Nicoderm Patch

[shank0668]

Originally Posted by Don O

Hope some humor is ok here..

Nicorette.

Two priests are in a Vatican bathroom using the
urinals.

One of them looks at the other's dick and notices
there's a Nicorette patch on it.

He looks at the other priest and says, 'I believe you're
supposed to put that patch on your arm or shoulder,
not your dick.'

The other one replies, 'Well, it's working just fine. I'm
down to two butts a day.

Don O

[mickss]

When I quit smoking I used the patch first, the only thing I didn`t like about the patch was that I was warned you might have some strange or unusual night dreams. I did have some pretty strange dreams so I switched to the gum (4 mg) which for me was a better choice.

One other thing, people will try to tell you that smoking is "all in your head", .......... BULL SHIT TO YOU IT IS!!!!! It`s an addiction and yes, in part it is in your head but that is the addiction part telling you "go ahead have one, you know you do."
Good luck, I hope goes well for you.

[lakers171]

well so far so good yesterday my dog had a seizure and wanted to pick one up and smoke one from how stressed out i was but i just kept the mental game going and went thru it.

[Oldrocker]

Anyone that thinks this is just mental doesn't know how the brain operates. Smoking is a chemical addiction, not a mental one. A good example of a mental addiction is porn. The porn doesn't alter your brain chemistry, well, it does a little with endorphins and such, but not much. Drugs, such as nicotine alter the brain chemistry and the brain has to readjust over a period of time to balance the brain chemicals. After this adjustment is made the rest of the habit is just mental.

[2001ragtop]

i quit drinking and smoking about 10 years ago. didn't use any patch. I just knew it was time to move on from that. a side affect that happened though is now i can smell things from further away. can't stand cigarette smoke or exhaust fumes from cars anymore. my taste buds changed and now they are way more sensitive. prior to that, i could lean on a car that is running and not notice i was inhaling gasoline or carbon exhaust fumes. sobriety is so boring however, functional i suppose. good luck---> you can accomplish anything you want if that's what you want.

[lakers171]

day 11 and so far so good.

[derklug]

I used Nicorette, but not by the schedule. I only took a piece when I was choking someone for annoying me. By the third day I didn't need any Nicorette, but I did need a good lawyer. It has been 7 months now.

[Hoddi]

I am so proud of you Hugo `´*:-.,_,.-:*´`´*:-,_,.-:*´`

I quit smoking too. My three year mark is coming up
on Dec. 1st.
It's one of the hardest things I ever did.

I have lots of reading material and will print it out
and bring it to tomorrows meet.

I quit with the help of a website.
www.quitnet.com
Awesome people there, although I do not get on there
as much as I used to.

I bought a treadmill a few weeks after I quit and you can't
keep me off the thing now!

Frozen grapes (red ones are best). It helps with the hand
to mouth thing some of of us love.

Whatever you do, do not smoke. Not one puff! That will
just lead to you wanting it even more.

I'll leave you with this.....

Nicotine is a powerful drug

And it affects your BRAIN.

Let me say that again... it affects your BRAIN.

It affects how you feel... how you perceive things... how you THINK.

Nicotine affects the very organ you need to use in order TO QUIT.

That is why it can be so hard to quit.

Because nicotine causes you to perceive things inaccurately and therefore act irrationally.

It causes you to want to smoke against your better judgment.

It tries to circumvent your efforts not to smoke.

It causes you to find justifications to smoke and actually believe them.

BUT when you quit... as the need for nicotine diminishes, and releases your brain from its grip, you will start to perceive things differently... you will gain greater clarity about smoking... you will start to see it for what it really is... and understand what it is really doing... and how unnecessary it actually is to living comfortably and happily.

But in order to gain that clarity you have to NOT smoke even if your brain is telling you that is all you want. You may have to gnash your teeth a bit, you may have to blindly trust the advice of others who have quit. But you absolutely cannot smoke... not a puff.... because nicotine is a very powerful drug that affects your brain. The very same brain you need to quit!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An Inescapable Reality
From timetoheal on 10/30/2003 10:12:12 AM

While smoking I put my life on hold. And not just for a few minutes either. Each day was built on the breaks I took from real life to accommodate my habit in my "temporary" addicted life. The fundamental building blocks of each and every day were smoke "breaks".

Had to start each day with a smoke "break" cause everyone needs a break from a night's sleep, right? I mean how would I enjoy a nice breakfast or a warm cup of coffee without choking down some toxic fumes along with it?

Then of course the rest of the day had each and every task punctuated with a "before I begin" smoke and a "need a break to regain concentration" and a final "that's finished" punctuation smoke.

Each meal needed punctuation breaks too. There's the "big preparation" break and the "wow that was good" break after eating. I'm sure this particular break baffles the non-smoker most of all. Why would anyone want to go and spoil a delicious meal by finishing it with the nasty taste of smoke in your mouth? Ah, every smoker knows.

Now of course if anything happened that caused an emotion of any kind I couldn't handle feeling it without a "deaden that feeling" smoke. Whether I felt happy, sad, angry, or bored, I needed to smoke to handle feeling anything at all.

Then we've got the wind down hours when the kids go to bed. I had the several "phew, what a day" smokes. Perhaps these would be accompanied by a glass of wine in which case I added several "I'm a bit tipsy" smokes.

Finally, I ended each day with the "ready for bed" break. This of course was an important nicotine stock piling smoke. If for some reason I fell asleep on the sofa while watching TV I could not pick myself up and into bed without first making a trip outside for that"prebedtime" smoke.

And goodness knows if for some odd reason, any reason mind you, I awoke during the night, even for a coughing fit, I had to take that "well I'm up might as well" smoke break too.

So in reflection I haven't really been living my life at all. As my health deteriorated and my energy lessened to actually do and enjoy my life I continued along taking a stream of "breaks" from my life.

I'm feeling better that I can once again actually participate in my life instead of breaking my way through it in a series of escapist pauses.

[tribone]

Originally Posted by lakers171

day 11 and so far so good.

We're here for you Hermano!! Let me know what you need!!

[swansor]

Originally Posted by chrisgalles

Anybody talk to their Dr. about Chantix yet? Most of my patients have had pretty good success with it.

PS: Unless you have a history or there is a history of mental illness in your family I wouldn't recommend it.

Going on 1 1/2 years without a smoke after using Chantix. I took it for the first week while smoking. On day 1 of week 2 I stopped and had NO (ZERO) cravings for a smoke. Stopped taking the chantix after the 2nd week even though they recommend 3 months. I went to/go to bars on Fridays with friends who smoke and I still didnt want one. I occasionally get the urge to smoke but it goes away instantly.

I previously smoked for 30 years and had quit several times (once for 2 years) using the patches. They work but require strong will power. And every time I started again was from a night of partying.

I agree with the caution on the chantix. I told my wife to keep an eye on me.. She says im screwed up (not from the chantix though).
The chantix did make for some very vivid dreams but so did the patch if I put it on in the afternoon.

One other thing is I gained 40LBS this last time and am now working on cutting that back. Not so easy at 50.


Good luck with it and get PQ to do it too.....

[Hoddi]

MISSING YOUR 20 LITTLIE BUDDIES?

MEET THE 20 BUDDIES:
They're here for you, each with his own, unique contributions to your life....

1. "Hi! I'm the buddy who stains your teeth!"

2. "Hey there! I'm the one who drops hot sparks on your lap and burns holes in pants!"

3. "Hello; I'll make your curtains beige, instead of white, and gunk up your windows."

4. "Greetings! How'd you like your breath to smell like homemade ****"?

5. "Howdy! I'd like to work my rancid, smoky odor into all your furniture, rugs, clothes..."

6. "Hi; remember me? I'm the one who sticks to your lip, and when you go to remove me from your mouth, your fingers slide down to the tip and grab the glowing ember and you get scorched? Yeah! How ya been?"

7. "Yo! I'm the one that blows back into your rear seat and sets the car's upholstery on fire!"

8. "He...HACK! HACK! HACK! Hell...HACK! HACK!...HAWK! PTOOOEY! Hello, there!"

9. "Hey! I'm the one your kid sneaked out of the pack to take out to the woods with his pals..."

10. "Good evening. I'm the last one in the pack; the one that makes you walk in the rain or snow to the convenience store so you won't be stuck with no smokes in the morning."

11. "Yoohooo! Over here! Want emphysema?"

12. "Hello. I'm the one you don't really think about, but reach for automatically when the phone rings, or you turn the key in the car's ignition."

13. "Hi! I'm the one you suck down in about 27 seconds, just before you rush inside from your work break."

14. "Hey, sweetheart! I'm the one you really wanted, but had to crush out and leave behind because of something that came up someplace where you CAN'T smoke.

15. "Hi! I'm going to bring you chest pains and a 4:00 a.m. ride to the emergency room, because you just might be having a heart attack. No--I was just kidding you! HAHAHA! (Where's your sense of humor?)"

16. "Hello. I'm going to constrict your circulation and make it tough to sustain an erection. You're welcome."

17. "'sup, man? I'm the one you cup in your hand, shielding me against the wind while you try and light about 17 matches before the damn bus comes, and you fumble around and get so pi$$ed off you snap me in two and can't smoke me anyway, you chump..."

18. "Hey, pal! You left me burning in the ashtray and I rolled off and ****ed up your nice new desk. Heeheehee...."

19. "Hello. I'm going to be the one that finally provokes that first heart attack. Made a will yet?

20. "All right. Remember the one about the straw and camel's back? I'm the one who pushes your system that final little bit too far, and makes that marginal batch of cells metastasize. I'm the one who's going to give you cancer...and you just can't be sure which one in which pack I am, can you?"

And we call them friends?!?!?!?!?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Story of a Full-Term Quit - The Chain
(9 month ramble)

Starting in my youth, and working across the decades, I forged a chain, and anchored it to the wall of my cell. No one made me do it; dungeon cells simply aren’t fashionable without chains. One day, I decided to see what was beyond the walls of the dungeon. Part I remembered from youth, part I heard from others, but I knew there was a life outside, and I was sure it had to be brighter than the haze I knew here. I knew I must either become free, or die in this wretched place.

If I was going to be free, I knew I would have to break the chain, and I was afraid I might not be equal to the task. But until I really pulled against it, I never realized how strong I had made it. I put my back, my arms, my legs into the effort; the harder I pulled, the more it hurt; but the chain never budged. Every effort I could manage, over and over again. I cried, I screamed, I groaned against it; I couldn’t even bend a link. I looked at its fastening to the wall - perhaps there was a tool I could use against the anchor. But the only tools I could find would not fit this nut.

I called out for help. Other prisoners called back - They couldn’t come help me pull, for they were busy with their own chains, but we were always there for one another with shouts of encouragement and advice. Once in a while, someone who had become free would shout over the walls, but once free, most never returned to the cells. Occasionally, someone would break loose, only to be recaptured by our common enemy. Some prisoners came to believe that it was impossible to ever be truly free; still, they pulled bravely at their chains, hoping to stretch them a little. `Pull Harder!` `Never quit pulling!` `You made the chain, you can break it!` my comrades yelled. We cheered together each time there was the slightest bend in any chain; cried together whenever someone stumbled in exhaustion.

After so much work and so little gain, I no longer had the strength, the will to pull. Still, I could not escape the dream of making it to that other, brighter world. There had to be another way. Just then, it happened. Someone on the way out, someone who had found his freedom, whispered to me. `Your hands` was all I managed to hear, and he was gone. I scarcely knew what to make of it. I searched. I read. I looked everywhere for the secret. How could my hands have the solution? There was no way I could ever grow them to be strong enough to break the chain. Days later, I did what should have been obvious: I looked at my bruised, bloody, beaten hands. Wrapped inside of them was my chain. All these years, all this turmoil - how could I not have noticed?

Day 10. The day I saw the chain in my hands. It wasn’t holding on to me; I was holding on to it. All that was ever necessary to claim my freedom was to drop the chain and walk away. Yes, it took a while for the wounds to heal, the bruises to clear, the pains to go away. Sometimes when it’s cold, I can still feel a distant ache in my hands. But I will never again pick up that chain. There is no reason, no temptation, no urge to do that ever again. It is a chain I don’t want attached to an anchor I don’t need, in a cell no longer mine. I’m still not sure why I ever made that chain.

A simple story, really. How I forged my chain, hardening it in fires of smoldering tobacco. How I struggled to break the chain, and how the struggle made me weak, but did nothing to the chain. The story of finding that strength of the chain wasn’t the problem, that my own weakness was irrelevant. Only my belief in its power held me; only by refusing to let go was I enslaved.

A simple story, but nine months later, I’m still not done telling it. Then again, maybe I am.

Look at your hands. Why are you still fighting? Why are you still holding on?
-----------------------------------------

And a funny to end with.....

The Untold Story

20 minutes after quitting.
You begin looking for loopholes in your quit commitment, thinking about postponing the whole arrangement until after the next millenium begins.

After 8 hours.
You have already contemplated at least three murders and several other brutal acts of violence.

After 24 Hours.
Your city or town declares a mysterious and unforeseen water shortage, while municipal sewers are suddenly overwhelmed.

After one week.
You have consumed enough calories to sustain a Bengali village of 2000 for four years. Food shortages become critical within your region; pets and local wild animals become nervous.

After two weeks.
Quitzits establish early outposts on your face. Risk of Browser's Butt Syndrome (BBS) rises to equal that for 13-year-old boys with new computers and internet access. Smileys appear in your writing and begin to replicate

Within one month.
You have already begun to pester smokers and complain about the smell of their obnoxious cigarettes; IQ returns to low double-digits; Quitzits begin to function autonomously. Exclamation point shortages prevail across the land.

After six weeks
You may have experienced your first bowel movement since your quit began; if not, be patient, it will happen within a few more weeks.

After two months.
You begin to forget the pain and misery of the first week without cigarettes, and are wondering if you could, perhaps, remind yourself of what you've been missing; Quitzits establish territorial treaties with each other.

After five months.
Intelligence returns to at least 60% of its pre-quit level; concentration remains a problem, at only 50%; carpal tunnel syndrome incidence exceeds all known levels for any keyboard-intensive occupation; you have typed more words than are contained within all the works of William Shakespeare, but with more flair and "sparkle".

After six months.
You wonder why you ever waited this long to quit. It's way, way, worth it.

[1bad65]

Originally Posted by lakers171

day 11 and so far so good.

Thats great. Keep going.

I smoked for around 13 years. I smoked a pack a day, and more when I drank. Gum, patches, cutting down, nothing worked. I even kept smoking when I got into jiu-jitsu. I had bronchitis, and I didn't smoke for 3 days. Thats when I decided I had to use that opportunity. I've not smoked one since, and that was over 6 years ago.

Trust me, it's so worth it. I could feel my stamina get better after just a few months. Food really does taste better when you quit too. It's so worth it just by how good you feel, and that's not counting the money you save. That is ALOT of money, and they constantly get more expensive with all the new tobacco taxes.

[lakers171]

wow talk about support thanks guys well an update i just couldn't sleep last night ask my gf on sat for those going to the so cal meeting i had some really trippy dreams but thats all i had was dreams i would wake up every 15-30 mins try to switch positions but another dream i think i was just day dreaming all night, last night was the worst just because i got about a total of 1hr-2hrs of sleep due to me having some weird dreams for instance on tuesday lol i was playing call of duty the new game well guess what i had a dream about that all night me jumping thru buildings and me actually playing while im asleep, then wed i saw the star trek trailer for the movie coming out on tuesday and guess what i had a weird dream about that and last night my favorite terminator/call of duty/batman/family guy/need for speed/ don't ask me why but so far i don't need a smoke anymore and thinking about letting go of the patch now. even though i didn't smoke in my car i can smell it and it makes me want to throw up and go to the dealer to change my air filter. so far i am very happy with my choice in quitting and i feel 100 times better than before. I thank you all for your support and it is greatly appreciated.

[chrisgalles]

Originally Posted by Oldrocker

Anyone that thinks this is just mental doesn't know how the brain operates. Smoking is a chemical addiction, not a mental one. A good example of a mental addiction is porn. The porn doesn't alter your brain chemistry, well, it does a little with endorphins and such, but not much. Drugs, such as nicotine alter the brain chemistry and the brain has to readjust over a period of time to balance the brain chemicals. After this adjustment is made the rest of the habit is just mental.

Of course people know that it is a chemical addiction, but if you are saying that having the right statement of mind (i.e. you have to WANT to quit) has nothing to do with it, then you are mistaken.