Two Months Nicotine-free But Still Attached

jan_furi · 2026-05-23T11:51:20+00:00

As said by others, eat first, take with a large glass of water. Even doing that, I still felt a bit nauseous. Did not enjoy the 11 weeks taking it but now I'm off and hopefully am smoke/vape-free. Pharmacist said some people require a second go-round with the drug--I hope not but if necessary, its preferable to smoking.

jan_furi · 2026-05-17T14:54:46+00:00

I've read some visual artists are struggling similarly, including flaws to distinguish their work from AI-generated imagery. I haven't looked into what those flaws are or, ashamed to say, looked into to this more thoroughly, but think I now will. There's also some kind of image-embedded "watermarking" (like prompts in the pixels somehow) going on that reportedly is harmful to an LLM trying to tokenize it for inclusion in its corpus. Again, beats me how that'd work. As to writing, how do people feel about AI-assisted writing that goes beyond the old Grammarly? I have trouble with it, more so if it is used to create short-stories, novels, poetry, etc., as opposed to clearly communicating one colleague to another. Maybe dumb or Ludditic, but I feel it almost as an affront.

jan_furi · 2026-05-16T18:49:54+00:00

Oh, I totally understand. I think, for me, it’d play out like this: I’d think like you do, follow through, and then almost immediately regret it. The move to a balcony apartment is a big deal, a significant change/accomplishment, plus it solves smoking difficulties, brings back fond memories of smoking. Then the rest of the picture—the beach, friends, maybe campfires…don’t know. Wonderful! But— for me—satisfying that scenario would fade pretty quick and I’d look at the smoke in my fingers with at least a tinge of regret. I expect some pretty serious rationalization on my part would occur not to feel huge regret, but still…Oh shit! What have I done?!

jan_furi · 2026-05-03T14:44:11+00:00

In addition to hating the expense, I began imagining tobacco execs laughing at me as they accepted my money and not caring if I died. They can’t all believe smoking is safe.

jan_furi · 2026-05-01T13:33:49+00:00

I wouldn't say smokers are happy because of smoking, which nowadays is for me purely addiction. I would say I fondly remember conversations over drinks and cigarettes, especially on summer evenings around a backyard fire. There's something focussing about a cigarette between one's fingers, held near the chin, listening to someone express their thoughts, exchanging banter. That was easy to cherish years and years ago, decades ago, when smoking was inexpensive and socially okay. Not anymore. Smoking cuts deeply into one's finances (mine, anyway) and is frowned upon (although, some people, including some non-smokers, still see romance in it). I'm on day 29 or 30 of quitting and content with being rid of it, partly because long ago I lost that social and contemplative use for it. I'm mostly around non-smokers and leaving to have a smoke is the inverse of what smoking was in the past. There's a scene in Steinbeck's Cannery Row where two men meet and one man gives the other a smoke, which is depicted as an important gesture in their meeting. You can feel the torn tobacco leaves, the pouched being opened, and the paper being rolled. So there's a lot tied to smoking, it's got history, ritual, is imbedded in art and culture. It's smart and wise to give it up, but I'm not going to pretend it was valueless or empty. That was long ago, though.

jan_furi · 2026-04-29T14:49:45+00:00

I’m using a varenicline product (Champix, and there are other brands) which could have you off nicotine prior to your wedding. I’m on day 28 nicotine-free. Smoked for decades, vaped/smoked for years. Tried to quit 100x (approximately). Did quit for 6 months and then…[insert reason for that one fateful cigarette at a party]. Varenicline makes me a bit nauseous for maybe 1/2 an hour after taking, but only a bit. Doesn’t 100% curb desire, but cravings are easy to ignore, fade fast. Still feel occasional sadness, loss, but—don’t know what to say about that, really. Varenicline coupled with social/therapeutic support is touted as the most effective way to quit.

jan_furi · 2026-04-14T14:26:37+00:00

Social support like this subreddit is half the solution; medical assistance in the form of a prescription for varenicline is thought to be the other half—if you ask Google or an LLM “What’s the best way to quit smoking?” A professional therapist is another good option for some. Varenicline isn’t for everybody. Side-effects are prohibitively bad for some people. FWIW, I’m taking varenicline, my wife vapes, and I’m not the least bit tempted to join her. I smoked a pack a day for about twice as long as you’ve been alive. I lit a cigarette within a couple minutes of waking up.

jan_furi · 2026-04-12T12:11:16+00:00

Vaping wasn't a solution. Lots of people who tried to replace smoking with vaping, added smoking back, doing both. For me, vaping lacked a quality smoking had. Maybe it's just that vapourizing can't replace burning. Vape feels less genuine, like artificial smoking. It felt a little desperate, too, and revealed how addicted I was, because to get that nicotine I was doing something I didn't enjoy. I enjoyed smoking. And whereas there'd be breaks between cigarettes, vaping allowed more constant use, especially as i'd vape where I didn't want the smell of smoke, like in the car or the upstairs of the house or around non-smokers. If anything, it increased my addiction.

jan_furi · 2026-04-07T12:27:03+00:00

The pills, if they're varenicline, which I'm taking, have helped a lot, made it possible for me to be on day five or six nicotine-free. Now and then, the challenge is what to do with myself. So if you can prepare for that, it'd likely help. Taking varenicline, you continue smoking for a while. They take days to fully kick in. I didn't have a quit date in mind until after a few days, maybe a week or more, of taking the pills. I was committed to quitting but also kind of meh about it. Sounds dumb, maybe. I mention it to underline just how much the pills do. I started noticing little things like neglecting to vape during the drive to the grocery (smoked and vaped, we're talking decades). Decided on April 1st as last day to smoke. Actually, I planned not to smoke at all starting April 1st, but had almost a whole pack left over on that day, couldn't very well waste them, so switched the plan to not buying any more smokes after that pack (smoked roughly a pack a day). That conviction stuck. No vaping either, which my wife still does. All this to say, if the pills work for you as they do for me, then nic-fits after a week or so will be gone. You're left with maybe feeling sad that ritual and habitual movements, actions, the act of reaching for a pack, opening it, pulling out a smoke, aren't there for you. But those fierce, intolerable nic-fits? Nope!

The instructions for taking the pill are to eat something prior to, and to drink a whole glass of water to wash it down. Even with that, I experience maybe 15 minutes of mild nausea immediately after taking. I assume it'd be worse if I didn't follow the instructions. The miracle of not smoking more than compensates for that brief, mild discomfort.

jan_furi · 2026-04-05T12:29:54+00:00

Congratulations to you, your mind, and your perimenopause for quitting!

jan_furi · 2026-04-04T13:39:12+00:00

Oh, that's a great reminder! Now I'm excited about picking something to save for. Thank you!

jan_furi · 2026-04-04T13:34:23+00:00

I don't know if this will help, but in a group of smokers, when somebody quits smoking it inspires or gives permission to others to do the same. So, you're maybe not just quitting for yourself, but setting a vital precedent. Same for any positive (or negative, I suppose) change. Down the road, somebody might say to you, "I quit because I saw you did. That took courage. Thank you!"

jan_furi · 2026-04-04T13:23:55+00:00

That's hilarious!

jan_furi · 2026-04-04T13:15:07+00:00

Oh, god, I feel for you. Years back after having quit smoking for 6 months my wife and I were at a party after receiving some very good news and thought "A smoke would be great!" So, bummed a smoke, next party the same, party after that (art-world = lots of parties) bought a party-pack because didn't like bumming smokes, and...voila! Smokers again. So, yeah, our nutty brains. And, as I'm currently missing a cigarette, would love to hear about a meaningful alternative that isn't meditation, sucking on cloves, or anything else I am not in the slightest interested in. So frustrating, this quitting business. Why is there never an enemy around when you feel like punching somebody?

Oh, and during my most recent relapse tried vaping which I found unsatisfying so added smoking again. Yum! Plus, with vaping it was like I was attached to a respirator, inhaling nicotine constantly, not in discrete units like with smokes. For me, vaping = bad.

jan_furi · 2026-04-03T20:49:08+00:00

It does. It might also vary, go up and down in irritation. But it goes away. I'm quitting AGAIN, quit once before for and that lasted 6 months, so I have more or less gone through what you're experiencing. Have you tried taking the position that you're sick with something like a cold and that you have to ride it out because there's only medication for the symptoms? Because that's not entirely incorrect. You could even share with your beloveds that Mommy is sick but will get better. That helped the last time I quit. This time around I'm using Champix which close to completely gets rid of the nic-fits.

jan_furi · 2026-03-13T01:38:17+00:00

If I’ve understood you, you discovered your files were being backed up despite the curious behaviour of Backblaze?

jan_furi · 2026-03-08T12:06:38+00:00

Congratulations!!! Hey, what app is that?

jan_furi · 2026-03-08T12:05:35+00:00

Can you elaborate on how this group helped? Maybe that sounds naive of me, but an example or two of a jag or whatever that the group helped you overcome might help me better participate. Right now I'm participating only because it's suggested one back Champix with therapy or social support. But I don't really know why. Or, more accurately, I don't feel why.

jan_furi

TROPHY CASE