Any others trying to quit smoking?

Have tried quitting several times w/varying degrees of success w/o luck (or maybe true commitment?). Just ran across your post and kept reading -- gives me renewed hope. I haven't heard about Chantix but plan on doing some research right now. Would like to keep in touch w/you during the process. Good luck to you.

I tried the patch a few years ago and had every negative side effect listed. I threw up frequently (didn't mean to lose weight by quitting smoking), and then one night at work my heart started racing, the world started spinning, and that set off a full-blown panic attack. So I gave up on that, and went back to smoking. I've also tried the gum - it just made me think about smoking. My NP told me about Chantix a couple of months ago, and I think I'm going to ask for a scrip when I go back to see her in July. I talked to someone yesterday who kicked a 38-year habit on it, it's been 2 months for her now. I think the key is that you have to really want to quit.

I am so glad there was a thread for this very subject. The local outreach here has a program through the American Lung Association that gives you free vouchers for the patch. The only catch is that you have to make each meeting that is only 1 hour a week. My quit date is June 11. I am ready to quit smoking.

Today is my 1st day as a nonsmoker! YAY! I'm so sick of the cough, yellow teeth & smell! And the cost. I watched my best friend & Dad die of Lung Ca w/ mets to everywhere & it broke my heart. (He'd smoked but had been smoke-free for 30 yrs). I've been an RN for almost 30 yrs & am working toward an MSN & NP with the intention of teaching. So...if you're gonna talk the talk, gonna have to walk the walk! Am using the patch which worked really well for me other times I've quit so am confident it'll work! Thanks, everyone, for your posts! I badly need encouragement & so thankful that there are others willing to talk about their addictions too! Thanks for a great post & keep 'em comin'!

Don't forget to check out the American Lung Association's Quit program:

http://www.lungusa.org/site/c.dvLUK9O0E/b.33484/

I am trying to quit right now. I am using the gum. I seem to be o.k during the day. My worst times are in the morning when I am having coffee and right before I go to bed. I am quiting because I am 40 and have been smoking since I was 11. And because the love of my life who is 10 yrs older quit 5 months ago and is starting to snitch cigs from me. I don't want him to start again. The weird thing with me is I hate to smoke when I drink. So, If I could just stay drunk for 6 months.............

I'm on day 5 now. Lucky for me (!??) I have a really nasty upper resp infection...cough, runny nose, sneezing, etc...The LAST thing on my mind is a cig! Though, in my past, I HAVE been known to smoke when I had strep throat! How embarrassing! Oh well...Anyway...just hang in there! Each incident you're tempted & don't smoke, each day, each time you think of smoking and your GOOD side wins out again...it's a big big victory! And YOU will teach other people how to quit too...or to not ever start, if that's possible. We're all in this big 'ole world together so we want you to succeed & be happy too!

Ya, I'm trying to quit right now, again! This will be the 2nd time this year. It may not work right now since I am just going to begin the first year of PN schooling!

Well, I posted to this thread a year and a half ago and still haven't quit. It's pathetic. I did try Chantix for two months last fall - it helped, but I had these crazy vivid dreams every night and never felt rested, so I went off it (plus my insurance would rather pay for lung CA tx than Chantix...). I didn't really quit even when I was on it, but I did smoke less. I tried again Aug 1 of this year, cold turkey. I made it a whole day. I really want to quit, I just seem to lack all willpower.

You'll get there. I just quit a few days ago using the patch. I have a sore throat all the time, but my bp's down, and my sense of smell is returning. I have no desire to go back. Because we are addicted, we glorify cigarettes in our minds, like a child does with candy. Don't glorify them. Especially working at a health care setting, find something to do when you would normally smoke, bring a book even if you don't get very far on your break. It started for me because I'm trying to lose 15-20 pounds. Then I started smoking too much, plus I was running, my lungs were under stress and my chest hurt, and finally, I could barely finish one anymore. Make smokes poison. Think about it. Do gymnasts eat candy? Highly unlikely. We are in helping professions. We can do very little to help if we are ailing ourselves. Good luck to you, just remember, don't glorify the little buggers or you'll be running for a pack. Lie to yourself if you have to, it doesn't matter. Find a way to hate smoking.