To drug or not to drug (to quit smoking that is)

[william3]

Hi Everyone, I am new to this program (just 2 1/2 hours), So I am only at the tracking my smoking stage, but I find myself wondering, whether any of the nicotine replacemnt drugs are actually of any help? They are kind of spendy and often seem to want to take what should be a 10 day physical withdrawal and turn it into 6-8 weeks of slower withdrawal.
So my question to you all that are in the know, Are the nicotine replacment drugs helpful or not?

Thanks, William

[fiveblessings]

Here's my take and I promise you will find experiences from the entire spectrum of opinions...I have pretty much tried it all, from Chantix (which I found helpful but after I started smoking again when I stopped taking it I couldn't tolerate the side effects the second time) to the patch. This time I used the losenge and I am on day 29. I found that I needed that help over my cravings in the begining but haven't had any (losenges)for more than a week now and I had no withdrawal when I quit using them. Your best tool is your mindset and attitude. If you go into this with gusto, with a true desire to never pick up another cigarette, you will succeed. Cold turkey or medicated, you use whatever it takes to get you thru the tough first weeks and what anyone else thinks doesn't matter.
Believe in yourself and you will succeed!
Good luck!

[tara2]

From my experiences I can say...the gum does nothing more for me then chewing a piece of big red. Chantix makes me so sick I want to kill myself and can't take it long enough to feel any effect. Welbutrin (sp?) makes me feel happy but does nothing for my smoking. And, finally, the patch is what I am using now. It isn't a miracle to carry you through this, but I can definately tell it is taking the edge off a bit more than any attempt I have made cold turkey. I think everything will work differently for everyone (and althought it is expensive to try them all!), you just have to find out what works for you. I know it seems very expensive, but when you think "If this is effective, I will be saving $$ every year on all those cigarettes" it can justify the cost.

[banter]

Hi William,

Cold turkey is the fastest, easiest and most effective way. Over 90% of all ex smokers quit without drugs.

If you use a crutch you risk side effects from the crutch or have to withdraw from the crutch. And actually, nicotine is metabolized into non-nicotine by products after a maximum of 72 hours. It takes up to 11 days after that for your body to adjust physically to no nicotine, such as normalizing blood sugar levels.

If you are interested in cold turkey there are a lot of people on this board that will help you. Let us know and we'll give you a lot of information and support on it.

Jason

54 days nicotine free

[julied]

William, there are free smoking cessation programs offered, you have to search for them. I'm in Florida and the American Cancer Society offers a free program with telephone counselling and free patches or gum.

For me the patch works best, I won't use brain altering chemicals. I need to step down slowly off nicotine or I lose my mind and can't function.

[william3]

Tara,
What strength of Gum did you use? 2mg or 4mg's?
and did you chew it or like Dr Hurt recommends, did you give a couple of chews and tuckit into your cheek and when the tingling stopped, give it a couple more chews and tuck it in cheek again?

William

[lis]

Hey,
I was a dedicated, hard core, tried to quit with acupuncture, old patches (like 10 years ago) pills, gum, cold turkey, homeopathic stuff, shots in the neck, and hypnotism etc. etc.
Finally decided I really was going to quit and went on the new clear patches. I stayed with the program and also read the book "The Easy Way to Stop Smoking". I won't be smoking anymore.
And I was really a "hard-core" smoker. Never thought I could quit.

[jaylah]

Calling smoking cessation aids a "crutch" is really, I think, quite disrespectful to those using them.

As far as I'm concerned, it really doesn't matter whether they actually "work" or not. Even if it's just the placebo effect, that's fine with me.

I know that there are a lot of smokers who know the risks of smoking, but who never even make the attempt to quit because they're so fearful of failure. If they have something they believe will help them, then at least they're trying and, as far as I'm concerned, that's all that really matters.

Research has conclusively shown that most smokers do not quit for good on their first attempt. But the greater the number of attempts, the greater the likelihood that they will succeed. So I figure anything that gets them to at least make an attempt is all good.

Each of us has to go about this in the manner that works best for us. Whether that's NRT, Chantix, hypnosis, cold-turkey, the EX program (with or without aids...and who, by the way, pays for this site...neither the authors nor the publishers of "The Easy Way to Stop Smoking" contribute a dime) or whatever. No one person has the answer for everybody, and no one method is the only "right" one.

[mary41]

I've chosen to follow the BecomeAnEx program. That's why I'm on the BecomeAnEx website. The site sponsors say evidence shows the aids increase your chances of stopping. I choose to believe it. So far - day 8 - it's working for me. I'm taking 150 mgs of Zyban. But aids don't do the job for you, they make it easier. It still takes commitment and hard work. And you are right, they cost, but how much exactly do you spend in a year on cigarettes?

[sherri10]

For me they have been extremely helpful!!! I've gone the cold turkey route before and nearly went nuts!! Using the patch this time has eased the physical addiction part, not the habit itself. I've had still had to deal with triggers and they didn't take more or less time to get over than they did when I quit the last time doing it cold turkey.