<p>its less than a month, and i still cant stop smoking. any tips?</p>
<p>um, stop smoking? I don’t mean to be rude, but if you don’t have the willpower to quite smoking (I realize how addictive it is) then how can you endure Basic training?</p>
<p>I know how hard it is to quit smoking. I smoked for over 20 years. I quit about 3 1/2 years ago. I used Zyban. It is actually an anti-depressant that is prescribed to help in smoking cessation. It is also known as Welbutrin. You won’t have enough time now, though. You take it for about two weeks and then you quit. You continue taking the pill for about 2-3 months after that. It really is a matter of willpower. I had many arguments with myself those first few days after quitting. I had to play games in my mind; instead of that cigarette that I reached for, I had a piece of gum. Strong gum, like winterfresh or something really minty. It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t the hardest thing in the world to do. I LOVED my cigarettes too. I wish that cigarettes were GOOD for you, cheap and widely accepted by the public, but they are not. They are terrible for you, make you smell bad and are very expensive. If I were you, I would try to quit now. You will be going through a very stressful time and you won’t be able to have that cigarette, but hey maybe quitting on R-day will be good, too. You know you can’t have them. I wish you luck on quitting. </p>
<p>You will endure Basic and you will quit!</p>
<p>I quit on 3.29.92 after over twenty years of smoking an average of 2.5 packs of cowboys a day - often to the filter. I used the Nicoban or Nicoderm transdermal patches. They don’t make you want to quit smoking, that’s up to you. They stage you out of the nicotine and help to take the edge off. Good LucK with smoking and Beast!</p>
<p>Cold turkey. My friend’s aunt and uncle bought LOTS of gum, trashed all the cigarettes/cigars in the house, and chewed lots of gum all the time. I guess you could try to go for a run (forcing you away from the cigarettes) every time you get a craving. I hear how difficult it is to stop. One of my friends described a craving as having a million needles jabbing into his chest.</p>
<p>I disagree hornetguy. You make it sound simple. I don’t personally smoke but I know quite a few individuals who do, and they have tried to quit many times and sometimes last as much as 6 months or a year and then fall back in. Its not just willpower when you a physiological dependency. Sometimes you need those patches and what not. </p>
<p>CBT may be a solution though as you won’t be able to smoke. Maybe you’ll kick the habit?</p>
<p>Sorry ragman, but it is to me. Why? Well, by the time I was two, I had pneumonia and too many sinus infections to count. This was because of my parents smoking habits. Literally, both quit cold turkey, haven’t smoked since. I understand that smoking is supposed to be one of the MOST addictive drugs out there, but in this case, the only solution is going cold turkey. Use running, gum, water, etc. to help fight teh cravings. What else can you do with 20 days left?</p>
<p>I’m not trying to be insensitive, but we might as well get used to it, the military doesn’t like sugarcoating or being real gentle. ;)</p>
<p>Be VERY careful with this. Taking a prescription drug like welbutrin may very well get you sent away on R day. Do NOT take that chance. The “patch” may also be an issue when reporting. Call and find out first.</p>
<p>go to the smoking cessation place on base and ask them what they have for you. then call wp and see if you can use the patch or perscription medication through beast.</p>
<p>Keep trying because Beast would be a bad place to go cold turkey - enough stress! If you can do something NOW that would not compromise you on a drug test (see mrgreenapple), do yourself a huge favor and give it a shot - whatever it takes legally. Detoxing your body from nicotine can be tricky, so gum, getting down from a pack to 3 a day DO keep trying!!! Patches may be your best bet for the next couple weeks.</p>