I had tried teh "z-something" drug...and it was too strong for me (made me feel very strange and I didn't want to take it). So my doctor prescribed a lighter version called Welbutran. It ALMOST worked, but not quite. It doesn't work the same way as the Chantix, although the Chantix does have some of the same calming effect.
I am not too worried about drugs as long as they don't make me violent
. My philosphy is that the habit itself is killing me, so as long as I can deal with any side effects, I don't much care about the rest. It really is a quality of life issue, and with my smoking my quality of life is limited.
I will never of course me 14 again and able to run and run, but I can certainly be a far cry better off than I am now (in the breathing and energy department). I also am too heavy, and I had always convinced myself that if I tried to quit, I would gain weight...that the cigarettes were keeping my weight in check. But I was of course just using that for an excuse.
I have started a diet some weeks ago. Nothing crazy...just sensible and have lost 7 pounds so far. Again, nothing crazy but the steady (but painfully slow) loss is still encouraging. If I quit smoking I can also then exercise more and that will help as well.
It's funny you started this topic, because only two days ago I was going to start a similar one but ran out of time and didn't get back to it.
I was going to title it, "Health, Hope and Happiness". It is the name of a nearby camp for disabled children, actually, and the short form of the name is Camp He Ho Ha. It sounds like laughter. Isn't it delightful?
The other thought I had was that health leads to hope, and hope leads to happiness. I'm greedy and want more of all three. I can only get there if I choose to go.
So there I'm going!!! I will be delighted to see you there also Glen. We can cheer each other on.
And please, please, PLEASE don't feel bad if you stumble on the way. As my doctor says, "It doesn't matter how often you try and fail. All that is important is that you try again. As many times as it takes to succeed".
I'm with ya!