quinte

Hello Angelite,

Do these micro tabs come in different strengths at all? If so, (not sure if this is superfluous of me to suggest), have you tried to step over to one that is of lesser strength?

Alternatively, (again I know this is merely another substitute), how about switching from tablets to patches or even to chewing gum. There must be nicotine patches and nicotine chewing gum available where you are for the purpose of those who wish to stop smoking?
I would imagine that either a patch or some chewing gum would eventually be less addictive than what tablets are?

Please know that I myself have not attempted any of these products, and am thus merely speaking from a “what seems logical” stance.

May I wish you all the best in your final detachment from nicotine !! –



In Peace,
quinte

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kerry

Oh my....there are alot of smokers here.....makes me feel quite at home!. Brave was the soul who first admitted to this..I tend to keep it quiet. I need to stop smoking and have taken in all your advice. I have bronchitis right now, which seems to be another good reason to quit!...If you 'nearly ex smokers' could extend your love to me, I am sure it will help me get over the need to keep puffing...I in turn have already sent love to you all. Keep up the good work, it is an exciting new journey. Think of all the things we wil experience now. Things will taste better, our homes will be cleaner..our children will be gratefull...
All the love in the world...
Kerry

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life is love, love is life

differentgirl

Hi Nay,

I haven't read through all of your replies but can tell you what will help you tremendously - Lobelia. Lobelia is an herb that you can buy in tincture (liquid) or capsule form.

The American Indians used to smoke it and it gives you the same effect as nicotine, however, it doesn't contain it. If you take some Lobelia and then light up, you will make you feel nautious.

I took two apprenticeships in Herbal Medicine and learned this. My husband has been smoke free for eight years! He was a chain smoker.

Your frame of mind has to be made up before you start. Use the Lobelia and then ask your guardian angel for some help in willpower!

Best,.

DG

swanfairy

Hello to all,

I have had success in quitting smoking, and I did it in a very similar way as Quinte, I did not crush, or hide or break the cigarettes and I always had the package with me wherever I went, I chose not to smoke even though they were there.. however I did use the 14mg patches for the first week, as I couldn't use the higher ones because I had an allergic reaction to it, and even that one made me Itch like crazy, but it was honestly worth the itch to have my mind seemingly functioning normally as if I hadn't quit at all, that gave me time to work on the habitual part and convincing myself that I hadn't quit per say but had just left them behind for a while, and that bought me more time, then by the time that first week was up I went without the patch at all, then I stayed quit carrying my ciggarettes everywhere making that conscious decission everytime I went in my pocket or purse not to smoke for 2.5 months, then I decided that I was happy that it was something I was able to do, but it was time for them to re-enter my life.

I only had a drag or two the first day and it wasn't out of my own package, it was off of a friends smoke that tasted horrible, then every day after I increased it, until they were happily back in my life, I am convinced now that it is the time to say to good-bye to my best friend the ciggarette, and that you have done me wrong, I am needing to turn my back on you for good I have a "quit date" along with my husband who also quit but for 1 full year with the patch and started again, our "quit date" is May 1st/05 and although my best friend will be there with me always they will no longer be running the show..........


TTFN
SF

shortynappy

I’m curious to know how you are all doing with your various smoking Quits? I quit smoking on October 5, 2004. This is actually my second quit. My first one lasted only 10 years (rolling my eyes at myself…you don’t want to know...). Then I smoke for another 8 and I’m hoping this quit lasts longer. I’ve learned many things, some have been helpful, others not so much.

You can only quit, when you are ready. Quitting because someone wants you to and you want to please that someone or because you know it’s a good idea, for example, may not lead to a successful quit. It might and good luck to you if that’s where you find yourself. You may want to be extra vigilant in the following areas though.

Support from people around you can really help make the quit successful. Having people who will provide encouragement, a shoulder to lean on and an ear to listen is very beneficial to a successful quit. If you don’t have people in your life like that…I suggest you look around, but I could also direct you to a very helpful website for that purpose.

Have a plan, especially for those triggers and craves. If you like to have a smoke with your morning coffee, drink orange juice. If you smoke when you answer the phone then don’t answer it (grinning mischievously…just kidding),have chewing gum by the phone and paper and pencil to doodle with. These are examples of things that may continue to "trigger" the desire to smoke. You might want to try to identify and prepare for them;

Regarding the cravings…. well, you could have a list of the most lucid well organized rational arguments with a file cabinet of supported facts…but it won’t mean a thing when you are jonesin’. For those times you have to walk around the block, drink a glass of water, type a letter (you need your fingers for this) something to distract yourself. Contact someone on your support team, etc. Remember you made the commitment to yourself. It’s up to you.

Trust me on this one…The craving will pass whether or not you light up!

Do something with your hands for the first few days, week. Sunflower seeds helped me. There’s a lot of hand to mouth action involved with sunflower seeds. I also carried my nail buffer around. I tell you what, I had the shiniest nails this side of the Mississippi (and that’s the larger side)! I kept a pack of cigarettes, I know that I can smoke anytime I want. I'll just do it later if I really want to. Later hasn't come yet and it's been 9 months. The cravings came fewer and farther between, and I can't remember the last one. I still want to smoke (I probably always will), but I don't want a cigarette anymore.

I wrote the following “Dear John” letter to my smokes the day I quit.

Dear ‘mokes,

The purpose of this letter is to advise you that your product and services are no longer required, effective immediately.

I have taken the liberty of removing any sign of you from areas where I expect to be (with the exception of an ash tray that I will keep in my office to use for the shells of sun flower seeds).

It should not come as a complete surprise, I am sure you knew this would eventually happen. You must have noticed that you were being called on less and less frequently. And, often times I did not even let you finish before I would prematurely extinguish the cigarette and excuse myself.

Please know that this was not an easy decision to make. In fact, it took careful consideration and soul searching to arrive at this conclusion. It is for the health and benefit of those around me, as well as myself, that I must terminate this relationship. Our arrangement has always been on a pack-by-pack or carton-by-carton basis, and this letter is simply to let you know that I do not intend to renegotiate or enter into another arrangement with you.

The facts have not changed; it is not a case of misrepresentation or failure to meet objectives. All pertinent information was disclosed at our initial intercourse. You delivered on a consistent level. Additionally, you provided exactly the stimulation and diversion that I sought when I brought you on board (for the second time). No, the fault is not with you, per se.

Fortunately or unfortunately, my needs have changed, in addition to my wants and future plans. Those changes include a lifestyle that promotes health and balance. I am sure that you would have to agree with me that what you have to offer would no longer fit with this reorganization of priorities given the new direction.

I do thank you for all of the times you were… well… you know. I do not deny that it meant a great deal to me (still does). It will be a difficult readjustment, but I hope you agree that it is for the best.

Therefore, it is with pain and sadness but firm resolve that I say good-bye.

Sincerely,
Your `moking buddy

P.S.
On a more personal note, I know that I will think of you often. There will most likely be times when I will reach for you when I am weak. I will simply have to find ways to eliminate those times as best I can. If it makes a difference, please know; if I do reach for you again, it will be for the wrong reasons. It will not be for anything good or positive or lasting. It will be simply for immediate self-gratification. I will not like myself for it afterwards. If that helps then know that this is true. Good-bye.

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Blessed Be...
Linda

vincentgene

Hey guys, my hat off to all of you who are trying to kick the habit,I will share my experience with you as I too have given up now for about 12 mths, and wasn't too hard, and to be honest with you I had tried so many times and failed I really didn't expect this time to be any different, but it was different, and the approach for me had been along these lines, even though I have never been a heavy smoker, in fact for 10 years or more I used to have only 2 or 3 cigs a night, but the last 5 years had increased to about 15 a day, and the killer here was as someone said, having a smoke in the morning all of a sudden and for me it was down hill from there, which in a way I'm glad because I may never have wanted to give up when I was only smoking 3 a night, but I digress, to me smoking was a way of relaxing, if I had a smoke I actually sat down and enjoyed it like someone would enjoy a beer, so I thought of all those failed times, and some were down right embarrassing like not even lasting a day !!! , so it was for me just this masive overwhelming desire to have a cig to relax, and that even if I had a patch on it would blunt the desire but the desire would eventuall win over in the end, so here is what I did, and just know some of you will cringe, but I though I am going to flood my system with that much nicoteen that I will be almost sick with it, so picture this I had a patch on and chewed gum and when I wasn't chewing gum, I was sucking on one of those nicorette lozengers, and sure enough it worked, I just didn't even remotely feel like a cigarette, and slowly but surley I managed to lower my nicoteen level till I was down to just the lowest dose gum and only one at night, and you all can probably see it coming, yes Iam still on that one 2mg gum a night, but that's okay I will eventually kick that last kittle bit, but Iam very glad that I have succeeded, pathetic advice I know, but hell you never know it might just help one of you.
Your mate
Vince

sissysbrain

Good Morning All,
There are some really good suggestions here. I have tried some of the suggestions and most of what's on the market. My lungs have both collapsed (thankfully not at the same time), and I've had four hospital stays with chest tubes. Both of my lungs now have staples and I have a scar that runs from breast to the upper part of my back. Not a pretty sight I know.
I have not figured out why I haven't quit. My mom and dad both had cancer and have left their bodies. I associate the cigerettes with them. They both lived with so much hate and anger, it seemed logical that smoking killed them. They would have me and my brother light up theirs when we were young. My dad bought my first pack when I was 13.
I associate cancer with resentment stored in the body. I don't think I am a resentful person, But a part of me has resented my parents for including me in their habits. I have tried to let those feelings go and thought I had. I don't blame them anymore.
I realize the lungs are our breathers, so for me, I feel the cigerettes are smothering me.
I know one day I will be smoke-free. I refuse to see "death" as an option.
At the times in my life, that I feel smothered by all the energies surrounding me, is when my lungs can't breathe. I notice that I either feel smothered by the love of others in my world, or that I smother others by loving them.
If I see what is happening, why do I still smoke?
If I know what is hapening, why haven't I quit?
I have the faith that we will quit, I will not give up. Please hang in there and don't get discouraged if it don't happen as quick as we would like. We have as much time as we allow ourselves. Blessings to all

quinte

Hello sissysbrain,






During the past few days I have had the privilege to interview a few drug users, and have found their communications quite interesting. For, amongst them, the most frequent dilemma was the aspect of how difficult it was to quit. Fair enough, we speak here of smoking, and not of cocaine and the likes ……., but an addiction none the less.

During our conversations the topic of focus was brought up. Such an issue is made of the aspect of quitting, and so much power is bestowed upon this decision, that it could to some extent emphasise the difficulty of quitting altogether.
You see, the more we focus on something, the more credibility we give it – the more power we lend it. If we wish to quit with something, then is that not what we should do? But, me seems we do not quit, for we continuously make an issue of the fact that we are “trying” to quit – “working” on quitting – “planning” to give up, etc, etc…….. We never quite get there because we never arrive at that point where we “quit” once and for all. In body and in mind. I think that this latter often is responsible for our hardships, where we keep the addition alive by continuously thinking of it.

Addiction, as studies have shown, actually begin in the mind. This addition, as it further develops starts to show symptoms in the body, until such time that the body has adapted to the new condition of addiction. To quit smoking, or to quit with any other habit, it is not the body that will quit, but ultimately the mind. The hardship ofcourse, as this thread is witness of, is that the body now needs to learn new habits, whilst it heavily protests against the new situation.


Are we lending our attempts to quit with addictions and habits far too much credibility by continuously focusing upon the fact that we are trying to quit? We never will quit if we don’t quit – this also means that we need to quit empowering the fact that we are quitting.

To quit is to go, to leave, to exit, to abandon, . …..how we miserably fail by continuously focusing upon precisely that which we seek to quit.


I just thought of mentioning the above, since it became quite an interesting topic of discussion amongst those who were attempting to abandon their drugging habits – and perhaps it may be of value to you?


In Peace,
quinte

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shortynappy

Quinte, I agree with the credence and attention giving life to the concept and that addiction is very much addiction regardless of what the object of the addiction is, in many ways.

Habbits are what one often does sometimes without thinking about it.
Because there can be things that triggter it that we are not aware of if we do not consciously take note of it.
Because we form a dependency for it physically, emotionally, mentally...

I know that I am a smoker. I will probably always be a smoker. Even though I have chosen not to light up for over a year now. Still, I am not one that can say even to myself (even in the privacy of my own head) that I will never take another puff or that I will never have another cigarette.

I think that having that attitude (for me) would sabotage my quit. My quit is very much like my spiritual journey it has a life (so to speak). And I respect it as such.

I like that when I do any deep breathing exercises it actually feels good. I like that I do not have to find a place to light up when I'm at work and it is raining, snowing, windy or freezing. I like that I don't smell the stale tobacco in my hair and cloths. I like that I am not spending money on smokes. I like sooo much about not smoking...

...still, I miss having a smoke, I really do. I blew a 10 year quit (smoked again for 8 years and now am onto this quit).

And if there is one thing that I think I have learned its that a person cannot quit until that person is ready to quit. And one can only keep one's quit if one continues to make the same decision to not light up over and over again. But that is not to say that everyone can quit...just like everyone doesn't get addicted.

When I first quit (within the first month) I listed 10 reasons...good rational reasons why it is good to quit but when I was jonesing for a smoke not one of them mattered...not one of them seemed to be a good enough reason. I just buffed my nails and popped sunflower seeds and waited out the craving...so far I haven't lit up.

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Blessed Be...
Linda

diane

Hello everyone
I just rememberd about this post last night and thought to update you all with the fact that, I am now officially a non smoker for the past 6months . I am nicotene and smoke free and I have no need for cessetation (i.e patches or passifiers) apart from maybe the odd chew on a pencil if I am sketching...

take care
Diane