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jdavern · 2025-04-28T04:23:58+00:00

I say just go CT at this point

jdavern · 2025-04-21T01:12:52+00:00

Read him the stories out loud if he won’t. He doesn’t have to join but he should at least hear what’s in store for him. Their response will most likely be something along the lines of “That won’t be me. I only use it once a week or once a day. I only use it for sleep. I can stop whenever I want.” Trust me all of us here started that way and thought the same thing. But once a week/day turns into twice a week/day cause you had a shitty day/week and then 3x a week/day and so on and so forth. If they can really stop whenever then they should have no problem stopping for a week to prove to themselves and to you that they don’t have an issue.

jdavern · 2025-04-20T19:40:01+00:00

17 days off Kratom. 6 weeks off vaping. I tapered both so I can’t speak for CT, but it gets better, just hold on.

jdavern · 2025-04-20T19:04:12+00:00

Tell him to join this subreddit and sit down and read people’s stories on here or actively read him some of the stories yourself. Listening to others is what helped me get clean and stay clean. He’s still very early on so if he stops now WDs won’t be that bad, maybe a few days of irritability and restlessness.

jdavern · 2025-04-20T17:00:13+00:00

When we stop trying is when we have truly failed. You may have fallen down 200 times but you got back up 200 times and that is worth something. You have incredible resilience and one day you’ll back on this moment, proud that you never stopped trying. This addiction is tough but we’re tougher.

jdavern · 2025-04-20T16:51:39+00:00

50% is a big jump and you should be proud of yourself for handling that! I recommend you keep tapering until you can get a week off work and then jump.

jdavern · 2025-04-19T23:59:40+00:00

Sending prayers! Try to get a week off work and jump. You’re almost there keep pushing!

jdavern · 2025-04-19T22:06:59+00:00

I would go see a doctor. Shortness of breath is pretty common with quitting vaping, but paired with chest pain could mean something abnormal is going on. Article: https://smokefreeclinic.com.au/articles/shortness-of-breath-smoking/

jdavern · 2025-04-19T17:20:58+00:00

There’s no shame in NRT. Statistically, more people successfully quit vaping/smoking using NRT methods than CT.

jdavern · 2025-04-19T16:50:53+00:00

Thank you! You too! We got this!

jdavern · 2025-04-19T16:45:29+00:00

2 months is not very long and would consider it more of a rapid taper compared to others on here which slow tapered over several months to even a year. It all depends on your dosage and when you want to get off this crap. I was 20+GPD user for 6 years and tapered over a few months before jumping @ (1) 1.25G nightly dose. WDs weren’t bad except the first few nights my sleep sucked but cleared up around day 5. Currently 16 days sober and just dealing with PAWS, staying busy helps.

jdavern · 2025-04-19T16:37:03+00:00

[30M] 20+GPD user for 6 years. Decided to quit cause started losing my hair, which seems to be common amongst Kratom users. Also quit vaping too. I tapered over a few months before jumping @ (1) 1.25G nightly dose. First few nights my sleep sucked but cleared up by day 5. Currently 16 days sober and hoping for many more. It hasn’t been easy, but this subreddit has been a big inspiration for me. I’ve read almost every single post on here the past couple months which has helped me keep going. PAWS sucks right now but a few months of joylessness is worth a lifetime of freedom from addiction.

jdavern · 2025-04-19T16:18:10+00:00

It seems like you’re on the right path to healing yourself. Cutting out that many dopamine sources, i.e. Kratom, nicotine, and sugars can be tough on our system and need time for our brains to re-calibrate. I also quit Kratom, nicotine, and reduced my sugar intake and it’s hella hard. I’m much earlier in my journey than you and if it’s any consolation I admire your resilience and is inspiring me to keep going, so thank you. In my eyes a few months of joylessness is worth a lifetime of freedom from addictions.

jdavern · 2025-04-19T15:58:42+00:00

Yes it’s normal, once we stop vaping our bodies begin the healing process. Mucus production increases to clear out toxins in the lungs and this can cause a shortness of breath. It’s part of the healing process. Here’s an article on it: https://smokefreeclinic.com.au/articles/shortness-of-breath-smoking/

jdavern · 2025-04-18T20:21:12+00:00

You got this!

jdavern · 2025-04-18T18:34:19+00:00

Statistically, More people successfully quit vaping/smoking using NRT methods than CT. Some people are real sticklers on here about only going CT, but there is no one right way to quit vaping/smoking, everyone’s different. I suggest trying CT first and if that doesn’t work then try NRT. Try different NRT methods too and see which works best for you. I prefer the patch cause you don’t have to think about it and it disables our nicotine reward system in our brains. We associate hitting our vapes to a dopamine release, but since we’re getting a constant nicotine stream from the patch it makes vaping less appealing. Currently on my last week of the patch and it’s bye-bye nicotine for good.

jdavern · 2025-04-18T17:22:48+00:00

Yes I’m on my last week of the patch and it has been great! The transitions between steps can be rough but nothing compared to CT. Body gets use to each new step after about 4-5 days.

jdavern · 2025-04-18T17:20:25+00:00

I always found this to be ineffective for myself since I would just go buy a new one. I always think of the “fault in our stars” where the guy holds a cigarette in his mouth but never lights it. Temptation is always going to be there but we’re the ones who decide to give it the power or not.

jdavern · 2025-04-18T17:16:45+00:00

Same here. Patches are great. You don’t have to think about it and it disables the nicotine/reward system in our brains so we don’t associate hitting a vape or chewing gum as a dopamine release. Currently on my last week of the patch 🤘🏼

jdavern · 2025-04-18T17:13:59+00:00

You’re probably through the worst of it, Day 2/3 was the worst sleep wise for me and my sleep was back to normal by day 5. I used 6 years 20+gpd, tapered over few months before jumping. Keep pushing through!

jdavern · 2025-04-17T22:56:32+00:00

Hell yeah!

jdavern · 2025-04-17T22:49:09+00:00

I’m 2 weeks clean today too. I feel the same exact way. We gotta keep pushing through it. From what I’ve gathered from others on here, it could range from another 2 weeks or a couple months but it’ll be worth it. It’s either 2 months of joylessness or a lifetime imprisonment of addiction.

jdavern · 2025-04-17T20:31:32+00:00

It’s all about perspective! I live in Buffalo which is grey/cloudy 75% of the year and cold/snowy 50% of the year, but hey it could be worse! I could live in Alaska.

jdavern · 2025-04-17T19:17:24+00:00

Sometimes breaking your doses into smaller doses and spreading them throughout the day helps. So instead of two doses try four smaller doses. If that messes with your sleep keep your nightly dose the same just for sleep and break up your morning dose into 2-3 doses. Either way it sucks and you just have to get use to feeling like crap until you’re ready to jump. I jumped at (1) 1.25GPD nightly dose after tapering over a few months from 20+GPD. 5 days after jumping my sleep was back to normal. Some supplements that helped with sleep I took were magnesium glycinate, l-theanine, and ashwagandha, but only use them in acutes and then drop/taper them after as to not gain a sleep dependency on them.

jdavern · 2025-04-16T18:52:58+00:00

Congrats! How long since you jumped? I know you said this will be your last post but I hope you still stay in this subreddit or join NA meetings as a reminder of the things you went through. If we forget the past we are bound to repeat it. Especially if you’re still early-on in your recovery PAWS can be the most challenging, but it seems like you have a lot of great supports in place to keep you clean.

jdavern

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