How Quitting Nicotine Has Affected My ADHD Long Term (8 Month Update)

Thank you for talking about this, seeing these video's is keeping my busy from not smoking aswel!

courage mon gars, you got this

I’m on day 5 and I’m ready to relapse man. It’s not even the withdrawal. I think it’s just being bored.

Currently not drinking or using nicotine. I'm so fuckin bored 💀

I smoked cigarettes 28 yrs. I tried to quit with gum, patches, wellbrin, chantix, acupuncture, and hypnosis. Nothing seemed to work. My doctor suggested that I try nicotine vapor. That worked day one and with ZERO side effects. I then worked my way down to zero milligrams. Once I did that I worked my way off caffeine. That was super hard. A few months went by and I was having a hard time focusing. My job is detail oriented so this was concerning. I went to the doctor and told him my dilemma. He asked did you quit nicotine and then caffeine? I told him yes. My doctor suggested that I add back in some nicotine. (Caffeine was too hard to quit and nicotine was easier to step down) I couldn’t believe that fixed the problem! I was so happy it wasn’t something else. He explained that nicotine helps with focus. Now I use zero most days and add in nicotine a few days a week. Problem solved.

Just came across your vid. Replacing a regular habit with something else will absolutely be a big deal. I wonder if that's even more of a thing than the nicotine (but I speak only from ignorance in regard to nicotine). You have a long way to go. In my early 40s and only diagnosed 2 years ago. Awareness is a huge part of the growing in life process. I spent many years while undiagnosed just stuck and not aware of anything. Sometimes taking a break from something and coming back to it gives us yet another completely different perspective, too. If you're doing better, great! Good job!

great video!

I gave up smoking five years ago after 30 years. I am newly diagnosed ADHD and never knew the association between smoking and ADHD. Your video has made me realise why giving up was so hard all those years and probably why I unconsciously replaced smoking with drinking. Thank you so much and hope it is going well for you.😊

Here because I actually relapsed from vaping a year after and the part you said about it being a even bigger temptation is real asf so I'm resonating with you hard asf

I’m just newly diagnosed ADHD in my 30s. I use marijuana like you used nicotine. Smoking before any task provides just enough dopamine to muscle through the task. It helps make everything more “doable” but after watching this I would like to try and quit again-it’s mentally and physically hard. I’ll be following -keep it up!

I have watched a few of your videos so I thought i would finally comment. I also have adhd. Same exact issues with adhd meds. I used Nicotine from age 20-35. Im 36 now and I just finished my first full year free from nicotine. It's been absolute madness but it does get a bit easier with new coping mechanisms however something was missing. It comes down to this.. Nicotine vs. ADHD meds. vs. Constant Adversity. As I get older I begin to think more of a happy life than a long life. Thanks for sharing your experience. You have many years to figure things out.

I needed to hear this, it's so true to my own journey with this. Buddying up with someone is the best way I find to deal with this part of the journey. I'm here for you bud, you got this.

Feel this so much, thinking of quitting again but... I feel like i need other things to be well b4 i can do it. Also, smoking slows wound healing, might be related to skin issues.

You described it perfectly, I have ADHD too & the first few days of quitting I felt the best I have ever felt in my life, all my senses came back stronger, smell, taste, hearing, awareness, My skin got clearer BUT after that I just felt slumped, stuck to my bed with no motivation & no replacements I did grind gym but as soon as all my friends left I went crazy, then I tried grinding Boxing but my brother stopped sparring with me I felt angry. So all my attempted replacements went to shit & my anxiety went bad bad. So yeah the most I've gone without it is probably 3 days, when I (with ADHD) quit for a couple days I do gain abit of an energy burst & natural male aggression but I had nothing to put my energy to.

I needed this. I'm struggling so hard...I'm an artist and I'm 10 Mos in and I literally cannot finish a project. I've been patient with myself but I literally cannot focus. Cannot paint. I'm pretty close to just saying F it.

Yeah dude I definitely feel you & understand! Last winter I had Covid & had a nice cough, I used that as my spring board to minimize vaping & then I pulled it off & quit 👏 I got about 7-8months in went on vacation to a diff state where my fav vape was legal, & said ok just while down here 😅 & here I am 1yr later just started adhd meds & I WANNA quit soo bad but have zero true motivation bc my brain won’t stfu 🤬 vaping helped me quit a serious Newport habit 😳 but now w/ my adhd still unchecked I’m just feening out like a crackhead.. constantly vaping for hours at a time then taking a 10 min break. It should be the opposite if anything, 2hr break then vape 10 min, I just can’t put it down since I picked it back up!? Even lowering my nic to 2.4.. only has me using it more. I’m gunna do this!!?!! You stay strong.. there is ALWAYS a light at the end of the tunnel, just keep on trucking while your still rolling 👏 😃

Dear Will: I am so so sympathetic to your situation. Here's how I see it. Nicotine was clearly helping you control your #ADHD symptoms (#TherapeuticNicotine). This is not surprising. Numerous studies show transdermal nicotine patches reduce ADHD symptoms. If you take nicotine from a safe source, there is no downside. It might even help you reduce your prescription meds, which you know can have nasty side-effects (and ARE addictive). So who convinced you that it was a good idea to stop something that was helping you? I have to assume it's the past 4 decades of demonizing nicotine by researchers and experts in the field of tobacco control. They demonized nicotine for a super good reason, to reduce cigarette use. But this demonization is actually a paternalistic lie. A violation of Truth-Telling, which is a fundamental moral principle in Healthcare Ethics. If cigarettes delivered caffeine, they would have demonized THAT, and no one would care about nicotine. It's just a mild stimulant that increases focus, attention and memory (like caffeine) and, unlike caffeine, also reduces stress and anxiety. In the alternate universe where cigarettes don't kill people, these mild psychoactive effects would be seen as "good for you."

I'm here watching this on day 2 of no cigarette.

Dude you're literally me, if I don't smoke I start drinking loads of coffee and I'll drink loads of alcohol

Well done for quitting, very hard thing you've achieved.