Ways to kick that habit

I just finished watching the movie "Thank You for Smoking." It was a very smart look into the cigarette industry and the devious ways it maintains its clientelle. Spoiler warning- if you plan on seeing the movie, I'm getting ready to spill a little bit of the beans about the plot.

Ok, so at one point the main character, who is the tobacco industry's primary spokesperson, gets kidnapped and covered with over fifty nicotine patches in an attempt at killing him. He slides into a nicotine induced coma and nearly dies. Eventually he comes to and is greeted by the doctor saying, "That amount of nicotine would have killed a non-smoker. You're lucky you were a smoker." The irony of the moment is compounded moments later when the doctor informs him that he can longer smoke, that even a single cigarette might produce that same life-threatening coma again.

I am an ex-smoker. I don't like using the term "non-smoker" since I feel that having kicked the habit places me in a different category from all the other (more intelligent) people who never picked up smoking in the first place. I was lucky in that much of my success in quitting smoking lay in the fact that my wife and I were both quitting at the same time. If it had been just me, I'm not sure I would have made it through. Knowing that more than just my health was on the line somehow made it more workable. And going through those damned withdrawls together certainly made things easier.

My first week off of "the nic" I went cold-turkey. Soon enough, I realized that the combination of fighting the nicotine withdrawl coupled with the hand-mouth compulsion was just too much. My wife had been using one of the nicotine gums at the time. She swore by the relief it gave her. By isolating the different habits, she was able to gradually ween herself off the nicotine while working on the hand-mouth thing.

I jumped on the gum bandwagon and found quitting a little easier. I remember feeling a little guilty pleasure at chewing a piece of gum while I was working, feeling that gentle pull of the nicotine. But soon enough, my wife and I worked our way off the (very expensive!) gum and became ex-smokers.

Today, many alternatives exist to help people quit. I'd really enjoy hearing some of your quitting stories and what helped you kick the habit. I know different homeopathic remedies exist to help. King Bio has a couple great ones- Addiciton Control and Smoke Control. When taken together, I hear that they really reduce those cravings and help create a positive mental outlook conducive to staying smoke-free.

Whatever you do, remember, it is tough, but it will change your life. Don't be a slave to nicotine and the tobacco industry. Take back your life and live smoke free!

Be well. And thanks for coming 'round.