Quit smoking with patches and gum?

[D_hybabi]

Has anyone tried any of the NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy) methods to assist in beating the habit?

I have been trying to quit for about 2 years, and the most I have done is 6 weeks without any NRT but now I am on 2 weeks with the patches and gums.

I think the most important thing is to have the desire to quit. I do have it, but I enjoy smoking. The biggest reason above all is to unlock my mind from the chains of smoking. I know the health benefits should be more important, but for me, I don't want to be addicted to it anymore.

Anyone used any successful methods, and what was important in the process for you? Thanks!

 

[Boondocksaints]

Prescription pills form your doctor work the best IMO

 

[D_Liquidius Hotrocks]

no patches, no gum, no pills. the power of believing in yourself is the best way to quit.

 

[D_hybabi]

I actually agree with you

 

[SandraSmithCarver]

I quit 5X in 8 years! The last time was April 2009, this time I did use the Nicorette patch, it worked great! Don"t beat yourself up, a doc told me Nicotene is more addictive then heroine!!!!

AND it takes most people 5 or 6 times to finally do it for good, the trick is, not to ever pick another one up!!!!

:biggrin1: you can do it

Has anyone tried any of the NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy) methods to assist in beating the habit?

I have been trying to quit for about 2 years, and the most I have done is 6 weeks without any NRT but now I am on 2 weeks with the patches and gums.

I think the most important thing is to have the desire to quit. I do have it, but I enjoy smoking. The biggest reason above all is to unlock my mind from the chains of smoking. I know the health benefits should be more important, but for me, I don't want to be addicted to it anymore.

Anyone used any successful methods, and what was important in the process for you? Thanks!

 

[D_hybabi]

hey thanks. you know, nicotine in its pure organic form is actually has health properties and isn't bad for you. it's the junk and chemicals in the cigarettes that is harmful...

but i think that's a good point, never picking one up. i try to remove myself from smokers when they smoke and also snack on fruit and nuts when i feel the urge.

did you finally quit sandra?

 

[Viking_UK]

When February comes, I'll have been off them for nine years.

I stopped with a little help from the Inhalator. I'd tried patches before, but I'm allergic to the adhesive and the gum made me sick. The inhalator's great though. It meant I could "smoke" at my desk. I was one of those people for whom the ritual of smoking was harder to give up than the nicotine itsel though.

Good luck with giving up.

 

[pervasiveone]

After trying patches, gum, lozenges, perscriptions, and tapering off, I found "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking" by Allen Carr to be amazingly helpful. It really works, AND you can smoke while reading it.

It's $10 and you can read it in an afternoon, so there isn't much to loose. All you have to do is read it cover to cover and be honest with yourself (some).

Best of luck! The road to freedom is a whole lot easier than you think.

Amazon.com: The Easy Way to Stop Smoking: Join the Millions Who Have Become Non-Smokers Using Allen Carr's Easyway Method (0749725586160): Allen Carr: Books

 

[Flashy]

These are my techniques/story...i have not had a cigarette in nearly 8.5 years, with nothing other than willpower

http://www.lpsg.org/1159815-post21.html

http://www.lpsg.org/1160224-post27.html

 

[BiItalianBro]

First of all, congrats to you for taking control of your addiction...there is no 'easy' way getting to the other side....but once you are there, it is worth it. I quit 9 years ago and the gum/patch thing is just addiction substitution..the only 'benefit' is that it will keep you from wanting to kill ;-P ....but in the end it just prolongs the withdrawl. In the final analysis, it is all about individual motivation and will....there really is no 'one size fits all' method what worked for me may not help you. I used hypnosis (twice) and took up cardio training...after an hour or 2 on the treadmill or in the pool, the last thing i wanted was a cigarette lol.

Perscription meds are the vogue but please be careful...I know 2 people who started chantix and the results were less than ideal. They had undiagnosed mental disorders (one was anxiety, the other depression) and the use of the powerful antidepressant triggered some nasty side-effects. I am not saying that chantix is bad...i am just concerned that it is being handed out like candy with little due-diligence.

Best of luck to you man...remember that kicking addiction is a process with victories and set backs. Stay in the fight and you will eventually get to the other side...today i smell second hand smoke from people standing outside, freezing their nuts off, and i wonder WTF was i thinking when i smoked.

 

[D_hybabi]

Hey, thanks so much for the encouragement and support. I think that is what I need more than the patches and gum which I will stop using next week. I will be so proud when I finally stop thinking about cigarettes, even though I can claim to agree with you on this point "today i smell second hand smoke from people standing outside, freezing their nuts off, and i wonder WTF was i thinking when i smoked."

 

[D_hybabi]

Flashy, I am downloading the audio book of the 'The Easy Way to Stop Smoking' by Alan Carr. If anyone else wants to download it, you can download the torrent from The Easy Way (Easyway) To Stop Smoking - Allen Carr (download torrent) - TPB

 

[ropa]

I am working on quitting as well. I am using the patch but not daily, only when I start feeling the withdraw symptoms very strongly. I have been working on quitting for about 6 weeks now and the longest I have gone without smoking is 7 days. My goal is now to be able to say on 1/1/10 that I have not smoked for a full month. We will see. I am also quitting with a buddy and find that very helpful. We encourage each other. In talking to him, I realized that one of the most difficult things about quitting is accepting the fact that you cannot ever smoke again and that you are no longer a smoker. I have smoked for many more years than I have not. Good luck to you. Hopefully next December we can post that we have been smoke free for a full year.

 

[D_hybabi]

Ropa, I wish you the best of luck. I am happy that you have a friend to quit with and you both have that constant support.

Please keep me updated, and I will likewise.

 

[craig_uk]

I had quit numerous times before, sometimes for almost a year before starting again. This time it has been 30 months and whilst I still think about it occasionally it is now very rare. I used the gum this last time and found git worked well for me as I could use them when I was desperate for a cigarette.

Whilst it is only substituting one source of nicotine for another the point really is to separate the nicotine addiction from the habit and social and other addictions of smoking. As well as being addicted to the nicotine I enjoyed smoking. It was part of me.

In the past I had gone cold turkey and the nicotine craving soon disappeared but I was still left with a strong desire to smoke and looking back it just appeared too easy to stop and it was all too easy to start again. Getting clear of cigarettes and smoking before I quit the nicotine made it easier to mak ethe change permanent. If you are strong enough I am sure you can just quit by will power alone but I needed the help of the gum.

 

[vince]

I quit twice. Once for 12 years and that was with the amazing help of acupuncture. Laser acupuncture actually. I was a pack and a half smoker and my gf and our roommate smoked. I decided to quit, got this treatment and a was pretty easy. No major cravings and it didn't really bother me that people around me smoked.

The last time, after a six year stint of smoking, I used hypnotism. It worked a treat too. Believe it or not, I used an app on my iphone for the treatment!

Success Stories, Stop Smoking, Weight Loss

I swear to God this was so amazing. I've never been so relaxed in my life. It was really easy to quit. I think you can get it on CD's or mp3.

Anyhow. Whatever method you use, you have to want to, or need to, quit. Good luck man.

 

[D_hybabi]

Is it true what they say? The best way to beat an addiction, is to replace it with another?

 

[Ric1]

I'm a stop smoking adviser in a pharmacy the NRT is just there to stop the cravings while you deal with the issues of why you smoke and incorporate new coping techniques a lot of people smoke out of habit and smoke more when they are stressed because they associate the cigerate with something that they know will give them something nice relaivaly quickly. I give out more NRT coupons (same price as presciption but that depends of your local PCT) than letters for prescitions for other drugs (zyban is crap in my opinion, champix is good for those who've tried all NRT options). Patches and gum is the best combination to allow the person to make the changes that they need to make in order to be a non-smoker. Also your more likey to quit if you have some support from a SSA and have NRT at the same time. Good luck with it. If you fail this time don't get dishearted just leave afew weeks until your next quit attempt and get in contacted with the NHS because services are there for you to use just pop in to a pharmacy and ask.

 

[Florida Boy]

As others have said, do not beat yourself up. More than 10 years ago I broke the habit. I went to smoke cessation classes offered through the local VA medical Center. It consisted of about four weeks of conditioning before the actual patches were used. I thought it was interesting that when the patches were to be passed out, over half of the class did not show. I saw a number of these people later and they indicated that there was so much fear and dread that they were traumatized and never went back.

My partner and I attended those classes together. He is smoking today. I have not smoked since and am very proud of it. The primary thing, as you are aware, is you must really want to quit. It also helps to go through a cessation class, if such is available to you. However, it is still true, that no matter how you intellectualize and logically realize that smoking is a bad thing for you, you need the inner desire determination and all of that stuff to actually put smoking behind you. It is like giving up a best friend.

Good luck to you my friend.

Has anyone tried any of the NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy) methods to assist in beating the habit?

I have been trying to quit for about 2 years, and the most I have done is 6 weeks without any NRT but now I am on 2 weeks with the patches and gums.

I think the most important thing is to have the desire to quit. I do have it, but I enjoy smoking. The biggest reason above all is to unlock my mind from the chains of smoking. I know the health benefits should be more important, but for me, I don't want to be addicted to it anymore.

Anyone used any successful methods, and what was important in the process for you? Thanks!

 

[D_hybabi]

Excellent. I am proud that you did that, despite your partner continuing. I agree that it's about determination, and every time I quit and give up on quiting, I go back again and quit with more determination.

I am at 2 weeks and I do not have any urges to smoke unless I ate spicy food... I think I managed to disconnect every other association with smoking, such as coffee, on waking up, before sleeping etc. I have yet to do that with smoking after eating spicy food and I guess in the sun/on a beach (I am in the Northern Hemisphere at the moment). lol

Again, well done everyone who quit! I WILL join you shortly!!