Quitting Smoking is Easier Than Ever!
I know that the title of this piece seems upbeat and perhaps crappy, but I must say that it is true in my case. I wrote an article before I left for Christmas saying that I was quitting smoking. I am taking Chantix and it is working wonderfully! All the times that I tried to quit before I ended up talking myself into having “just one” and ended up smoking again. With Chantix (and a real drive to quit) I actually don’t even think of cigarettes much at all after only seven days.
I tried Chantix before (the first two weeks of this prescription) and it didn’t work. I think that part of that is because I never put them down, was taking them irregularly, and because I didn’t really want to quit. This time I actually do.
I saw my son pick up a dirty old smoke butt and stick it in his mouth trying to smoke becase Daddy did it. He is 18 months old. That was the worst thing that I have ever seen. I also remember being very mad at my father when he died because he was so selfish and inconsiderate (something that I have written several articles about) as to keep eating unhealthily, drinking like a fish, and smoking, even though he had a shaving kit full of pills for diabetes, high blood pressure, open heart surgery at 43 years old, and 6 children that he was leaving behind. You may be thinking: “If Ihad six children, I would smoke, drink and eat like crap too!” All of his children were grown, except myself and my two younger brothers. He died when I was 14, my younger brothers were 9 and 5, and my older brothers and sister were in their thirties. My dad was 54 years old when he died.
So back to Chantix. I took the second round and actually wanted to quit. I kept smoking for two more days because I started in the middle of the script (Chantix lets you smoke for a week into taking the meds) and by the second day I barely even wanted a smoke. I quit on Christmas Eve, and haven’t really had any trouble with wanting them or anything, even though I have been around them. When I want one, it is just that: a want. I don’t feel like I need it, or will die if I don’t get one. I don’t even get all internally frustrated and start being grouchy like I normally do when I can’t smoke.
I sleep a lot better, food tastes better, I am no longer tired all the time, I can walk up stairs without running out of breath. I feel great, actually. The only thing wrong now is that every morning I wake up and get rid of the crud that I have been putting there for so long. That has actually lightened up a lot and will continue to until it just quits. If you are thinking about quitting smoking, I must say that it has truly never been easier.
Don’t get me wrong. I still want a cigarrette now and then, but I find other things to occupy my time. THe first two or three days I was bored stupid after I ate or any time that I would have been smoking, but I started to have a coke or go outside and check the weather after I ate. It hasn’t been a cake walk, but it has been damn close. I still think of smoking often, but more and more it is because I feel like a huge burden has been lifted from my life, and now I simply have to refuse to allow history to repeat itself. Every time I think of picking up a smoke, I juts think of my little biy with that butt in his mouth, or I take a deep clean breath and appreciate the lack of rattling lungs, and I am happy not to smoke.
The average chance of success with quitting smoking was around 3%, but Chantix has a success rate of about 44%. That in itself is amazing. It blocks the nicotine receptors in your brain, so even when you are smoking, you are not really smoking. It has truly been a whole lot easier than I ever imagined. Now I just have to get used to living the lifestyle that I want. I thought that it would be like losing a friend but instead it has truly been like taking a wonderful opportunity to live a happy life.
I have been smoke free since new year’s day and did the same thing you mentioned above. I started taking the first two weeks but wasn’t really trying to quit. I did curve my desire for a cigarette though and i noticed they weren’t nearly as enjoyable. I got serious about it and took the last two weeks and have been smoke free for eight days. It has been pretty close to a cake walk for me as well. I am 35 and have smoked for close to 15 years. I quit with the help of zyban about eight years ago and started back two years later. Chantix is defintely easier to quit on than the zyban was. I have suffered from a few of the side effects though. Nausea has been the main one which I’m wondering now if I go to taking a half a pill twice a day instead whether that will make a difference and still be as effective. I also notice that it doesn’t seem to mix well with alcohol. I’ve started a couple of completely irrational fights with my boyfriend after drinking that I think had something to do with the chantix. Have you heard of anything like this? I remember zyban being the same way when mixed with alcohol. so, am thinking maybe i ought to lay off the few fun nights out for a while until i’m over this hump. I’m also wondering how long I should continue to take this. I know that two weeks is the mile marker you need to get through when quitting smoking and don’t want to take this pill forever so wonder how long is recommended? I’m thinking maybe one more month and that should suffice? Like you said above, the rewards are so huge! My grandmother had emphysema and died of lung cancer 16 years ago as did her brother as well. I know i’m killing myself each time i smoke. I was a college athlete and can’t believe i ever did this to my body. I am now working out twice as hard and notice it getting easier and easier. I also cough up the gross stuff and notice that has decreased as well. I defifnitely realize that the side effects are nothing compared to the long term effects and harm that this disgusting habit causes. thanks so much for sharing your story. Reading things like this really helps me!
Hey Jenny:
Thanks so much for your reply! I think the recommended time to stay on it is three months, with a second three month stretch if needed. I have not heard about the mixing of alcohol, but it may say something on the package (I don’t really drink much, so I never looked). I have had a few side effects as well.
I woke up a lot for the first few weeks, and had a dream that my wife and I had a second child and then she left to be a sniper for some rogue assassin group without telling me (naturally I fought for the kids and was a bit upset that she didn’t invite us!). So yeah, I had a few weird dreams, but I tend to have those anyway, and at least half of the waking up I attribute to the fact that I am actually getting oxygen to my body now.
I would just call and ask your doctor about the dosage and taking it twice a day instead of once. The nurse can probably get back to you if they can’t answer it themselves.
All in all, I like that fact that I can breathe now. I quit hacking up the nasties in the morning, and I don’t get too bothered if I walk through a cloud of smoke. I am starting to think like a non-smoker for the first time in my life. THe benefits are amazing,
I did yard-work for about five hours the other day and barely got tired. I run in short sprints into places or across campus because I can do it without getting sick or running out of air, and I love it! I do still battle a little bit with wanting a cigarette, but again, it is a want, not a need.
When I really get to wanting one, I just think about how far back it will set me, or how much money I have saved from not smoking (which in the 15 days has been about $60 bucks!) or I think about my dad dying early, or my family. If it gets really bad I just take in a deep breath or run for a minute (even running a block as a nonsmoker is enough to remind me how much better it is now).
I am glad to have helped someone in their time of need. It really has been easier than I ever expected. Thank you very much for your comment. I do have a question though:
Why did you start smoking again? Is it just something that sort of happened, or were you fighting it the whole time? The reason that I ask is that I have met a few people who did manage to quit for a while but I never understood why they went back. Is it just a constant underlying theme in the back of your head to want a cigarette?
Hi! I apologize for not responding sooner but didn’t realize the responses came back on the blog page and not my email. I’ve never really done one of these before. I do appreciate your response and can proudly say I am two weeks today with no smoking! I talked to the pharmacist at my drug store about taking the pills for another month and she highly recommended it. I’m still having all of those crazy dreams and have only been taking one pill a day. By the way, have you gained any weight? I’m hoping that I don’t reach for food instead of cigarettes. It’s really been pretty easy for me though- much easier than before. You asked why I started back smoking. It was about eight years ago that I quit and I stayed totally smoke free for two full years. I was about 27 years old. I started back around age 29. I was dating someone pretty serious who quit with me originally which really helped. We broke up later (my doing) and i was back on the single life circuit again hanging around a bunch of smokers. I think it was more so due to imagining how “good” a cigarette would be. One of my best friends was and still is a heavy smoker and would smoke a lot around me. I started every now and then (when drinking) smoking a cigarette. I thought I could keep it as just a social thing like some people I know do. It was probably five months later that I was back to full time smoking. Though that initial cigarette gave a me a little bit of a rush I can remember it was never that great. It’s funny how your mind can trick you into thinking you are missing out on something that is so terrible in reality. Now I am 35 and have recently moved from SC to Los Angeles. It’s much easier to quit smoking out here since it is so frowned upon. They make it nearly impossible to smoke out here. I think the past few years I’ve truly hated being a smoker and most people that know me well can tell you I am not one you would ever think would be a “smoker.” I am truly embarassed and grossed out by my own habit. Not being around it all the time helpsd me a lot to put them down. I am dating someone but he doesn’t live here and he’s a non smoker too. I truly quit for myself though. I know I am at an age that there will be no turning back from it if i didn’t quit now. I already feel so much better and barely cough anymore, maybe one time in the morning. I was a closet cougher too and hacked up stuff all the time. It is so nice not to have to hide this habit anymore from work people etc. I am in the medical field and sell orthopedics so have seen up close things that smoking can do to your body that you don’t think about. In surgery the first questions a doctor asks
about a patient is whether or not they smoke and are they a diabetic. You can not imagine how easy it is to tell a smoker from a non smoker based on bone quality. i sell implants so i’ve seen how mushy bone gets an how easily it breaks in a long term smoker. Smokers also heal at a much slower pace than non smokers. It’s amazing. As smokers are viewed negatively by the public they are moreso viewed this way by doctors. If smokers don’t care about their health than why should a doctor? I know I am finally done with cigarettes. I still had that “invincible” feeling in my 20’s that I could do anything and it wouldn’t harm my body that bad since i was young. I’m definitely with a different attitude now that I’m in my mid - 30’s. Thanks for your advice and sharing your progess with me. Good luck and take care!
Great to read your post. I can’t say my own stopping smoking journey has been a breeze but I am amazed that I have managed it…
I have a blog too…http://smokelessellen.blogspot.com/
but haven’t had any comments or feedback. I thought tonight that I would have a read of other peoples and remember to leave a comment…I usually forget.
The one thing I haven’t experienced is the coughing up crud that you mentioned in your blog. I am at the 7 weeks stage, on patches and what I have noticed is a lot of mucus and grubby coloured phlegm…nit a lot though. Would like some feedback on this if possible.