HK3's Journal, 20 October 2021

Me and my wife quit smoking cigarettes by using Chantix after being heavy smokers for 33+ years, 30 to 50 smokes a day. For me it was a breeze, for her not so much. Quit in 2008. delete 

Go for it, to a healthier YOU 👏👏👏👍 

See what triggers you to use it and see if you can do something different instead of reaching for that i.e. distraction, meditation, mindfulness. 

my son reduced the nicotine levels and still had problems quitting, then he realized that he was still getting "rewarded" by the flavor so he went to non flavored and he also put it out of sight-in a cupboard, and that did the trick. good luck  

yes it is but you can do this.i did  

No easy way. Just stop 

great job. Keep up the great work on the healthy path 

Good luck! You got this! You can do it!! 

I agree with Kenna. I dipped for a few years. tried gum to step down but realized I was just prolonging the withdrawals. so I just stopped. it sucks for a month then it gets easier. just my experience.  

Brew, I have similar experience. Trying to slowly get off didn't work. I also tried chantix and my wife said I need to quit them because it made me a total b|@tch. She didn't realize that the effects lingered for a while and it would have been better to just finish the course 🤣. I managed to quit three... Four times cold turkey, but only the last time has held more than 2 years. "Hi my name is Yoh and I'm an addict. I've been without cigarettes for 4 years now." 

I had 2 CNAs in the nursing home try chantix. Said the nightmares were brutal. But it does work to kill the pleasure of smoking. 

I quit with the aid of Chantix and my husband. He quit at the same time and that made all of the difference I think for me, having a buddy! We both did not smoke after the first week of the Chantix and only used the one prescription, no refills! Smoke free since July 2007! Praise God! 

Congrats sweet_marie. And yes, having support does make a huge difference. I believe the time to keep smoking in the beginning was brutal. You would suck a ton of cigarettes but got no pleasure. I believe that's what made me super cranky back then 🤣.  

I quit smoking December 31, 1999. I used a nicotine gum to control my cravings... 

I just quit myself due to having skin removal surgery next month. They said I have to be nicotine free for a month before the surgery or I can’t have it. So I am using chantix and when it really gets bad I have a vape with 0 nicotine. You can do anything that you put your mind to! Good luck! 

Don’t stop juuling instantly, maybe try gradually taking less hits a day on the span of 2-3 weeks 

Yes, I do! I quit my 2 pack a day 25 year habit about 10 years ago. Go by a box of BLACK AND MILD. immediately toss the cigar and clean the plastic mouthpieces. Those are your "pacifiers" to wean off of everything. It gives you hand to mouth gratification but all your doing is inhaling plain air. AND YOU CAN DO IT ANYWHERE, ANYTIME. And think about all that $$$ you'll have. Let me know if you try it and how you're doing.  

My Dr. prescribed Wellbutrin for me. I only used it for a week. The meds were the pits. Quiting was still the hardest thing. I was cranky & had withdrawal symptoms from nicotine. I've been following you, I think you can go cold turkey. You are stronger than me, you have young kids as a motivator. More excercise, the endorphins will help. Play with your kids more, more distractions from the habit the better. I eat popcorn for the hand to mouth habit. Someone used a rubber band, snapped every time she had an urge. First month was cravings were the hardest. It took 2 months for me. Now the smell of cigarettes from my neighbors doesn't give me urges. Someone said something about using unflavored is right. I thought they passed a law in NY banning mint flavoring so kids didn't get hooked. Everytime you have the urge to puff, think of your kids. You can do this. Is this your 1st time quitting? 

AC I quit smoking once 15 years ago using the patch and was free for over a year. Now I’ve been using the juul because it’s much much better than cigarette smoke for sure, but it’s also easier to intake nicotine. And I do believe you’re right…I can absolutely do it…really I just have to want to. 

Yes, YOU have to want it more than the nicotine dependency. BTW, food is harder to control than smoking. I started as very light smoker, 1 pack a week. End of day to unwind. I quit cold turkey. Went through a stressful period. Restarted, still light, about 2 a day. Virginia slims. Then I was introduced to menthol. That got me hooked. I would light up after the gym. Fast forward decades later, turned forty. Tried with the patch. That got me hooked even more on nicotine. It made me a heavier smoker. I don't know how many hits you take on Juul. You have figure out what that means in terms of nicotine. I tried ecigs before Juul was a thing, didn't care for it. Waste of $$$. I had to mentally fight my inner demon(child), then the chemical dependency. I was at the point where nicotine no longer satisfies, it's just a habit & the hits were just to maintain the nicotine levels. Juul are cartridge refills right? Don't refill, just pretend you are taking hits on it. Just be prepared for withdrawal.