I disagree, the idea that people can't do cold turkey, well, that is rubbish.
I'll say even more, it's the most effective method, it's the fastest method, the one with best success rates, and the cheapest.

The key ingredient to success when doing a cold turkey is information, read up on

http://www.whyquit.org/

- how nicotine works

- how it affects your body

- how you can reduce the withdrawal symptoms


- and what can happen if you don't quit.
33 years old
http://whyquit.com/whyquit/bryanandson.jpg
2 months later :
http://whyquit.com/whyquit/bed.jpg
http://www.whyquit.com/whyquit/BryanLeeCurtis.html


Go to Whyquit.org, it's a non profit, informational website full of the best information you can get. Go through that website, it's the best chance you'll get and it will cost you .... 0 USD. That's right, it's free.

Of the people that I know who have successfully quit more have required help than were able to go cold turkey.

Everyone is different, to not acknowledge that is rubbish.

It's not that they used help that they required it.
It's not because they did it with help, that they could not have done it without, if they informed themselves about it.

I know more people who did it with an informed CT that stayed off the ciggies, and a lot of them had done it with help first, but relapsed within months.. with the informed CT they did it and stayed off the ciggies.

Statistics for Cold Turkey are 10 % success, more if the attempt is done with the help of information to support the attempt.

Fact is , Nicotine replacement is not quitting Nicotine
Fact is, Zyban, Champix both carry some serious risks
Fact is, they all cost a lot of money

All the Big pharma does, is market the idea that quitting is impossible without their product.
Hell, they use the same ad companies as Big Tobacco did or does.
Worse yet. they buy the stuff for Nicotine replacement products from the same tobacco farmers as Big Tobacco.

And nothing is easier then telling the addict:
"you can't do without your substance".

It's basically repeating what their inner (addicted) voice already says.
(imagine going to a smack head, and telling him "you know, you can't quit your addiction on your own, you can't do without, it will be so impossibly hard to quit, that you'll fail..So you need help to quit, you need my product to quit")

Nothing is further from the truth.

Quitting simply is not THAT hard, it's not so difficult as Big Pharma would make you believe.

Informed Cold Turkey is the most effective method. It's not because you know people that did it otherwise that it means they couldn't have done it cheaper and faster with an informed Cold Turkey.

From your link.

Every recovery is different. The number and intensity of effects noticed or felt varies from person to person, and even between each person's own cessation experiences. Many members at Freedom are surprised to find that they experience almost no symptoms at all, while others are confronted with multiple symptoms. The number and types of particular feeding cues selected and formed by endless compliance with the mind's chemical demand for nicotine refueling also cause each person's recovery experience to be unique.

By understanding some of the symptoms and effects it may be possible, in some instances, to minimize their impact by thought or action.

I think your position is a good example for the Confidence vs Arrogance thread.

Sure, but it does not say that Cold Turkey won't work for some.
The entire website is a Cold Turkey website, you won't find any argument on that website in favour of Chemical aids.

A co worker had a bad deal with Champix and it now on permanent medical leave. I don't like pharma drugs and am doing the patches (again). I would like to try the e cigs, but they're illegal here, but i still see them around.

My willpower sucks... :)

Addiction causes physical changes in some folks brains. Cold Turkey is not the panacea nor is the method that I used, Cold Turkey did not work for me anymore. IMHO arguing about what is the best way is absolutely and anally silly; it is stopping the dang habit that is the desired outcome.

Addiction causes physical changes in EVERY smokers brain, not just some.

btw Daminal, have you read the Whyquit.org website?

If there is a better way, why not argue it?
Somebody has to argue against the lies sold by Big Pharma.

Big Pharma tries to make every body think that Cold Turkey is near impossible, and in practice it is not that difficult, if only people would inform themselves before and during the attempt.

Patches does not get you off the nicotine, hence why people go on patches, off smoke, but invariably relapse cause they keep thinking off cigarettes cause they simply sustain the addiction through the patches. and getting off the patches is mental torture because you slowly torture yourself in a prolonged nicotine withdrawal.

Those who ever tried it, know what i mean.
Champix and Zyban , i can't recommend those , because i know several people with bad experiences..
So what is left? Cold Turkey, nothing silly about trying to convince people that it ain't that difficult if done right

I used Chantix. Got a little testy towards the end, but the dreams rocked! Like very detailed. Dreamt I was rewiring an airplane cockpit and woke up remembering the colors (with tracers) in the loom. Crazy.
But been off of smokes for 4 years now. No desire.

you should not discourage anyone from using the patch by making comments that they "sustain the addiction". this is not quite right. i used them twice. both with great success. Once i quit for a year back in college and once i quit for2 years in the late 90s. both times i used the patch.

if you do it correctly and lower the dosage over time as required, get educated, and also work on your life style choices, then the patch is very effective at lowering your dependence on the nicotine while you also work on the other stuff....such as habitually needing something in your hand, mouth etc...cutting down the coffee and alcohol and drinking more water etc...

i was able to fairly easily get off the cigs with the patch. the problem for me was, a few years later after quitting when i was overly confident, i got drunk at a party with my friends and made the mistake of asking "for a drag", which lead me to "can i bum a smoke" to me going out and buying a pack the next day....

Stijn,

Not beating on you as many have quit cold turkey. I did it before and agree with you it is one of a number of ways to get off the damn cigs, and agree that it is probably one of the best ways.

The way that you are coming off is that cold turkey is the only way and the pharma's are bad. And it seems that you are deriding those that can't quit cold turkey as weaker or something like that.

I do not think that is your intent by your later posts. My point is simplistic, whatever works, don't rule out anything and keep trying and never give up. Of course the best thing is to never have started to begin with.

Are you smoke free now?


I'm not dissing those who didn't do Cold Turkey, i'm strongly advising people not to do pharma, because Informed Cold Turkey in my opinion is much, much easier

I tried Zyban, i Tried patches, it didn't even work for me.. Cold turkey, almost went effortless. Because i was informed.

You still did not answer me, Did you read the website? If you haven't please do so now.
It explains things much better then i ever can.

i smoked. i quit. i am now a respiratory therapist. i could tell you the nightmares i've seen because people smoked, but i won't. no amount of logic or fear mongering is going to get someone to quit.

know this: the more times a person tries to quit, the greater their chances of succeeding.

I have an aunt, her mother lost both legs from smoking 3 packs a day, she had been in detox for alcohol, they got her off smokes with Champix at the same time, but while she is fully alchohol free, she relapsed into smoking as soon as she left the clinic and the Champix regime was ended. I actually went CT at the same time, so i wouldn't smoke when visiting my uncle, so i wouldn't affect her quit with my smoke.

And she's not even trying to quit anymore, she dodges the subject completely.

Not even when her mother went in for the second leg and i pleaded with her to quit with a very emotional email, telling her that she has to take care of herself cause her husband, my uncle won't, cause he's more then 15 years older then she is so he won't be able to take care of her like her father takes care of her amputated mother.
But not even after the second amputation of her mum would she honestly say she'd try, she'de fob me off with "yeah i know, i'll quit for new year".. Can't get through to her..
It's terrible to watch her slowly self destruct.

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the main problem that i see with smoking and the patients i work with is that it takes them MUCH longer to heal any kind of injury/surgery and to recover from any kind of health insult. if they end up on a ventilator, its bad news as they become dependent on the vent and their lungs are so messed up: everything from their respiratory muscles to their airways and alveoli are in a state of disrepair and it is irreversible.

Thanks Stinj!

DanB