topic Re: Quitting smoking in Among Friends

Quitting smoking

Mom2Dogs — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 22:04:57 GMT

My husband is trying to quit smoking. He has a lot of anxiety so he got a short term script yesterday...he is very restless.

The doctor did not offer any other ideas, tips or drugs to help him. Anyone else go thru this and what did you do to help?

thanks

Re: Quitting smoking

SilleeMee — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 22:12:49 GMT

I took Rx Chantix and I stopped w/o any relapses in less than three months.

Chantix was taken off the market but there are Rx generics available.

Re: Quitting smoking

jlkz — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 22:14:54 GMT

@Mom2Dogs

DH quit in 1980. Just stopped after several educational sessions at the local hospital. His mother had emphysema and when the doctor showed what a preserved lung looked liked, he threw his pack of cigs out the car window.

He started walking every day and then progressed to jogging with simple weight lifting to alternate the exercises. By 1996, he developed ( inherited genes ) heart issues that required several stents. He was so glad that he had stayed off cigs for so long.

He is 82 now with 12 stents and just successfully came through his second ablation in 5 years for AFib. No cigs still. Walking is the exercise of choice / necessity now with a little golf thrown in !

Keep moving until the urge wanes.....

Re: Quitting smoking

colleena — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 22:15:47 GMT

@Mom2Dogs Your dh is amazing & I wish him all the best quitting smoking.

For me, it was not easy as I had alot of anxiety also but after quitting/trying to quit too many times I finally have stayed non smoking for years. But, there are times I'm out/about & just happen to walk closer to someone who's smoking & years later it still tempts me so I hurriedly walk the other way.

Re: Quitting smoking

AZfem — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 22:16:05 GMT

There are patches, lozenges & stuff you can buy.

For me, I quit cold turkey. I substituted Ludens & hard candy for my cigarettes especially my after eating smoke. I know these are sugary, bad for your teeth things but they got me through & eventually I got off them too.

I think you need something else to put in your mouth when the craving strikes until you get over the hardest days.

Re: Quitting smoking

spumoni99 — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 22:16:38 GMT

My husband quit in the 90's using the patch. Just remind him his lungs can heal from the damage, it is definitely worth it to quit.

Re: Quitting smoking

Mom2Dogs — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 22:16:46 GMT

@jlkz Good for your husband...my dh has been doing a lot of walking, and he is testy....

Re: Quitting smoking

Mom2Dogs — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 22:18:05 GMT

@spumoni99 Congrats to your husband, my dh did try the patch years ago...I guess it did not work for him.

Re: Quitting smoking

Mom2Dogs — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 22:20:35 GMT

@AZfem I guess he is going cold turkey as well except for the script he got for anxiety.

He is 83 and has smoked on and off for years, earlier it was a pipe, now it's those tiny cigars.

He does not talk a lot and I was not aware he was even trying to quit until I noticed how short he was with me and and realized he was not going outside to smoke a couple of times in the evening.

Re: Quitting smoking

Group 5 minus 1 — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 22:22:06 GMT

There is a sign on the door of one of the stores we go to that says "quitting smoking is the hardest thing you will ever do"

Now my Mom just quit one day. Hubbs says his grampa did the same.

Re: Quitting smoking

Mom2Dogs — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 22:22:40 GMT

@SilleeMee I did ask if the doctor offered anything else, he said no.

I wonder why he did not offer something similar to Chantix....I will menetion it to him...I think he will give the anxiety med a chance to work and it not he will need to call the office.

Re: Quitting smoking

ECBG — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 22:24:21 GMT

I took Chantrix as well. I also dropped my triggers like coffee, and chewing gum. The hardest part was someone's smoke smelled wonderful to me but no one else.

One time I took a tiny puff of a friend's cigarette. My body revolted! I coughed until I turned blue!

Re: Quitting smoking

Kachina624 — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 22:31:31 GMT

I was a heavy smoker who never tried to quit. On October 13, 1985, I was on a flight to Albuquerque for a vacation with parents to take a long RV trip.

As I smoked one last cig before landing, the thought when through my head that I might quit. I never smoked another. I used no pills, patches or nicotine gum...nothing. As we left the airport, dad asked why I wasn't smoking. I told him, "I quit 45 minutes ago".

The first few days were rough but I was around non-smokers in an unusual routine which made it easier. I carried cigarettes with me for a month and eventually threw them away.

Wild horses couldn't get me to smoke now. Several of my smoking friends have died of lung diseases. I won't even be around a smoker.

Re: Quitting smoking

AZfem — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 22:30:31 GMT

@Mom2Dogs

My husband took a behavior modification class. They had him put smoked cigarette butts in a jar with water to look at. Its disgusting looking.

Re: Quitting smoking

KittySoftPaws — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 22:31:48 GMT

@SilleeMee Chantix is the only thing that worked for my husband too. Can you tell me what the new one is that replaced it? He needs to quit again.

Re: Quitting smoking

Jrzgirl — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 22:36:31 GMT

I quit cold turkey about 50 years ago- My husband & I decided we wanted to have a baby. Since I knew I shouldn't smoke during pregnancy I quit. I did take up gum chewing for a while but also gave that up when I realized how ugly chomping on gum looked.

Good luck to your husband (& you).

Re: Quitting smoking

Tinkrbl44 — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 22:37:50 GMT

@Mom2Dogs wrote:
My husband is trying to quit smoking. He has a lot of anxiety so he got a short term script yesterday...he is very restless.

The doctor did not offer any other ideas, tips or drugs to help him. Anyone else go thru this and what did you do to help?

thanks

@Mom2Dogs

Nicotine Addiction is a serious problem.

Although many smokers don't like to see it that way, they are addicts. Withdrawl is to be expected with any addictive substance.

Check your insurance and also search Smoking Cessation and see what comes up in your area.

A good friend quit with minimal usage of nicotine gum and patches.

For her, there was first reducing the amount of nicotine she was intaking on a daily basis.

Secondly, there was the habit of activity of the actual smoking ... lighting the cigarette, having one after dinner.

Chewing regular gum or mints .... a replacement for the oral satisfaction needs to be addressed, one way or another.

Good luck!

Re: Quitting smoking

SilleeMee — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 22:43:51 GMT

@KittySoftPaws wrote:
@SilleeMee Chantix is the only thing that worked for my husband too. Can you tell me what the new one is that replaced it? He needs to quit again.

@KittySoftPaws

Varenicline is the name of the medication. You can look for brands under that.

Re: Quitting smoking

KittySoftPaws — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 22:44:40 GMT

@SilleeMee Thank you!!

Re: Quitting smoking

Q-Checker — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 22:56:59 GMT

I quit cold turkey 45 years ago by participating in a smoking cessation program at a local hospital. I think it was a franchise but do not ;recall the name of the program. We met every night for a week and then once a week for a month. Two things that I still recall from the program tha helped me the most were the motto "The urge to smoke will go away whether you smoke or not" and using the money that I used to spend on cigarettes to buy myself special treats. I still have the cashmere gloves that I bought as one special treat! The group support was also very helpful and almost everyone succeeded with quitting.