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Give and get support around quitting

Hmorrison
Member

Has anyone tried the patch to quit smoking?

This is my 5th attempt at quitting, all other attempts were done cold turkey. I'm wondering if the patch will work

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6 Replies
YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to the community!

We recently had someone who had Cold Turkey quit successfully in the past, but who decided to try the patch for this attempt.  They reported that it was MUCH easier......you might do some reading and then decide. 

 

The important thing you can do right now is to educate yourself on what nicotine does to your body and mind. To that end, I highly recommend Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.” This easy and entertaining read provided a world of good information about nicotine addiction, most of which I was not aware.  I credit it in large part with my success at quitting.   You can search for it online or at your local library.


 You should also read the posts here and perhaps go to the pages of folks who you think might be helpful. You might visit whyquit.com, quitsmoking.com and livewell.com for the good information contained there. @https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-ex has lots of blogs written by members of this site with their experiences and guidance. Here is a video to inform you further about nicotine addiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpWMgPHn0Lo&feature=youtu.be.

 

After you have completed the recommended reading, it will be time to make an informed choice of the quit aid, if any, you will use. If you go that route, I personally recommend the aids that don't let the addict control the dose such as the available prescription drugs or the patch. If used properly, gum, lozenges and inhalers are fine, but they need to be used only as a last resort after you have tried to delay and distract.   I have seen folks become addicted to them if they substitute them for every cigarette they used to smoke - just trading one addiction for another.  You need to start out with a plan to reduce use of them over time - which the patch does by decreasing the dose contained in them..  For the gum, you can start by cutting each piece in half, then in quarters, then sub regular gum of the same flavor in between, adding more and more regular gum.  For the lozenge, you need to start subbing a mint in between to begin, increasing the number of them over time. I do not recommend the e-cigarette for obvious reasons.

It will be informative if you do the tracking and separation exercises recommended here on the site. As you track each cigarette smoked, note its importance, and what you might do instead. Put each one off just a little to prove that you don't NEED a cigarette just because you think you do.
 

The idea is to change up your routines so the smoking associations are reduced.  Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand in a place different from when you smoked. Maybe switch to tea for a bit.  If you always had that first smoke with your coffee, try putting your tennies on right out of bed, going for a quick walk, then taking your shower and THEN your coffee! Rearrange the furniture in the areas you used to smoke so the view is different. Buy your gas at a different station. Take a different route to work. Take a quick walk at break time where the smokers AREN'T.
 
You need to distract yourself through any craves.  You can take a bite out of a lemon (yup - rind and all), put your head in the freezer and take a deep breath of cold air, do a few jumping jacks, go for a brisk walk or march in place, play a computer game.  Keep a cold bottle of water with you from which to sip. Don't let that smoking thought rattle around in your brain unchallenged. Sometimes you need to quit a minute or an hour at a time.  You will need to be disciplined in the early days to distract yourself when a crave hits.    Get busy!  Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of smoke if you need some fresh ideas:
 https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instea...


The conversation in your head in response to the "I want a cigarette" thought needs to be, "Well, since I have decided not to do that anymore, what shall I do instead for the three minutes this crave will last?"  Then DO it.  You will need to put some effort into this in the early days, but it gets easier and easier to do.


Stay close to us here and ask questions when you have them and for support when you need it. We will be with you every step of the way!


 Nancy

marciem
Member

Hi there, and WELCOME!!  Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking, and your persistence!  That's something you will need, no matter what method you choose.

I do want to say, nothing will "work" to make you quit smoking.  YOU have to do the work, but you are more than welcome to use whatever assistance best gets you free of smoking... cold turkey, cool turkey, frozen turkey, turkey trot, or any of a plethora of nicotine replacements or other means.  Just always remember, YOU are the carpenter of your quit, the other things are only tools and you have to put in the sweat equity.

That said, I used patches for a short time this quit, after four days I took them off but gave myself permission to slap one on immediately if it was a "smoke or kill someone" crossroads.  It never came to that and I really don't know how much they helped me.  Maybe softened some cravings or gave me a "Dumbo's feather" effect... I thought it would help so it did.  

Whatever gets you to Rome (smoke-freedom) is the very best method for you.  If cold turkey let you down, try some power tools!

Education and commitment are keys.  You obviously have the commitment to quit, now you need to use that part of yourself to STAY quit.

Best to you!

Jennifer-Quit
Member

Nothing will quit for you - but yes, I used the patch for 5 weeks (I think).  2 weeks on 21 mg, 2 weeks on 14 mg, and 1 week on 7 mg.  It will take the edge off but what helped me the most was getting support and education that I received here.  The patch helped me get through the first few weeks of withdrawal but you still have to do the hard part -   Best wishes to you! I have now been smoke-free for almost 6-1/2 years!

Barbscloud
Member

There are successful quitters on this site that have quit cold turkey, used NRT or medications.   Whatever helps you to become a non-smoker is all that matters.  I used Welbutrin and nicotrol inhalers for my successful quit.  Whatever you decide, you still have to do the work but it can ease the transition

Here's some info I compiled on  NRT.

Barb

https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/people/Barbscloud/blog/2020/02/01/nicotine-replacement-wrong-or-r... 

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DavesTime
Member

Welcome, and nice to meet you!  I was a closet smoker, so I also used nicotine gum fairly heavily.  I was definitely addicted to the nicotine as well as all the psychological associations of smoking. On this last and final quit I used a combination of the patch (which got me out of the habit of consciously dosing myself) and the prescription Wellbutrin that I got from my doctor.  After trying a lot of ways, such as cold turkey, patch alone, etc. that really helped. Even more important to me was coming to the EX and reading, reading, reading to learn about the addiction, and posting and pledging every day.  The patch alone, at least for me, wasn't the "magic bullet."  If you want to quit and stay quit, do the work, and use the NRT like the patch as an aid.  Glad you are here!

LKevinl
Member

The patch does work. It’s not a cute all. It does not erase cravings , etc. but it’s keeping a flow of nicotine in your system. So you wont feel as if you’re losing it or jumping out of your skin.

comes in four steps. First step is 21 mg and you decrease slowly. Can be worn in shower. I change it daily same time each day . Combined with zyban is how I’m doing it. Two packs , 30 years.

kevin