Trying to Quit Smoking... Again...

When my sister-in-law quit she said the biggest thing wasn't the method she chose (she used a prescription patch and did quit under direction of her doctor which helped a lot) but the fact that she had spousal support AND that she had behaviors ready to replace the smoking. You can't just remove the addictive habit without replacing it with a healthier habit. You'll leave an empty space and either fill it with something as equally unhealthy or worse, or you'll go back to smoking ("you" is general and statistical).

I know you didn't ask about books or methods, but Allen Carr's book helped two of my friends quit smoking years ago. They were heavy smokers too.

http://www.theeasywaytostopsmoking.com/

I know it seems gimicky, but it really does work. They didn't go to any seminars, just read the book.

Good luck!

my dad uses the nicorette gum. He said it works pretty good. I have never tried it, to say first hand.

Want to make a deal? If you quit smoking cold turkey I'll make the diet pepsi I just drank my last one. We can quit cold turkey together!

I've also been cutting down on my soda, and I don't want to drink it anymore either - but sometimes I just crave it so bad.

I never smoked so I don't know about that, but I know you can do it!

Going to make my hot tea now!!!

My SIL and her fiance are having good success with the patch, but I can see how the gum would help with both the nicotine and oral fixation. I would definitely give it a try. Something my sister did when she quit drinking was carry a list of reason she wanted/needed to quit with her and whenever she had a craving she would read her list. Maybe you could make a few lists of your reasons and stash them where ever you keep your cigarettes (purse, glovebox, cupboard, drawer, etc) and whenever you go to grab your cigarettes you will find your list instead.
This is a great thing you are doing for your family and yourself, I wish you the best!

Good for you!

Both of my parents quit about 5 yrs ago, my mom quit about a year before my dad. She used some sort of ear magnet (she's such a hippie at heart.) She swore it helped, we all thought she was full of it! But when my dad, who is a rough, tough, man's man, started using the ear magnet, and he quit, we knew it actually worked wonders! He was a two packs a day smoker for 25 yrs!

I'm sorry, I don't know the name of the magnet-thing, but I'm sure it is on Google :-) Good luck!!!

if the e-cig helps, buy another one! i know you said you can't afford it but if you think about the $ you'll spend on cigarettes while you're hunting for your old e-cig, i'm sure you'll find it's cheaper in the long run. from your post, it sounds like you're ready to quit - take the bull by the horns NOW before you lose the urge to quit. My dad died at age 59 of a heart attack and it was most likely caused by all his years of smoking. Do it for your kids!

Pitty you can't get a Rx for Wellbutrin. That is what I used and it was AMAZING! I quit smoking in July and made it all the way to Thanksgiving weekend...until I started back up...because I SUCK!

~I also quit taking the Wellbutrin, which you are not supposed to do for at least 6-12 months..like I said, I AM LAME!

I quit cold turkey over 10 years ago after being a two pack a day smoker. My husband FINALLY did the same about 3 months ago. Ask your doctor if there is anything that might help - to take the edge off. If you can go 4 days, you'll be over the worst of the discomfort. You can do it! One hour at a time is all you have to do.

I didn’t use the e cigarette, I thought it was a continuation of smoking. I used the gum only when I had a craving or felt like having a smoke. You need to keep yourself occupied with other things (keep your hands and mind busy). I weaned myself in two weeks of using the gum and I have not had a cigarette in over two years.

The first couple of weeks are the worst, but once you get through it, it will be downhill from there. The most important thing is to find something else to calm yourself instead of smoking. Something healthy like a walk or stand outside and take a few deep breaths.
Good Luck!!

After smoking for 8 years, I quit cold turkey the day I found out I was pregnant with my first son. That was almost 7 years ago, haven't had so much as a drag since. I tried cutting back before, but it never worked. Cold turkey is really the only way to go.

R.:

I've never smoked. So I can't tell you.

My dad quit cold turkey 30 years ago over Christmas break (his company was closed from 20 December to 3 Jan - give or take a day or two).

Bob quit cold turkey in 1999 and was good until 2002 - then started up again. I know he wants to cut back but right now? hhhmmm stress? I'm not going to add to his plate.

I know when he took the trip to Taiwan - he used the Nicorette Gum and that helped him on the 14 hour flight!!

i would continue to look for the e-cig and try the gum while you are looking for it. I think I saw a coupon for $$$ off nicorette...I'll put it in with the cross.

Ummm, you're WAY too pretty to smoke. Lord knows you don't want those ugly little wrinkles around your mouth.

I have no advice. My grandpa smoked since WWII and quit in the 80s after my sisters and I ganged up on him. He ALWAYS wanted to smoke but we were SOOOO annoying he didn't want to listen to us squack at him any more than necessary. This only worked because we saw my grandparents a lot and my grandma would tattle on him so he KNEW he was SOL! :) He couldn't get away with ANYTHING.

I quite smoking four years ago. I had wanted it to be my New Year's resolution, however, I stopped on the 11th of January. I had a bad cold and sinus infection, so I felt gross and didn't want to smoke. It was an easy way for me to quit smoking. After about a week, I just figured this was my chance to keep at it. I had been a smoker for 12 years.

My brother actually is attempting to quit now. He hasn't tried the e-cigarette, but is talking to his doctor about Wellbutrin. Apparently it helps to have something keep you balanced, as well as lose the desire to smoke.( Wellbutrin is known to assist in smoking cessation ) He was on Wellbutrin back when he was in high school for depression. However, he knows he will need something to help with his moods anyways when quitting smoking-so bonus. I would talk to your doctor about it. It might be helpful to you. I know , for him, if he didn't have anything to counteract the horrible stress/mood swings that go along with quitting, he wouldn't be able to stop smoking.

Pray to St. Anthony. He is awesome at helping you find things that you are looking for. I can't tell you how many times he has come through for me. Good luck girl.

Ok R., I HAVE been a smoker and smoked all the way up until I found out I was pregnant...and then had one or two more but then I quit (don't judge me people!! Haha!) Anyway, I quit cold turkey after more than a decade of smoking. Many attempts prior to this included use of the patch, lozenges and the gum. The gum absolutely does curb the cravings. Many times I was ready to rip someone's head off started chewing away at the gum and lo and behold the headache was gone. I will say this, I have never been successful using any of these methods (other than cold turkey), it just made it easier to cut back until I had a crisis then right back to the smokes. It sounds to me like you have the motivating factors in your favor and that will really help. For me, it was that I didn't want my daughter associating the smell of cigarettes with "Mommy" plus, I wanted to give her the healthiest opportunity, she never asked to smoke, ya know? My dad used the Chantix and has been smoke free for about 3 or 4 years.
I will say this; I still crave a good smoke now and again. I understand that will never go away. I just remind myself that my daughter deserves the best, healthiest mommy and if this is just one of a million things I will give up for her over my lifetime, then I am all the better for it.
You can be successful with this R.!

my son & sis both used auriculotherapy to stop smoking. I call it getting your ear "zapped"! We were all amazed at how well it worked!

my SIL used the gum exclusively & it worked. She's been nicotine-free for almost 10 years now.

my DH used a script for Zyban & it worked. He smoked for 30+ years, & was able to quit. He's been nicotine-free for almost 15 years now!

Lots of options...hope it goes well for you!

YOU CAN DO IT R.!!!

I quit by cutting back, cutting back again and then again and then just stopping. I felt reallllly weird and irritable for about 2 weeks at the most. I got thru the hand to mouth withdrawal by chewing straws and gum and toothpicks and sometimes gum and a straws wrapping it around the straws just to be dong something... YOU CAN DO IT R.!!!

From my understanding, the majority of people who quit smoking for good do it cold turkey. It's a decision they make one day. They choose to never smoke again.

It's actually the same with dieting/losing weight. It's a decision people make.

My dad quit cold turkey when my mom got pregnant with my brother and my husband quit cold turkey the day our daughter was born.

I would figure that the gum would have to be somewhat helpful or else it wouldn't stay out on the market. If something really isn't useful, it tends to just go away because word gets around and people stop buying it.

That's awesome you are cutting down! You are way too smart to smoke!!

I don't know how much the e-cigarette costs but the nicotine gum is pretty darn expensive. My mother moved to China and was trying to quit so I purchased the Walgreen's version of the gum (two different nicotine levels) and I remember them being about $40/box. It wasn't successful for her. Her husband and everybody in China smokes.

Best of luck!

Hi R.,

I'm proud of you too! This is a great undertaking!

Don't have personal experience with smoking but I know that there is more addiction than just the nicotine. We lived in Tobacco country and the chemicals they put on the tobacco to make it grow are terribly toxic and terribly addictive...My point is that there are more toxins in your body than simply the God-given nicotine that many think is the only problem. My suggestion is starting on an absorbable multivitamin/mineral complex to start the detox process. There are other things as well that you can use. If you want to get healthy and think this is the way to go...especially until you find your e-cig, let me know and I can elaborate. The e-cig is a WONDERFUL tool but your body needs to be cleaned out so the real addiction goes away.

Hope this helps!

M.
www.squidoo.com/ifyourbabycouldtalk

Hey I know you asked this forever ago now, but I just saw a groupon for those e cigarettes you were talking about and remembered seeing your request. I think they're on sale for another few days. Either way, just wanted to wish you luck!

Meh....the gum....depends on YOU--as with any addiction--you're either ready or you're not.

You CAN quit cold turkey. My brother quit cold turkey Jan 1 (35+ yrs of smoking) and he's doing fine.

Me? I've been known to smoke WHILE chewing the gum. Or on a patch.
:( Sigh.

my friends and mom used the nicotine mint losangers instead of gum and it worked for them

If I would have read yesterday's paper yesterday, I could have passed this along sooner. Here's an article from the NY Times that shows the latest research about the nicotine replacement therapies. Good luck no matter how you do it. Remember Nike's slogan "Just do it!"

Nicotine Gum and Skin Patch Face New Doubt

By BENEDICT CAREY

Published: January 9, 2012

The nicotine gum and patches that millions of smokers use to help kick their habit have no lasting benefit and may backfire in some cases, according to the most rigorous long-term study to date of so-called nicotine replacement therapy.

The study, published Monday in the journal Tobacco Control, included nearly 800 people trying to quit smoking over a period of several years, and is likely to inflame a long-running debate about the value of nicotine alternatives.

In medical studies, the products have proved effective, making it easier for people to quit, at least in the short term. Those earlier, more encouraging findings were the basis for federal guidelines that recommended the products for smoking cessation.

But in surveys, smokers who have used the over-the-counter products, either as part of a program or on their own, have reported little benefit. The new study followed one group of smokers to see whether nicotine replacement affected their odds of kicking the habit over time. It did not, even if they also received counseling with the nicotine replacement.

The market for nicotine replacement products has taken off in recent years, rising to more than $800 million annually in 2007 from $129 million in 1991. The products were approved for over-the-counter sale in 1997, and many state Medicaid programs cover at least one of them.

“We were hoping for a very different story,” said Dr. Gregory N. Connolly, director of Harvard’s Center for Global Tobacco Control and a co-author of the study. “I ran a treatment program for years, and we invested” millions in treatment services.

Doctors who treat smokers said that the study findings were not unexpected, given the haphazard way many smokers used the products. “Patient compliance is a very big issue,” said Dr. Richard Hurt, director of the Nicotine Dependence Center at the Mayo Clinic, who was not involved in the study.

Dr. Hurt said products like nicotine gum and patches “are absolutely essential, but we use them in combinations and doses that match treatment to what the individual patient needs,” unlike smokers who are self-treating.

The products have been controversial since at least 2002, when researchers at the University of California, San Diego, reported from a large survey that they appeared to offer no benefit. The study did not follow people over time. A government-appointed panel that included nicotine replacement as part of federal guidelines for treatment also came under fire, because panel members had gotten payments from the product manufacturers.

“Some studies have questioned these treatments, but the bulk of clinical trials have unequivocally endorsed them,” said Dr. Michael Fiore, director of the University of Wisconsin’s Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention and the chairman of the panel that wrote the guidelines. Dr. Fiore, who has reported receiving payments from drug makers, said that “there are millions of smokers out there desperate to quit, and it would be a tragedy if they felt, because of one study, that this option is ineffective.”

In the new study, conducted in Massachusetts, the researchers followed a representative sample of 1,916 adults, including 787 people who said at the start of the study that they had recently quit smoking. They interviewed the participants three times, about once every two years during the 2000s, asking the smokers and quitters about their use of gum, patches and other such products, their periods of not smoking and their relapses.

At each stage, about one-third of the people trying to quit had relapsed, the study found. The use of replacement products made no difference, whether they were taken for the recommended two-month period (they usually were not), or with the guidance of a cessation counselor.

One subgroup, heavy smokers (defined as those who had their first cigarette within a half-hour of waking up) who used replacement products without counseling, was twice as likely to relapse as heavy smokers who did not use them.

“Our study essentially shows that what happens in the real world is very different” from what happens in clinical trials, said Hillel R. Alpert of Harvard, a co-author with Dr. Connolly and Lois Biener of the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

The researchers argue that while nicotine replacement appears to help people quit, it is not enough to prevent relapse in the longer run. Motivation matters a lot; so does a person’s social environment, the amount of support from friends and family, and the rules enforced at the workplace. Media campaigns, increased tobacco taxes and tightening of smoking laws have all had an effect as well.

Neither-put one teaspoon of cream of tartar in a glass of OJ-drink this at least three times/day-it will carry the nicotine out of the body quickly. Drop the e-cig-you don't need the ritual-just reinforces the behavior; the gum works -I know a gal that got addicted to it-but she did quit smoking.