Over the years, I have tried everything to break the smoking habit.  If it is one thing I have learned, it is to be 'persistent' in my continued efforts!   Seems that I am a great quitter .... can easily drop the habit after a bit of psyching myself up..  Only, it appears that I am also pretty good at picking it up again!  YIKES !

As with any habit, it is truly difficult to break that 'yo-yo' cycle.  And, I've learned that this 'yo-yo' cycle pertains to most habits in our lives ..... overeating, choosing bad-boy boyfriends, over-spending your budget,  procrastination, biting your nails ... you name a bad habit that you've allowed to blossom in your life, and you'll recognize that recidivism is actively prominent.  Why is that?

Because that which turns into a slight habit has the ability to soon transcend into an addiction, and addiction is much more serious than mere habit.  To me the difference is while 'habit' might be bad in some ways, 'addiction' is a pure killer.  My connection to smoking far outweighed the 'habit' situation ... it was and is a full blown addiction.

So ... Day Number Three on the Patch ! 

Do they work?

Yes!  As far as the physical cravings (big time sign of addiction), there have been none.  Immediately upon placing the first patch on my skin, I could feel that 'zing' of the nicotine hit.  This really helps with the emotional attachment as well, although I find myself wanting to chew gum a little bit more ~smile~ for the oral habit.

How do they work?

Nicotine is implanted on the 'sticky side' of the patch which transfers directly to the blood stream upon application to skin ~transdermally~ and is meted out over a 24 hour period.

For heavy smokers, more than ten cigarettes a day, it is suggested to begin with the heaviest dosage of transdermal nicotine - 21 mg.  For less than a half-pack a day habit, one could begin with the lower dose - 14 mg.

Is it dangerous?

Certainly not as dangerous as lighting up a smoke 20 - 40 times a day.  When you smoke a cigarette, you are not only getting nicotine, you are getting tars, carcinogens  and various, assorted chemical additives - perfumes, flavor enhancers and such.  With the patch, you are simply getting the addictive source -- nicotine.

So ... how do you begin?

First order of the day with quitting smoking, or any bad habit / addiction, for that matter ... is DESIRE!

You've got to WANT to quit from the depths of your Soul.  You have got to have the desire for change.  You have got to have recognized the negatives of the habit you so dearly embrace and see that it is not good for you.  Once you truly feel the negatives of the habit, you can begin to set yourself up --- plan, as it were ---- to make an effective change.

Next step it to actually invest in a plan to quit.  Whether your choice is tablet form (Buproprion, Chantex, or ... Commit Lozenges), patches, hypnosis, study group, or even "cold turkey" --- invest in it, emotionally, spiritually and economically.

Third step ... USE IT!  I know you are giggling now .. but its true.  Follow the instructions provided and use it.  Pills and patches won't work unless you use it .. every day, for as long as necessary.

For my two pack a day habit, I started with the highest dosage patch - 21 mg, which provides the addictive ingredient to tobacco - nicotine (not the tars and carcinogenic additives in commercial cigarettes, and certainly not the smoke!) - meted out over a 24 hour period.  After a period of six weeks - I plan to step down to the 14 mg patch, and if necessary, will continue to step down to the 7 mg patch -- all over a period of four or so months. 

Yep... it's the long way out of this addiction .... but it took me years and years to build up to this stage.  I must allow time (and Spirit) to bring me out of it.

In the end, it will still cost less economically than what it costs to buy packs and cartons of cigarettes.  And, it will certainly remove the anxiety toward my family and friends since I am still receiving the addictive ingredient for a period of time in stages.  The plan is to reduce the physical craving, be nice to my husband (LOL) and kids, and not regain the 43 lbs I have struggled to lose over the last year.  Yay !

So ... if there are any 'would be' quitters out there .... know in your heart that you can do it, too.  Believe it when you hear ... "Where there is a will, there is a way."  I have tried many ways .... and many were successful.  The difficulty is .. staying put as a quitter and not returning to the habit.  That, my friends, will be a life-long struggle.

Many blessings to all ..

Love

Dolphyn