Smoking

[aeromar28]

Ok, so i want to quit smoking now. It has been enough.

There's this drug called bupropion which has helped lots people to quit smoking. But it's a psychotropic, so i guess it will show on the medical exam, and since it's a treatment, i reckon u would have to take it on a daily basis, leaving you unfit to fly.

There is this other new medication. It's called Champix. Apparently it's completely different than the other one. Has better results, and does not induce the secondary effects that the other one does.

Anyone has any information on whether we can use those prescription medications? Would they interfere with the medical standards we have to comply with?.

If we can, i think all the smokers here should give it a try!

Thanks.

[Aileron Roll]

Mate,

get hold of Allan Carr's "The Easy Way To Stop Smoking", read it a couple of times and you will never look back. I was a 25 a day man for 18 years and thought no way I could ever stop.... have been off them for 2 years now.

[gingernut]

Can't answer your specific question, I guess the CAA may take each case on it's merits or maybe a complete ban??

Here's a list of possible adverse effects.....


Side-effects


gastro-intestinal disturbances, appetite changes, dry mouth, taste disturbance; headache, drowsiness, dizziness, sleep disorders, abnormal dreams; less commonly thirst, weight gain, aphthous stomatitis, gingival pain, chest pain, hypertension, tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, palpitation, panic attack, abnormal thinking, mood swings, dysarthria, asthenia, tremor, incoordination, hypertonia, restlessness, hypoaesthesia, impaired temperature regulation, menorrhagia, vaginal discharge, sexual dysfunction, dysuria, arthralgia, muscle spasm, visual disturbances, eye pain, lacrimation, tinnitus, acne, sweating, rash, and pruritus; myocardial infarction, depression, and suicidal ideation also reported


(from the e-BNF)

I would have thought the possibility of the drug exascebating underlying depression would make it a no-no.

In my experience the key issue in smoking cessation, is acting whilst the patient is keen. The agent used to manage cravings, is of less importance.

[aeromar28]

Wow, those are big words on the adverse effects list. Is't the secondary effects list kind of a legal disclaimer? Even aspirin has its own risks.

Yeah, but i agree with you. Suicidal tendencies are not something i could use right now.

[ZFT]

Why take a drug? All you really need is willpower.

Seriously, been there and done it. Not easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is.

[gingernut]

The adverse effects list can be unreliable, and sometimes, not that scientific.

Whilst not wanting to deny someone the chance to quit, you guy's are in quite a special position. I'm not sure a prescriber would wish to take the chance with such a new drug. The risk/benefit calculation would be different for a pilot than say, a florist.

Willpower is important. In terms of success rates, about 5% of patients will succeed long term with willpower alone. This can be increased to 15-2o% with an agent.

I have heard some very good reports about Champix but larger longer term studies into eficacy and safety are needed, and should follow.

[aeromar28]

Sure, lets give the the drug a chance to prove it's safety. I might trust myself on this one, and i'm not even going to ask a doctor for now. There are some doctors who take bigger risks than others... so ill just keep out, and try cold turkey one more time. Oh god, not again!

Why did i wanna be cool in highschool!!!!

[Foxy Loxy]

aeromar,

Best of luck with your new attempt! :ok:

I'm doing exactly the same at the moment (smoke-free for a week right now :ooh:)

First of all, I was absolutely ready to quit the fags. Instead of doing it for myself, I resolved I would quit for my (non-smoking) boyfriend. I found this is giving me a greater incentive!
For the cravings, a good ol' fashioned patch. When things get really desperate and I have to do something else, I either nibble biltong or sip water.

Whichever way you choose, I agree that what you really have to have is willpower.

Foxy

[aeromar28]

Its funny, but the patches i tried once used to hurt a lot. I couldn't stand them for the time they were meant to be worn.

[Dane-Ger]

as was mentioned above, "easy way" by Allan Carr is a fantastic book. I stopped about eight months ago in preparation for my initial class 1.

I've never looked back, it really was so easy, I felt stupid for not having done it sooner.

Once you realise that it is only the fear of your life never being the same again without cigs that is stopping you, the rest becomes easy.

Withdrawal pangs are nothing, they are just exacerbated by angst, it's only the psychological part you need to get sorted. read the book before considering any medication (and I include patches and nicotine gum in this)

good luck

D-G

[rodthesod]

I never read the Allan Carr book, but it sounds about right. I kicked my 60-80 a day habit 16 years ago going 'cold turkey'. It was very difficult for the first week, but each week thereafter got progressively easier. My friend and colleague who stopped a few weeks later using 'gum' now uses 2 packs of Nicorette a day. I hope he doesn't contract cancer of the throat or mouth like so many of those Scandinavian nicotine 'teabag' munchers. Why use a product of the tobacco industry to try to stop smoking?
My personal feeling is that using one drug to kick another is a big mistake. I speak as an alcoholic who kicked alcohol 16 years ago too without drugs or special treatment.

rts

[aeromar28]

Ok, nicotine patches or gums are not drugs. They are used to provide the nicotine to your system while you dissociate the fact of lighting up during your special activities.

Here is an example. When I'm on the airplane, i don't think of smoking. 12 hours pass by with no need to smoke at all. On the other side, when i try to read or study, i need a cigarette and a coffee. The reason for that being the fact that during college i got used to studying that way.

What I'm trying to explain here is the following:
There are 2 simultaneous addictions that we suffer

-Psychological addiction: It kicks in whenever u start to do something u have associated with smoking. Computer, reading, seeing someone light one up, cofee, beer.... That one usually kicks in stronger and sooner than the actual drug addiction, in a way that you might find yourself lighting up a fag, even when your blood nicotine levels are "confortable".

-Chemical addiction: If you manage to overcome the psych addiction, a couple days later, your body will show the symptoms of the detox. Thats the only serious part of quitting smoking. It actually can hurt, deprive you from sleeping or carrying a normal life (for some weeks). Now, knowing that lighting one up is the solution for that, is the mental trap that has been set for us (we have set for ourselves).

-So, what are patches and other nicotine supplements for? They are a way to maintain the comfortable levels of nicotine, while you figure out how to get rid of the habit. The treatment should not last longer than a month or two, and once u are comfortable doing your routinely things smoke-free, then, following the treatment, you lower the dose progressively, in order to make a smooth detox. More than stopping smoking, is a kind of... un-starting to smoke.



The drugs i mentioned above, are a completely different thing. Smokers have "educated" neuro-receptors to trigger realistic pleasure feelings by associating them with nicotine. We are animals after all. So these drugs are actual psychotropic agents which can block those feelings. Even if you smoke while on those drugs, they are supposed to take the pleasure off of the fact of smoking, making you realize that smoking is just breathing the residue of a stinky combustion.

So, secondary effects are almost obvious. As well as some drugs provide euphoria (most of them are illegal), this drug provides numbness to certain triggers. Therefor making it a prescription drug. I have read that the success rate of these drugs is actually very high, but knowing that it would affect my judgment, and capacity of thinking, i reckon they are a big no for pilots. At least for now.

[Dane-Ger]

-Chemical addiction: If you manage to overcome the psych addiction, a couple days later, your body will show the symptoms of the detox. Thats the only serious part of quitting smoking. It actually can hurt, deprive you from sleeping or carrying a normal life

Sorry but this is the one big fallacy that stops most smokers from even trying to stop.

The half life of nicotine is about two hours, and significant amounts of nicotine only remain in the blood for six to eight hours. after a week it's gone.

If you go for a twelve hour flight without smoking you have lived through the worst physical symptoms, everything else is psychological.

The physical withdrawal symptoms are rather like being hungry (one of the reasons people put on weight when the stop, they misinterpret the symptoms for hunger) and a bit restless, they don't hurt and after a week they are gone.

I was positive i could never stop smoking, I had tried on countless occasions, with patches, gum etc etc. I think what the one thing that the Allan Carrs book did was make me understand the process my body and mind was going through. made it so easy to stop.

Good luck with stopping.

D-G

P.S the gums and patches ARE drugs, they contain that very addictive drug called nicotine:)

[cabincrewdvt]

Hi I've been on Champix for the last month you are supposed to quit between 12 - 14day's but I carried on taking them and I've quit now for only 7 day's but I've never been that long without a ciggie before so finger's crossed it will stay that way... good luck..

[Hebridean Jocky]

Why not try Hypnosis??
Completely pain free and without any complications or side effects.
Cravings are cut to a minimum and it has a huge success rate.

Good Luck
HJ

[latetonite]

allright, I started Champix in November last year, stopped smoking after 12 days, it worked as prescribed, off the pills in Feb this year, and still smoke free. Been flying a 100 hrs a month and no side effects. Cross my fingers for the future.:ok:

[gingernut]

Why not try Hypnosis??

It'll work for some, but not much evidence of effectiveness I'm afraid.

[WG774]

I tried all manner of methods for years and found them all to be flawed, particularly the gum (definitely not a good idea IMHO). I finally managed to quit using the inhalator.

The trick with the inhalator is to use the muscles in your cheek, chipmunk-style, to 'suck' the nicotine particles out, without actually inhaling anything. If you become adept at this technique, I found the inhalator worked very well indeed.

Over a period of months, I went from 10 inhalers a day to 5, to 1, to 1 emergency inhaler in the car and office...and then once you're down to a miniscule amount, it's pretty easy to go the last step as the inhaler is really now a placebo / psychological aid.

Personally, the only way I could do it was to use very gradual withdrawal.

Best of luck!

[Octane]

My brother (pilot) tried that drug to help him give up. He stopped after a week because it was making him "think and feel weird". He gave them to me to try, but I think and feel weird anyway so didn't want to push it!

Octane

[gingernut]

Helping peopkle quit is pretty satisfying- still have the odd person who says, "you got me off'em 10 years ago.

In actual fact, I, and the drugs I used, probably did very little, I suspect there is a degree of choice involved for people wanting to quit.

Having said that, nicotine is a very enjoyable, addictive drug.

Someone left a packet of L&B in me car the other day, they felt, smelt and looked gorgeous. Glad me' cigarette lighter didn't work.

[Hebridean Jocky]

Hypnosis doesnt work for everyone however it is good for around 85% of the population.
Gives excelllent results with more than a few addictions but for Smoking it is one of the best.
Reduces cravings and helps to change your mental attitude and unconscious minds contribution to the situation.
Remember that you can not do anything consiously without the unconscious mind's approval.
A combination of Hypnosis,NLP, unconsious minds education and goal directive therapy is the best combination. Produces an extremely high percentage of success.
A session normally last around three hours, so as you can see it's not an instant fix but a very controlled and deliberate session that is designed around the individual's needs and situation.

Cheers
HJ

[DocSullivan]

FYI - the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has banned pilots and air traffic controllers from using the prescription anti-smoking drug CHANTIX® (varenicline), manufactured by Pfizer, after new information became available about possible side effects that could impact aviation safety. The action was taken after a medical safety group, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, released the results of a study that "found evidence for the occurrence of seizures, loss of consciousness, heart attacks, vision problems, and various psychiatric instabilities in individuals who use the drug."

FAA News Release about the Chantix ban (http://www.faa.gov/news/updates/?newsId=56363).

The report that prompted the ban:

Strong Safety Signal Seen for New Varenicline Risks (http://www.ismp.org/docs/vareniclineStudy.asp)

Nicotine replacement (patch, gum, lozenges) are still allowed, of course.

[gingernut]

Shame really, NICE did an appraisal of this drug recently, and it does seem to work well.
Having said that, there are other options.

[AMEandPPL]

FYI - the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has banned pilots and air traffic controllers from using the prescription anti-smoking drug CHANTIX® (varenicline), manufactured by Pfizer, after new information became available about possible side effects that could impact aviation safety.

All AME's have this morning received an e-mail from the Medical Dept of the CAA saying exactly the same. Any pilots or ATCO's taking this medication are temporarily grounded. May operate normally from 72 hours after the last dose taken.

CAA point out that ZYBAN is also not permitted, due to its side effect profile. However, nicotine replacements ( gum, patches, inhalers) ARE permitted in pilots and ATCO's.

[luvly jubbly]

As has been said many times. Just read Alan Carr's Easyway.

Tried to quit loads of times to no avail.

Then went from 40 per day to nil. No problems, and I can quite happily stand around while others smoke, without the slightest desire to join in!

It's a cheap book and there's nothing at all to lose.
:D

LJ

[driftdown]

Whatever works...

I had a 40+ a day habit in 1996 and given a goal I wanted to achieve that was incompatible with smoking it forced me to take drastic (!) action.

Cold Turkey worked for me, it was not nice, not nice at all. In the end the intended goal plus the mind game of "loss" of time, in other words having a cigarette after 24H meant a waste of 24h, this became 48H.... to days..... to weeks...to months.... fortunately now years.

It came down to will power and that was very useful given I did not have to wonder about medication and the effect on my medical.

P.S. After a while it was brilliant not to be twitching at a social event wondering where the smoking corner/location was. :ok:

[w2k24]

Hello.
I'm new here and have a Class One exam at Gatwick this week.
Regrettably i have been smoking cigarettes for almost ten years and while i obviously feel fit, i am mainly concerned with the lung function testing.
During the past month I have reduced the amount I smoke from 20 to 10. Now I'm on 7-10 cigarettes a day with my exam in a few days.

I would love to go cold turkey until then but while i am keen for my body to dispel as much nicotine as possible, i am concerned about the side effects.
I don't want my anxiexty and pressure to increase further on the day and also i'm worried about coughing up (which is a common side effect of quitting).

Any reassurance or advice is most welcome.
Thank You.

[5LY]

QUIT! Tell him you just quit. Then do it.

Stupid bloody habit.

[Loose rivets]

I don't know your age, but if you started in mid teens, the latest stats show that you are 300% more likely to die of cancer than someone that starts in their twenties. This came from good research by the way.


It's vital to beat the habit. I won't describe on this forum watching my neighbor kill himself. It was horrible, they cremated him the other day.

30 years of my mother's life was totally wrecked by smoking. It didn't kill her, but for years she wished it had. O2 bottles, nebulizers, hanging on to furniture to get across the room...it became just a way of life.

Do what 5LY says, stop, but tell them. They know that the cleaning out mechanisms will be working hard - for the first time in ages, and accept the resultant produce.

[gingernut]

i am mainly concerned with the lung function testing.

The honest answer is, if you're tender in age, and you havn't got any pre-existing disease, then passing a medical shouldn't be an issue. Fags or no fags.

You run a slight risk of dying of an'orribloe cancer in about twenty or thirty years, more of a risk of dying younger or being disabled by a stroke in mid life, or at best, living as long as Uncle Albert.

[w2k24]

Thanks all for the response.
I know i should have quit ages ago and i know i will do.

I'm 27 now but started regularly smoking probably at 21 with the amount increasing through uni.
I've never had any experience of medicals and have only recently decided to pursue the actual career.
However, since then I've been reading off-putting stories where you're made to blow into tubes etc.. and some guy almost passing out in order for them to get a sufficient reading. Another guy having to run around a car park to get his breathing up to scratch :eek:

How difficult really is the lung assessment?

[Kiev23]

I can sort of understand your worries. I myself have asthma, and I was made to run round the car park :). I don`t think that the actual test is that difficult to be honest. I think for your age, they will have a set level which you have to reach. However like Gingernut said, providing you don`t have an existing lung disease, you`ll be fine. Ohh and another point about running around the car park, my lung function got better after the run !!

Keep us posted on how your medical goes, I am sure you will be fine. They are all very helpful down there !!

Kiev23

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

<<I know i should have quit ages ago and i know i will do.>>

If I have heard that once I must have heard it fifty thousand times from young people I worked with........ but it never happens and they're still coughing their lungs out whenever I see them. And you can smell them a mile off..

For God's sake DO something - NOW, not tomorrow or the next day.

Both my father and mother-in-law died as a result of smoking as a result of which my sons (now 37 and 40) would never even consider the habit. They didn't even allow their smoking-friends inside our house when they were young.

[DrJones]

If you have an Iphone you can purchase this application "Quite Smoking Now with Max Kirsten" for about £5.00.

It worked for me - but you do need to really want to give up - it cant be a token gesture.

Good luck

[w2k24]

Thanks once again to all for the advice and reassurance.

Yes "quitting" has been heard many a time but i remain adamant.
I can assure you it is harder to give up than it sounds. Not only is there the physical side to the addiction but such a habit gets firmly lodged in your mentality day to day.

I've gone from 20+ per day to around 5 and believe me that was difficult!
Admittedly not for a non-smoker or someone who has personally known unfortunate experience of ill-health around them.

Its also disheartening as all your weaknesses and self-esteem issues show up when trying to quit :{

I will attend the medical, and whatever the outcome should give me that final edge to kick the habit completely.

Regards and thanks again.

[5LY]

Quitting is a mind set. You have to decide that you're going to and then never consider having another one. If you torture yourself with it and think about it it's only a matter of time. You have to think of yourself as a non-smoker and then live it.

I quit and restarted several times before realizing that I could quit, I just couldn't stay quit. Once I figured that out it was just a mental adjustment to decide never to repeat the cycle. Save yourself some agony, pick a date, psyche yourself up, make yourself sick of them and then do it.

[FuturePilot79]

Everyone has their thoughts and beliefs about the best and easiest way to conquer smoking. I used to smoke - in fact I was really good at it. REALLY good at it! However I knew deep down that I didn't want to do it and was introduced to the book 'Alan Carr's EasyWay to give up smoking' it definately worked for me as well as my wife - but you HAVE TO WANT TO GIVE UP! I don't know what it is about this book that makes it work but it does. It even says that you should smoke while reading it! Google the title and you are bound to find used ones for sale. Ironically though, I believe Alan Carr died of lung cancer. I have now been smoke free for a number of years and have done a complete about face and am running marathons! From one addiction to another! Good luck!

[JimR]

Have to agree that it is very much a mental attitude. I have again stopped smoking! Have done several times before; gave it up for 10 years once. Problem is that it is sooo good.... that cigarette after a meal; relaxing in the evening, or even having one while being completely lost on one of those first cross countries (seemed to cool the nerves and settle things down a bit). Severly frowned upon now of course. It is very, very difficult to forget the pleasure. Cutting down doesn't work. I was down to less than 5 sometimes 2 a day. Problem was I kept looking at my watch looking forward to the next one.
What really pushed me over the top was the British Heart Foundation "Fatty Cigarettes" advert; absolutely disgusting and nauseating, highly recommended. Just think of one of the advert scenes when the desire creeps up and it completely (for me) dispels any craving. Oh the pleasure thoughts come back now and then (they will never ever completely disappear, but that's life, and not just cigarettes); however, they do fade slowly away.
Best of luck!

[dany4kin]

Second that about Alan Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking.

Just get the book and read it.

You'll be amazed.

I've read half and when I'm ready I'll read the rest and KNOW I'll never need/want to smoke again. Of course, the 'need' part is a complete myth but if you buy the book you'll very soon find that out for yourself...

It's an emotional and pleasurable experience to read it, literally almost spiritual I found, if you read it correctly and with an open mind.

Cannot recommend it strongly enough.

[w2k24]

Hi all.
So had the class one medical today it it all went fine.
Unbelievably despite my lack of excercise and the dirrty habit, i passed the lung function with relative ease.

In fact I was told that my heamoglobin level was borderline and my cholesterol slightly high. There is a big chance that this is what the smoking could've contributed to.

so i guess the next step is to grab that Alan Carr book then pick a flying school.

Yeah i think i am ready to give up the tabs for good. i'm sure i want to.

ps- i totally fell for the young lady doctor with the nightingale effect. she was great.

Thanks to all you guys.
TO THE NEXT STEP....

[Put1992]

W2K24

I think i may have seen you in there today :ok:

Well I was told that everything was fine throughout the whole medical. At the very end, in the final review of my application form, He ran through the medical questions (history of etc etc) all of which I ticked 'No' to. Then pops up on the computer, something about the light asthma I had when I was 13 for a short period (details from my class 2, or access to medical records??). So a futher test was needed, and I had to do the car park run. On the second spirometry reading of the extra test(bearing in mind the original i'd done a few hours before, i'd been told was fine) I was slightly wheezy (I'd had a bad cough a few days before, something i'd also told them).

So, they wouldn't issue the Class 1 until I receive treatment for Asthma, and repeat a spirometry test. My Class 2 is still valid.

So, Slightly cheesed off, but it seems like I can still make it through. Anybody else had a similar sort of exprience? And has anybody any advice for helping with astma etc

Cheers

[w2k24]

Hey there! I was the black-haired guy looking absolutely petrified and totally out of depth!

The end exam was definitley the most uncomfortable part for me.

i totally appreciate their concern but i every time i felt i'd said somethin wrong or forgotten about somethin in the past.
Thought a lie detector test was going to come out.

sorry to hear of the asthma issue. i'm guessing its up to you and your gp to make things right now?

[Put1992]

I've basically got to get treatment for my 'asthma', and it should improve my spirometry results.

Pretty bad timing really, I need to seriously consider training schools, and let my college know about which one i'm planning on joining etc, but I don't want to start arranging visits until this is over with.

Should have been in this situation 3 years ago before I started, and completed my PPL, but there we go!

Heres to a month of fighting asthma, and passing the medical.

All the best with your plans!

[w2k24]

if you can sort it in a month then that really isn't that long for something thats going to play a major factor in your career.
maybe speak to your college and still look at schools explaining your situation.

won't comment on the asthma condition but if you've been told there's a high chance of it being improved then you're laughing right? as long as somethin can be fixed...

Good luck

[Charlie Foxtrot India]

I also vouch for the Allan Carr bok. I smoked for 30 years, never felt any ill effects or had any dramas keeping my class 1 but was starting to get wrinkles and horrible grey skin tone. (Vanity!) Then I was up for a wisdom tooth extraction and the haematologist said I had to quit because of the drugs I had to take for slow blood clotting or they wouldn't operate; and my toothache was indescribable.:ouch:

I didn't feel "ready" to quit, but read the Allan Carr book and never smoked again. That was 13 months ago.

One tip: DONT use nicoteine replacement therapy. The book says not to but I did, I had some of the inhaler things and I was going nuts. Stopped them and it was all much easier. You have to do it the way the book says.

I still like to stand downwind of smokers, love the smell, miss it when I'm stressed; but no desire whatsoever to stick one in my mouth and light it.

[Bruce Wayne]

w2k24

I agree it is very tough to quit, the biggest thing is times of frustration and periods of inactivity.

Breaking the nicotine hit is the biggest hurdle i found.

Nicorette inhalator, try it. it helped me give me up overnight, ONCE i had decided on it. After two days of using them, i just couldn't even look at a cigarette.

Also the Future Mrs. Wayne works in Cardiology so stopping the continual GBH of the ears was a huge incentive too!

Honestly its all been said a millions time before so i wont bore you with the platitudes and pseudo support. Break the nicotine addiction with a supplement, the inhalator also gives you the hand occupation supplement too.

The other thing is look at your licence, think of what it has cost you to obtain it, and compare it to a pack of smokes.

You've made the decision to quit. Thats the step you need to take; you're already on the way to being a non smoker.

[w2k24]

Charlie Foxtrot India
Bruce Wayne

Thats an interest conflict of advice.

One time i've managed to quit for 3 days using patches and inhalor. The nicotine withdrawal side effects were not somethin i wanted.
that was at the height of my smoking days though being jobless and socialising with drink.
So smoking was the last thing i wanted to lose in my life.

Is there not a danger of actually being addicted to the inhilator though? Don't get me wrong i'd prefer it, but being so dependent on something isn't it switching one habit to another?

[Bruce Wayne]

Indeed it is, however different methods work for different people. i stopped a few years ago just by going cold turkey. i started again on the morning of sept 11, 2001 watching the TV. I had quit for 2 years.

Anyway thats an aside.

The medical problems associated with cigarette smoking are significant as is the damage to the lungs. Future Mrs. Wayne will gladly expound the damage to lungs and cardiovascular systems for you better than i ever will.

If you have done 3 days, then you have made a start, but something has caused you to revert back.

Stress, irritation, frustration, boredom... ???

The effects of withdrawal of nicotine from the system of a smoker can be significant.

Personally, this time around I tried patches and also zyban, the patches worked to replace the nicotine but was left fiddling with may hands a lot. Zyban dealt with the mood swing effect.

Yes I use the inhalator. it gave me the replacement for smoking as a break, however, smoking is what causes the damage, its easier to wean yourself off of the inhalators and the nicotine input when you are repulsed by smoking, the smell the damage to the body of inhaling carcinogens.

Thats if you do find yourself using them as a replacement for a cigarette.

The upshot is.. find what works for YOU.

Advice of don't do this or that is pretty much pointless. if sticking your head in a bowl of cold water stops you from having a cigarette, then do it.

For me, i tried a couple of different methods that worked for other people and didn't work for me. I went out bought a pack of inhalators, haven't smoked since. I do keep one on me and if the occasion arises that i would have one, like after a pub lunch, or sitting in traffic on the motorway, it works and i have no desire for a cigarette.

Don't get me wrong i'd prefer it, but being so dependent on something isn't it switching one habit to another?

uh huh. But one'll kill ya, the other wont ! :E

You know what.. your doing fine. At this point, you have made the decision to give up. That's obvious, you started this thread about quitting, you're just trying to find the most effective way.

You've broken the psychological dependence, now it's just the physiologocal dependence.

Good for you. you'll do it. :ok:

[w2k24]

the 3 days was more like 2.
can't function without that morning coffee and its accomplice and i just cracked.
i felt i was also overdoing the inhilator and at that point realised i was way too weak to give up. My willpower was shameless.

i also tried Champix but the nausea was cruel. might try those again.

yes the change of lifestyle is a massive point. the morning coffee, watching tv, long journeys....

the general word given here is that you have to want to quit and i believe thats true.
as is everyone having their methods.
a friend of mine on 20 a day woke up one morning and just stopped. wtf?

thanks so much for the words though. Its great to hear from people who've been there

[ArthurBorges]

w2k24 (http://www.pprune.org/members/309144-w2k24), we're all obviously better off not smoking than smoking but let's have some perspective on this.

If you quit entirely, it means a weight gain of 5 to 8 kg.

If you use patches or nicotine chewing gum, your chances of quitting are about 11%.

There is acupuncture but, as others here point out, like with other techniques, you need the mindset, or determination, to quit. Otherwise put it on the backburner until you've solved other more pressing inner issues with yourself.

In conversaiton wtih a lama who is a traditional Tibetan physician, he said that up to five cigarettes a day may be a good thing.

Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and Ho Chi Minh are but three five-pack-a-day smokers who lived to ripe old ages.

The issue is not smokng per se, but tar and nicotine as two industrial molecules among others that we ingest daily. There is something called potentialization, whereby the cumulative effect of Molecule A + Molecule B is far greater than the simple sum of their individual effects because they develop synergy. So add ciggies to the electromagnetic radiation from your cockpit and industrial cleaning liquids in the cabin or friendly neighbourhood cellphone tower AND TO your wife's (or husband's) favourite air freshener and your aftershave/perfume, and the cocktail gets really potent.

Nobody really wants to investigate this somehow.

The alarming thing about this anti-smoking neurosis is that it becomes just one more tool of dividing folks among each other. In its extreme form, there is the hype about second hand smoke being worse than the first hand version. To issue such a startling assertion, the FDA had to lower the threshold of statistical significance because otherwise it would have had nothing to say. Even more absurdly, it forces a reader to conclude that, if s/he has to live in a smokers' environment, the only way of reducing lung cancer risks is... to become a first hand smoker.

Another alarming thing is that it makes smokers a lightning rod for fears about pollution that also comes from motor vehicles, production plants and, um, military/aircraft. How many packs a minute would it take to pollute as much as a heavy motor vehicle in a day?

By the way, the risk of emphysema is greater than that of lung or throat cancer.

[w2k24]

whoah.
Now that is a perspective.

Its nowhere near your extent but i know whilst trying to give up, the mind grabs actual advantages of smoking in order to try and weigh up the pain of quitting.

other than that i'm stuck for a response for that.
refreshing post for someone who enjoys the cig with no intention..

[xxTS-IQQxx]

:}hello everyone
i am 26 years old and i started smoking at 19 and to tell you the truth i smoked 25 cigeretes a day...but i got my 1 class medical in germany..to know how just read the rest .....
i stoped smoking just like that ..i thought to myself it is enough and than i started a challanging experience..i went swimming every day for 1- 1,5 hours..and when i say swimming i dont mean staying in water and appreciating the nice bikinis but swimming according to a tough programme :
-30 min Breaststroke the speed doesnt matter at first (espacially after 5-10 years poison) i know it sounds crasy but believe me once you made it you will be able to do it every day
-5 min rest
-5 to 10 min freestyle with a pullboy between your legs
-5 min rest
-10 to15 min legs workout...use a board and do so like you are swimming freestyle
-5min rest
-5 to 10 min freestyle at this point you will most probebly release mucus and that is goooooooooood

dont forget to drink water (no cola) at least 3-4 L a day

back to your everyday behaviour ..try to eat healthy as much as possible..which means only vegetables and beans ..try a good fish ...a good turkey steak ..but please avoid fat..it makes you feel like you need a cigarette..AND BY NO MEAN ALCOHOL there is a good french saying ´ L´ alcool appele le tabac which means the alcohol makes you smoke more...and i am sure you know what i mean ... avoid smokers (friends).....if you keep living that way ..you will see that your body dont like the cigarette any more...yeah ok its right there is some iron will involved.....but believe me once you see how goood you do feel and how you are another person in bed with your lady:} even in alldays live like catching the bus....even your smell....your skin gets better,,your teeth...actually everything
my grandpa was involved in World war2 and he didnt get killed by a bullet but by that :mad:cigarette...so take your decision ....
still questions?..feel free to pm me the best of luck.... :ok::ok:

[Pugilistic Animus]

I'm really trying to quit myself but I've fallen off the wagon several times, folks around me said I was very cranky and intolerant during my hiatus but I'll keep trying and just keep them away next time:}

I know that it is sooo hard but don't give up it will be worth it

[gingernut]

As one who works on the inside, I can say, with hand on heart, that the only way to prevent yourself falling ill from the majority of the stuff that will eventually lay us to rest, is

a)choose better parents
b)stop smoking


We (health care professionals), enjoy fiddling round the edges, but , in all truth, we make little difference to the quality and quantity of life.

As an (ex) tabber, I can relate to the frustration of things. In all truth, the only thing that is going to stop you smoking, is you, yourself.

Good luck though. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that if you don't succeed you'll never succeed. Simply not true.:}

[Lancelot37]

Someone once said to me “You smell like an ashtray” He did me a favour. I stopped smoking.

You can smell a smoker from the stink on his/her clothes from 2 metres away but smokers don’t realise that, as they live with the stink. Their houses, and cars, smell the same.

[merlinxx]

Excellent with no side snags, tried to stop for years, now have:ok:

[gingernut]

Seems to be good stuff, can very rarely cause mental health problems (I've never seen it), which I guess could be disastrous for pilots.

[Cyber Bob]

Have quit for nearly a year now by using Champix. Never thought I would

Only side effects I had was three days of Nausea. Waves lasting several hours but strangly, it went as soon as it came. Small price to pay!

Friends of mine have experienced differing side effects ranging from none to constipation and depression (How nice!)

Just think though. is it worth it?

I asked myself this question.

Q. Would I give my son a cigarette?

A. No

Then why am I smoking? :=

You gotta want to do it though, no half hearted measures. Just gotta work out how to lose the weight gain. Guess it means getting off the sofa from time to time!

My advice - stick with it

[Biggiebigbig]

Use of this medication (Champix) by pilots and ATCOs has never been permitted by the UK CAA due to concerns about its psychomotor side effects
See: http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/1859/SRG_Med-Notification_Index.pdf

Also banned by the FAA !

[cavortingcheetah]

Bladder cancer is an entertaining little side show. Smoking is the number one cause. TCCs (transitional cell carcinomas) can appear anywhere in the urinary system from bladder to kidney and even the troubled prostate. It seems as though this cancer can manifest itself many years after the cessation of smoking. It's almost as common now in women as in men and can be directly tracked to smoking trends. It's what is known as a field change disease which means that TCCs can and will arise at any time for years after the initial diagnosis and treatment. This makes bladder cancer virtually incurable and leads to the necessity for a cystoscopy every six months or so for the rest of the individual's life.

[de facto]

I read the book 'easy way to quit smoking'... Stopped smoking even before i finished the book.
Its all in the head!!! And sooooo easy to quit, i am in a better mood,havent gained weight and cant stand the smell of cigarettes anymore.
Greatest book i ever read:ok:

[cavortingcheetah]

I gave up without recourse to reading a book or any other such prop, gimmick or hallucinatory aid. But then I have never been subservient to the constraints of will power.

[gingernut]

Just been watching the lads enjoy a cigar in our new heated smoking shelter.

Bloomin' eck, it looked, tasted and smelt good.

Bottom line to giving up smoking? You've gotta want to give up. :)

If you do, patches , inhalators, champix and all that sort of stuff will help. If you don't, enjoy the moment.