I have set my quit date

[Angelina1]

Hello everyone, I have been doing alot of research in the last couple of days and I am prepping myself now to quit for once and for all.  My quit date has been set as Monday 30 March.  I'm kind of nervous about this but I will be ok. I know I will.  Will keep you all posted on my progress. Thanks, Angelina x

[kathyjo]

You might want to consider a prescription of Wellbutrin which is an anti-anxiety med (I think). Wellbutrin was used before Chantix came onto the scene and it had a fairly high success rate. In any case, it will help calm you through the tough times ; )
Hmm....as for "the program" let us know what it is and I hope they don't puncture any holes in your brain ; )

[Angelina1]

Thank you for all your support mommy and Kathyjo. I have a free day today so have dedicated it to reading the information on the whyquit website.

Kathyjo -  re Chantix - my doctor will not prescribe this for me as I suffer from anxiety and have also had one major depressive episode in the past so he doesn't want to give me something that can get me off the rails.  I know that without a doubt I will need something to help me along, so it could well be patches or even 'the program' that my friend and her husband went on (I have yet to receive the full details of what this program is so it's all abit of a mystery at the moment :-).  Will keep you all posted.  Angelina x

[kathyjo]

If you go onto whyquitdotcom you will see an answer to your "cold turkey" questions and plenty of support for quitting that way.
About 50% of people on the board chose to quit cold turkey, for their own reasons, but it is a choice that you will have to make.
I'm not quite sure what your friend and her husband used, but if it was chantix/champix, then the success rate is 44%. I used Chantix to quit and it really worked great. Saying that, there are so many people who have experienced side effects, some severe, so make sure you do your homework on it.
Most people that you tell truly want to see you succeed. The one who told you would not be able to succeed is probably bringing her own experience into your conversation.

Angelina, I'm sure there are plenty of stories out there, and personally, as a smoker of 38 years, for me to quit by any means, is close to a miracle ; )
You CAN do this, whatever way you want to do it, and you will succeed if you want to. That's the bottom line and the only one that matters.

We are here for you : )

[mommyoftwoboys75]

Good luck on your quit date, you'll do just fine :)  It sounds like ur friends that told you about this 4 week program were on some sort of aid.  When you quit using like chantix or zyban you smoke for the first 2 weeks.  When you smoke the nicotine binds to receptors in your body that carry the nicotine to your brain that's where the cravings come in.  In these medications they block those receptors from carrying the nicotine to the brain.  Your supposed to smoke for the first 2 weeks so your body builds up these receptor blockers and when the 2 weeks is up you quit all together.  When I used chantix I quit after 2 weeks and didn't really have cravings, it was more them mental part that was a little  harder.  
You can do it tho :)  The cravings don't last that long, during the cravings find something to do to take your mind off the smoking.  I did laundry, cleaned, ate lol and before you know it, its gone.  You can do it, good luck :)

[Angelina1]

Thanks so much Kathyjo and Jade59.  You know something?  I started telling a few friends today that I plan to quit on the 30th and whilst they are happy and excited for me, one of them advised me not to go cold turkey as I would probably fail again (gee thanks!! :-)) and another who quit five months ago is telling me to follow some 4 week program that she was on where you smoke for that period of time and then 'magically' after this period, you quit successfully without any withdrawal symptoms.  She was a pack a day smoker and her husband smoked 2 packs a day for 30 years and they have no desire to go back!  I am so confused now - I had geared myself up to stop all together on Monday and after speaking with these friends - in particular the one who was on 'the program' I'm starting to wonder whether I should follow her recommendation as she has basically 'sold' this idea to me that I will not crave ciggarettes once I quit and that sounds very tempting (it's the 'craving' that I would find hard to live with).  Not sure what to do now!  I'll keep you posted with whatever road I decide to take!

[Jade59]

Hi Angelina,

I am excited to hear you have a quit date set in place.  I know you're nervous about it which is normal.  We all are/were.  

Also, think about downloading a meter.  This will give you a visual of your progress and help keep you on track.  

This is a great forum as you have observed and we will be here for you if you need us : )

Best of luck!!!!

[kathyjo]

okay, sounds like a plan : )
Were you planning on using any quit aid? The patch is free in NYC but I don't know if other states offer the same.

A little advice Angelina and that would be to continue doing research and make a list for yourself, pro & cons, and remember to tell everyone of about your quit and ask for their support. We will also be here to lend you ours, but in case you need immediate help, it's always good to have someone you know and love on hand.

The first 3 days are the hardest physically. It takes 3 days for the nicotine to leave your body, but the emotional/mental addiction is the toughest. It always helps to try and figure out why you smoke. I think about 99% will say they smoke to relieve their stress. Little do we realize that smoking only adds to our problems. Of couse I found this out after I quit : )

If you haven't done so already, log onto whyquitdotcom and read through the "education" section. I found an answer to every question I ever had and more importantly, a response to every urge.
Good luck and we will be here for you.