[iLikebeer]

So I've finally had enough. I went to the store and bought the first 14 patches of step 1 of NicoDerm CQ. The coughing, lack of breath while out hiking or whatever, and tons of wasted money were starting to get to me every time I lit a cigarette.

I'm starting tomorrow as soon as I get out of the shower. I've tried quitting several times before, with varying degrees of success. The inhaler worked for about a week before I started having the worst cravings ever. I've gone a bit over 6 months just cold turkey before. My biggest problem has always been the retarded self defeating attitude that I could handle just having a cigarette every now and then. I won't have a problem putting on the patch every day; and knowing smoking while on the patch could kill me (nicotine poisoning), I shouldn't have the problem of that now and again craving that leads into the downward spiral of being a full on smoker again.

Just curious how much success other people have had with their 3 step, 10 week program.

Edit**: I put a thread title in there, but somehow it got deleted.

[turboSPE]

Originally Posted by iLikebeer

So I've finally had enough. I went to the store and bought the first 14 patches of step 1 of NicoDerm CQ. The coughing, lack of breath while out hiking or whatever, and tons of wasted money were starting to get to me every time I lit a cigarette.

I'm starting tomorrow as soon as I get out of the shower. I've tried quitting several times before, with varying degrees of success. The inhaler worked for about a week before I started having the worst cravings ever. I've gone a bit over 6 months just cold turkey before. My biggest problem has always been the retarded self defeating attitude that I could handle just having a cigarette every now and then. I won't have a problem putting on the patch every day; and knowing smoking while on the patch could kill me (nicotine poisoning), I shouldn't have the problem of that now and again craving that leads into the downward spiral of being a full on smoker again.

Just curious how much success other people have had with their 3 step, 10 week program.

Edit**: I put a thread title in there, but somehow it got deleted.

Toward the end of the day, I would have a real problem with the patch "running out" of nicotine as well as the lack of an oral fixation. Drink lots of water (don't eat unless you want to gain weight), and don't tell yourself you need a smoke. I had the same problem as you; I have the box of patches on my dresser, waiting for the right moment. Sounds stupid, yes, but I'm a weak man.

[BasketofPuppies]

Originally Posted by turboSPE

the lack of an oral fixation.

Straws. Seriously.

One of my middle school's DARE officers said he was able to drop his oral craving for cigarettes by sucking on drinking straws.

[iLikebeer]

I've tried staws and toothpicks before, but I have a terrible gag reflex. I can't do that for long w/out having to throw them away. I'm going to try gum, pistachios, and sunflower seeds though.

Turbo, don't feel bad about feeling weak. I think that's one of the hardest things about quitting. Everyone thinks they have the willpower to do what they want. It takes a lot to admit to yourself that you are weak and need help quitting. Give it another go when you're ready. For some reason, that right moment is just never right.

[BasketofPuppies]

You're not supposed to stick them that far back in your mouth.

Seriously, what about nicotine gum? It should prevent the "out of nicotine at the end of the day" problems related to patches and cover the oral issue simultaneously.

[Mastrap]

It took me about a year before I finally managed to give up for good. In the end, after using patches etc, I just did it cold turkey. Like you, I was getting worried about my health. Simply put, I didn't want to die of lung cancer and/or emphysema.
The important thing to keep in mind is that life does go on without smoking. Not only does it go on, it actually does get better, even though that might be difficult to believe when you're in the middle of a craving. Take it one day at a time. The most dangerous time is the three month hurdle, this is where most people fail. By this time it feels like you've beaten the addiction, you're feeling better, you're breathing easier. A lot of people then feel that 'just the one can't hurt'. Two weeks later they're back on twenty a day.

I wish you success. I stopped over ten years ago now and can't imagine ever touching a cigarette again.

[iLikebeer]

Originally Posted by BasketofPuppies

You're not supposed to stick them that far back in your mouth.

Seriously, what about nicotine gum? It should prevent the "out of nicotine at the end of the day" problems related to patches and cover the oral issue simultaneously.

No, seriously. You can't imagine the gag reflex i have. I smell something real bad, I'll go chuck a quick puke. Just having it in my mouth like that, somehow makes me gag. I can chew a toothpick sometimes for 10 minutes if I take it out of my mouth, but usually no. Heh, it's pretty funny sometimes. People are always trying to get me to throw up. I have a really good visual imagination I guess.

I've never heard anything good about nicotine gum. And you can't use it with the patch, you could get nicotine poisoning and die. I'm sure there's some margin for error, but I'm not going to push something like that.

Mastrap, thanks for the support. I know all about the 3 month give or take cocky period. It's beaten me several times. I just kind of refuse to smoke anymore. If I smoke for another year, I will have been smoking basically half of my life. That's a bit too scary to me. The sad part is how I've pushed back quitting over and over. Quit when I'm 18, then 21, then.....over and over. Yep, I'm kind of pathetic like that. I don't want to be one of those old people that smokes. Heh, this is almost starting to be the MacNN quit smoking support group.

[dlefebvre]

Originally Posted by iLikebeer

So I've finally had enough. I went to the store and bought the first 14 patches of step 1 of NicoDerm CQ. The coughing, lack of breath while out hiking or whatever, and tons of wasted money were starting to get to me every time I lit a cigarette.
I'm starting tomorrow as soon as I get out of the shower.

For the same reasons I started 4 weeks ago and so far so good. I only had a horrendous craving fit on the 7th day. Other than that, I get those 5 minutes cravings that pass quickly when I think about how happy I am not to smoke anymore. The only problem I have with the patches is sweat. Summer is not a great season for this, if you sweat a little they don't stick that much. But it's not dramatic.

I've tried quitting several times before, with varying degrees of success. The inhaler worked for about a week before I started having the worst cravings ever. I've gone a bit over 6 months just cold turkey before. My biggest problem has always been the retarded self defeating attitude that I could handle just having a cigarette every now and then.

Same here. I always started again because I thought I could smoke JUST ONE in a party. Biggest joke of the year. Especially since every time I was smoking again, I was smoking more. The only difference this time is the attitude I have towards it. While I used to think that I was missing on something when I stopped smoking, for the first time I'm more focused on how happy I am not to smoke anymore. How easier my breathing is, etc...

I won't have a problem putting on the patch every day; and knowing smoking while on the patch could kill me (nicotine poisoning), I shouldn't have the problem of that now and again craving that leads into the downward spiral of being a full on smoker again.

That's the strongest argument of the patch. You know that if you smoke while you have it, you will feel like sh*t and probably worse. It sure helps during the craving. That alone is why the patch is a good program. You can't be weak while you're on it. Even if it takes less than 10 weeks to get rid of the nicotine in your system, it sure take at least 10 weeks to loose an habit. Especially since we have a tendency to smoke in a congratulatory fashion. «This cigarette will be good when I'm finished», «Let's do this and smoke one», you know the pattern and I'm not even going in the after sex cigarettes. Nicotine is very addictive but the way cigarette becomes a part of your life is almost more addictive. That's why you need determination if you want to quit.

I wish you dertemination and the joy of climbing stairs without sounding like Darth Vader.

[JustAnOl'Broad]

Originally Posted by BasketofPuppies

Seriously, what about nicotine gum?

As it was already said; can't use it at the same time as patches.
With me - the gum burned a hole in my mouth; you keep it
in your cheek and bite it occassionally to release the
nicotine. And you have to swallow the "juice" from it - which
gave me a helluva case of heartburn.

I was pretty successful with the Smoke Away regimin; until I
ran out of the first stage pills. It's more of a natural antidote to
end the cravings - but I guess you're only replacing one poison
with another.
Have had friends quit successfully with the Wellbutrin, etc
type Meds. They only had problems with it affecting their
taste for alcohol; so since YouLikeBeer you might skip that
route.

Good luck with it tho; I envy people with that willpower.

[Zimphire]

When I quit smoking cigs I used the nic gum. It wasn't too pleasant tasting but it did the trick.

[dlefebvre]

Originally Posted by JustAnOl'Broad

but I guess you're only replacing one poison
with another.

Yeah! I started to smoke cigarettes as a way to compensate when I did quit smoking pot. It took me a long time time to quit the nicotine habit, because I didn't want to go back to pot and be in that infinite cycle.

[vinster]

Quit smoking in March after smoking a pack-a-day for over 20 years and here's what I did (your mileage may vary)

- Started on Welbrutin (an anti-depressant) after discussing with my Doctor and about a week before smoking my last cigarette.

- Read the little brochures that came with the Nicoderm patches (filled out the card with reasons for quitting and put it in my wallet).

- Went on the patch the day I quit. The first 72 hours is truly weird as all the crap immediately starts coming out and you can really feel it!

- Had some nicotine gum and lozenges (used these before quitting when flying long distance) which I used occasionally.

- Stopped going to bars for the first two months as temptation when drinking would be too much for me.

- This is a good one: Take a shower when you get a craving. It really helps!

The first couple of weeks was the worst. You really start to realize why the govt.'s of the world want to regulate/ban smoking and how the industry has developed the perfect form of addiction. Just keep focused on the core reasons why you need to quit and remain rational about this addiction and what's happening to you physically and mentally when coming off it.

Here's the weird thing. I had a severe allergic reaction to something (still don't know what) about three weeks into quitting which made me stop everything. My skin was breaking out so I couldn't use the patch and didn't want to take any pills. So from that point on, I went cold turkey.

I'm still smoke free (I do get cravings but they pass). Just like everything in life, the real key to success is will power, so stay focused and committed and I'm sure you'll beat the addiction!

[Albert Pujols]

I hate to derail the thread or anything, but I'm curious..what got you guys to start smoking?

[vinster]

Originally Posted by Albert Pujols

I hate to derail the thread or anything, but I'm curious..what got you guys to start smoking?

Experimenting in high school, friends who smoked/still smoke and my parents (and some of their friends) smoked. Both parents quit years ago, though.

Don't know how old you are but smoking used to be much more socially acceptable than it is today (due to the governments cracking down). As usual, Europe's leading the way in changing people's attitudes/ability to smoke/smoking (there's been too much lobbying in the US), but America's come a long way, too.

[BasketofPuppies]

I'm almost positive, per capita, there are more smokers in Europe than in the United States.

[iLikebeer]

Thanks for the tips Vinster and everyone else. I haven't smoked yet today, and haven't had a craving yet. I put all of my lighters in a drawer and threw away all my ashtrays and any smoking related stuff. I've already had a bit of stuff cough up, and I'm sure there's plenty more where that came from.

Probably 95% of the people I hung out with in high school smoked. There were even 7-10 people on our cross country team that smoked, and we ran 25-40 miles a week. It's still kind of crazy for me to imagine that just 13 years ago a 14 year old could walk into a gas station or store and have a pretty good chance of buying a pack of cigarettes. I always thought it was lame that they were raising the price of cigarettes over the years, but if they had been as expensive then as they were now, there would probably be a lot less smokers. $1.50 for a pack of Marlboros was cheaper than a school lunch.

[Mastrap]

Here's a fun thing to look forward to. This might not happen to you, but it happened to me and to several other people I know who gave up smoking. Apparently it is a documented side effect: Really cool dreams, starting about three weeks into the quitting.
It's like going to the cinema and watching very cool action movies, only you're the hero. Nothing scary, just excellent fun. I used to really look forward to going to sleep and was majorly disappointed when the effect wore off.

[Mastrap]

Originally Posted by BasketofPuppies

I'm almost positive, per capita, there are more smokers in Europe than in the United States.

Just from anecdotal evidence, i.e me travelling, I suspect that you're right. I always hate arriving in Germany where people are still allowed to smoke in many airports.

I love the smoke free restaurants and bars here in Toronto.

[MacMan4000]

The best way to stop smoking is to have someone take all your cigarettes while you are sleeping and drain out the tobacco, then replace the tobacco with a single firecracker. then to make it look authentic put some tobacco back in the end to cover it up. Best plan ever.

[vinster]

Originally Posted by BasketofPuppies

I'm almost positive, per capita, there are more smokers in Europe than in the United States.

You might be right (would be interesting to see the statistics) but the intention of my statement is that Europe's ahead in leading the fight against smoking (i.e. laws, taxes, etc.).

[jasonsRX7]

I smoked for 10 years and quit cold turkey 4 years ago. The first couple of months were tough, I was irritable and on edge all the time. I don't know how my coworkers put up with me. The one thing that helped me the most was Altoids. I carried around a tin of Altoids (wintergreen) everywhere I went and when I got a craving, I'd eat some. Since I smoked menthols, the wintergreen flavor was nice, and it helped with the oral fixation.

Man, I hate that you made it 6 months cold turkey. You were almost there! I think at about 6 months my cravings were so much less (although I was still going thru a couple packs of Altoids a day). By around 8 months I had gotten over the edginess and found that I was going days at a time without a craving. After the first year, I felt like I was officially done with it.

Now, 4 years later, I go months without even thinking about a cigarette. Sometimes I'll remember smoking, but it's not a craving and it goes away immediately. Now I notice the smell of smoke on my clothes, whereas before I couldn't tell.

If you quit cold turkey once, you can do it again. I would bang my hands on the desk, bounce a tennis ball off the walls, go out the back of the office and throw rocks into the woods, even practiced the Tiger Woods golf ball bouncing trick... Anything to keep my mind off lighting up. Good luck man, I know you can do it. You've got a lot to look forward to after it's over with. I feel so much better having quit, and you will too.