I’ve had an interesting week.
On Tuesday I finally managed to quit smoking. Yeah! I did it with the help of medication – not cold turkey. No way … I’ve tried that before and uhm … no one likes a raging Trish.
I started taking Zyban on October 1st and after 3 or four days the cigarettes that I was smoking had started to have no really taste … they were just like sucking on hot air. You’d think I would have put them aside at that point, but old habits die hard. I kept reaching for them even though there was zero enjoyment from them.
By this past Tuesday – October 12th, I’d only had two cigarettes by about 2:30 in the afternoon. At the point I decided to try not having any more that day – and well if I could make it through the rest of Tuesday then that would be my official Quit Day.
It was. I haven’t had a cigarette in about 76 hours and for the most part I think I’m doing pretty good.
I’ve been having cravings here and there, but when I do I just try to distract myself and within five to ten minutes the craving goes away.
Thanks to the Zyban it’s definitely a lot easier to quit smoking than going cold turkey. I’m not as agitated, anxious or angry as I was when I tried quitting cold turkey in the past.
The only major problem is that I’m not sleeping very well at all. I think the medication gives you a bit of an energy boost and it’s known for giving people insomnia. Maybe I should put on the ol’ Nike Dunks and burn off some of that extra energy in the early evening so I can get some sleep?
Now that it seems that I’ve successfully quit I’ll see if I can lower the medication dose in a few days. I think that might help with my sleeping issues as well.
I’m determined to stay quit this time around. My husband, who smoked much less than I did, also quit, so our house is smoke free now.
Congratulations on quitting! 😀
I’ve been trying to quit smoking for years now. Tried all sorts. Got onto electronic cigarettes now and they seem to work better than patches, inhalators, gum and all the other fads.
Other than the extra energy boost and insomnia, does Zyban have any other side effects that you know of?
I don’t know how i found your site but i really enjoyed the info provided. I quit smoking for almost a year now, but i know the work stress is not helping. If you are really really decided to quit, believe me ! You can. Simply replace your addiction by another one like reading, cooking, love …, travel, etc … good luck.
Congrats, I imagine that this also means spending less money.
I think its quite tough task to do and if you achieve it then hats off to you!
Awesome!!! I hope you are still smoke free.
An Arkies Musings
That’s good, make sure that you wont smoke again. I know its hard to leave. So keep some high determination in your mind.
Congrats, I imagine that this also means spending less money.
Congratulations on quitting smoking !
I am sure you’ll be able to reap the benefits much better than you think =)
I must say, the real reason for you to quit smoking should be your determination. I mean.. some smokers who wants to quit gave up after trying once… but I guess you never gave up trying.. so.. that really help you turn things around =)
Oh.. another way to prevent that cravings is to take breathe deeply and hold before exhaling to clear your cravings thought. It works really well… although I guess by now, you should be well over yr cravings =)
Congratulations again !!
Congrats on quitting! I had quit for 2 years cold turkey, but one night of extreme stress, a few drinks and an offer to bum a smoke from a friend and I was back to 2 packs a day within a week.
I switched to electronic cigarettes over a year ago and am having the same health improvements as when I quit cold turkey, but this time I don’t feel like killing anyone lol.