It’s a patch, not a magic carpet

Many years ago, I had a good friend (now long dead from the effects of smoking) who was in the habit of bragging about just how addicted he was to smoking. You may even recognize the type. He told any one who would listen that it was impossible for him to quit smoking. He claimed to have tried to quit many times, but it was simply not possible for him. He said he went to a hypnotist who got him to throw his smokes in the garbage. Upon coming out of the trance, he reached into the trash and retrieved his pack and immediately lit one. He told this story as proof that his habit was unbreakable. He pinned this “unbreakable habit” badge on himself and wore it rather prominently and unashamedly.Even then, even in the throes of my own addiction to cigarettes, I recognized this bravado as a cop-out, a con job, a means of securing a “free pass” to keep smoking because it was “not possible” for him to quit. If his smoking habit were unbreakable, then there was no reason for him to ever attempt to quit. “Ah, poor, poor me. Why couldn’t I be like other people who are not so desperately addicted. No one knows what I suffer. No one has ever been so gripped by nicotine. I’ll just have to keep smoking my four packs a day of little cigars, smoking every one down to a stub and inhaling every puff.”I never saw him without one of those little cigars in his mouth. He would smoke from four to six packs every day, each little cigar down to the stub. When we went out for the day, he was always sure he had at least one full a carton of smokes with him, just in case. He was my dear friend, I loved him - and he killed himself with smoke because he was too damned lazy and self deluded to take responsibility for his own life and do something that was a somewhat difficult, a little painful, a bit uncomfortable and totally unfamiliar to his lifestyle. My dear friend killed himself slowly,quit smoking now, painfully and deliberately. There was no reasoning with him. He was convinced that “nothing worked” and that he just couldn’t quit. He decided that it was easier to keep smoking and die of cancer than go through the hassle of quitting and possibly live longer and healthier. Although the circumstances may not be so extreme, I see a similar defeatist attitude in many would-be quitters. --Newbies who are looking for the magic carpet that will whisk them away to non-smoking land where they will live happily smoke free ever after. “I want that Chantix to make me quit.” “I want that Wellbutrin to make me quit.”“I want that patch, that gum, that lozenge - I want that magic bullet that will kill my nicotine addiction.”They are most often recognized by their use of the phrase, “It’s not working.” - whatever their own particular “it” is.“My patch isn’t working. I still want to smoke.”“My Chantix isn’t working. I still want to smoke.”“I took my wellbutrin but I still feel nervous. Why isn’t it working?”It’s not working because it is a tool, an aid, a palliative, a gentle assist. Of course you will still want to smoke if you haven’t developed the mental tools to maintain your quit. Your quit aids do not remove all urges and craves. Your quit aids are miracles because they can take the edge off craves and urges. But no aid, no pill, no patch, no gum, no lozenge can or will ever MAKE you quit. . Many of the successful quitters here have quit cold-turkey - generally meaning no drugs, no nicotine replacement. They have developed a mental attitude to defeat their addiction and change their lifestyle to the point that smoking is no longer a part of life. I am tremendously proud to recognize these quitters for their accomplishment and to learn from them, associate with them and share their expertise and advice. They have had to reach the deepest for the changes that will keep them quit for life. The thing to keep in mind is that, no matter what you may use to assist you in your quit, the Quit is yours and only yours. In essence, you have quit just as bravely and defiantly as the CT quitters, but you have a little help that may take a bit of the edge off. Your Quit depends only on you. In your mind you must realize that your quit is just a cold turkey quit, with a tiny bit of help. YOU must remain quit. YOU must deal with the urges and triggers and craves. YOU must do it. Picture yourself as the cold-turkey quitter who has changed his (her) life and is living through the changes that will improve and prolong your life. Maintain your quit, then use your quit aids to help you deal with the rough spots. They do not remove the discomfort completely,Herbal cigarettes, but they may make some of the rough spots a bit less painful. . It’s kind of like taking an aspirin for a broken leg. It’s still going to hurt, the leg still has to heal, but you might feel a little better for a little while. Don’t look for you quit aids to do more than they can deliver. Our world had not yet developed the magic bullet to kill your nicodemon with one pain free shot. Use these wonderful tools properly with their limitations in mind and you too just might be smoke free for life.Keep quit and God bless.