Smoking

Parent Cafe
1

<p>I have a question for smokers and non-smokers alike. I have been pounding down cigarettes for about 5 years now. At one point I had quit for about six months and then started again due to stress related issues. I’m in engineering school and always feel extremely tired, even at two in the afternoon if I am home I feel like going to bed. Can this be a side effect of smoking? Have any smokers experienced this in the past?</p>

<p>I would like to quit but I find myself being nervous about the weight gain that I hear so much about with smokers. I am growing concerned that quitting may lead to cravings, as well as cause mental stress which will lead my grades to drop. </p>

<p>Does anyone have any experience on the subject? Any advice is appreciated tremendously. Thank You!1</p>

2

<p>I quit smoking when cigarettes were $.75 a pack, I thought that was too much ;)</p>

<p>Cigarettes actually can make you feel more stressed because of the chemical additivies.
IMO, it is the focusing on the cigarette ( which could be anything) and taking time to do so, that some percieve as calming.
You might try switching to a brand that doesn’t have additives like American Spirit. I would never say those cigarettes are safer, but without additives they might be easier to quit.
[Great</a> American Smokeout Cold Turkey Tips](<a href=“http://whyquit.com/pr/111007.html]Great”>Great American Smokeout Cold Turkey Quit Smoking Tips)</p>

3

<p>A lot of people smoke at my college–far more people than I expected. I know many people who have tried to quit and failed, for various reasons. I do know people who have quit smoking without gaining weight. From my limited sample, I think it helps if the individuals are athletes to begin with. Then they are exercising regularly anyway and can use physical activity to help take their minds off smoking. I hardly ever smoke, so this is only from what I’ve seen by observing friends. I know that my college offers a number of free services to help students who wish to quit smoking. Maybe you should look into whether your school offers something similar. </p>

<p>Remember that everyone has different experiences. My father smoked for years before it was widely known that smoking was bad for you. He quit cold turkey one day and though it took will power, he says it wasn’t too bad. He never craves cigarettes anymore. His sister, on the other hand, says if she found out she were dying, she would start smoking again. One of my father’s friends who I know used prescription drugs to help him quit. Unfortunately, I know more adults who have successfully quit smoking than college students. There are numerous ways to quit, and different techniques work for different people. I think that the most important thing to do is really decide to quit; if you’re half-hearted in your attempts, you will not be successful. </p>

<p>I have never heard tiredness connected with smoking, but my intuition says that it would be much more difficult to quit smoking if your body is under stress. Are you getting a good amount of sleep every night? I feel that I get tired during the day if I sleep six hours a night for several nights in a row. It’s hard to be on a normal sleep schedule in college. I know that I sleep six or seven hours a night when I have later classes, and sometimes only four or five if I have early classes. I take short naps in the afternoons several days a week. Before you try to quit smoking, I think it would be best if you sort through some of the stress in your life and get on a normal sleep schedule. I imagine it would be much more difficult to quit smoking if you’re tired and stressed out, so work through those issues first. If you’re getting enough sleep and still feel tired all the time for no apparent reason, see your doctor.</p>

4

<p>There is a new med called “Chantix” [Quitting</a> – CHANTIX Official Site – CHANTIX is a Prescription Medicine to Help Adults Stop Smoking](<a href=“http://www.chantix.com/content/Chantix_Branded_Homepage.jsp?setShowOn=../content/Chantix_Branded_Homepage.jsp&setShowHighlightOn=../content/Chantix_Branded_Homepage.jsp]Quitting”>http://www.chantix.com/content/Chantix_Branded_Homepage.jsp?setShowOn=../content/Chantix_Branded_Homepage.jsp&setShowHighlightOn=../content/Chantix_Branded_Homepage.jsp) that si supposed to be very promising with cigarette smoking cessation. You might want to look into it</p>

5

<p>If you get in the right mindset, quitting won’t be as hard as you think. That’s one of the biggest things that causes people to have trouble quitting - the anticipation of discomfort if smoking is stopped.</p>

<p>Try to get yourself in the mindset that you can feel good and not be stressed without any nicotine. It’ll be enormously helpful - many people can easily quit cold turkey once they get into that mindset. If you continue to fear quitting, it will be very difficult.</p>

<p>However, if you’re having trouble, I would try Chantix. It is a nicotine receptor agonist, and reduces cravings as well as reducing the effects of smoking on the brain. As a result, it can help break the addiction cycle.</p>

6

<p>Just based on personal experiences of a couple friends who tried the Chantix–I would wait until a break from school to try it. Friends had some side effects from the medication that might make school a little more difficult–mainly headaches, ringing in the ears and difficulty sleeping (not all in same person).</p>

7

<p>Some statistics I’ve heard of:</p>

<p>At any point in time, 70% of smokers want to quit.</p>

<p>It takes, on average, eight attempts at quitting before one has truly broken the habit. (That was before Chantix, however.)</p>

<p>Chantix claims a success rate of 44% (that is, after 12 weeks, 44% of Chantix users are still not smoking), versus 17% of those who quit cold turkey. Certainly seems worth a shot.</p>

8

<p>It is literally harder to quit now than in recent years, because the immoral and underhanded tobacco companies have been slowly increasing the levels of nicotine in cigarettes. I read somewhere that the average cigarette’s nicotine content rose approx. 11% between 1998 and 2004. And brands marketed to young adults and minorities showed the sharpest increases. The nicotine levels in Kool Cigarettes, for instance, a brand favored in the African American community, rose by more than 30%! Coincidence? What do you think? :rolleyes: The more nicotine, the more powerful the addiction. The tobacco companies only want you to THINK they are interested in helping you kick the habit (QuitAssist my you-know-what!:rolleyes:), but such a corporate goal would be pretty counter-intuitive, wouldn’t it?</p>

<p>I don’t smoke, but my H has a two pack a day habit that he’s given up even trying to kick. Thankfully, he smokes outside. He has since I began to have morning sickness with my first child. But sometimes, when he comes in from smoking, the stench of the smoke permeating his whole being makes me simply want to wretch.:(</p>

9

<p>I have seen remarkable success in patients quitting with Chantix. It is true that I have seen some side effects with it, mainly sleep disturbance, but not severe, and you need to gradually increase the dose to prevent nausea.
Compared to the alternative if you keep smoking, it is worth a try. Good luck.</p>

10

<p>I smoked for 15 years, up to three packs a day. When the price per pack reached $2.00, I quited. </p>

<p>Before that time, I quit about 1000 times but always started again after a few hours or days. </p>

<p>Quiting smoking is not easy. My last cig was 14 years ago and I still have the desire to smoke once in a while. I am at 130% of smoking weight and I barely passed the lung capacity test for my employment.</p>

<p>Other than the saving, I feel I am much healther now. I used to have flu or cold every month. Now I rarely do get sick.</p>

11

<p>My H, a 60 pack-year smoker, quit last year using Chantix. He had tried every imaginable quitting technique before that - cold turkey, Wellbutrin, hypnosis, anesthesia, etc and so forth. (BTW< stay away from Wellbutrin…) He took the pills and smoked as usual for ~ 2 weeks, then gradually decreased # of cigarettes over 3 weeks, then continued to medicate for about 3-4 weeks (less than instructed) after eliminating cigs entirely. Really and truly –> NO side effects.</p>

<p>His energy level has increased greatly (insert winking smiley face here). Sleeping more soundly and with decreased snoring. He has gained ~ 10 lbs but that is coming off already. He looks great and best of all-- smells great!</p>

<p>I truly wish you luck in kicking this addiction. I don’t think many people realize how intensely addictive smoking can be. Give yourself a present for the new year! Good luck!!</p>

12

<p>Remember, its not STRESS that is making you nervous, its the chemicals you have put into your body, into your very cells</p>

<p>I am sorry, but this excuse that stress MAKES you smoke is hogwash- I have stress, millions and millions have stress and get past it and don’t light up</p>

<p>Smoking is addictive physically, emotionally, phycologically, etc and you need to find other coping methods- a rubber band on the wrist, a stress ball, carry around a bag of carrots, some gum, mints</p>

<p>As for the weight gain, maybe, from the nervous energy created by your body detoxing from all the garbage it is used to having every day</p>

<p>I don’t get the attraction in the first place</p>

13

<p>To the OP’s original concern, I lost weight when I quit smoking 23 years ago. You will gain weight if you replace the cigarettes with food – you will not gain weight if you attend to your health and fitness closely and increase your activity modestly. Exercise is much more effective in reducing stress than is smoking. </p>

<p>I decided when I started graduate school that I would not be addicted to any substance, including the stimulants in cigarettes. The first 3 months were the worst and then much easier. My mother (a smoker) died of lung cancer 21 years ago and I have always been thankful that I quit when I did. I’m sure I damaged my lungs and may still pay a price but every day without the toxins is a good day.</p>

<p>Chantix shows promise but do note the new FDA caution about the drug.</p>

<p>[Early</a> Communication About and Ongoing Safety Review: Varenicline (marketed as Chantix)](<a href=“http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/early_comm/varenicline.htm]Early”>http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/early_comm/varenicline.htm)</p>

<p>Good luck in reaching your goal – you can do it. It will be a gift to yourself and to those who love you.</p>

14

<p>I have one brother that successful quit smoking for at least 25+ years. He started in college at 18 and did not quit until his first son was born(30). He is much more fit now, plays a lot of tennis. So it can be done.</p>

15

<p>Gosh Musicmomic, those were the same complaints about Wellbutrin!</p>

16

<p>Like Emeraldkity, I quit when the price of cigarettes reached 75 cents. I guess we are dating ourselves!!! And the rest of my siblings quit a couple years later when my dad developed a cancer in the nose. He, himself, quit cold turkey in the hospital. It has been some 20+ years later and none of us has gone back. And none of us gained weight. That only happens if you replace smoking with eating. If you DO have to replace it with eating, (for whatever reason) make it carrot and celery sticks!</p>

17

<p>Good luck, God bless you, Best wishes, My hat’s off to you. It’s not easy to quit smoking. I had a pack+ habit per day in my early twenties- started smoking in high school (my parents smoked so it was OK, as long as it was at home), and continued through college. By the time I was 24, I was a pretty established consumer of smoking products. I hated it, though, because I felt trapped and weak. As a female, I felt like it was NOT attractive (which it really isn’t). </p>

<p>I tried quitting several times, to no avail. A friend of mine had successfully quit, and I asked her, “how did you do it?” She said, “I told myself I HATE smoking, I HATE the way it smells, I HATE the fact that I spend a lot of money on it, I HATE that it controls me, I HATE that I can’t play raquetball, or jog, or work out, because I’m so winded and weak. I tell myself that everytime I want to smoke.” </p>

<p>Anyway, I quit when I was 25 and never have had a cigarette since, and I’m 46. H has quit and restarted several times. The key is… NEVER, ever, ever, ever, smoke another cigarette again.</p>

<p>Sounds easy, doesn’t it? It’s not, but repeating those messages (and your own ‘customized’ messages) again and again is the track to success. You have to really want to quit, and tell yourself you want to quit about a thousand times a day. Every minute. Replace the “I want a smoke” with “I don’t want to smoke” and “I want to take a jog/go to the gym/play tennis/whatever”. </p>

<p>And I have no scientific proof, but as an ex-smoker, it does make you tired and unable to exercise.</p>

18

<p>UriA702: There is never a “good” time to quit. There will always be stress in your life, always a concern about either your grades dropping or something big going on at your job. </p>

<p>The best time to quit is right now.</p>

19

<p>i actually have two friends whose fathers quit by hypnosis…i’m not totally sure hwo that works though</p>

<p>but there was an NYT article about cigarettes that was very interesting–about how they could easily make cigarettes without the nicotine, making them nonaddictive, and how more than 13 years ago there had been a plan to initiate the sale of non-addictive cigarettes that was overturned or something…
I guess it’s inevitable that some hs/college students will pick up smoking, but it would definitely be beneficial to produce cigarettes without nicotine. The article provided a lot of info, I’ll try to find it online, but basically most of the people who began smoking in hs/college want to quit after x years, but can’t because of the addiction–this would allow them to.</p>

20

<p>

It wouldn’t be beneficial for the company producing them, which means no company ever would (or would survive doing it).</p>