Well, I am going to the doctor's office next week to see if I can get some help with medication. I know Wellbutrin can be used. I also know Chantix(I believe this is how it is spelled). Anyone here quit smoking using any of these meds.
See that thing right below? Those are my personal statistics since I quit:
---
I am 3 months, 1 weeks, 2 days, 11:51 hours into my precious new life as a non-smoker. So far, 2,977 cigarettes have not put their foulness in my body! I have saved $372.13. I have added 1week, 3 days, 8:05 hours to my life. I'm not a smoker.
---
I quit using the Chantix regimen. While I won't go so far as to say it's a "magic pill", it comes close.
I'd been a smoker for 20 years, 2 packs/day. I've tried quitting at least twice a year,
every year, since about 1994. I've tried cold turkey (the "frosty fowl" method), patches, gum, inhaler, wellbutrin (Zyban), hypnosis, self-hypnosis, even herbal remedies like Smoke Away. With each method, I lasted 4 days smoke-free. And after each time, I resumed smoking even more cigarettes than before! I was horribly addicted, and horribly alone when I tried to quit. The Internet, of all things (!), was probably one of the greatest factors of my quit, outside of the Chantix.
Chantix is a non-nicotine medication that interacts with the nicotine receptors in the brain. The vereniclene binds with the receptors, and also gives a limited release of dopamine, the brain chemical that causes that "Aaaahhhh!!!!" feeling-of-relief that we normally get after lighting up.
The result is that, while you still get cravings, your urge to smoke is greatly reduced. Don't get me wrong, you'll still need willpower. But instead of your brain screaming for a cigarette, it will instead whimper. The urge can be brushed aside. By the time you get to the end of your 12-week prescription (and yes, I do recommend taking it at least 10 weeks, I got off of it at that time), you will be very able to squelch the urges on your own, without any sort of medication. Right now, after 3 weeks off of the Chantix, I can comfortably be my smoke-free self. Praise God!
There are other factors which contribute to a successful smoking cessation. This quit was different than all others because I finally realized that I needed to get healthy, and I was polluting God's temple. God made the quit possible by allowing the right factors, at the right time, to help me remain a nonsmoker. Yes, this quit was tough, too. But you know what? The harder it is to beat the sin, the greater the testimony to His greatness once you succeed!
Below, I've listed the things which also helped me to stop smoking and stay "smober":
1.
ACCOUNTABILITY ~ Chantix has a website where you check in every day. It offers advice, charts, and other things which help you keep your resolve to stay quit. Quitting is HARD, and there were times where I looked at that dude on the site with purely evil intent. But because I was accountable, I stayed quit.
2.
INFORMATION ~ So, why do we quit smoking? What happens to our bodies when we quit, and after we get through the withdrawals?
You know it's bad for your health, and becoming socially unacceptable worldwide. But do you know why your body screams for another cigarette, and why the addiction to cigarettes is on a par with a heroin addiction? Have you seen all the nasty things that a tobacco addiction can do to the human body? You have to understand your addiction, how it works to enslave you, and how it will eventually kill you, in order to break free for good. I can PM you several sites that, when I read them, really informed me and strengthened my resolve to not light up again.
3.
SUPPORT ~ You're not alone in your quit...And when you feel alone, that's when you need to seek someone else out! Make sure you're a part of a smoking cessation board like this ne, where you can interact with others who are going through the same stages of quitting as you are, and which has long-term exsmokers who can guide you on your quit. If I hadn't had ppl like this around me, I probably would have started again. The support kept me grounded and focused on my goals. Again, I can PM you regarding this factor.
4.
PLACEBO ~ A placebo is something (normally harmless) that is used in place of another thing. When I quit smoking, I had a problem...What do I do with my hands now? I ended up taking two menthol cigarette filters, peeling them and shoving the filters into a McDonald's straw. Those straws are the exact same width as a cigarette, and every time I needed something for my fingers to do, the placebo was there. It helped me through a very tumultuous first three weeks. By the end of the first month, I didn't need the placebos anymore. The need just sort of faded away. Isn't God awesome?!
5.
PRAYER ~ When you get an urge, pray. When you smell smoke, pray. When you are tempted, pray. And when you realize that slowly, surely, you're being delivered, pray your thanks to Him, because I can personally attest that God will deliver you out of this!!!
All in all, quitting smoking isn't an event. It's a process. You don't wake up one morning, say "I'm never smoking again", and don't feel anything else. It takes weeks and months to feel your way out of this addiction. Others have made it. God's made sure I made it. And I'm more than willing to help you should you want to make it, too.
God bless!