trying to quit smoking (page 4)

Lassie

Sometimes you have to trick yourself. My brother told me he was going to quit and to do so he was only going to smoke after sex. I asked him how it was going and he told me he was up to a pack a day!

Seriously though, I think that the Zyban (or Wellbutrin...insurance will cover it if if is prescribed for depression...or at least that is what I have been told, but since I don't have insurance it is about $100 US for a month) works if you take it right. I think the way it works is since it was primarily designed for obsessive compulsive / depression that it sort of makes you forget and also noticed that when I would "remember" to smoke that they just didn't taste too good either. It was my choice since I didn't want the nicotine patches or gum (and by the way the gum works good too WITH the Zyban, but tastes nasty). But after taking the Zyban/Welbutrin for a month, I had forgotten to renew my prescription along with where I parked my car, put my keys, and to feed the cat (I mean cats...because after my memory came back I realized I have five cats and not only that, but a son (17yrs old)....imagine that! but hey, I was smoke free!
Just kidding about the ....what was I talking about? Oh, yeah, Wellbutrin / Zyban. It works (with you). The bottom line is you have to WANT to Stop! Not Quit, but STOP. Repeat after me: I CAN STOP SMOKING; I WILL STOP SMOKING; I AM A NON SMOKER! Good. I have found if I apply the I CAN, I WILL, I AM to anything it seems to help. Oh and if you are wondering if I am a non-smoker...NO I am not, but I keep trying. Even if it is for a few days or week at a time, I still keep trying. So don't give up....TRYING.
My 2 cents.

refiners fire

I havent had one in three weeks nearly. Its easier than I imagined. Occassionally, like twice a day of something, I get a serious hankering, but You just have to say no. Its a bummer though, the thought that you can NEVER light up again.

Lassie

Refiners Fire,
Good for you! I can and know I can NOT smoke for days and weeks at a time, but why is it I just do? Is it because I am so much alone (and I don't mean that in the sad way, but because I work from home and don't get out much...by choice). I try everyday. I found a really good tape designed to help one stop smoking. It is sort of music and sounds and you can play it anytime. I listen to it in my office during the day and believe it or not, without even thinking about it I noticed that I am not smoking as much. I can listen to it all day and it doesn't annoy me (like listening to the same music over and over would). If you are interested in the title, let me know (I am not in my office right now or I would tell you). I do believe a lot of our habits are subconscious and when we let that open up, it is easier to accept change. Make sense? DON'T give up because you are an encouragement to me too!

refiners fire

Lassie. Woof to you.

Im on Patches. I went to the doctor and asked for the pills, "zyban"?. Anyway, he said I could nt use them because they can mess your mind up. So Im on patches. They seem to be working pretty well. Ive quit a few times before, once for a year and then gave in to the impulse for "just one" . Ive learnt you cant have "just one". Plus Ive had some people try (in the past) to tear down my resolve and fallen back into it that way.

Good luck to you.

avishai

I am on Zyban too, it's so expensive though(as insurance won't pay for it) I guess they figure lung cancer is less expensive?

Thats why you have to find a doctor that will presribe "wellbutrin" (zyban) for "depression". Then ins urance will pay for it, nudge nudge, wink wink.

Lassie

Refiners,
Hang in there. I know about the Zyban/Wellbutrin and your doctor is right. It was orginally prescribed for depression / obsessive compulsive disorder (and i guess you could say smoking could fall into the compulsive category, since it is hard to stop after the first one), but they found it works for some with smoking...it does to an extent, like I mentioned earlier...it makes one forget! I quit taking it because you can't drink while taking it (and I do like my glass of wine!). The gum works too, but tastes yucky. It all boils down to just WANTING to. I WANT to every day. I TRY every day and I do good for a while but like you said, "you can't just have one" is true. I am trying to find a healthy alternative to smoking like reading some of the posts on this site (and right now the stuff going on with that Richard guy and Robyn and....whomever is quite entertaining and somewhat tragic and silly at the same time)! wow! the stuff that goes on here can be made into a mini-series....gotta love it! Break out the popcorn! And please understand i am new here and don't know all the sides to anything therefore my question...."And the Next category is?.....

DanTheMan

***UPDATE***

On Dec 1st I posted that I was on my 3rd day smoke free. *sigh* I didn't make it.

The good news is once again I am on day 3. I'll follow up tomorrow.

Tinkerbell4125

Dan, you guys keep up the good work! I've quit, only to start back. CC and I are going to try and quit after the New Year!

Wish us luck, we're gonna need it! It's a hard habit to break, for sure!

Darkhorse

Hi there, DanTheMan and all of you other folks that are trying to either quit smoking or remain quit. (I'm one of the resident worldly folks).

I have been quit for 184 days today - I had smoked for 34 years and the times I tried to quit in the past I have lost track of. About 25 years ago I was a 3 pack a day smoker (a real chimney) and had cut down to one pack a day. Why I finally decided to quit was when I was listening to my sister-in-law hacking and gagging away, gasping for breath during one of her chronic bouts of bronchitis caused by smoking. Her doctor told her she also had the start of emphsyma (she was told about these conditions 3 years ago); and if she did not quit smoking, she would fully develop emphsyma (I know I screwed up the spelling). Watching her cough and choke was a wake up call for me. So far I was not having any real problems that I know of - I did not have smoker's cough and did not get colds very often. I thought I had better quit while I still have a change because I knew it would only be a matter of time before something started to happen. I love to work out at a gym and take many different aerobics classes and am so physically active I could not imaging myself being hooked up to an oxygen tank. If I kept on smoking, it would be only be a matter of time before smoking would affect my performance permanently.

It was now or never. I mentally prepared myself and decided this time I would try to use the nicotene patches. I also found many websites for smoking cessation. One awesome website you all may want to check out is www.stopsmokingcenter.net. It is a very informative web site covering all aspects of the cessation process.

One thing I had to admit to myself is that I am no different than a drug addict or an alcoholic, I am one and the same. And for me there is no such thing as "smoking just one". I did that in the past and started back up. I can never smoke even one again - not now not ever.

Quitting smoking is one of the most difficult things I have ever done in my life; even today I have my moments but it is getting better. It takes about a year to fully rehabilitate yourself and to get your body straightened out from not having the nicotene and hundreds of other chemicals going into it. Some of the withdrawal symptoms I went through are: tiredness, hyperactivity, mood swings, got pimples (never used to get those much), bloating and other things (if you go to the web site and read the withdrawal section you will begin to realize just how much the cigarettes really did a number on you both mentally and physically). You can also pick up many helpful hints to help you along. Drinking a lot of water, physical activity, eating fruits and veggies helped me alot and so far I have not gained any weight, phew. And if I am going through a stressful situation and am dying for a cigarette, I ask myself, "If I have a smoke, is doing so going to change the situation?" Of course, it will not.

Those withdrawals symptoms I previously mentioned have all subsided for me, but while I was going through them I thought, "geez, is it really worth it?" And I would tell myself "YES!" because I am controlling myself, not the Nicodemon.

Each time I take an aerobics class, I can feel the much better lung capacity and the extra power I have, I feel as if I can keep on going.

Sorry for the long story, but if I can be of some help and encouragement for somebody who is trying to quit or stay quit, I will do so. ]

Kick butt!!!!!!!!!

Englishman

Remember ALL OR NOTHING. If you smoke one or admire those friends who can smoke just one, you may as well forget the whole thing.

Ballistic is spot on with this, You have to accept the fact that you will never ever smoke again, indeed you almost go through a kind of grieving. Your body will try to trick you with "I'll just have one cigar a day" or "I'll just smoke a pipe", sometimes you will subconsciously try to get into an argument with someone so's you can light up in a fit of pique.

I always failed when I tried to give up, lookijng back I realise that this was because I was mentally just suspending smoking for a while, I hadn't really said goodbye to the habit. When I finally stopped five years ago, it was because I faced the fact that this was no more ciggies, never not ever.

It is ALL or NOTHING. You can't be a part-time smoker.

Englishman.

trying to quit smoking

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