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Guest rperry74

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Guest rperry74

to quit smoking. I am tired of being a tired and lazy turd because I can't do nearly as much as I used to. Everything has suffered, I am getting fatter, and just generally feel like shit. I have the patches already and they don't work for shit, either that or I am just an undisciplined freak with no will power. Anyway, HELP. I need some tips on how to quit, and get back into some kind of shape.

 

By the way, my goal is to loose some weight and get back into shape, especially after reading all those other posts.

 

[ 26. June 2005, 10:47 PM: Message edited by: I Sell Shit ]

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I was a smoker for 15 years. A little more than a pack a day, Marlboro Lights and Reds.

 

Anyway, I got the patch OTC and started with the highest dosage, 21mg and followed their instructions. I also spent a lot of time on www.quitnet.org. I found it very helpful to be in the company of others going through what I was going through and knowing that there were folks that made it. Quiting almost seemed an impossibility to me, I was quite the nicotine addict!

 

The first week of each cycle was the worst and yes, at times I used more than one patch to get by. I figured it was better than lighting one up. After about 6 months I realized I was not even thinking about them anymore.

 

It's been 6 years. If I can do it... so can you!

 

Good luck!

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Originally posted by Alfa Turbo:

I was a smoker for 15 years. A little more than a pack a day, Marlboro Lights and Reds.

mmmmmmmm, reds, I still like the smell.

 

how I quit: Relentless self abuse. I made it a pride thing, and I was big on that back in the day. Kind of a masocist about it, too. The more it sucked, the better I felt about it. "FUCK YEAH, BRING IT ON!!!!!" kinda attitude. It got old, but it worked. Quit Cold turkey, been smoke free for....ehhh 5 years I think.

So, it helps to be nuts. Lazy will make it harder.

Tip: sugar free gum. When you want a smoke, chew gum. It will give your mouth something to do, and your dentist will laud you for it.

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Figure out your triggers. Do you light up in the car, after a meal, when you see a commercial on TV. That will help you understand when you want to smoke, then limit the activities that have triggers and have something standing by. If you light up in the car on the way to work, chew gum or put the patch on then. When I got out of the Navy I quit, I had a complete change in routine and it was pretty easy.
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Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking. Most people who say they want to quit don't really want to, and that's probably a primary reason why those folks fail to quit.

 

Anyway, if you're like me, then you are utterly and completely addicted physiologically to nicotine. If that's the case, then all of the non-pharmacologic methods for quitting that have been offered thus far (e.g., chewing gum, going jogging, just up and quitting cold turkey in a masochistic fury) alone won't get you very far. They are great for those people who aren't really that physiologically addicted to nicotine. If that's you, awesome. If not, keep reading.

 

The only way that I have quit smoking, and it's been three times now, has been through Wellbutrin/Zyban. Both of those medications are chemically identical - both are buproprion. Wellbutrin is marketed as an antidepressant, and Zyban is marketed as the smoking cessation aide. Both are the exact same pill. I've gotten my prescribing physicians to write the script for Wellbutrin so that my insurance will be more willing to cover it. (Some insurances companies will not cover the Zyban, which is stupid, given the health risks associated with smoking, but that's another story.)

 

In a nutshell, the Wellbutrin took the "edge" off my withdrawal symptomatology. Before, if I tried to quit, my mouth would dry up, I'd get extremely irritable, I couldn't concentrate, my mind was always on cigarettes, and I'd even get a slight tremor. That's when you know you are physiologically addicted - my body simply needed nicotine. With the Wellbutrin, I didn't experience the physiological withdrawal symptoms, and that was all I needed really to quit. It got me over that very big hump.

 

If you'd like, I can go into dosing schedules and pharmacology and pharmacokinetics regarding the Wellbutrin. Didn't think you would want all that right now, but let me know.

 

Also, the patches, as someone suggested previously, have been shown to have the highest rates of success compared to the nicotine gum and the Wellbutrin/Zyban. I tried the patches, and they kind of worked, but I really didn't want to quit smoking back when I was using them, so it didn't really work. (Recall what I said at the get-go about really wanting to quit.)

 

Additionally, know that the research that I am familiar with indicates that most people who quit smoking gain anywhere from 5 to 15 pounds in the first few weeks after they quit smoking. There's couple reasons for that. First, nicotine is a powerful stimulant and inflates metabolism. Second, nicotine, as a stimulant, is also a powerful appetite suppressant. Third, smoking tends to deaden our taste buds; once we quit smoking, food just tastes better.

 

I hope this helps. Good luck.

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Guest rperry74
Thank you Dr. for that insightful and informative reply. I think my biggest problem(s) are 1)Too many triggers, 2)I don't sleep like normal people, my day is usually about 18 to 20 hours in duration, so I have a lot of extra time, and 3)I am freakin bored!!! If I quit smoking, what will I do to keep my hands busy and my mind off the cigs. I have many interests, none of which I can indulge because I don't have any cars to work on, don't have any courses to study for or work I can do at home (which is another trigger altogether). I am trying to plan this out so I will be more successful, maybe that is part of the problem. Oh yeah, my wife smokes and doesn't want to quit, that really helps. graemlins/doh.gif
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Guest infamous me 235
Originally posted by I Sell Shit:

Thank you Dr. for that insightful and informative reply. I think my biggest problem(s) are 1)Too many triggers, 2)I don't sleep like normal people, my day is usually about 18 to 20 hours in duration, so I have a lot of extra time, and 3)I am freakin bored!!! If I quit smoking, what will I do to keep my hands busy and my mind off the cigs. I have many interests, none of which I can indulge because I don't have any cars to work on, don't have any courses to study for or work I can do at home (which is another trigger altogether). I am trying to plan this out so I will be more successful, maybe that is part of the problem. Oh yeah, my wife smokes and doesn't want to quit, that really helps. graemlins/doh.gif

www.partypoker.com

whats your e-mail?

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Guest rperry74
If you are implying that I am the dick, then fuck you! You are no one, and you know not the way in which the reply was obviously intended. I am just thankful that Dr. ZO6 isn't as ignorant as you. That is all.
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