helping him quit?

[casandbaby]

Hello, i myself am not a smoker but my husband is, he is a chain smoker he goes through a carton every two days and is currently trying to quit is there anything i could do to help? i know support and that but like is there anything else? he is currently back on the gum but doesn't really help. so any advice would be greatly appreciated thanks :D

[Tpain]

i m also trying to make my boyfrend quit but he doesnt seem to be putting much effort i hv almost given up i feel he shud stop for the sak of his health but he has had problems with drug abuse so he argues that smoking is his only solace as he doesnt take drugs nmo how cn i make him stop its killin him and our relationship becoz i cnt stand the smell of cigarrettes

[kathyjo]

Yes, it is very difficult but not impossible and I am living proof : ) Before I quit I needed to get the script for the Chantix and my doctor made sure to give me after a thorough check-up before prescribing it. If your husband decides to go that way, then he should make a point of asking about the thirst. I never had a problem with excessive thirst, but that is a sign of diabetes so make sure he gets that seen to. You can get that at any age so don't let that fool you.
I think the most difficult part of the quit is probably the emotional attachment we form. Physical withdrawal is over in 3 days but having to do everything without a cigarette is a huge adjustment and takes a long time. You have to re-train yourself......driving without it, coffee without it......phone conversations without it........beer without it : )  It is very hard but it can be done so just be patient and support him in his attempts.

Keep the forum posted : )
Kathy Jo

[casandbaby]

He is a local driver has about 12  to 14 hour days, he didn't do as well today as yesterday i will suggest he should try the pencil and or straw thing :) i wish they had commercials like that here. he's tried commit the lozenges but you can't drink while using them so he stopped using them. i'm not sure but does smoking make you more thirsty? i don't know just thought i'd ask cause he's always thirsty? i think spending the money on chantix would be far better than 15 cartons a month thanks kathyjo i really appreciate your kind wisdom, congrats on being smoke free i'm sure it was really hard :D

[kathyjo]

This is just a guess, but it could be because he drives for a living that he smokes a lot. I remember using cigarettes as a way to "stay awake." Is he away for long periods? It could be that his cigarettes have become his "best friend" traveling everywhere with him and always there for him. Make sure to show him the article "My cigarette my friend" and maybe you too will understand a little bit more how a smoker can feel about their smokes : ) Also, he needs to replace the cigarette between his fingers with something....maybe a straw or pencil....something to mimic the size and shape.
I used Chantix to quit. It is a prescription that should be taken for 3 months and it is a bit expensive, but it has a 45% quit rate and if you really, truly want to quit, you probably will with Chantix.
I smoked for 38 years, through my pregnancies and through their childhoods, so my addiction was hardcore.......and I quit using Chantix. We have someone on the forum who used hypnosis and quit....some quit with the gum, some with the patch and some quit cold turkey (suppose to be the best way), whatever way we chose, we all had one thing in common and that was we wanted to quit.....we were tired of smoking and tired of feeling the effects of smoking.
In NYC there is an onslaught of commercials....doctors, smokers minus limbs, family members talking about their dead smokers....oh, it was unbearable to continue to smoke and watch those 30 sec. commercials that aired every 15 minutes! What was good about it (hindsight) is that they offer free patches and free gum or lozenges which gives everyone incentive. No one smokes anymore in NYC : ) I was probably the last one to get the message : )
Keep us posted and have him post too. Get him used to the computer and bookmark a few sites so he can access them without your help : )
Oh, and remind him how much his baby needs a father!
Kathy Jo

[casandbaby]

thank you so much, i will definitly have him read those articles. i only asked because he rarely uses the computer thank you for your advice. he only smokes outside and he choose not to smoke in the car, for our babys sake :D he used the gum today and only smoked one and a half packs yay that is really good for him. he's a truck driver so he say's it's even harder why that is i do not know but i really appreciate you responding thank you :)

[kathyjo]

Hi,
It is important to support your husband, and you can ban smoking from the home and in the car, but that is about all you can do.
If he truly wants to quit then he should isolate himself when he does smoke, for your sake and the sake of your child/children/pets.
He should try reading all of the articles at whyquit.com. This will prepare him for all the things that he will have to deal with, emotional and physical.

Your husband should be the one asking these questions. It is an important step in quitting....publicly acknowledging the fact that you want to quit. The more people who know, the less likely he is to go back on his word : ) That's what helped me!
Given the amount thay he smokes, you might want to look into detox. He certainly cannot exist long, smoking that much!

Please urge HIM to read those articles at whyquit.com and remember that cigarette addiction is the most powerful addiction that we face. Support him, but demand your rights too.
Good luck!
Kathy Jo