[Rampant Desire]

I have plans to get a prescription for Zyban. Does anyone have any experiences with it?

Has anyone here managed to quit cold-turkey?

-RD

[discotronic]

Zyban is expensive or least at one time it was. If you can get your doc to prescribe Wellbutrin you would be better off. They are basically the same thing. Both are antidepressants and have the same trade name. Here is a link:

http://quitsmoking.about.com/od/zybanwellbutrin/

Insurance companies, traditionally, will not pay for Zyban but they will Wellbutrin. One of the doctors I work with does this for his patients. Most of our patients are closer to the bottom of the financial food chain than the top. The cost of medications are just too much for them to handle when it comes to paying out of pocket. Prescribing Wellbutrin for depression makes it easier for the insurance company to approve paying for the medication.

If you can quit by using the medication you are better off. The patch and gum do work but they use the one thing (nicotine) that you are trying to get away from. Nicotine is usually out of your system within 72 hours. After that all you have to worry about is the psychological effect which is probably the worst part. That is where the antidepressant with medications come in.

It isn't easy but I'm sure if you are ready you will beat it. You should also look into taking a smoking cessation class. They are really good and offer great support avenues.

Best of luck

[screamingFit]

When I quit before, my doctor put me on Zyban and the patch. I was instructed to take the Zyban for two weeks before I tried to quit. During those two weeks, the Zyban literally drove me to smoke MORE as it made me not sleep, irritiable and not able to concentrate. I decided that Zyban wasn't going to work and I was just going to do the patch once that awful medication had left my body. So, after a couple of more weeks with no daily Zyban dose I started the patch. The first day was really rough - stayed couped up playing video games and thinking I was going to go out of my mind. The next day, was the fateful Septemeber 11th and though I wanted to smoke so bad from being completely freaked out, I didn't. At the end of that day, I made up my mind that if I could of made it through that day without a cigarette, I could do this. Which I did.

Flash forward a year, and I started again and have been smoking ever since. I've tried over 30 times to quit again with no success. I've read books, tried every sort of stop smoking program to no avail. Guess I didn't have it in my to quit.

The moral of this long freakin' story is that unless you truly want to quit, you're not going to. No pill, patch or book will do it for you. So, I guess I'm saying, go cold-turkey. If you can't do it like that, you're not ready to quit smoking.

[CD Hanks]

Just a heads up about Wellbutrin (if you decide to take it): It'll make you horny as a rabbit.

[keekeeree]

I quit cold-turkey six months ago after smoking a pack a day for fifteen years. I know this is gonna sound corny, but what cured me of smoking was...love. Six months ago I met this wonderful woman and for some reason, just being around her and with her made smoking seem unnecessary. I proposed to her and smoked my last cig the same day.

Good luck in quiting.

[anthonyvthc]

Originally posted by keekeeree:
I quit cold-turkey six months ago after smoking a pack a day for fifteen years. I know this is gonna sound corny, but what cured me of smoking was...love. Six months ago I met this wonderful woman and for some reason, just being around her and with her made smoking seem unnecessary. I proposed to her and smoked my last cig the same day.

Good luck in quiting.

Nice sig...

[Cubeoid]

Your is nice also anthony.

[Mastrap]

I gave up cold turkey, after smoking a pack a day for about ten years. It was the hardest thing I've ever done, but also one of the most rewarding.

The one thing to keep in mind is that it is possible to kick the habit. Once you're over the first three days of craving you're going to get better. It took me three month to come out of the withdrawal fog, but I've never looked back. That was ten years ago and counting.

Best of luck.

[Cubeoid]

Good jaorb there Mastrap. Bigup.

[lavar78]

I have no experience with smoking or any advice, but I just wanted to say good luck.

[John Q. Smith]

what about my sig?

[Face Ache]

I smoked a pack and a half of 16mg's for ten years before I gave up cold turkey - even kept hanging around with the smokers at work, which didn't bother me - no idea why.

A friend advised me to aim for three days and if that worked then three weeks, then three months. Same as Mas, that was ten years ago.

[Cody Dawg]

www.laserconcept.com

They help people quit smoking with lasers. IT WORKS, believe it or not.

4 treatments and you're done.

Congratulations.

[scaught]

you cant replace an addiction with ANYTHING if youre hoping to quit. for god's sake, dont start taking meds. that would only make your doctor happy.

just do it.

dont talk about it. dont count days (which only leads to some sort of "internal ive been good" reward system).

just tell yourself you dont smoke anymore. theres noone putting the cig to your lips but you. mind over matter.

do it, and you will feel good about yourself.

[Cody Dawg]

One thing I want to say?

For those of you who say, "I can't quit smoking," you're fooling yourselves.

Case in point:

Go to the hospital and get checked in. YOU CANNOT SMOKE *ANYWHERE* IN A HOSPITAL ANYMORE.

People who check into the hospital, therefore, quit smoking. THEY DO IT BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO CHOICE.

Therefore, you should be able to quit without having to check into a hospital.

YOU JUST *DO* IT.

[i_rooster]

Give yourself ECT everytime you smoke, this will make you quit faster even if you were a monky. I dont reccomend it though, it wont be a pleasant experience.

[keekeeree]

Just one more thought from me on this quitting smoking thing. I did quit once before for about a year. To positively motivate myself, every week I took that $15-20 I would have spent on smokes and bought myself a new CD. That really helped because, instead of "saving all that money" that everyone talks about (which you really can't see), I certainly could see my CD collection growing. If I had an urge to smoke, knowing that if I held out for the urge to pass, I'd get that CD I had my eye on at the end of the week.

Or save your money. Pull $20 out of an ATM every week and put it in an envelope (so you can SEE the money collecting), and save up for a new iPod. Or buy 20 songs on iTunes. Or whatever. Find that motivating factor, something that you love, and use it instead of doping yourself up with prescription drugs which would be money down the drain (especially if you start smoking again. At least my way you've gained something for your effort).

[Cody Dawg]

That's a great idea keekeeree.



Speaking of smoking, my house just caught on fire - no joke. Heard a big boom and the electrical box on the outside of the exploded and caught on fire.

Relatively new home and a bright sunny day...whodathunkit?



And, yes, I have someone here fixing it. I think I'm lucky that I was home when it happened and could do something about it.

[Rampant Desire]

Thanks for all the great ideas guys! It's definitely nice to have the support and the new suggestions for when I actually make this happen, which will be soon (within 2 weeks).

I've tried quitting cold-turkey before and never had much luck. Whenever I try, something disastrous happens or something comes up that becomes very stressful and I don't have the willpower necessary to get through it without a smoke. It's kinda sad really.

I'll make it happen one way or another. I'm only poisoning myself and spending money that really could go elsewhere (towards a new PowerBook!!).

Thanks again guys. I'll keep you posted.

-RD

[Rampant Desire]

Originally posted by Cody Dawg:
That's a great idea keekeeree.



Speaking of smoking, my house just caught on fire - no joke. Heard a big boom and the electrical box on the outside of the exploded and caught on fire.

Relatively new home and a bright sunny day...whodathunkit?



And, yes, I have someone here fixing it. I think I'm lucky that I was home when it happened and could do something about it.

That's insane. Find out what caused it, take pictures with a date-stamp and hold on to them. I would think that your hydro provider would be responsible. Scary. Good luck with the matter.

-RD

[TubaMuffins]

kinda strange that this topic just came up becuase i just quit. this time i know it will stick becase i have something or someone to quit for. I found it a lot harder if you are gonna quit just because. so the first 3 days are hard is what i've been hearing a lot, sounds fun. Im also quitting with my roommate, so it makes it easier to do it with someone too

[Cody Dawg]

Whenever you think you can't quit just go to sleep.

If you can't sleep, pop a benadryl caplet (antihistamine.) It'll make you sleep.

Just sleep through the first three days, that's all!

[Rampant Desire]

Originally posted by Cody Dawg:
Whenever you think you can't quit just go to sleep.

If you can't sleep, pop a benadryl caplet (antihistamine.) It'll make you sleep.

Just sleep through the first three days, that's all!

LOL. I wish that were an option. I heard that chugging a huge cold glass of water can help get rid of a craving. Gonna have to try that too.

-RD

[ASIMO]

Quitters never win.

[Mastrap]

Don't take any drugs, and especially nothing that'll make you drowsy. You're going to be sleepy and disorientated enough as it is.

The first three days are the worst, that's the time it takes for your body to eliminate poisons from your system. After that it's 'just' the psychological addiction you'll need to deal with. The good news is that your body will start healing itself the second you stop smoking.

One thing that helped me: If you're smoking in a certain environment, change it. For me, it was the morning coffee and a cigarette. When I gave up smoking I switched from coffee to tea. Breaking one habit made it easier to break the other one too.

[i_rooster]

Originally posted by ASIMO:
Quitters never win.

Doers lose everyday.

[wdlove]

Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking Rampant Desire, I wish you success. Luckily I never smoked, so I have no personal experience. Having the will to quit means a lot.

[SSharon]

Just a Good Luck from me.

[Cubeoid]

Originally posted by John Q. Smith:
what about my sig?

You're beyond the sig John Q. Smith.

[Lancer409]

smoker for 7-8 years. over a pack a day... chainsmoked 5 packs in one sitting once (anyone else hear the rumor that Marlboro reds enhanced the effects of weed?)


i quit smoking for my health. picked up jogging, did that for nine months, and started lifting weights. kinda hard to do that and smoke. i lost a whole lot of weight, gained a whole lot of strength .. etc

best switch of my life. the mac comes second.

good luck. after the first three days, the craving is no longer physical, but psychological.
you may feel like you want/need to smoke, but it is in your head - your body no longer needs/wants it.

i've been off 3 years (which is cool considering how a lot of my friends smoke)... and the assholes always ask me if i want a smoke and goad me with stuff like "come on .. you konw you want one *blows smoke in my face* .. i bet they're just bitter i kicked the habbit ... lol)

i cant stand the smell of the stuff now. and yeah ... the savings stack up. especially considering how much that costs now a days.