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Every time I attempted to quit smoking was a valuable rehearsal,
and every method I tried brought me that much closer to finding what ultimately worked for me.
Remember this, and keep trying. You will find YOUR best
way to quitting smoking. Every time you
quit and start again is one time closer
to the final quit. If that hardly seems like a pep-
talk, well a non-smoker reading this really doesn't get the picture
anyway - they never can. And nothing about quitting is peppy
to a smoker.
So here are some of your choices if you're looking
at quitting... again or for the first time.
1. Cold turkey. (Really, this is a turkey of an idea.)
Some people do it successfully, but it's a set-up for most
of us. There are all kinds of triggers
in your environment that will make it
psychologically tricky to resist lighting up. You'll have
behavior patterns to overcome - cold turkey. Plus, you're going
to have physical withdrawal symptoms. But go ahead and use this
strategy if you're determined. Every time is a rehearsal
of the final quit, so you win no matter
what. Just consider this: why not set
yourself up for some success instead?
2. Gradual reduction.
You can accomplish this in different
ways.
a. Get rid of one light-em-up trigger in your environment
at a time. Make a rule about when and
where you can smoke, and then stick to
it. Start with a likely success. My first trigger to eliminate
was to separate coffee and cigarettes by at least 15 minutes. I could have both of them, just not together.
Eventually, I stopped associating coffee with smoking. Maybe your
first trigger to eliminate will be having that last one before
bed. Pick one that you're pretty sure you can do. When you're
over that one set another, and so on.
b. Reduce the strength.
This means going from a Camel straight - to
a filter - to a light - to a light 100 - and by that point, it's almost a why bother?
3. Nicotine replacement therapy.
a. Patches. These allowed me to create some new behaviors without
also experiencing the physical discomfort of nicotine withdrawal.
At the time I used them, they were by prescription only
because there is the danger of over-dose. Nicotine is of course a powerful drug - that's why it is so addictive, right?
Now you can get the patches over the counter, and they're expensive either way because insurance companies generally
won't
cover the prescriptions for smoking cessation. They know
that
most quitters will quit a few times, and insurance companies don't
want to foot the bill while you practice your way to being a
non-smoker.
b. Nicotine gum. Which you don't chew, except
just long enough to release the dose and then you 'park' it between your
gum and
cheek, where the thin tissues there allow it to be gradually absorbed
into your system. This worked pretty well for me when I was
getting that tired feeling and unable to concentrate because of
the lack of my usual dose circulating in my blood. What
the gum didn't really help was the
behavioral stuff. Finishing dinner
and sitting back with a chunk of gray gum 'parked' against
my inner cheek just didn't have that same relaxing closure as lighting up.
4. Herbal remedies.
Well, I guess you could say tobacco is an herb.
Still. There isn't another 'herb' on the planet that even comes
close to the versatility and pure compatibility with your system
that makes smoking tobacco so addictive.
Ginger cigarettes. Calming herb teas. Herbal supplements
for helping you eliminate the toxins.
These might help your speed of recovery.
Might make it easier to quit. Try them and see. Whatever
quitting methods you're using, drink lots and lots of water,
as little
alcohol, coffee and
soda as possible. And hey, you might put
on a few non-deadly pounds, but you can keep that
to a minimum by having mostly wholesome foods lying around
the house (leave the Cheetos and red licorice at the store).
5. Zyban.
My personal favorite, and the thing that finally worked
long-term for me. Zyban has a generic name. Ask your doctor
and the pharmacist. You still need a prescription for this
one, and here's what's interesting - it wasn't designed for smoking
cessation. It was originally an anti-depressant, and researchers
found that people who were on this medication lost their
desire to smoke; it was actually repulsive to them. I read that
research, when to my physician and said, "Let's
go!" She wrote the scrip. I followed
instructions. You take the medication
for several days before quitting so that it has time to get into your system, and during those days I applied
all the
stuff I had already learned: eliminate the triggers, cut
down on the intake, get some healthy food
and some herb tea in the pantry.
It worked. I really didn't want to smoke. I felt good. It
was finally done!
One thing I read somewhere was the question, "How do
you get to the point of enjoying life
without smoking?" And the
given answer was to go 6 months without
smoking. "Very funny," is
what I thought at the time, but half a
year is about how long before I really
didn't notice its absence in my life. I had smoked for 20
years. I grieved - but that's a whole different article subject.
Now it's been two years, and I feel free. I won't pretend
it is easy, but I can say without hesitation that it is worth it.
Two notes:
A. I am not a doctor. I am a successful former smoker writing
from personal experience. If you want to try some of these
strategies,
please see your personal physician for trained and
professional advice.
B. There are support groups in most US states and many other countries
as well. They are fr*e*e. Go to your county health center
or ask your librarian to help you find the resources and support
you deserve and that is there for you. Each person has to
find your own best way to quit, but you don't have to do
it alone. You can do it, though. You can.
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