Beginner's Guide to Smoking Cessation http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/ Smoking Cessation en Copyright 2007 Tue, 05 Sep 2006 21:35:02 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.35 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Day 36 - Puttin' on the Pounds gain.jpg One of the biggest obstacles - besides the addiction -- to quitting smoking are fears of weight gain. In fact, on average, people who quit smoking gain approximately 12 pounds. Why? Because for the average heavy smoker, the simple act of smoking burns around 200 calories a day and add to that your increased metabolism, and it's no wonder so many supermodels take up cigarettes to control their weight.

]]> http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/getting-started/day-36-puttin-on-the-pounds.php http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/getting-started/day-36-puttin-on-the-pounds.php Getting Started Tue, 05 Sep 2006 21:35:02 +0000 Day 29 - Vegas Baby, Vegas vegas.jpgSo, after 29 days, the withdrawal pangs are pretty much done and over with. What's even better, however, is that -- after starting this experiment out with around 10 nicotine lozenges a day -- yesterday I had only three lozenges. I suspect that every day won't be as good as that, but it's certainly a start toward not only a smoke-free life, but a nicotine free life.

]]> http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/30-days-to-a-new-kind-of-cool/day-29-vegas-baby-vegas.php http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/30-days-to-a-new-kind-of-cool/day-29-vegas-baby-vegas.php 30 Days to a New Kind of Cool Tue, 29 Aug 2006 16:33:01 +0000 Day 20 - A Few Words on Relapse relapse.jpgBack on Day 13, I talked a little about the frequency of relapse. Really, almost every first, second, third, and fourth time quitter will relapse, which is why it takes - on average - twelve times before most people can quit for good. But, like anything, you just have to keep trying. In fact, this may be the one time when quitting is not for losers.

]]> http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/30-days-to-a-new-kind-of-cool/day-20-a-few-words-on-relapse.php http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/30-days-to-a-new-kind-of-cool/day-20-a-few-words-on-relapse.php 30 Days to a New Kind of Cool Mon, 21 Aug 2006 14:09:41 +0000 Day 13 - Who Are You Doing it For? driving.jpg
No. I didn't relapse. But I have before. Most people who quit trying to smoke will. Given how many times it takes the average person to quit before he or she quits for good, relapse is almost inevitable. In fact, the only reason I have as much experience with quitting is because I've done it so many times. I've made it days, weeks, months, and even years without relapsing. But, I've always relapsed, though I'm going to make damn sure that I don't this time.

]]> http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/30-days-to-a-new-kind-of-cool/day-13-who-are-you-doing-it-for.php http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/30-days-to-a-new-kind-of-cool/day-13-who-are-you-doing-it-for.php 30 Days to a New Kind of Cool Thu, 17 Aug 2006 15:18:21 +0000 Day 8 - I don't like this anymore low.jpgA lot of things happen to your body when you quit smoking. Chemically, your brain's reward system gets kind of whacked, your dopamine levels falls off until your brain figures out that a lot of those juicy substances it's used to aren't coming back, and your emotions end up playing tricks on you. People around you, those you live with and those you see daily, will probably suggest that your mood swings and general emotional dysfunction is purely psychosomatic, and I'd admit that there's a lot of truth to it. But, even symptoms that are mental feel no less real to someone who has recently quit smoking -- beyond purely physical withdrawal symptoms, the hardest part of quitting is probably the psychological torture your feelings inflict upon you.

]]> http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/30-days-to-a-new-kind-of-cool/day-8-i-dont-like-this-anymore.php http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/30-days-to-a-new-kind-of-cool/day-8-i-dont-like-this-anymore.php 30 Days to a New Kind of Cool Thu, 17 Aug 2006 15:11:23 +0000 My First Week Anniversary! cake.jpgToday, I've officially gone 7-days without so much as touching a cigarette. A small feat, sure. But, it's a large step to becoming a lifelong non-smoker. And, to celebrate this occasion, I've done a lot of research over the Science of Addiction, which can be read in detail in our addiction section. But, on day 7, I will summarize some of my findings, some of which makes perfect sense, and some of which you may not have known.

]]> http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/30-days-to-a-new-kind-of-cool/my-first-week-anniversary.php http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/30-days-to-a-new-kind-of-cool/my-first-week-anniversary.php 30 Days to a New Kind of Cool Thu, 17 Aug 2006 15:06:00 +0000 The First Weekend & The Beer in Hand Rule beer.jpgAside from the daily pangs of withdrawal, the almost constant level of irritation, and the insufferable mornings before I'm able to get nicotine coursing through my system via the Commit Lozenge, one of the biggest hurdles to your quit-smoking campaign will be that first weekend, specifically the first social engagement that also might involve alcohol. For those of you who can withstand the coffee/cigarette association, many others will break down at the first whiff of Bud Light.

]]> http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/30-days-to-a-new-kind-of-cool/the-first-weekend-the-beer-in-hand-rule.php http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/30-days-to-a-new-kind-of-cool/the-first-weekend-the-beer-in-hand-rule.php 30 Days to a New Kind of Cool Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:10:44 +0000 Day 4 - The Hulk Out hulk.jpgSo, I actually had my first meltdown yesterday afternoon. It was a normal husband-wife tiff about nothing -- as they all tend to be -- that exploded on me because I wasn't smoking. The nicotine replacement products are great for de-intensifying the withdrawal symptoms, as long as you aren't pushed. But, within a matter of seconds, in that tiny argument, my voice escalated and things just started coming out of my mouth fast and furious and I had little control over it. To be fair, my wife knew what was going on and she sort of shrugged at me and laughed it off. At one point, though, she did say, "Why don't you just have a cigarette and we'll talk about this when your sane again."

]]> http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/30-days-to-a-new-kind-of-cool/day-4-the-hulk-out.php http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/30-days-to-a-new-kind-of-cool/day-4-the-hulk-out.php 30 Days to a New Kind of Cool Thu, 17 Aug 2006 13:57:48 +0000 Day 3 - Nicotine Replacement is Your Friend commit.jpgNote to self: Pop Nicotine Lozenge right out of the shower. Again, on Day 2, once I got nicotine into my system, I had very little problems coping throughout the day. But, again, this morning, I tried to wait a couple of hours after I woke up, and I was okay the first hour, but as soon as I had to interact with someone, it was like I'd suddenly gotten Tourette's syndrome, as a mouthful of profanity just spewed forth for little reason. Later this month, I'll research and discuss why nicotine withdrawal makes us feel this way, but for now, I just need to continue using the lozenges hardcore, at least until I can get my hair-trigger irritability under control.

]]> http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/30-days-to-a-new-kind-of-cool/day-3-nicotine-replacement-is-your-friend.php http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/30-days-to-a-new-kind-of-cool/day-3-nicotine-replacement-is-your-friend.php 30 Days to a New Kind of Cool Thu, 17 Aug 2006 13:13:19 +0000 Day 2 - Here Comes the Boilin' Blood angry.jpg
So, overall, Day 1 was a piece of cake. I managed to keep ahead of the cravings by popping around 6 lozenges yesterday, which is about the equivalent of 12 cigarettes. The cravings never really overtook me, and I got a lot of assistance from the 100 degree weather, because as smokers know, cigarettes don't do much for you in the hot weather. Since I work in a home/office, I'm pretty used to stepping out every hour and a half or so for a smoke, but I was actually thankful not to have to yesterday, since the sun was blazing. It also didn't hurt that I was able to keep my mind off of smoking, in large part, by working from the time I woke up until around 10:30 last night. Keeping your mind on something else not only helps with the cravings, but it makes you an awfully productive person.

]]> http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/30-days-to-a-new-kind-of-cool/day-2-here-comes-the-boilin-blood.php http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/30-days-to-a-new-kind-of-cool/day-2-here-comes-the-boilin-blood.php 30 Days to a New Kind of Cool Thu, 17 Aug 2006 12:13:33 +0000 Day 1 - Up in Smoke smoke.jpg In general, the first day is often one of the easiest. Truth is, on the first day, your excitement for quitting generally outweighs your need for a cigarette, your resolve is on full-tilt, and -- if you planned correctly -- you probably smoked enough the night before to inject enough nicotine into your bloodstream to get you through most of the day. Still, don't leave anything to risk - and don't test your willpower anymore than you need to. If the first thing you do in the morning is wake up and grab a smoke, then I'd suggest waking up and chewing a piece of Nicorette, popping a Commit Lozenge, or immediately applying your first Nicotine patch.

]]> http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/30-days-to-a-new-kind-of-cool/day-1-up-in-smoke.php http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/30-days-to-a-new-kind-of-cool/day-1-up-in-smoke.php 30 Days to a New Kind of Cool Thu, 17 Aug 2006 11:04:44 +0000 An Introduction fuchssmoking.jpgIf what they say about smoking being a low-class addiction, growing up dirt poor in the South, becoming a smoker was almost inevitable, I suppose. I was surrounded by it from birth -- I have no doubt that the doctor who delivered me probably did so one-armed, with one hand waiting for my release from the womb and the other holding a cigarette. My mother smoked, my brother started before he'd hit puberty, and my sister followed soon thereafter in her teens, so it was borderline miraculous that I was able to avoid it as long as I did. I'd picked up one now and again during college, but -- for the most part -- I saw the addiction as representative of the impoverishment and weak-willed nature of the schlubs who lived in my neighborhood, the kind of folks I was determined not to be.

]]> http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/30-days-to-a-new-kind-of-cool/an-introduction.php http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/30-days-to-a-new-kind-of-cool/an-introduction.php 30 Days to a New Kind of Cool Thu, 17 Aug 2006 10:22:38 +0000 Nicotine Inhaler and Nicotine Nose Spray The less popular nicotine replacement therapies tend to be the nicotine inhalers and the nose spray, and they may be less popular simply because they require a doctor's prescription, which can be pretty annoying for many of you who up and decide to quit overnight and don't have the time to make a doctor's appointment. The inhaler (sometimes called the "puffer") works sort of like an asthma inhaler -- you stick it to your mouth and release a small burst of nicotine whenever you have a craving. Most inhalers have around 400 puffs in them, which delivers around the equivalent of six cigarettes, so you may go through quite a few inhalers in a week's time. Some of the inhalers, also, are easy to carry around and even hold/twirl in your hands, which might relieve some of your hand fixation issues -- it can sort of mimic the act of smoking a cigarette (in fact, I've seen people who simply chew on the inhalers in between puffs). I have to be honest, I've not tried the inhaler for any extended period of time -- I've borrowed one or two from friends, and they seem to work okay, but if you're using 6 - 16 cartridges a day, plus the doctor's bill, I can image it would run into quite an expense.

Likewise, I've never even tried the nicotine nasal spray, and quite honestly, I have no desire to do so. Snorting droplets a nicotine through my nostrils simply doesn't have a lot of appeal, especially in public places, though I do imagine that the nicotine is delivered into your bloodstream quickly, because it travels through the nasal membranes (which is why people snort cocaine). However, it might be inconvenient to stick a nasal spray bottle up your nostril twice an hour, which is what is recommended. Moreover, from what I understand, the side effects include nasal irritation, a fast heart rate, and diarrhea, which I'm not okay with. Plus, it has the same hang-ups that the inhaler does, in that you have to get a prescription to use it.

Inhaler and Nasal Spray: C -

]]> http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/nicotine-replacement-therapy/nicotine-inhaler-and-nicotine-nose-spray.php http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/nicotine-replacement-therapy/nicotine-inhaler-and-nicotine-nose-spray.php Nicotine Replacement Therapy Wed, 16 Aug 2006 17:27:18 +0000 Nicotine Lozenge The other major nicotine replacement product is the Nicotine Lozenge, and the most popular brand name is Commit. Personally, the lozenge is my preference. I'll admit that, at first, it doesn't always taste that great and can feel somewhat strange in your mouth, but after you get used to it, some of you (like myself) may actually like it almost as much as smoking. It's basically just a mint that you stick in your mouth that generally last around half an hour or so. It tastes pretty good after you've had a few, it doesn't leave canker sores like the gum often can, nor does it leave the weird aftertaste that the gum does. Moreover, though it doesn't solve the hand fixation, it will satiate your need to have something in your mouth. I'm a big fan of that, because for many people who quit smoking, you're inclined to replace cigarettes with food, and at least while the lozenge is in your mouth, you can't really eat. So, in a way, the lozenge doubles as nicotine replacement and helps to curb your desires to munch.

A few warnings, however: 1) In my opinion, the lozenge -- because it offers few drawbacks -- can be pretty addictive. I was actually on the lozenge for around two years before I was able to wean myself off of it with the patch. And 2) sometimes, they can cause hiccups, if you suck on them too fast. Also, whatever you do, don't swallow them, otherwise you're in for about 2 hours of hiccups and probably a pretty bad headache.

Overall, however, I give the nicotine lozenge a solid A-.

]]> http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/nicotine-replacement-therapy/nicotine-lozenge.php http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/nicotine-replacement-therapy/nicotine-lozenge.php Nicotine Replacement Therapy Wed, 16 Aug 2006 17:26:56 +0000 Nicotine Patch The Nicotine transdermal patch is probably the second most popular option. Basically, it works by delivering a low-level of nicotine into your blood stream through your skin over the course of the day. You can buy them in 21, 14, and 7 mg levels, and I'd suggest buying the patch that is equivalent to the amount of cigarettes you smoke and then working your way down -- if you smoke a pack a day, start with the 21 mg, and if you are a light smoker, the 7mg level might work for you.

I'm not a huge fan of the patch, except in its value to wean you off of other nicotine replacement products. It does, in fact, help to curb the cravings, but it does nothing insofar as your oral or hand fixations. Because of that, there have been many reports, some even myths, of people who smoke while they are on the patch, which can sometimes lead to unpleasant consequences, such as heart attacks and seizures. Moreover, the patch can get a little itchy at times, and it tends to leave these really big black sticker circles on your skin, which can be a little annoying. Also, some people are susceptible to rashes.

However, though I don't think it's recommended to sleep with the patch on, I will tell you that -- if you do -- it gives you some really wicked dreams. They are very vivid, and sometimes harrowing nightmares, but occasionally you'll get a pretty cool dream out of it. For those of you who like that sort of thing, I suppose the patch can be fun. Also, if you do take it off before you go to bed, the cravings for cigarettes may be pretty strong when you wake up, and the patch takes several hours to take full effect. If you are going to try to the patch, I might suggest that you supplement it with the gum, for those times when you're really hard up for a smoke.

Overall, I'd give the Nicotine Patch a C.

]]> http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/nicotine-replacement-therapy/nicotine-patch.php http://beginnersguide.com/smoking-cessation/nicotine-replacement-therapy/nicotine-patch.php Nicotine Replacement Therapy Wed, 16 Aug 2006 17:26:26 +0000