Quitting smoking advice

[Giggle Goose]

Hi guys! My fiance is a pack a day smoker and recently decided he was going to attempt to quit again. I don't smoke and have not been pressuring him to quit, since he is pretty aware of the risks and negative effects.

He is going to the doctor for a Chantix prescription. He tried quitting cold turkey once before but that was a fail....he was the crankiest I had ever seen him. I'm kinda nervous about the Chantix, since the few people I know who tried it said it gave them really freaky dreams and ended up not using it anymore. Has anyone tried it, or tried to quit smoking in general? What was your experience? I want to be supportive without being a nag.

[kpzra]

Everyone I know who used chantix started smoking again, usually within a year. I used Nicorette the last time, that was ~6-7 years ago. Haven't smoked since.

[NorthernZel]

I think that drug is called Champix over here. I haven't tried it myself, but from what I've heard it's a 50/50 thing. A lady I know has taken it for about 9-10 months and has no side-effects whatsoever, so she recommends it a lot.

But on the other hand there have been several stories in the media about people who got depressive and even sometimes suicidal thoughts as a side effect.

My layman opinion (I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV) is that if your fiancée wants to try it out, first of all he should be aware of whether he tends to get depressive now and then - if so, he should keep of, as the drug may do more harm than good.
If he feels that he's mentally stable all the time, go ahead, but drop the drugs as soon he or you can sense that "something ain't right".

Has he considered other less invasive quitting aids (gums, patches, inhalators, e-cigs)?

[auntiem]

If you think he gets a little cranky quiting cold turkey - wait until the Chantix kicks in - one guy I knew had to take medical leave from work to keep from (in his words) "killing the next person to say something, anything to him" - this is a normally super mellow guy.
Chantix changes brain chemistry and that isn't something I'm willing to do, personally. I like the taste of raspberries and chocolate and don't want to lose that along with my addiction to cigs (which is likely to happen).

I don't know where you live, but if it is a big enough town this option may be available: I would suggest a few hypnotherapy sessions (the one on one kind not the group sessions). Look for ones that advertise specializing in addiction / weight loss / performance anxiety - they usually have much more experience with quiting smoking issues as opposed to the ones that specialize in pain management or other specializations.
Hypnotherapy is the only thing that got me to quit for any length of time (6 months). I was a student at the time and we practiced on each other so a trained experienced therapist could probably make it "stick" for longer or provide follow-up sesssion periodicaly.*

*it didn't "stick" with me for another reason - having to do with a parts therapy session that the student didn't have the experience to resolve and we couldn't reproduce in an in-class session.

[FormerCallingCardRep]

Hubby quit just over a year ago using an e-cig. He eventually put those down and has done great

[NorthernZel]

Hubby quit just over a year ago using an e-cig. He eventually put those down and has done great

<sigh> unfortunately, e-cigs (those who contain nicotine, that is) are illegal to purchase OTC over here, and it is quite expensive ordering them from abroad. I'd like to give them a try, but as things are right now, it isn't possible. However, studies have shown that patients with KOL Syndrome (also known as "smoker's lungs") benefit by e-cigs, a change in policy may happen.

[Kittish]

I haven't yet managed to quit and make it stick, but I do control my smoking. Mainly, by making access to cigarettes difficult. I buy loose tobacco and tubes, and have this little machine for stuffing the one into the other. That, plus not smoking inside the house keeps me aware of how often I smoke. Between the inconvenience of having to make each cigarette and putting whatever I'm doing on hold to step outside for several minutes it's tended to cut way down on how much I smoke (I'm at 6 or 7 cigarettes per day currently).

I'm a bit leery of actually quitting, though I know I can do it. I've done it twice now, for more than six months each time. And each time I've gone through a major personality change, and not a pleasant one. That personality change was, ultimately, the reason I picked it back up each time. I am not a nice person without nicotine.

That said, good luck to your fiancee! It really is true that once you quit and get it out of your system that your sense of smell and taste sharpens up a lot.

[dalesys]

...have this little machine for stuffing the one into the other...

Mandatory waft from the gutter groupmind...

[Giggle Goose]

If he feels that he's mentally stable all the time, go ahead, but drop the drugs as soon he or you can sense that "something ain't right".

Has he considered other less invasive quitting aids (gums, patches, inhalators, e-cigs)?

He's a pretty even-keeled guy. The only time I ever saw him get genuinely depressed was when he was unemployed for a brief period last year.

If you think he gets a little cranky quiting cold turkey - wait until the Chantix kicks in - one guy I knew had to take medical leave from work to keep from (in his words) "killing the next person to say something, anything to him" - this is a normally super mellow guy.

Fuck.

I don't know where you live, but if it is a big enough town this option may be available: I would suggest a few hypnotherapy sessions (the one on one kind not the group sessions). Look for ones that advertise specializing in addiction / weight loss / performance anxiety - they usually have much more experience with quiting smoking issues as opposed to the ones that specialize in pain management or other specializations.

We live in a pretty big metropolis, I'm sure there's one we could find close by. I've been thinking of looking for one, so I'm glad you had a positive experience.

Hubby quit just over a year ago using an e-cig. He eventually put those down and has done great

This is another idea.

TBH, I'm not quite sure why he wants to do the Chantix. I'm just thrilled that he's actually trying! Like I said, I really try to lay off of him on the smoking thing. Even though my grandma died of lung cancer so it hurts to see him do it. We'll see how this goes....if you don't see me post for a while, I may have become a Chantix-related casualty!

[It's me]

Not ever having been a smoker, I only have 2nd hand advice, but....

Smoking is more than just an addiction, it's a habit.

The nicotine withdrawal typically takes less than a week, although for some people it can go on longer.

The real trick is to deal with the trigger-response-reward loop that forms the habit part. With smoking, the response is clear (smoking) but the trigger and reward can be less clear. For example the reward is probably at least the nicotine hit, but it can also be the socializing with coworkers at the smoking area, or getting a break from sitting at a desk, etc.

So your fiance should figure out what the rewards are and come up with different responses that satisfy them. For example, if the reward is a break from deskwork, maybe he could go for a walk somewhere. If it's socialization he could drag someone out for a coffee rather than grabbing a smoke. The point is to find something that gives the same reward that doesn't involve smoking.

[TawnyMyst]

I used Champix, as it's called here, I had no side effects when I was on it. However, that being said, medicines have a tendency to give me weird or not normal reactions. I metabolize most medicines differently. It worked for me and I had quit and not smoked for over a year, then went thru a very stressful period of time at work and started again. Thought about trying the Champix again, as it did work for me but my work has instituted a new policy. When I took it the first time, I was put on light duties for two weeks to make sure that no side effects would interfere in my job. Now, they ask that you take a two week medical leave of absence when you start it. If he chooses to try it, he may want to schedule at least a week off to let his body adapt to it. Also, it was quite expensive to be on, around $60 canadian for a weeks worth of pills. However he chooses to quit, I wish him the best.

[wolfie]

Due to some of the side effects, anyone taking Champx is (in North America at least) disqualified from being a pilot or driving a truck until (don't know how long) a set period after they discontinue use. That's serious shit - wouldn't take it even if I were a non-trucking smoker instead of a non-smoking trucker.

[blas]

Chantix, in my experience, is horrible, nasty stuff.

I would advise any other method possible. ANY other method possible.

[iradney]

I used Zyban. Been smoke free for roughly a year now, and have no yen to pick it up again. What I find helped me is exercise. The endorphin rush is totally better than a nicotine rush.

Also, patience is key. It's not gonna happen overnight. He might slip up. If he does slip up and have a cigarette, he mustn't throw his hands up and go "OH WELL, I've messed it up now, might as well buy a pack!". That's like dropping your phone and saying "OH WELL, I've dropped it, I might as well smash it up with a hammer".

[blas]

As odd as that sounds, I had a French teacher at my first high school who said she took up smoking while living in France, and she got herself to quit by chain smoking literally cigarette after cigarette until she threw up, and then never wanted to smoke again.

There may be a truth to that method.