Give and get support around quitting
Chantix: Check with your healthcare professional.
Patches: Contact your state's quitline (800-QUIT-NOW), your county health department or your medical professional for suggestions on obtaining quit aides at a reduced cost, if you are in need. Some members of the community have reported that the generic quit aides from their local big-box retailer were helpful to them and affordable. Participating in the EX Community is a great way to quit as well and doesn't cost anything.
Chantix: Check with your healthcare professional.
Patches: Contact your state's quitline (800-QUIT-NOW), your county health department or your medical professional for suggestions on obtaining quit aides at a reduced cost, if you are in need. Some members of the community have reported that the generic quit aides from their local big-box retailer were helpful to them and affordable. Participating in the EX Community is a great way to quit as well and doesn't cost anything.
Welcome to our community!
I found this link to get help with the cost of Chantix if you qualify:
https://www.chantix.com/support-for-taking-chantix/chantix-savings
Here is a link to a blog I wrote with links to lots of good information on this addiction. I hope you will spend some time reading, preparing and planning for your quit: https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/thread/17060-for-our-new-years-quitters-and-community-members-too
I'm glad you are here!
Nancy
Welcome to EX...you need a prescription for Chantix but Nancy has provided you with a link for help with the cost and Mark has provided you with a link for patches. You can do this...clearly, you must want it or you would not be looking for help.
Ellen
insurance should pay for it welcome to ex you don't know strong you are until youved tried
-june
I got a prescription for Chantix on 1/2/2019. I started taking it the next day and by the 4th day my cravings have eased! I haven't had any side effects. I also got a prescription for an anti-anxiety medication which helps me sleep. You're supposed to smoke the first week while the medication builds up in your system, but I'm using an e-cig mostly. Tomorrow is my quit date so I'm getting a little nervous!!
I'm pretty impressed with the Chantix. As I stated before, it has kept the cravings to a minimum!
Dtripolino Watch out with the e-cigarette...seriously. I see this was written 10 hours ago...it's normal to feel nervous. Did you do the recommended reading and make a plan for what you will do instead of smoking? YoungAtHeart wrote a great welcome that I am pasting here:
The most 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 is an easy and entertaining read. You can search for it or at your local library. Here's a link to a video here on the site which describes nicotine addiction:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpWMgPHn0Lo&feature=youtu.be.
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-exhas lots of blogs written by members of this site with their experiences and guidance. You should also do the tracking and separation exercises recommended here on the site.
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. 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. I do not recommend the e-cigarette for three reasons: 1) the vapor has been compared to the polluted air in Bejing on a bad day, 2) they just provide another nicotine delivery system while continuing the hand to mouth smoking motion, and 3) the batteries can spontaneously catch on fire. . But – any method that you think will work well for you will be best for you.
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:
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
I also strongly recommend reading this blog by JonesCarpeDiem, I read it over and over again when I quit.../blogs/jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007-blog/2011/06/26/what-to-expect-in-the-first-four-months Remember that we are here and that we all had to start at the beginning. We want you to succeed.
Ellen