Quitting smoking again for the first time....

[Joe the Revelator]

.....using chantix. What a pain in the ass.

[sakabatou]

1. Good luck, Joe

[Joe the Revelator]

2. THanks, the chantix seems to be helping ( day 8,first day with no nicotine)

I was addicted to the highest patch+ the occasional cigarette for years.

[sakabatou]

3. Let's hope you don't get any bad side effects

[Joe the Revelator]

4. That's why I stayed away from it all this time. So far...

...I had two night of vivid, but not unpleasant dreams, and after first take a pill I have a half hour or so of nausea. So far I haven't killed anyone.....that I know of.

[onestepforward]

5. I have a friend who used Chantix

and he didn't have any side effects. He's been smoke-free for over a year and he's doing good!

Best wishes to you!

[LaurenG]

6. You can do this.

I was a smoker who quit in the 80's and then I went through an excruciating divorce that included moving to Colorado and getting a job -new life to place to live, new everything and I started smoking after work. Since I was in health care I tried to just use the gum but I would still smoke the odd cigarette. Mostly in the morning and again after work. I quit smoking the occasional cigarette 2 years ago in May bit I still chewed the gum. I gave that up last September, cold turkey (too expensive). I loved smoking and I loved nicotine gum if they weren't so damn bad for us I'd probably mainline it (just kidding) but you get my drift. I adored nicotine, it truly was my drug of choice but I quit after more than 15 years and it really wasn't that bad. I did gain some weight but I'm working to take it off now.

You have my best wishes for success, I know you can do this.

[lunatica]

7. I was part of the first study groups for Chantix

It worked for me. I was smoking three packs a day and had smoked for 30 years. I tried quitting many times but just couldn't. It truly helped me because it takes away the physical addiction and all you have to deal with is the emotional one and your brain reminding you it's time for another cigarette. I've been smoke free for more than 15 years. And not a day goes by that I'm not grateful to have gotten the help from Chantix.

Basically what you do is re-train your brain to accept no more cigarettes. It really only takes once or twice of simply not smoking when your brain reminds you it's time for a cigarette. It's about when you light up. We are creatures of habit and we create a new one when we smoke. Lighting up after eating, or in the car on the way to work, or with your morning coffee or whenever you habitually light up.

At first Chantix helps you by making it easier to say no to lighting up every time you used to. The urge to smoke goes away quickly, unlike when you try to quit cold turkey or any other way where your body craves the nicotine so badly that you simply can't say no. After a while, and in a very short time you'll notice you don't think about lighting up when you used to.

The interesting thing is that after you've been smoke free for a while if you take a drag from a cigarette it leaves an awful oily taste in your mouth for hours and hours.

The best thing that ever happened to me was Chantix.

[applegrove]

8. Chantix worked for me. After I went off Chantix I smoked a few herbal cigarettes. They were so

gross I quickly stopped. Now whenever I think of cigarettes, I think of that awful herbal cigarette. I don't crave. Chantix really did retrain my brain not to equate smoking with pleasure. There is a website for 'quitters' called quitnet.com I also went for a walk when I had a crave. Good luck! Quitting smoking is the best thing I've ever done for myself. I'm so proud and happy I did it. I'm almost 4 years in and I still love my quit. You will too!!

[joshcryer]

9. There's a Smoking Cessation group here, kinda dead, but yeah:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1153

Best wishes Joe.

[NYC_SKP]

10. Joe the Revelator -- Non-smoker. Period.

Make it so, you're a non-smoker.

Welcome! I became a non-smoker myself in November 2010.

Do it!

[kwassa]

11. Quitting smoking is easy, I've done it hundreds of times.

but the last time has worked for 28 years.

the hardest but best thing I've ever done for myself.

and you can do it, too.

[amuse bouche]

12. You can do it

But if you need a crutch try commit lozenges. They come in many flavors

A coworker, had to quit and he did not want to at all, but the lozenges worked great for him.

I was amazed at how fast he quit. The key for him was keeping the lozenges handy in case he needed a fix,

which he found not difficult to resist. He liked the cherry flavored lozenge.