I Quit Smoking - Day 447

I did it! If you do the math you’ll realize I wasn’t successful with my attempt during the last post. I was going through some pretty stressful times in my life and only made it through about 25 days before I gave in to the nicotine again. While ‘The Patch’ does work in its own way, it was just too easy to tear off and give up on. It certainly wasn’t my miracle quitting system. That award goes to Chantix.

The Chantix pill was amazing! By the end of my second month I didn’t even want to smoke anymore. The desire had completely vanished! I can be around smokers and not feel the urge at all. I can consume alcohol without needing its smoky companion. And most importantly, I can face extremely stressful situations (like planning my wedding) without even thinking about my old crutches. I would recommend trying Chantix to anyone plagued by nicotine addiction.

With all that being said, there is certainly a disclaimer to the previous paragraph (and long list of side effects). Starting first with the nausea I felt every time I took a pill. I took it right after breakfast each morning as directed. About 15 minutes afterward I would feel a wave come over me that I would compare to a mild case of morning sickness for pregnant women. It never made me actually vomit and only lasted about 5 minutes, so I felt it was worth it considering it was supposed to help save my life. I always took the second pill right before bed so that I would just fall asleep right away and not feel the discomfort. That leads me to the next side effect. My dreams were crazy! Not nightmares, I would never call them that. They were just extremely vivid and realistic dreams. I almost enjoyed it because it was as if a new movie (starring everyone I’ve ever known in my whole life) played in my head every night.

I became very irritable after I stopped taking Chantix (and that might be the understatement of the year…I was crazy!). I’m not sure if it was because I stopped taking the pills, or if I would have become like that anyway because I quit smoking. So I can’t say whether or not this was a Chantix side effect. Either way, there were a lot of days that I felt like a basket case and had the compelling urge to check my self into a mental institution. I cried a lot and my emotions were completely out of control. I thank my dear, sweet husband for standing by me and supporting me through that time. Without him I may have honestly had a nervous breakdown. So as a warning, if you are going to take Chantix, I would recommend being sure you have a strong support system around you and that you warn them that this might happen. Tell them to be strong for you and assure you every day that you are normal and that you will get over it, because you will. It took about 2 months for me to get through that part and even during that time I didn’t feel like going back to smoking would make me feel better either. To me, the short period of insanity was well worth spending the rest of my life as a healthier woman. No more waking up in the morning and coughing to the point of throwing up and no more being out of breath when I run up a flight of stairs. I am in control now, not my cigarettes. Yes, it was definitely worth it.

And now it’s over! 1 year, 2 months and 20 days later I can confidently say, with pride, that I will NEVER be a smoker again! That is one of THE best feelings I’ve ever felt in my life!

To find out more information about Chantix, visit their website at: www.chantix.com

I Quit Smoking - Day 10

Well, I'm now ten days into my non-smoking journey. It has had it's ups and downs, that's for certain. I still don't know if I'm ready to do this. Everyone says that you really have to want to quit in order for it to work. I guess I'm not really sure that I do want to quit. These are 2 things that I know for sure:

1. I have been feeling much better since I quit.
2. It has become very expensive to be a smoker.

On the other hand...
1. I really enjoy smoking.

Hmmm...yep, that's all I've got. There are numerous other reasons why I should continue quitting besides the two I have mentioned. Those are just the top 2 for me. However, the one reason to smoke, is the only reason I can think of.

I have taken 4 drags of other people's cigarettes since I have quit. The first 3 were off the same cigarette. I tricked one of my friends to give me a couple (he didn't know I've been trying to quit). It actually gave me such a buzz that I felt sick. It really didn't taste good at all. It kind of grossed me out actually. But it felt sooo good!
That's what's so terrible about these things! There is nothing good about them! They smell gross, they taste gross, they make you feel gross, they make your insides look gross, they make your bank account look gross, they make other people think you're gross, and the list goes on and on... But...they make me comfortable. And it feels terribly uncomfortable to not have them in my life anymore.

I'm very thankful that the nicotine patches work as well as they do. I'm dealing with enough of an emotional termoil right now, I don't need the physical habit to contend with as well. I can deal with that part 7 weeks from now when I'm suppose to stop using the patch. Hopefully, my emotions will be more in check at that time. Only time will tell. In the meantime, here's a funny little cartoon from the Toothpaste for Dinner website:

I Quit Smoking - Day Two

So it's day number two of my new title - "Non Smoker". 85-90% of the time I'm doing pretty well. Pretty well, indeed. The time that makes up the remaining 10-15% is pretty wicked.

I feel like I'm being annoying, because it seems like I can't stop talking about it. I originally said that I wasn't going to tell a lot of people. This was to avoid them all asking me how I'm doing every 5 minutes. Well, it was one of the first things that I have told anyone that I've seen since I started quitting. And then, they wouldn't have to ask me how I'm doing, because I give regular updates to everyone I'm around. Maybe I'm exaggerating, it's probably not that bad. It's definitely always on my mind though.

I went to the Nicoderm CQ website to see what kind of "helpful hints" they could provide. One of the pages is focused on 'trigger detectors'. These are things that have become an integral part of my smoking habit. The times that have nothing to do with the amount of nicotine in my system, just the fact that I always smoke during these particular times. There are 27 triggers listed on this website, and my habits revolved around 22 of them. Holy crap! What have I gotten myself into? Yikes...

I Quit Smoking - Day One

I have decided to quit smoking today. I made the decision to do this about 3 days ago. I have been sick with a cold for almost 2 months, and I can't stand it anymore. I'm hoping that quitting will help both my short term illness, and my long term health. I'm 26 years old and I've been a smoker for at least 12 years. I have smoked for longer than that, but it became more of a permanent structure in my life when I was 14. I figure that 12 years is long enough, and I am finished with cigarettes having control over me. I've had it.

So today I woke up, smoked my last cigarette, (I had one left over from yesterday and couldn't see throwing it away. Especially since I knew that it wouldn't take long before I'd dig it out of the garbage anyway. I know, disgusting.) and then I ate some breakfast, took a shower and applied a nicotine patch to my lower back.

For me, the patches are amazing. I tried them once before and they worked really well. I know what you're thinking... "If they worked so well, why are you using them again?" They should have taken care of the problem then, right? Well, I wasn't totally ready to quit then, and stopped using the patches too early. Once I did that, I was an instant failure and went straight back to my half a pack a day habit.

I really want to do it this time. So I'm hoping that posting to this blog will help me along with the patch and any other resources I might stumble across. So wish me luck! It'll be a long road ahead.