need advice, not sure where to post this

[Soylent Brice]

ok

so, i am divorced, single dad.

i found out last year that i have glaucoma.
then i went in for kidney stones last tuesday.

the catscan, (CT scan?) revealed i have nodules on the bottom of my lungs.
i know, don't panic, etc.
well, in this case, i think i should be panicking, long story short.

so, now i'm trying to quit smoking.
it's not going well

trying the e-cigarette.
not the same.

short fuse. frustration, anger. no patience.
those adjectives are completely antithetical to me as a person.
i'm known for my ridiculously too long of a fuse.
if that's even grammatically correct

i digress.

to the point:

how the fuck do people quit smoking?

seriously. i don't have a clue how in the world people have done this.
i know this sounds extremely weak and pathetic but just fuck. i mean, really.

i would go to a doctor for help but i am an IT contractor, no health insurance.
so that's a no go.

i just feel hopeless. of all the crazy shit i've overcome, of all the shit i've beaten, and this is what brings me to my knees.



tips, reading info, anything but prayers.

i'm all ears.



on edit: this is my 2nd serious attempt at quitting. tried a while back. totally bombed.
figured i was young, i'd have another shot. i don't trust myself to not cheat and sneak smoking still.
just throwing that out there. not sure if anyone else can relate. i just know of all the things in the world this is one that i have no willpower with.

[NYC_SKP]

1. 2 packs a day. Hypnosis. smoke free since 11/18/2010

It took three sessions, years apart, first two didn't last.

[Soylent Brice]

3. thank you

i've never considered hypnosis.
i tried the gum last time, i just kept smoking and chewing the gum. that was a hot mess.

i'll be honest, I am a bit skeptical.
what do they do, or rather, how does it work?

i know that sounds like a dumb question, but all i can picture is that scene from Office Space.

[NYC_SKP]

5. Sorry for the delayed response.

My guy interviewed me, took notes, and he used those notes, my ideas, to construct the talk he gave me while I was "relaxed", so my own thoughts were used.

I didn't try hard enough the first two times to stick with it, but may not have been ready yet.

This third time, and the three attempts were years apart, I was more serious and was also in an office, not a work-at-home setting as before, so it had a better chance of working.

Good luck.

[LeftofObama]

2. My friend went on the patch 2 1/2 weeks ago and he says they work.

Here's the story...

We're both runners. A couple of weeks ago we ran a 5K and he hit the wall at about the 2 - 2.5 mile mark. He just ran out of breath and couldn't go any more. I could see the hurt and pain in him because he loves to run, but he also loves to smoke. I have/will NEVER judge ANYONE for anything so I said, "Hey let's see if giving up, or at least cutting down gives you some oxygen back. If it does then great! If it doesn't it was worth a shot."

He's tried everything in the past. Cold turkey, Nicorette gum, Wellbutrin, and Chantix. Nothing worked. I went to Wal Mart and picked up a box of the generic (Equate brand) step 1 21 mg. nicotine patches and took them over to him. I told him to try them since he hasn't done that yet. I told him we had 2 weeks until the next 5K and since these are one patch a day for 14 days he will be ready for the step 2 patches by the time we run the next race. He tried them and he told me they worked. He smoked about a pack to a pack and a half a day before he went on the patch.

We ran our next 5K this past Saturday and he finished. He said he still craves a cigarette once or so a day, but he just leaves the patch on and goes for a walk or a run and the craving goes away.

If you've tried everything else and it didn't work maybe you should give them a try. Keep us posted and good luck!

[Soylent Brice]

4. first thing, that's a really cool story

2nd thing, i seriously don't trust myself to not smoke while i'm wearing the patch. never tried it, but i'm relatively confident i'd be stupid enough to smoke simultaneously.

the psychological aspect is just as strong as the physical for me.

[Alan Selk]

6. Give tobacco harm reduction a try

Last edited Fri Jul 19, 2013, 01:15 PM - Edit history (1)

I don't know how you are doing with you quit attempt, but if I look at the statistics I would suspect not well. These are a few sites that may help you out

http://www.casaa.org

http://www.smokersonly.org

Electronic cigarettes, though a good alternative to smoking, is not the only product out there. Contrary to common myth smokeless tobacco is about 99% less harmful then inhaling smoke. I quit a 40 year smoking habit over 4 years ago using Swedish snus and it was actually easy. It's the smoke that kills, not tobacco or nicotine.

[krawhitham]

7. disposable e-cigarettes did not work for me, here is what did

Take all this in with a grain of salt because I've only been cigarette free for 2 months (was 1.5 packs a day), I do not think I will relapse, this is the longest I have been smoke free in 20 years

I had tried disposable e-cigarettes on and off for almost 2 years and they in no way helped get me off the real thing. I then decided I had to quite no matter what because of the HC surcharge for smokers

At the start of May I picked up a refilliable/reuseable/rechargable e-cigarette from Halo. I also bought some patches (strongest they make).

I used patches and the e-cigarette for a week. The patch helped the cravings a lot but not all the way, the E-cig filled in the gap most of the time (I had about 1 real cig a day. I light it, take a puff then put it out, relight as needed through the day). During this time I noticed the cravings were less and less after the 1st couple days I was only switching the patch every 36-48 hours instead of the directed 24 hours

So I stopped using the patch and used the E-cig a little more the 2nd week, and I noticed I was not smoking all of my "allotted" real cig each day

When the 3rd week rolled around I stopped smoking any real cig (removed them all from the house), but I was using the e-cig a lot more.

Since that 3rd week I've only been using the E-Cig but I have greatly reduced how much I use the e-cig. This reduction was not planed or attempted it is just what I've noticed over time. Also I started with 24mg NIC level now I'm at 12mg.

So in the last 2 months on the E-cig I dropped my NIC level by half and I'm also only using half the liquid I was when I started. I have bought plenty of different flavors and a few extra batteries.

Knowing what I know now I would not have started with the Halo E-cig, their batteries are not compatible with most atomizers. Starting off now I would have bought a Ego Spinner battery and charger, that will let you use any EGO and/or 510 atomizer. But Halo's juice is some of the best I have found

If cost is a main concern shop from Fasttech.com Everything has free shipping but it is shipping from Hong Kong and it takes 1 to 1.5 weeks to get your items. Besides time Fasttech is great for hardware but do not buy any juices from them because you have no idea what they contain. Most USA juice makers give you a breakdown of what they are using


My plan is to drop to 0mg NIC and continue to use the e-cig as a food suppressant


E-Cigarette Forum is a great source of info on E-Cigs


BTW the NIC from a real cig hit you in 5-7 seconds, the NIC from an E-cig takes 25-35 seconds (something about vaper being larger than smoke)

[lyonn]

8. e-cigs helped me

I turned 75 last month and In Jan., after going to a pulmonolgist and being told I had about a quarter of a lung left it got my attention. I knew I felt horrible, tired, short of breath, but concluded it was old age and cigs, just couldn't quit. In approx. Oct. 2012 I started smoking e-cigs due to feeling crummy and knowing the cigs were "killing" me. I would smoke maybe 3 to 5 real cigs a day while smoking the E's until the Dr. told me the facts. Left the Dr.'s ofc. and haven't had a real cig since. I use "Clean Cig" simple because I found them at a smoke shop on the counter and have not tried other brands. Truly all that stuff in a real cig is dreadful. I go crazy if I lose my fake cig, of course I keep a spare, hahaha - died in the wool addict. Oh, and started smoking at age 19. Tried to quit using the lasted mind bending drugs plus the gum and cold turkey one time for 3 months and nearly divorced my husband 'cause he made too much noise eating an apple, jk, ha

Good luck in any case.

Edit: My Dr. said the E cigs were fine!!

[WheelWalker]

9. I had a heart attack. That was enough motivation for me.

...and, I chewed as well, often at the same time. Now eighteen years no tobacco.

[Hamlette]

10. gum

I still chew it. It is cheaper online than in stores, try eBay. Nicotrol is the same as Nicolette. Been over 15 year.