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QUITTING WITH NICOTINE SUBSTITUTES


16 years ago 0 83 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
With regard to the controversy provoked by this discussion I believe that this is normal reaction, albeit that my original point was never to oppose NRT's and Cold Turkey. What I was saying was that given the lack of conclusive evidence that Nrt's actually work, that again, we were probably being taken in by some very persuasive advertising. Much of the information provided by all of you subsequent to the original post has certainly gone some way to convincing me of the benefits of using NRT's albeit as a crutch in the initial stages of a quit. However what does surprise me is the reluctance on the part of some to even have this discussion. But I repeat that the evidence provided is not conclusive, as many of these studies were carried out or at least financed by the very companies who wish to sell the products. A similar situation to the tobacco companies plying their wares under the guise of sexy-sophisticated-macho producing effects. The question of becoming addicteed to the NRT's is a real one. Now many would argue that chewing gum is the lesser of two evils, and I agree entirely, but again I have the feeling that people are being brainwashed into taking on addictive habits, through powerful advertisement. Once the goal of quitting smoking has been reached you would agree that continuous ingestion of nicotine into the system is of no positive use, and the feeling of addiction to yet another product does not provide that ego-boosting effect of complete freedom from the substance. Just a small message MistyMoonlight, I love reading your posts, but being mentioned as "her" - wrong gender. LOL To your pens [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]1/6/2008 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 34 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,190 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $442.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 5 [B]Hrs:[/B] 18 [B]Mins:[/B] 33 [B]Seconds:[/B] 2
  • Quit Meter

    $408,852.00

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    Days: 8153 Hours: 20

    Minutes: 11 Seconds: 28

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    45428

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    545,136

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16 years ago 0 591 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Aloha - I don't think it's so much us and our coping methods - I think it's message boards. I know we've all been "attacked" on them before - you can't have gone to a message board and not either been the agressor or the been attacked.. it's the nature of the situation it seems. This place does an excelllent job in curbing those things, but they do still exist in some way or shape, and there's not much we can do about that but accept it and move on. As far as having discussed this before - yeah, many times, but Deck wasn't here when we did, so her thought felt like a brand new one when she had it, and we can all certainly discuss things again and again! It's called being respectful to others. As to the method of the quit - I quit 4 packs per day cold turkey and woulnd't recomend it to anyone. It worked for me, and I would never go back because HOLY COW i'd NEVER want to have to go through that quit again! Again, in being respectful to others, whatever works for you, works for you, and i'm here to support it in any way that I can. Of course, I don't know anything about NRT's or how they work, so I can't offer advise on them, but I can certainly offer up advise on everything else related to quitting. Cigarettes have so MANY poisonous gasses in them that NRT's don't have that your health begins to improve imediately! If being on an NRT for 6 months keeps you off of cigarettes for a lifetime, then GOOD FOR YOU! If drug companies make money off of us quitting - then yahoo! At least it's not the government making 4-8 dollars a pack on us smoking, and encouraging us to keep going with their fear tactics and gross out commercials... (Duh, smokers smoke when they're afraid or disgusted!).. Maybe the drug companies will use the money to develop new drugs to keep us alive later on. *shrug* [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]7/17/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 571 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 42,825 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $10,706.25 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 51 [B]Hrs:[/B] 0 [B]Mins:[/B] 16 [B]Seconds:[/B] 45
16 years ago 0 8760 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Members, Lots of interesting discussion here and valid points brought up! Yes, this discussion has been had before but we have many new members on our boards who may benefit or be interested in this topic. We respectfully asked that through your discussions, respect for each others individual opinions be upheld. There are no wrong answers. Now onto the topic... we will use the STOP study as an example... The STOP study is a province wide initiative which in the first round, was handing out free NRT & referrals to support groups both in person and online. They followed the quitters for 6 months. The results demonstrated the abstinence rates were substantially higher in comparison to cold turkey quitters. This does not mean NRT is better than cold turkey but simply that NRT seems to be a suitable method for a larger portion of individuals. The second round is currently exploring whether NRT and counseling with pharmacists halfway through treatment in addition to optional additional forms of support will increase abstinence rates further. New funding that has recently been accorded to the study will expand the study across other provinces. All this to say that although it is upsetting to think that individuals are making a profit from your struggles, take some comfort in knowing that there are other individuals who understand nicotine is an addiction and are working hard to help find the methods that will give many quitters the best running start in their quest for better health. In the end, the method that is the best is the one tailored to you! Danielle, Bilingual Health Educator
16 years ago 0 3541 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Attagirl, Faith! I'll take hot roast beef, please, with mashed potatoes. And I won't be running out to smoke while I wait. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]5/14/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 269 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 5,380 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2,959.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 27 [B]Hrs:[/B] 18 [B]Mins:[/B] 30 [B]Seconds:[/B] 30
16 years ago 0 220 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Cold turkey? Warm chicken? Who cares? WE'RE ALL WINNERS!!!! Faith [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]12/23/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 46 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,150 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $552.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 5 [B]Hrs:[/B] 8 [B]Mins:[/B] 2 [B]Seconds:[/B] 30
16 years ago 0 100 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Amen Aloha! To each... his/her own! [b][color=purple] Leslie ;p [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]2/14/2002 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 2184 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 87,360 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $7,644.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 218 [B]Hrs:[/B] 11 [B]Mins:[/B] 55 [B]Seconds:[/B] 18
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    Days: 5964 Hours: 0

    Minutes: 39 Seconds: 43

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    45428

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    1,135,700

    Cigarettes Not Smoked

16 years ago 0 123 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Well posted, Aloha. Clear, concise and non-biased. We should all be able to handle controversy so adeptly..... [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]1/27/2008 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 11 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 275 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $121.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 1 [B]Hrs:[/B] 13 [B]Mins:[/B] 15 [B]Seconds:[/B] 9
16 years ago 0 3541 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Feelings hurt, aloha? What are these feelings of which you speak? :confuse: Excellent post, buddy. You should work for Clarica. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]5/14/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 269 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 5,380 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2,959.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 27 [B]Hrs:[/B] 18 [B]Mins:[/B] 13 [B]Seconds:[/B] 22
16 years ago 0 3207 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
I think it's fine to bring up the question, do NRTs work? and to be suspicious, maybe even a little angry, that the pharmeceutical companies are now making money off our addiction. They are related concerns, but not quite the same. I think studies show pretty convincingly that NRTs HELP, but don't CURE. For people who are worried about becoming addicted to an NRT, it's not that they are addicted to a new substance; they still are addicted to nicotine, just in a different form. NRTs have definite health benefits compared to cigarettes. BUT, for people who have the motivation to quit, the studies have also shown that NRTs help people to wean off nicotine, if used correctly, and in some cases, with more tolerable withdrawal symptoms. Now, some of the medications, such as buproprion and chantix, do not supply any nicotine, so they do not perpetuate the nicotine addiction; instead they work on the neurotransmitter actions. I haven't reviewed any studies about weaning off them, but from what I have read here and elsewhere, I haven't heard of anyone becoming addicted to those substances, and other than some minor side effects for a few days, most people wean off them fairly easily. So, as so many of us have said, whatever works to help us quit smoking is what we should do. And it is different for each person. That is one of the things that is so great about this site; there are many ways to learn about when a person decides to do this. It's interesting, though, that when a controversial topic is raised here, almost inevitably someone gets their feelings hurt. It's been me a few times, so I'm not pointing fingers. I think that has to do with many of us not having the practie of dealing with controversy without running for a cigarette, and that learning to deal with things without a cigarette, here and elsewhere, is part of the process of tuly becoming a non smoker. At times I've been unable to stick in with a thread because the controversial nature of it was too much of a trigger for me. But, I guess I'm getting better at it, because this thread only triggered me a tiny bit ;) I, too wish for each of us to find the methods that work for us, to accept other people's paths, questions, and answers, and for all of us to be blissfully smokefree for the rest of our lives. I know I'm still working on all of that. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]3/22/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 322 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 12,880 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2,189.60 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 45 [B]Hrs:[/B] 12 [B]Mins:[/B] 19 [B]Seconds:[/B] 27
16 years ago 0 71 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
I know it's another day but does the NRT work. I know my son is now hooked on the gum so I've been afraid to use it. How many think it helps? Really looking for something. I was using the Chanix but don't like the effects or the taste that it makes food, drink.

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