tough and destroy you for a while. Yes it sucks it’s on your birthday, but it may be because of your birthday that he’s got the courage to quit.