I have said a lot about medications in the past, but on this blog I would like to focus on what you have learned in past quit attempts about different medications. What have you learned that can help you now as you choose medications that can help.
I often hear people say " I have tried that and it didn't work for me" and it makes me wonder what happened that made it not work. Sometimes it is because it is the wrong medication for that person, like if a person has really sensitive skin maybe the Nicotine Replacement Therapy, The Nicotine Patch, isn't going to work. But with some reflection you might find that a medication that you tried at another time will work now.
For this reason I would like to encourage you to look a bit more deeply at what medications you have tried and what worked about it and what didn't. If you can understand what did work it will lead you to several possible next steps. It is possible to change the way you use the medications to make it work, supplement it by adding other medications to the main one, or perhaps getting better support will make the difference in success. Sometimes a change in behavior is what will make things work for you.
On further reflection has a medication worked most of the time but during extreme cravings didn't cut it? Maybe it will work better if you sometimes supplement it with another medication. An example is using the Nicotine Patch or Nicotine gum and when cravings hit hard also use a dose of nicotine inhaler or a nicotine nasal spray. Both of these medications send nicotine to the brain quickly. I have found that sometimes people who have tried Chantix didn't make a firm quit date and haven't spent any time thinking about how to address the social and emotional needs that tobacco meets. If you never really quit while taking Chantix, but continued to use the tobacco for emotional reasons then a firm quit date and using other methods of handling stress will bring success within your reach. Did you relapse when you were at a bar at your last quit attempt? Maybe changes in behavior is what is necessary and the medication can be tried again. Staying away from bars and alcohol is what helped my son quit. He found it difficult to be in bars without smoking because physically his brain made associations between drinking and alcohol so when he was at a bar his brain made the connection and craved a smoke. He also was used to smoking there and so even his personal habits and rituals made him reach into his pocket for a cigarette. He kept away from bars for a few months before he felt ready to go back to drinking without smoking.
Sometimes people will have reactions to a medication that when managed differently will work for them. An example of this is the NRT, The Nicotine Patch which sometimes gives people intense dreams, even nightmares. If the patch is taken off during the night and another applied the next day it might allow them to continue to use The Patch and they can sleep uninterrupted.
I am going to suggest journaling again as a way to sort out what medication to try. Don't automatically disregard something that you have tried in the past, which didn't work, but instead look a bit deeper to see why it didn't work and if it might possibly work with some adjustments on your part. Talk to your health care provider, they will also have insights to what might work best for you. I send you my best wishes and thoughts on all of your efforts to quit, I know that you can be a Successful Quitter.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Quit Date -
You are going to love this, surprise, another chance to journal.
The best way to quit is to set a quit date and then prepare. Lately I have blogged about things to think about in preparation for your quit date, but I never spoke about picking your Quit Date. It is very important to pick a day and then prepare, so today the important question and journal entry can be what makes a good Quit Date.
First it is important to give yourself some time to journal. An important consideration is Timing. We each have crazy stress filled days and quieter days when there aren't as many things going on. I know most of you don't have quiet days but I do know that some days are not as crazy busy as others. Holidays are usually just packed full of responsibilities and to find a minute free is amazing but now that the holidays are over there might be some winter doldrums ahead of us. Now might be a better time to quit. In thinking through Quit Dates I would like to encourage you to literally look at your calendar, get out your journal and have a discussion with yourself on the pages of your journal about what would be the best time to Quit Tobacco. Well there be time to go to a movie with a friend. Maybe you can even quit with a friend and have a guaranteed support from someone who will understand! Well there be time to go mall walking for a little exercise or time for other diversions when cravings become difficult? Is your family in a period of relative calm? All of these can make a difficult time easier!
Another thing to think about when deciding to quit is getting your Tobacco Treatment medication set up. Give yourself time to visit with your health care provider about quitting and if you are able to take medication, deciding on the medication that will work best for you. If you have tried something once and it didn't work don't completely discount it, you might be able figure out a way to make it work for you this time. Give yourself enough time to have these conversations with your health care provider before you quit.
Enjoy talking to yourself in your journal and I am sure you can pick a date that works well for you.
The best way to quit is to set a quit date and then prepare. Lately I have blogged about things to think about in preparation for your quit date, but I never spoke about picking your Quit Date. It is very important to pick a day and then prepare, so today the important question and journal entry can be what makes a good Quit Date.
First it is important to give yourself some time to journal. An important consideration is Timing. We each have crazy stress filled days and quieter days when there aren't as many things going on. I know most of you don't have quiet days but I do know that some days are not as crazy busy as others. Holidays are usually just packed full of responsibilities and to find a minute free is amazing but now that the holidays are over there might be some winter doldrums ahead of us. Now might be a better time to quit. In thinking through Quit Dates I would like to encourage you to literally look at your calendar, get out your journal and have a discussion with yourself on the pages of your journal about what would be the best time to Quit Tobacco. Well there be time to go to a movie with a friend. Maybe you can even quit with a friend and have a guaranteed support from someone who will understand! Well there be time to go mall walking for a little exercise or time for other diversions when cravings become difficult? Is your family in a period of relative calm? All of these can make a difficult time easier!
Another thing to think about when deciding to quit is getting your Tobacco Treatment medication set up. Give yourself time to visit with your health care provider about quitting and if you are able to take medication, deciding on the medication that will work best for you. If you have tried something once and it didn't work don't completely discount it, you might be able figure out a way to make it work for you this time. Give yourself enough time to have these conversations with your health care provider before you quit.
Enjoy talking to yourself in your journal and I am sure you can pick a date that works well for you.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Self Assessment to Help in Quitting
In this series of blogs where I have been encouraging Self Awareness Activities in preparation for quitting I have another activity which is developed to help people think of the rituals and routines associated with tobacco and encourage thinking of replacement of those rituals with other routines. Try including in your Quit Diary your responses to this next series of questions.
When you smoke or chew, you establish a routine or habit. You may miss the many rituals involved with using tobacco products.
The Smoking/chewing rituals I like most were:
1.
2.
3.
Activities I will substitute for these rituals include:
1.
2.
Describe three situations in which you used tobacco products even when you didn't feel like it. (ex. First thing in the morning)
1.
2.
3.
Over time, you have reinforced thousands of behaviors with the mouth.
Activities I will substitute for oral reinforcement include (possible choices: chewing gum, toothpicks, straws, low-calorie foods, sugar-free candy, worry stones, herbal tea)
1.
2.
3.
Nicotine is a drug that causes physical dependency and, therefore, uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms occur when you stop using it.
What I fear most about experiencing withdrawal symptoms is:
1.
2.
Activities I will use to help myself cope with withdrawal include (possible choices: nicotine replacement products, therapeutic massage, acupuncture, medication, exercise)
1.
2.
When the cravings are especially intense, I will (possible choices: use a nicotine nasal spray, all a friend exercise):
1.
2.
When you smoke or chew, you establish a routine or habit. You may miss the many rituals involved with using tobacco products.
The Smoking/chewing rituals I like most were:
1.
2.
3.
Activities I will substitute for these rituals include:
1.
2.
Describe three situations in which you used tobacco products even when you didn't feel like it. (ex. First thing in the morning)
1.
2.
3.
Over time, you have reinforced thousands of behaviors with the mouth.
Activities I will substitute for oral reinforcement include (possible choices: chewing gum, toothpicks, straws, low-calorie foods, sugar-free candy, worry stones, herbal tea)
1.
2.
3.
Nicotine is a drug that causes physical dependency and, therefore, uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms occur when you stop using it.
What I fear most about experiencing withdrawal symptoms is:
1.
2.
Activities I will use to help myself cope with withdrawal include (possible choices: nicotine replacement products, therapeutic massage, acupuncture, medication, exercise)
1.
2.
When the cravings are especially intense, I will (possible choices: use a nicotine nasal spray, all a friend exercise):
1.
2.
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