Need Help to Quit Smoking

K.,

I have heard of 3 people in the last week who have successfully stopped on CHANTIX. My friend works in a doctors office and has also been highly recommending it to everybody. Supposedly, it knocks the socks off Wellbutrin and Zyban. Sounds like it is definately worth a try. Good luck!

Kirsta,
I quit 2+ years ago when I got Pregnant with my son and my doc told me to use either he gum or the lozenge. He said I should limit myself to 2 a day and only use them when I thought I would die if I didn't have a smoke. Within 2 weeks I was down to 1 a day and 3 weeks I didn't need any help at all. I was a die hard smoker before. I never wanted to quit and this worked for me. Now I don't even have cravings!

Good luck!

Hi K., I know Chantix has some serious side effects for some, but I am sure it will help. Wellbutrin will really help more than anything. If you don't like the gum, try adding another flavored gum at the same time and also try eating some sunflower seeds too.It will give you the taste of smoking too, when you want a cig very bad. Also the patches on the arm help a lot. Keep at it and you will always have a craving for a cig but will learn to manage it in other ways. There are on line support groups also. Eat celery with any dip on it and or any raw vegatables too. Good luck and God Bless. L.

Hey girl good for you! I quit almost two years ago and my husband quit in november. What I learned from our experiences was there are two kinds of smoking addictions, and to sucessfully quit you have to figure out which addiction you are dealing with. Unfortunately, sometimes you can have a mixture of both so you need to make seperate changes to deal with both aspects of the addiction.

My addiction was more behavioral. I used smoking as stress reliever, a break from work, and to relieve boredom. I had to change the way I dealt with stress, and find new healthier behaviors to help with stress and boredom. I started reading juicy romance novels and playing video games, lol. The video games can really help relieve stress if you find a genre you like and reading a book for leisure alone is very relaxing. When I would start getting stressed, I would take a deep breath or two and remind myself what being so stressed was costing me (I had horrible indigestion, was having problems getting pregnant, and was trying to quit smoking, among other things). I would then ask if there was anything I could even do about the situation anyway. This really helped me change the way I dealt with things. I became more easy going, quit smoking, got pregnant, and no more heart burn,

My husband on the other hand was physically addicted to the nicotine. He tried a million times to quit and we were about at our wits end. He heard about Chantix from work and liked that it had no sexual side effects (many of the drugs he had tried or heard about were anti-depressants and had some pretty crappy side effects). He set a goal(part of the program you get with the drugs) and stuck to it. He has been smoke-free for almost 4 months!! Our insurance fully covered the cost and even if yours doesn't is really worth the cost if you have tried everything else.

Sorry this is such a book, but I hope some of this helps. Just remember when it gets tough to look at those two beautiful boys and know they are worth all the effort in the world. If you have any questions or just need to vent, don't hesitate to send a message.

S.

Hey K...
I am a 24yr old SAHM...and i just recently quit smoking. Because we are going to try and have another child! Their is no secret! I quit cold turkey! I gave it up for my son and our soon to be! I jsut thought about how bad i smelt! Do u realize it?? really?? It is a bad habit..dont get me wrong i do crave them..but u have to want to quit..Think of it like this..Everytime u put one towards ur mouth think of ur children...I did and thats what helped me!! Well best of Luck...Im sure it will not be easy..But the things that are soo hard to do are worth it all!! If u have any more ?'s just ask!!

You already have 2 reasons to quit, a 10 and 3 year old! Surely you want to be there to see them as adults with their families. Sit and watch older people who smoke, the ones in their 40's and 50's, listen to their hacking - these are people who will spend their last 15 years unable to breath without coughing - I've seen it all to often in my family. And as others have mentioned, the smell on your clothes, your kids clothes - it's really bad to non-smokers. I wish you and your husband the best of luck! and a long enjoyable life : )

In college I learned that part of the addiction is the repeated hand movement and also the deep breathing. Several drug-free things to try when cravings hit are: have a sucker - it has the repeated hand movement, fake smoke - put a cigarette in your mouth but DON'T light it and keep it there as long as you need even pretend to smoke it if you have to but don't light it, and breathing techniques - take the 5-7 minutes it takes to smoke a cigarette and mimic the same breathing you did while actually smoking deep breath then normal breathes. Mind over matter is huge too - try to start visualizing them as gross and dirty and stinky. And if you like the smell or start to notice that certain things trigger a desire to have one - RUN! Avoid those positions until you are stronger.
You can do this!!!

WELLBUTRIN. Ask your physician for a script of wellbutrin, there is now a generic form. It works within days of starting.

Get your doctor to give you a prescription for "Chantix". It's expensive (about $125.00) but it works. Trust me, I went from smoking 2 - 3 packs a day to quitting. It's well worth the money if you're really wanting to quit and nothing else has worked.

Hi K.,
I have heard that Chantix is the right thing for anyone that wants to quit. I have several friends that have used it and quit in 2-3 weeks. I am about to start it also...after my surgery.
Good luck
Oh cost is $120 for a one month supply!

My doctor prescribed me Chantix---it's fairly new and I've been on it for 4 weeks. This medicine is wonderful! I quit smoking 3 weeks ago and haven't looked back since. I have tried many different ways and this has worked wonderfully. My insurance company does cover it, but I have to pay a $40 copay. Check out their website--- www.chantix.com

Congrats K.,
I quit as well about a year ago, and all I can say is CHANTIX, CHANTIX, CHANTIX!!! This is an amazing drug! Insurance usually doesn't cover it, but it is well worth the money spent! I didn't witdraw at all. Now it did make me a bit queazy once I started the 1 mg, but take it after breakfast and all is good. I also used Welbutrin in the past and it worked very well the first time I tried to quit, but after I went back it didn't seem to do the job for me. I really can't say enough about this Chantix, please give it a try, and best of luck to you and your husband!!

Congratulations on making that decision. Its a hard one. There is a new medication out called Chantix that is great. Check it out at www.chantix.com . I want to quit myself, just coming up with the money for the med is the problem. I personally know 9 people who have used this and have been cigarette free for over 6 weeks. Good luck!

Like everyone else, I tried many times to quit smoking. When I asked my doctor to prescribe some medication to help, he did, but made clear to me that the medicine does not make you quit smoking. YOU DO! With that said, with the medicine I was able to quit and have not smoked in two years. Just don't think that the medicine will make you never want to smoke again. Also, I don't recommend the putting unlit cigs in your mouth. DOn't keep any cigs in your possession, it is just to tempting. Good Luck! It was the hardest thing I ever did.

I too am desperate to quite smoking. My doctor highly recommends Chantix. He said it is the most effective smoking cessation medication out there. I have not tried it yet, because I am still nursing my 3 1/2 year old son. He said for most people it takes about 3 months. I do not know yet how much it costs; I know that our insurance does not cover it, but there maybe some insurance companies that do. I will pray for your success!!!!!!!!! Goood Luck !!!!!!!!

Hello K.!!
I know exactly what you are going through. I have just stopped smoking for 2 weeks now. I have a daughter that is just shy of 2 and the only time I quit smoking was while I was preg. To answer your question on how I did it. I set a realistic date for me Feb 28th. Why not Jan 1st or A. 30th...I don't know! That was just the date I liked.. I was raised in a smoking home by both of my parents and I know it stinks. I heard not to long that children who are raised by smokers are 80% more likely to be smokers...Yuk I don't want my little angle smoking.. You just have to get it in your head that you can and you want to do this...It is all mental...It has to be 150% for you and yours...Also if you get bored you will think about smoking and you will have to replace those hand movements with typing, pencil, cooking, or something. Hope this helps!! YOU CAN DO IT!!

This sounds gross but, my mother quit like this: she keep dirty ashtrays around and every time she wanted a smoke she would take that dirty ashtray and smell it. The smell of the ashtray is so bad that it starts to turn your stomach and you won't want the cigarett. Try it, it might help. My self when I quit, I also quit drinking cold drinks and sweets. It was kind of like quiting everything that seemed to be connected to smoking for me. The hardest time for me was when I drove, because everytime I got in my car I had to smoke. So to help at that time i keep gum in my truck at all times. I've been quit for 11 months I still have cravings but just pop in the gum and there you go. Hope you succeed.

K.,
I know it is very hard to do but if I can you can too.
There is a new drug out called CHANTIX. It works Wonderful!
The way it works is that it blocks the nicotine from the receptors in your brain.
I had smoked for a very long time and had tried to stop several times with no luck.
But with the Chantix it took away the urge for a cigarette. I took about a week and a half for it to really work but it is worth it. I will tell you though you will need to take it with your meal and drink a glass of water with it. When I did not do it I would have an upset stomach. I have been on it for about 2 months. I plan to stay on it for about 2 more just to make sure I don’t start back.
Good luck,
J.

K.,

I just want to tell you good luck!! That is an awesome decision to decide to quit smoking. You will be doing a wonderful thing for yourself and your family!! My husband is a smoker and would like to quit too. If you find a way, let us know, so I can let him know. I'm sorry I don't really have any advice, but you can do it!! Good luck!!
J.

K.,
I have not gone through what you are going through trying to quit. However, I wanted to congratulate you on your decision to quit smoking. Good luck!

K.,
I am happy to hear that you are trying to stop smoking. I quit four years ago and it was not easy. I wanted to quit but then again I didnt. I liked smoking so that made it very hard to give up. I used the clear nicoderm cq patch. It didnt take the cravings away but it did ease them alot. I had to stay away from people that smoked for a while so it is good that you and your husband are quitting at the same time. I still want a cig every now and then although the smell on someone else almost makes me sick. You just have to remind yourself that you will feel and look so much better when you get that out of your system. Hope this helps and GOOD LUCK!
T.