Why it's so hard to quit cigs.

[colcolt]

Chantix has a lot of potential side effects. They extol the virtues of it on TV and then go on for twice the time they said good things about it to talk about the variety of "contraindications" with Chantix up to and including suicide, agitation, hostile actions, hallucinations, paranoia etc. You never know how it will effect you till yo try it-not for me.

 

[vespertillio]

I switched by alternating e-cigs and regular cigs. The main thing was I could smoke e-cigs anywhere but I only smoked the regular ones outside. Eventually I just quit the cigs altogether. I totally u understand the throat hit. It took the right combo of nicotine, flavor and the right e-cig. Eventually it worked great.I havnt touched a cigarette for over 6 months now and have not wanted to. You can do it. There's ton of great advice here but everyone is right...you have to want to quit.

 

[hobie1dog]

Cigarette Ingredients
There are many varieties of cigarettes and cigars, but they all contain tar, tobacco, carbon monoxide and ammonia. In addition to nicotine, cigarette chemical additives include ethyl acetate, water, sucrose, invert sugar and high fructose corn syrup. Depending on the brand and manufacturer, cigarettes may also contain propylene glycol, glycerol, licorice extract, cocoa and cocoa products, carob bean extract, natural and artificial flavors, according to the cigarette manufacturer Phillip Morris. Menthol and non-menthol cigarettes have similar amounts of nicotine. Filters do not decrease the amount of inhaled nicotine because the tiny air holes placed in filters to reduce the effects of nicotine are covered by the smoker's fingers.
Nicotine
Containing approximately .002 ounces of nicotine, one pack of 20 cigarettes provides approximately .71 ounces of nicotine per day. Smokers inhale the equivalent of 16 pounds a year of this addicting substance. Nicotine increases the heart rate by flooding the bloodstream with carbon monoxide. It also loads the blood vessels and lungs with tar. The addictive quality of nicotine causes the body to crave the continued adrenaline rush. A state of heightened awareness results from the activation of the brain's pleasure center. Stimulation and relaxation occur as a person's heart rate increases and her lungs fill with carbon monoxide. Eventually, smokers require the addicting effects of nicotine to wake, fall asleep, concentrate, manage stress, socialize and regulate the digestive system.
Sugar
Sugar is a common ingredient in tobacco products. Cigarettes contain approximately 20 percent sugar, either as high fructose corn syrup, licorice, cocoa or carob. Since manufacturers do not provide exact ingredient measurements, 20 cigarettes per day adds at least 3 pounds of sugar ingested through tobacco smoke each year. The effects of 3 pounds of additional sugar per year to a person with diabetes could be significant. Sugar increases the sweet flavor in cigarettes and cigars, making them more palatable.

 

[matchstickman]

I work with a woman who was hypnotized in order to quit smoking. It's kind of funny because her husband still smokes, and every once in a while she will buy a pack for her husband. Whenever I sell them to her, she always tells me, "Can you put that in a paper bag? I can't touch a pack of cigarettes or I will instantly throw up." Sounds kind of messed up, but she swears it works for her. Not sure I believe it myself, but it's interesting to think about.

 

[colcolt]

hobie-I'd say there's a lot more in them than that even. I've heard there's something like several thousand known carcinogens in cigarette tobacco. What hacks me off is everything this side of Saturn is blamed on cigarettes. My Dad's death certificate rad cause of death was lung cancer due to cigarette smoking. My opinion is that's a lot of BS. They didn't take into account he worked as a mechanic in the cotton mill for 50 years breathing all that crap that floats around in the air and the asbestos. I worked with him in the spooler room during summer break while in high school to get some dating money and keep my car up and on Friday night's we would blow off the spoolers and there would be cotton fibers and everything else pushed along when hit with those 90 psi blowers and it would look like a snow storm in there. All in your hair and clothes it took awhile to get it all off.
Fifty years he did that plus time spent in the dye house where the yard was dyed and that didn't have anything to do with his lung cancer? They didn't want to accuse the textile industry of foul play and that's why they blamed it on cigarettes despite the fact more than half those that died in that place had brown lung.

 

[chopz]

here's why it's so hard to quit cigs:
aside from the physical addiction, doing something 20 or 30 or 40 times a day for decades is doing something more frequently than perhaps anything else one does in their life. if i don't smoke a cigarette tomorrow, i get the feeling i'll still think about it 20 or 30 or 40 times during the day.

 

[captainbob]

My friend did try Chantix. He experienced the negative side effects and then quit the drug. He was doing good with the pipe. However, I noticed since that time, he has gravitated back to the ciggs. If you try the drug, remain aware of the negative side-effects. If you really want to quit the ciggs you can with will-power and a good hand to grab a pipe! My best to you! Don't give up on yourself. I also know of a close friend dedicated cigg smoker that stopped and never smoked again. I am really impressed with "her"! I could not convince "her" to smoke a pipe. But, she really did quit "cold-turkey" and that was four years ago. At age sixty-two she is smoke free for four years after smoking all her life. Go figure...

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[mightyblaze]

I can see how that can go...

 

[gmwolford]

I can vouch for the side effects of Chantix. I'm about the mellowesf, even tempered guy you'll ever meet and it made me agitated and aggressive. I found myself one night wondering where I could go to get into a fist fight, someplace that wouldn't be too crowded so I'd have a better chance of winning: I'm disabled and walk with a cane and braces one both legs and this is what I'm thinking about?!? Needless fo say, I stopped the pills. This was about six months before the warnings came out abiut these negative side effects; my doctor was shocked when I told her and more so when the warnings were released.