Slightly off topic but here's what I found successful in getting my patients to gain their freedom from cigarettes:
- First of all, you need to change your psychological relationship towards cigarettes. If you need cigarettes to relax, to have something to do with your hands, to kill time, etc. then you will find it nearly impossible to quit. Because psychologically you are in the loser's position, and no one wants to be a loser. If you need tips on how to change your psychological relationship to cigarettes, I suggest you read Allen Carr's Easyway to Stop Smoking, which addresses a lot of common excuses that smokers use to smoke. But basically you need to plan out new ways of relaxing, keeping yourself busy, etc. that don't involve smoking.
- Once your mind is prepped to gain freedom from cigarettes, you can then get some medication that will take the sting off the physical withdrawal symptoms. Varenicline (called Champix in most places) has worked wonders in my patients. You can take it for 3 months but most of my patients only take it for a month or two because they are liberated from smoking so quickly while on it. It can have nasty side effects though, usually nausea and insomnia but one patient would fly into fits of rage (not sure if that was the meds or the withdrawal, though). Another medication is Wellbutrin (Zyban), and usually people that don't do well on Champix will do well on Zyban.
Note that the medication does not work if you are not psychologically prepped to stop smoking, so don't bother taking any smoking cessation medication/device if you still believe that cigarettes help you get through a rough day or that cigarettes help you maintain weight or etc. etc. The medication does nothing for the psychological craving for cigarettes it only dampens the withdrawal syndrome.
- It's okay to have a moment of weakness after having quit for a few months and then you end up smoking again. Just prep your mind and then try quit again, if necessary taking the medication again.
It sucks having to take medication and handing over money to Big Pharma but 3 months at most of handing over cash to the pharmaceutical company for a mind-altering drug versus a continuing lifetime of handing over cash to the tobacco industry for a mind-altering drug is to me the lesser of the two evils.
Disclaimer: I have never been a tobacco smoker myself. I have, however, managed to get several of my patients to gain freedom from their cigarettes.
- First of all, you need to change your psychological relationship towards cigarettes. If you need cigarettes to relax, to have something to do with your hands, to kill time, etc. then you will find it nearly impossible to quit. Because psychologically you are in the loser's position, and no one wants to be a loser. If you need tips on how to change your psychological relationship to cigarettes, I suggest you read Allen Carr's Easyway to Stop Smoking, which addresses a lot of common excuses that smokers use to smoke. But basically you need to plan out new ways of relaxing, keeping yourself busy, etc. that don't involve smoking.
- Once your mind is prepped to gain freedom from cigarettes, you can then get some medication that will take the sting off the physical withdrawal symptoms. Varenicline (called Champix in most places) has worked wonders in my patients. You can take it for 3 months but most of my patients only take it for a month or two because they are liberated from smoking so quickly while on it. It can have nasty side effects though, usually nausea and insomnia but one patient would fly into fits of rage (not sure if that was the meds or the withdrawal, though). Another medication is Wellbutrin (Zyban), and usually people that don't do well on Champix will do well on Zyban.
Note that the medication does not work if you are not psychologically prepped to stop smoking, so don't bother taking any smoking cessation medication/device if you still believe that cigarettes help you get through a rough day or that cigarettes help you maintain weight or etc. etc. The medication does nothing for the psychological craving for cigarettes it only dampens the withdrawal syndrome.
- It's okay to have a moment of weakness after having quit for a few months and then you end up smoking again. Just prep your mind and then try quit again, if necessary taking the medication again.
It sucks having to take medication and handing over money to Big Pharma but 3 months at most of handing over cash to the pharmaceutical company for a mind-altering drug versus a continuing lifetime of handing over cash to the tobacco industry for a mind-altering drug is to me the lesser of the two evils.
Disclaimer: I have never been a tobacco smoker myself. I have, however, managed to get several of my patients to gain freedom from their cigarettes.