trying to quit smoking, all and any advice welcome

[Jundo]

Fall down seven; get up eight !!

gassho,

sat today

Yes, that is a Japanese saying ... often associated with the round rolly "Bodhidharma" dolls ...



He has no legs, as they faded away in all his sitting.

One eye is black and one blank, because one paints the first eye when making a vow (such as to quit smoking! ) and paints the second eye only when it is accomplished.

Gassho, J

SatToday

PS - For those who don't know, Shokai used to live in Japan for quite some time.

[lorax]

Shokai and Jundo, thanks so much. I am sending this on to my son who each day falls down seven but somehow manages to climb back eight in so many parts of his life..

SAT TODAY

[Mp]

Yes, that is a Japanese saying ... often associated with the round rolly "Bodhidharma" dolls ...



He has no legs, as they faded away in all his sitting.

One eye is black and one blank, because one paints the first eye when making a vow (such as to quit smoking! ) and paints the second eye only when it is accomplished.

Gassho, J

SatToday

PS - For those who don't know, Shokai used to live in Japan for quite some time.

Jundo and Shokai, thank you. =)

Gassho
Shingen

s@today

[Tai Shi]

I quit alcohol about the time I quit smoking (not) because I really did not quit either, and I lost a job that I thought was my future and then I quit drinking. At 13 years with no alcohol my doctor told me that I has mild emphysema, and I found myself coughing up blood. The guys at my alcoholism support group all said, "I've quit almost everything, so I deserve smoke." One day my 10-year-old daughter ran home from school in tears saying, "Daddy, please quit smoking!" I did not quit smoking. There had been a hundred well-meaning people, tough-minded, no relief, people, and thousands of comments. Then one day I realized my sponsor was not smoking, and I started going to non-smoking groups just to try out what not smoking might feel like, and sometimes I would give away cartons of the stuff just to go out and buy one more carton. That was in the fall, and after Christmas I said, I'm going to quit and I decided to buy packs and remove one cigarette per day and end with the last cigarette the day before my little girl's birthday, all that fall before, that winter, that spring, I wrote a smoking journal, and I smoked the gum, oh I mean chewed!? I had called on everything, I even counted cartons, then packs, then my plan went into play, I quit two days before my daughter's birthday, I thew the last of them away, a week latter, two days before my wife's birthday, I thew away the last of the gum, and only then did I know I was free. I count my daughter's birthday as my anniversary day, and this year it will be 16 years free on my daughter's birthday. I still need three inhalers, mostly only two, and I remember the year I quit my sponsor gave me a special gold filled 13-year medallion for the other addiction, and about 10 years later I learned he suffered from childhood asthma that followed him all his life. I can tell you, I loved my sponsor like no other man in my program, and three years ago I was at his bedside when he died. He had never nagged, never complained, never told me what to do, never told me anything about his asthma, or my emphysema. Before I sit in the morning, I use my inhalers. And very often I think of my sponsor's days before meetings, how he gave people rides, contributed easily to my needs. He was a selfless man who never knew what lotus meant, maybe never heard the word, and today, I still love him, and how he's love helped me find more years with my family. My sponsor always said I'm Larry and I'm still an alcoholic. I have 30 years free from the first addiction, and I say, "I'm Chuck, I a grateful alcoholic." Sixteen years free of cigarettes.

Tai Shi
std
Gassho

[Jakuden]

I quit alcohol about the time I quit smoking (not) because I really did not quit either, and I lost a job that I thought was my future and then I quit drinking. At 13 years with no alcohol my doctor told me that I has mild emphysema, and I found myself coughing up blood. The guys at my alcoholism support group all said, "I've quit almost everything, so I deserve smoke." One day my 10-year-old daughter ran home from school in tears saying, "Daddy, please quit smoking!" I did not quit smoking. There had been a hundred well-meaning people, tough-minded, no relief, people, and thousands of comments. Then one day I realized my sponsor was not smoking, and I started going to non-smoking groups just to try out what not smoking might feel like, and sometimes I would give away cartons of the stuff just to go out and buy one more carton. That was in the fall, and after Christmas I said, I'm going to quit and I decided to buy packs and remove one cigarette per day and end with the last cigarette the day before my little girl's birthday, all that fall before, that winter, that spring, I wrote a smoking journal, and I smoked the gum, oh I mean chewed!? I had called on everything, I even counted cartons, then packs, then my plan went into play, I quit two days before my daughter's birthday, I thew the last of them away, a week latter, two days before my wife's birthday, I thew away the last of the gum, and only then did I know I was free. I count my daughter's birthday as my anniversary day, and this year it will be 16 years free on my daughter's birthday. I still need three inhalers, mostly only two, and I remember the year I quit my sponsor gave me a special gold filled 13-year medallion for the other addiction, and about 10 years later I learned he suffered from childhood asthma that followed him all his life. I can tell you, I loved my sponsor like no other man in my program, and three years ago I was at his bedside when he died. He had never nagged, never complained, never told me what to do, never told me anything about his asthma, or my emphysema. Before I sit in the morning, I use my inhalers. And very often I think of my sponsor's days before meetings, how he gave people rides, contributed easily to my needs. He was a selfless man who never knew what lotus meant, maybe never heard the word, and today, I still love him, and how he's love helped me find more years with my family. My sponsor always said I'm Larry and I'm still an alcoholic. I have 30 years free from the first addiction, and I say, "I'm Chuck, I a grateful alcoholic." Sixteen years free of cigarettes.

Tai Shi
std
Gassho

[emoji120]❤️
Gassho
Jakuden
SatToday


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[Diarmuid1]

I quit 6 years ago (having smoked for roughly 28 years prior to that). How? Well, I went to the local doctor and they prescribed me patches. The patches stated that if anyone smoked while wearing them, the side effects would be abhorrent. That worked.

The nurse told me that research suggests (as it always does) that cold turkey is more susceptible to relapse than aided quitting. God knows that I had tried cold turkey enough times. The patches seemed to have helped.

I also once tried hypnotism. That was an absolute cinch (for a year), proving to me that the greatest addiction is the mental addiction.

Good luck in your struggle - it will reveal things about you that nothing else will uncover. Enjoy the journey and know that there are many of us who are rooting for your success and who will still love you even if you falter!

[Jishin]

Quitting is a piece of cake. Staying quit is not. Until you are dead. Then you stay quit for good!

I heard that the damage to the lungs tends to be permanent, but the damage to the cardiovascular system is not. Chances for a heart attack decrease by 50% 8 hours after you quit. The rest takes several years.

You will stay quit one way or another. It's up to you when.

Gasho, Jishin, _/st\_

[Seido]

I can also testify to the difficulties of relapse. It seems like once you've been a smoker, you'll always be an ex-smoker, not a non-smoker. Supplements do help if needed.

Good luck.

Gassho,
Seido
SatToday

[6yx]

I used to smoke two packs a day for about 10 years. I failed at quitting for about 7 years by chewing nicorette gum incorrectly (chew chew chew, don't stop, chew chew chew), then moving onto the nicorette inhaler and then the lozenge.

That was about 7 years ago, and now-a-days I only crave the gum. But not very badly, so it's easy to look passed, into the present.

It's better to get addicted to the gum because it doesn't have rat poison in it, along with not having hundreds of other poisons.

Most government health insurance or private insurance will pay for the gum, patch, inhaler or lozenge. As they cause your odds of not dying from lung to increase substantially, and increase your odds at quitting smoking.

Generally I follow the Ozzy Osbourne sobriety test of "I'm not (insert addiction here) today.

Just don't stop quitting. Keep quitting. Day in day out. Tell yourself you can do it, day in day out.

Good luck.

Chris S.

[Tanjin]

I found the nicotine patches to be very helpful in terms of cutting the cravings...and the step-down over several weeks worked well for me. One word of caution - do not wear them while sleeping - they caused me to have very vivid, disturbing dreams. Hard candy and gum was also helpful to help with the oral fixation. Good luck to you! You will feel SO much better once you quit!

Gassho,
Tanjin
SatToday

[Amelia]

This thread had been very helpful to me, keep it coming!

Gassho, sat today

[Josh]

Everyone here has given pretty solid advice, so I'll add some medical advice. Many of my patients have had great success with Chantix to help them stop smoking. Many health insurance policies cover it and if they don't the manufacturer often has coupons online that cover most of the cost (assuming you're in the U.S.). You have my compassion and I wish you the best with this difficult road ahead of you. You will feel immensely better once you quit and your body adjusts.

Gassho, am going to sit immediately after I post this.

[Jishin]

Everyone here has given pretty solid advice, so I'll add some medical advice. Many of my patients have had great success with Chantix to help them stop smoking. Many health insurance policies cover it and if they don't the manufacturer often has coupons online that cover most of the cost (assuming you're in the U.S.). You have my compassion and I wish you the best with this difficult road ahead of you. You will feel immensely better once you quit and your body adjusts.

Gassho, am going to sit immediately after I post this.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION AND INDICATION

Some people have had changes in behavior, hostility, agitation, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts or actions while using CHANTIX to help them quit smoking. Some people had these symptoms when they began taking CHANTIX, and others developed them after several weeks of treatment or after stopping CHANTIX. If you, your family or caregiver notice agitation, hostility, depression or changes in behavior, thinking, or mood that are not typical for you, or you develop suicidal thoughts or actions, anxiety, panic, aggression, anger, mania, abnormal sensations, hallucinations, paranoia or confusion, stop taking CHANTIX and call your doctor right away. Also tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems before taking CHANTIX, as these symptoms may worsen while taking CHANTIX.

Some people had seizures during treatment with CHANTIX. Most cases happened during the first month of treatment. Tell your doctor if you have a history of seizures. If you have a seizure during treatment with CHANTIX, stop taking CHANTIX and contact your healthcare provider right away.

Decrease the amount of alcohol you drink while taking CHANTIX until you know if CHANTIX affects your ability to tolerate alcohol. Some people experienced increased drunkenness, unusual or sometimes aggressive behavior, or memory loss of events while consuming alcohol during treatment with CHANTIX.

Sleepwalking can happen with CHANTIX, and can sometimes lead to behavior that is harmful to you or other people, or to property. Stop taking CHANTIX and tell your doctor if you start sleepwalking.

Do not take CHANTIX if you have had a serious allergic or skin reaction to CHANTIX. Some people can have serious skin reactions while taking CHANTIX, some of which can become life-threatening. These can include rash, swelling, redness, and peeling of the skin. Some people can have allergic reactions to CHANTIX, some of which can be life-threatening and include: swelling of the face, mouth, and throat that can cause trouble breathing. If you have these symptoms or have a rash with peeling skin or blisters in your mouth, stop taking CHANTIX and get medical attention right away.

Before starting CHANTIX, tell your doctor if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems. If you have new or worse heart or blood vessel symptoms during treatment, tell your doctor. Get emergency medical help right away if you have any symptoms of a heart attack or stroke.

The most common side effects of CHANTIX include nausea (30%), sleep problems, constipation, gas and/or vomiting. If you have side effects that bother you or don’t go away, tell your doctor. You may have trouble sleeping, vivid, unusual or strange dreams while taking CHANTIX. Use caution driving or operating machinery until you know how CHANTIX may affect you.

CHANTIX should not be taken with other quit-smoking products. You may need a lower dose of CHANTIX if you have kidney problems or get dialysis.

Before starting CHANTIX, tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or if you take insulin, asthma medicines or blood thinners. Medicines like these may work differently when you quit smoking.

What is CHANTIX?

CHANTIX is a prescription medication that, along with support, helps adults 18 and over stop smoking. You may benefit from quit-smoking support programs and/or counseling during your quit attempt. It's possible that you might slip up and smoke while taking CHANTIX. If you do, you can stay on CHANTIX and keep trying to quit.

Gasho, Jishin, _/st\_

[Yun Hai]

Hi. I used to smoke. Not a lot, tho', but a smoker nonetheless. How did I quit? Just doing it. Will power if you will. I guess it was like taking a decision to start going to the gym and you actually carry it out. It was overnight. I haven't touched a cigarette since. Hope it helps.

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[Theophan]

Hi Everyone,
I was a heavy Duty smoker 2 1/2 - 3 packs a day for almost 30 years. I tried quitting countless times and used gum, patches, cold turkey, etc. I on more than one occasion chewed the gum, wore the patches and smoked at the same time. Even eating bags of baby carrots didn't help. I was able to quit about 10 years ago when my Doctor gave me a prescription for "Wellbutrin". I started taking the medicine, and a week later I realized I hadn't smoked or even thought about cigarettes in a week. I never smoked again. I stopped taking the medicine after two weeks with no side effects. My wife also was a heavy smoker. Her Doctor prescribed "Wellbutrin" and she had the same experience I had. She never smoked again after a week . It worked for us. It is something to discuss with your Doctor.

Gassho,
Theophan ( Sekishi )
Sat Today