Quitting Smoking

[Tornadic Thoughts]

My first quit attempts involved nicotine patches/gum and wellbutrin, to no avail, multiple times. I was only successful when I eventually tried cold turkey. I was surrounded by smokers personally and professionally and knew it was going to be a bitch to even entertain the idea, but I finally felt it was necessary.

I was tired of feeling like an inconvenience to many loved ones who chose not to smoke in needing to always find a time and place for a smoke break, having some of my favorite folks not wish to be around me because of the smell in my hair, on my clothes and my breath, even though I was convinced I was sufficiently covering it up, I learned covering it up only makes it more prominent, and was tired of coughing up half a lung damn near each morning when I woke.

I planned my quit for the first day of the month in May, 2007. I had one last smoke with my morning coffee and that was it. Wasn't going to buy anymore.

I stocked up on candy, gum, mints, fiddle toys to keep my hands busy, and chopped lots of veggies and fruits to keep on hand to munch on when I wanted to smoke. Chocolate ended up being my favorite go-to, specifically hershey bars, and I ended up gaining weight. I improved my water intake, though, so that helped balance it out a bit, perhaps?

I was hard to be around, to say the least. Had folks offering to buy the cigs for me so I'd chill out. I (as kindly as I could) dismissed them and told them if they couldn't help me improve my health or at least encourage me, and were only going to tempt me even more, to leave me alone and let me get through it myself. I even grabbed a dude up by his shirt collar at work for trying to be "funny" and blowing smoke in my direction as I passed by the smoking area. Grrrrr...

I was craving hard one night, so I walked to the store and bought a pack of some off the wall generic menthols, as I hated menthols and felt I wouldn't likely smoke many if I chose to cave in. I sat there and looked at them, held them, slowly opened the pack, pulled one out, sniffed it for a while, held my lighter in my other hand.........and finally said, "F*** that, these little f'rs will NOT kick my ass!!!! I'm in control, dammit!!!", and I took that pack out to the dumpster and tossed them in. I refused to go dumpster diving for a smoke. Then I started looking a pics of what smoking does to our innards, how much our body can improve in certain time frames after quitting, and reading the success of others. That helped big time.

It continued to be a struggle for a long while, but it's now just about a month shy of being ten years since I quit. I can't handle being in the same vicinity with it now. If I can do it, I strongly believe anyone can, even though that sounds so generic. I tried my first cig in the 4th grade, picked it back up in middle school (8th grade), and kept on going, increasing the amount I smoked as the years passed. Can it be done easily? Nope. Not based on my experiences. But it can be done.

Be kind to yourself during which ever process you choose and celebrate the little things every chance you get, otherwise our brains get stuck in what we feel like we have to give up and we start looking at it from a place of lack vs. life enrichment. Rock your quit!!!!!

 

[joeylittle]

Would you mind explaining more of this please JL? I am back to the doctors in 1.5 weeks and would like to have a plan in place as I do plan on quitting smoking with this and the vape being used as an aid.

Sure. When buproprion is prescribed as a smoking cessation aid (brand name Zyban, among others) the low target dose is 150mg/day. It can be brought up to 300mg/day as needed.

When buproprion is prescribed as an anti-depressant (brand name Wellbutrin), the starting dose is usually 150mg/day, but the target dose is 300mg/day on the low end, and 450mg/day on the high end.

Either way, it takes about a week for bupriorion to achieve a steady-state in your system. So - if you started it as a stop-smoking aid, your doctor should have told you to plan your 'quit date' to be anywhere from 1 to 2 weeks after starting the drug, but no sooner.

Were you given it specifically as an anti-depressant with a side benefit of smoking cessation, or the other way around?

I do plan on quitting smoking with this and the vape being used as an aid.

Do make sure that you aren't getting nicotine replaced by the vape; otherwise, you aren't using the wellbutrin to best effect.

 

[The Albatross]

I would exercise caution with either Zyban or welbutrin as I was one of a small percentage that became highly at risk for suicide and obsessive suicidal ideation while on that med. Not wanting to torpedo the discussion but had I not had a coworker who noticed my increased difficulty and had been through it herself... well. I quit for 5 years that way but relapsed.

 

[shimmerz]

Were you given it specifically as an anti-depressant with a side benefit of smoking cessation,

Kind of both. When I tried to quit smoking I did this crazy crying thing so went into the doctor because of that - but the two of us decided that killing two birds with one stone, although I am not diagnosed with depression, would not be a bad thing.

Thanks so much for the information. That helps me tremendously as the doctor did not mention anything about picking a 'quit date'.

@The Albatross , thanks so much for your warning. I have directed my SO to watch out for suicidal thoughts, or anything badly off the wall. I don't normally react well to pharma drugs. Today I noticed tremoring, called the doctor and she said that that should pass. I appreciate your throwing out there your experiences, as they are very worthwhile. These drugs aren't like chewing on skittles, ya know?