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Give and get support around quitting

mitchws1725
Member

quiting with Zyban

Hello - 

I have set a quit date, September 15th and I plan on taking Zyban to get me there.  I will begin

the Zyban on September 1st.

Has anyone used this to quit?

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6 Replies
Barbscloud
Member

Welcome to the Ex.   I used Welbutrin (same thing) and nicotrol inhalers.  This has been my longest quit  (17 months) after smoking for 50 years.   They both helped, but the Ex also played a major role in my success.  The support here is priceless, so take advantage of it.  It's important to educate yourself about nicotine addiction and prepare for your quit as your quit date approaches.  Develop a quit plan My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX  and reach out for support if you need it.

Barb

sweetplt
Member

HI and Welcome to Ex’s...mitchws1725 

Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking ... September 15th is a great day... I didn’t quit on Zyban so I am no help about that particular medicine...Please follow the advice above me...from Barbscloud ... we are all in this journey together.  It is very important to replace smoking with other healthy things.../blogs/Maggie_quit_8-1-2010-blog/2012/03/19/100-things-to-do-instead-of-smoking?sr=search&searchId=9...  ~ Colleen 260 DOF 

JACKIE1-25-15
Member

Sure I did.  Same as Welbutrin.  I used it for 90 days.  It helps to take the edge off of the craves and urges quitting by sending dopamine to the brain to ease the withdrawal .  Sounds like a rhyme. lol but Welcome to EX.    I am glad that you have a plan. With the help of the to EX Community you can have a forever quit.  Start by educating yourself about addiction to nicotine. If you Go to My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX and review the videos and learn more about what your triggers and how to prepare when the urge hits.  I am a firm believer education is the key to success. I was advised to read Allen Carr's Easyway to Quit Smoking which can be found on pdf on the web.  Another good site to get info which was very helpful to me is  www.whyquit.com.  There are several articles to read.  Nicotine 101 and Freedom From Nicotine My Journey Home.  To get help on navigating the site go to. Community Help‌.  Make quitting smoking your number one priority

elvan
Member

I did not use it but I have talked to more than one person who used it effectively.  Welcome to EX...this site will be your best friend and your strongest ally.  I am sure YoungAtHeart will be along shortly to give you her welcome.  Please remember that this is a one day at a time journey and that education about the addiction is a huge factor in success, as is the support of people who have been where you are...and your own commitment to yourself not to smoke, no matter what.

Welcome to EX,

Ellen

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YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

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 is an easy and entertaining read. You can search for it online or at your local library. If you do nothing else to get ready for your quit, please do give this a read.


 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.  The Zyban will not, however, quit FOR you.  Education, preparation, planning, support and commitment will get you there - and the Zyban can help.  We can help with all but the commitment; you need to decide you will not smoke another cigarette NO MATTER WHAT.  Don't argue with yourself, or bargain with yourself about it.
 

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

mitchws1725
Member

Thank you all for the advice/information.  I will do the prep work.  I am committed to stop and I will

be grateful for all of your support!

Wendy