Quitting Smoking

[Virginia NPP]

Hi All,

Lots of my clients are doing well on Chantix in terms of quitting smoking.

The way it is said to work is by both stimulating and blocking specific nicotinic receptors in the brain; it is thought that the stimulation of these receptors mimics the effects of nicotine and reduces cravings.

A number of reports have indicated that Chantix induces suicidal feelings and aggressive and erratic behaviour. I haven't seen any of that, but lots of people feel irritable. Its hard to know if this is from the chantix or withdrawal from nicotine.

Insomnia can be a problem with Chantix.

Remember no drug is without side effects, nicotine however is a real killer.

If you do use the Chantix don't ignore the support they offer along with it, it can help.

Virginia

[Freaknuggetz_chick]

hmmm, well my hubby did the "cut back n lighten up" method, and then used the patch....worked for him for about 8 yrs, but then i started smoking in the house again and that was that.

he did that a second time, but was mad at the weight he gained and had a tonne of stress so he started up again.

me, i had accupuncture done. i had cut back to 3 cigs a day, and just couldnt break the habit without becoming the most evilest she-monster on the planet. it only took me 1 round, a whopping 15 or 20 minutes. it lasted for a year n a half, until my stress level skyrocketed (long story, yadda yadda). i am still a far reduced smoker compared to pre-accupuncture. i was smoking about 10-15/day before i cut down to quit, and now smoke about 5-7/day (maybe up to 10 on a bad day, but its gotta be a real bad day). oh and drinking....i can go through a pack in an evening.....and feel like death ran me over the next day! nice thing though, i dont smoke when sick or hungover.

good luck and stick with it. it takes alot of willpower, no matter the method used.

[Virginia NPP]

The research shows it takes four attempts before someone actually quits smoking!

So if you don't make it, don't think of it as a failure, but rather as a step in the process! (Really )

Virginia

[Dustdevil]

The research shows it takes four attempts before someone actually quits smoking!

So if you don't make it, don't think of it as a failure, but rather as a step in the process! (Really )

Ooooh, I like that!! It's all in maintaining a positive mental attitude. It's about working FOR something positive, not working against something negative.

The head work makes all the difference.

[mobey]

The head work makes all the difference.

Giggity

What I found worked was to cut my "dosage" in half each week.

So I started by skipping every odd smoke,

Then when having my even smokes just smoke half

Then skip the odd even smoke.....no wait....umm....skip the [s:5c3880b152]even[/s:5c3880b152] ... you get it

Till your not smoking at all anymore!

[ambulancegrrrl]

I smoked for roughly 15yrs on again/off again. And quit at least 6 times. The longest was about 4yrs. My neighbor died of complications from COPD and Lung Cancer, that definitely was a bit of a wake up call. But then my husband who also smoked ended up in the hospital with pneumonia. Because of 3 previous hospitalizations for pneumonia when he was a child, asthma, smoking and what they sometimes call "farmers lung" he now has COPD. He is on O2 24/7 and when he was in the hospital, and unconscious he withdrew from the smokes. So he does not smoke anymore, nor do I. It's amazing how many ppl out there on O2 are still smoking. Anyway, After having 4yrs in of nonsmoking I was attacked during a home invasion and started smoking again. Never around my husband and I actually did end up keeping it a secret until I quit again. So I smoked again for about 4-5 months and finally quit again. I didn't use a patch or chantix, although I am not against them at all. Whatever helps.

So I got about 4yrs in now, and have not craved a cigarette in ages. The smell literally makes me ill. Isn't that strange how that works? I LOVED to smoke before. I did chew alot of gum, and bit my tongue so bad I have a hematoma on the side of my tongue that can't be removed! LOL! Anyway, watching loved ones die from smoking helped to open my eyes but basically it was a decision I made that I want to live a full life and don't want to end up sucking O's through a nasal cannula until that's not enough.

If you quit, and end up slipping and smoke a cigarette don't spend all your time kicking yourself over it. Don't quit quitting. It may take a long time but you can do it. Good luck to everyone that is trying to quit. You can succeed.

[firedoc5]

I'm getting ready to make a trip down to LA to see my folks for about 4-6 weeks. When I get back I'm going to really try again. How is yet to be determined. For me the Chantix is out, I've used the patch with no help, and the lozenges helped but only to a point. So...what now? Fade back and punt?

[SSG G-man]

I'm getting ready to make a trip down to LA to see my folks for about 4-6 weeks. When I get back I'm going to really try again. How is yet to be determined. For me the Chantix is out, I've used the patch with no help, and the lozenges helped but only to a point. So...what now? Fade back and punt?

May I ask why Chantix is not an option for you, if thats not too personal?

[firedoc5]

May I ask why Chantix is not an option for you, if thats not too personal?

Not personal at all. It was causing me to have syncopal episodes. When I did the doc took me right off it. At first they thought it couldn't have been the Chantix alone, that there had to have been an underlying problem with my heart. But after all the heart tests and etc. everything was negative, so it was the Chantix alone. Unless someone missed something, like that never happens.

[TheOrangeCrush]

I plan to quit as well. I have read some good and very bad things about Chantix. One thing to remember about Chantix is it wasn't originally made to be a stop smoking aid. It was to be a new anti depressant. After millions of dollars being spent on the development of the drug it was unable to get FDA approval as a anti depressant. The drug company had to find something to recover the development cost.