Here's a lengthy post of mine copied from another board I frequent, I'll leave it here in case it helps.
I smoked for about 12 years and made at least four solid attempts to quit in that time. I finally quit for good on 4/10/11 with the help of the patch. But you have to understand that the patch will not suddenly make you not want to smoke, it just helps with the cravings you will most definitely get. BTW I saved quite a bit of $ getting them off of eBay.
I've read too much dangerous stuff about Chantix to ever try it. I do know two people who used it, one successfully quit and the other did not. Both experienced "vivid dreams".
The first month is tough. Expect your mind to start messing with you. Remind yourself that you will NOT feel better if you have "just one". In fact, you will feel worse, angry at yourself for failing, and then 20 minutes later you will want another one. Understand that your routine of lighting up when you wake up in the morning, or when you get into your car to go to work, etc. is just part of the habit. It will feel weird at first not having that morning smoke, but you will get used to it, trust me, and in time you won't even think about it anymore. If you can stop yourself from having "just one" you will succeed.
If you've got any cigarettes left, toss 'em! I was rolling my own for years due to the cost savings and even threw my $50 injector machine and a quarter-pound of tobacco in the trash when I quit.
Give your car a good interior cleaning and hang up a couple air freshners. Smelling the stink every time you get in the car won't help you.The car stink may disappear over time. When I smoked I always had the cig in my left hand and the driver's side window opened, so most of the smoke immediately left the vehicle. I would say within 6 months of quitting the smell was gone (confirmed by two friends who've never smoked).
You will breathe better, taste food better, and your sense of smell will improve. You will realize that smokers STINK. Go for walks around the neighborhood to get the blood flowing and some fresh air in your lungs. As an added bonus, you're not killing yourself every day.
One unexpected benefit was that I found myself sleeping much better and feeling well-rested when I woke up in the morning.
Be careful with nicotine-replacement products. Most are intended to be used short-term to help with quitting, not as long-term replacements. Yes, nicotine gum is not as bad for you as smoking, but you've only traded one nasty habit for one less-nasty habit.
Plan rewards for yourself. Take the $ you are saving and stash it. Reward yourself at milestones (2 weeks, 1 month, 2 months, etc) and something big at the 1 year mark. My one-year reward to myself was a trip to Disneyworld with the wife, a big chunk of which was paid for with the money savings from not smoking.
Sorry for the super-long-winded post. You can do it!
Topic: addiction (Read 710 times)
