Hello.
I'm not too sure if i've posted about this before as i have had this problem a while back.
I stopped smoking about 4 yrs ago, which was the hardest thing i have ever done. But i got addicted to the nicotine gum. I was on it for two years and couldn't do without it, and it was costing me more than tobacco.
My mom kept worrying that i was going to get cancer in my mouth, so to put her mind at rest i looked on the web. I found a forum where many others were hooked on the gum, some for 13 yrs! After that i didn't feel as bad as i'd only been on them for 2.
I eventually came off them which was really hard for me. I had withdrawal symptoms similar to when i stopped smoking. Now a year later and i'm stupidly on them again. My friend had some and i tried one and that was it..
Lately i have noticed my teeth, mainly the front bottom ones, are getting loose. The reason i stopped smoking 4 yrs ago was because of bad circulation, and after looking again on the web, and properly checking the warning in the gum packets, they aren't recomended if people have bad circulation.
I floss daily and use mouth wash twice a day, and look after my teeth, but my dentist said at my last visit that i have bone loss which can be due to bad circulation.
Again i searched the web, and found many others that have loose teeth, and have even lost teeth because of long term use of these gums.
I must say that i don't think for one minute that the makers of these gums are to blame, as they recomend that the gum is only used for 3 months.
I just can't believe how weak i am. I'm not a vain person and am not bothered about the fact that i'm getting older, but i do care about losing my teeth; i must stop.
Hi,
I know how hard it can be to break destructive habits and how easy it can be to slide back. Well done for admitting you have a problem. Have you considered usin Glen Harold
I've never tried that particular product but I've used a couple of his others and was/am very happy with them.
No i haven't, i hadn't even heard of Glen Harod until now.
Thankyou, i will look into it.
I just can't believe how weak i am. I'm not a vain person and am not bothered about the fact that i'm getting older, but i do care about losing my teeth; i must stop.
Hi Energy3,
Addiction is nothing to do with weakness, don't be so hard on yourself. There are all sorts of reasons why people get addicted to a range of substances, but being "weak" is not one of them. Addictive behaviours usually play a role of a coping strategy (not to take away the significance of chemically addictive properties of various substances) and exist for a reason.
When you relapsed, what was going for you at the time? Was there something upsetting, stressful, unpleasant going on at the time? Do you have any other coping strategies for reducing the impact of everyday stresses and strains? What does chewing the gum do for you, what effects do you get from it? Is there anything else that could fulfil the same purpose?
Masha
Hello Masha,
I just can't imagine my life without them. At night when i finally get to sit, i have to have my gum next to me. I've finally admitted to myself that i definately have an addictive personality. When i smoked, i had my ciggarettes next to my bed, and i had to light 1 up before i would even get out of bed.
So much is wrong with my family and seriuos illness. Now not only my sister and dad is housebound, but now my mom is too. On top of that, i am in constant pain with my spine but still have to do all the shopping and gardens, some mornings i honestly can hardly walk as i now have problems with my heels.
You are so right it is a coping mechanism, and i would love to be able to not be this way.
I have tried EFT but it didn't work. The only thing EFT worked for for me, was helping my phobia for spiders!!
Anyway, i did stop them once and i'm determined to stop again. I'd just rather try again when my daughters finished her placement and is back at uni, because i don't want to be snappy with her.
Hi Energy3,
It does sound like you have an awful lot to cope with at the moment, so not surprising it is difficult to give up on a coping mechanism that has been serving you well (at least in some senses of the word) for some time.
I wonder what specifically you tried EFT for, in relation to the addiction, and what kind of set-up statements did you use? In my experience of work with substance addictions, you don't get a "one-minute wonder" with EFT as we may sometime expect with less complex issues, the healing will require perseverance over some period of time, and relies on being able to accurately target specific aspects of the problem (of which in addictions can be very, very many).
Even with something as superficial as a craving for the substance, there can be numerous possibilities to target in a set-up statement, e.g.
* physical sensation(s) related to the craving
* thought(s) associated with the craving
* mental image(s) associated with the craving
* smell(s) and taste(s) associated with the craving
* belief(s) associated with the craving - about self and the substance
* emotion(s) associated with the craving
* your Identity as you are experiencing the craving
* metaphor/symbol - i.e. when you crave you are like what?
And this is just in relation to one intance of craving - which in itself is a superficial symptom of something more meaningful going on.
Apart from working directly on the craving, you would ideally need to work on:
* specific life events that have contributed, directly or indirectly to the addiction, especially aiming at "the first, the worst, the most recent", plus any "emblematic" events that represent any patterns of negative experiences
* any current stresses, pains and difficulties you are dealing with (of which as I understand, are many)
* your beliefs about self, others and the world, especially addressing the issues of safety (is it safe to stop? what is the addiction protecting me from?), hope/possibility (do I believe change is possible? or does it seem possible for others but not for me?), responsibility (I am putting blame on myself for this problem?), deserving (do I feel I deserve health and happiness? if not, whose messages have I taken on that don't belong to me?), choice (do I have any other options/strategies that fulfil the same need, the same function as the addictive behaviour?)
* any future hopes, fears, reservations, doubts
Of course these can be addressed through many other approaches rather than EFT, but in my experience of using many different therapies, conventional and alternative, healing does tend to speed up if you add the tapping into the equation.
Hope this may help,
Masha
I think i do expect EFT to work almost immediately, mainly because of the gary craig newsletter which is full of success stories, which take just a few rounds of tapping.
I do believe it works as it definately did with me with spiders, and i never thought i could be helped with that!
Thankyou masha very much for all your advice, i will definately try.
Bro there is nothing i can do...i heard this case for the first time 🙁 and i think you are strong but your body is not that strong 🙁 Just wanna say Godbless you and may be yoga can help you.
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