Public Service Announcement: Your Moderator Is a Loose Cannon

[BobCox2]

Where do I begin? I have a silly patch on my arm and I'm drugged out on bupropion.

I had a lot of vices as a young man - some pretty scary ones, in fact. But when I hit my 30s and decided it was time for me to fecking grow up, I managed to shed all of these vices without any effort at all. I just gave it all up and never looked back... except for these goddamn cigarettes. These rancid cancer sticks have owned me since I started filching them from my dad at the very mature age of 11.

Over the years I've tried quitting cold turkey but failed every time. During the last 16 months, I've occasionally managed to cut down, but only temporarily (any stress and *boom* - right back to my pack-a-day habit). Finally fed up, I went crawling to my doctor and thus here I am today with the aforementioned silly patch on my arm and drugged out on bupropion. I feel like ****!

I made the mistake of looking up the side effects of this cocktail. Most of them I'm not terribly concerned about; however, if a) I freak out, lock all the threads and ban everybody during a hallucinatory episode, I apologize and I promise to make amends when the spell passes, or b) the potential libido spike causes me to start humping the leg of anybody and everybody in this subforum, ditto with those amends. Anybody here who knows me really really well will understand why that second potential side effect could be the death of me - and I'm only sort of joking.

I don't even know why I made a topic out of this - must be those side effects kicking in already. Um, wish me luck?

If you make it I Will give it a try.

I quit for 3 years and started again one though, so if you make it let me know when you are sure you think you can stay off.

Once when I realized that smoking while having a very unpleasant cold was an awful idea I simply loaded up on cold medicine, food and movies and had a friend take my car keys. No way in hell was I going to walk the mile to the nearest corner store feeling so perfectly un-swell. No experience with the patch, but after the first 3-4 days (or so I have read) all the nicotine is out of your system so then its just in your mind. Best of luck but please dont hump my leg.

Thats the way I quit for 3 years till I started after having to live with a smoker for a awhile again.
It works once to stop but you still want them damn it.

[krischan]

I think Mark Twain said that giving up smoking is one of the easiest things in the world. He did it at least a dozen times.

BTW, the nicotine addiction isn't the problem, you are through with it after 3 days or so. The mental addiction is the tough part, it might need years to overcome it well enough to be safe (e.g. when being drunk or under stress).

Good luck!

[Vivi]

Congratulations of getting rid of all those other vices! Having overcome those other vices, you should also have it in you to quit smoking if yo really want to.

I don't recommand my parents' method, which occured when mother got pregnant (planned, not like a surprisepregnancy, just to be clear on that) and told dad that either he gave up smoking or she and the baby would go. He gave up smoking.
I also don't recommand my uncle's method, who, after several severe physical issues had a doctor order him to give up smoking, something the whole family had been telling him for years. He did quit though.

Good luck!

PS. Please don't ban me, instead see if you can send out crazy instant last warnings or so.

[Stevinator]

It sounds like this patch might be worse than the smoking. Halluciations? Random Leg humping? You could sell that stuff to some teenagers for real money.

[krischan]

Yes, I guess the times are over when we were willing to accept random spasms for being stoned.

[korialstraz]

What's wrong with random spasms?

Good luck Dredd! Hope you manage to kick the habbit! I know several people who've quit. For some it's as easy as saying "I'm done" for others it's tougher. I'll cross my fingers for ya. =)

[Tilitoon]

Yea good luck dude. I can already congratulate you for having the balls to go to your doctor and make the move. Quitting is probably the best gift you can give to yourself and the people around you.

[zodiac66]

Have you tried any of the vapor cigarettes? The physical withdraw from nicotine doesn't last all that long. It is the mental addiction.

[Dredd]

Thanks for the good-humored replies everyone. It's a great morale booster.

If you make it I Will give it a try.

I quit for 3 years and started again one though, so if you make it let me know when you are sure you think you can stay off.

Don't wait on me if you want to give it another go, bud. I'm on a three month treatment plan and this is only day two.

It works once to stop but you still want them damn it.

Yeah, I've heard that from every single one of my ex-smoker friends - that morning cig especially. If I can make it through this treatment and survive the first few months post-treatment, I'm pretty confident that my innate stubbornness will be enough to keep me in check.

Congratulations of getting rid of all those other vices! Having overcome those other vices, you should also have it in you to quit smoking if yo really want to.

Thanks. I'm lucky to be alive and in good health. Just about every day I'm reminded of how many bullets I've dodged.

It sounds like this patch might be worse than the smoking. Halluciations? Random Leg humping? You could sell that stuff to some teenagers for real money.

Hahaha, I better straighten this out. The dermal patch and the smack (cue AIC) are separate items that work together through some kind of antediluvian black magic/science (probably of Yithian origin). The patch just feeds me nicotine to combat the physical addiction. For this first month, I'll be wearing a 14mg patch. Next month I step down to a 7mg patch. For the final month, there'll be no patch - just the dope.

The "dope" - which you might recognize by the commercial names Zyban or Wellbutrin - is an antidepressant which is also apparently useful for those of us who are trying to give up smoking. The side effects I mentioned in the OP were gleaned from the info that came with my prescription for the bupropion, not the patch. Fortunately, I'm not feeling paranoid, psychotic or (thankfully) humpier than usual (yet). I DO feel very groggy though - groggy enough that I wouldn't trust myself to drive. Hopefully my body will adjust over the weekend.

Maybe I'll bump this topic when I hit month two (if my experiences are hellish enough to be entertaining).

[Stevinator]

I tried that vapor cig and it made me want to smoke more. you get the nicotine, but not the feeling of tar in your mouth. when yuou're done it feels like you never really smoked, so you keep puffing on the damn thing forever. Plus, it doesn't run down, so there's no oh, this smoke is gone, my smoky treat must be over hint to go back inside. Took me a month or so to get my smoking frequency back down to normal after playing with that thing.

It IS cool that you can use it inside though. Back in the bank days i'd puff on it while working on paperwork in my office if the lobby was slow. I think it creeped out my boss though. He kept asking if I was sure that thing was good for me.