It's been THREE YEARS.

[BiggJawn]

Since my last cigarette.

Big props to everyone who's posting "I just quit" or "I quit yesterday" threads!

You can do it!

[Nightwing]

1. Congratulations!!

What a wonderful accomplishment of having quit for three years and I cant wait to join you. Tuesday March 21 will mark one month that I've been smoke free and I'm feeling stronger every day. The patch has worked wonders for me along with support from my wife and family, a regular exercise schedule has worked very well too. There have been several tough times along the way but I feel that the worst is over and now I can look forward to the rest of my life as a non smoker.

After several attempts at quitting before, I'm certain I've finally beat it and at 51 years old I'm sure I couldn't have chosen a better time. We have four wonderful grandchildren with whom my wife and I look forward to spending many many happy years with.

Congrats again and good luck in the years to come!!

[Don Claybrook]

2. One Month, 3 Years, I have a question for both of you

I'm concluding my 5th day of quitting. So far I feel wonderful (mostly). But I'm on both Wellbutrin and on the strongest patch.

Question: How difficult is it to wean oneself off the patch? I haven't yet started the step-down to lower dosage patches, and I probably won't for another couple of weeks.

Does anyone have a difficult time getting off the patches when the time comes?

Thanks, and congratulations on the 3 years, as well as the one month, respectively.

[Nightwing]

3. 5 days is great!

Congrats on a strong start and good luck in quitting for good. I too havent yet went to a lower dose than step 1 of the patch but will be doing so in my sixth week. I'll know better then as to how it feels. I figure I may be a bit cranky for the first few days or so but then will adjust as the level of nicotine my system craves will decrease accordingly.

I'll keep you posted once I step down but I really dont anticipate any major setback as I have my mind made up that I've quit for good.

Good luck and stick with it!!!

[Don Claybrook]

4. r.e. having your mind made up

I think I know exactly what you're talking about. To someone who is not in the middle of quitting smoking, it might not make a lot of sense. After all, there have been lots of times when I've "had my mind made up" that tomorrow, I'll quit smoking. And of course that never happened.

But with each hour, each day that I don't smoke, my mind really is more made up that I don't smoke, that I'm not a smoker. I try to imagine situations that would cause me to smoke, and barring some awful and catastrophic thing happening, I am so far not coming up with any reason that I would want to pick up a cigarette.

I even have a plan to drink a bottle of wine under very controlled conditions, just to make sure that I don't start smoking again when I have an alcoholic drink. I'll probably wait a couple of weeks for that one.

The reason I asked about the patches is because it occurs to me that I'm breaking a psychological habit right now, but I'm not breaking a physical addiction, since I'm getting a good amount of nicotine from my left arm. But I like your attitude about it--you're not going to let it become a problem, because you're no longer a smoker. I'm going to see if I can officially adopt that mindset.

Continued good luck to you.

[murielm99]

6. I used all three steps of the patch, and had no trouble

stepping down or completing my use of the patch.

The last step has such a small amount of nicotine that it is not hard to adjust to leaving the patch.

I still crave cigarettes sometimes. But the nicotine is out of my body now, and I do not have to act on that impulse to smoke. And the cravings I have are nothing like they would have been had I gone cold turkey.

I recommend the patch as a way to quit. I quit five months ago.

[Nightwing]

5. Stepped down yesterday

On the patches that is. I went from the 21 to the 14 mg patch and havent noticed any real difference at this time. What I've planned to do is ween myself off the 21 mg slowly by wearing a 21 mg one day and then a 14 mg the next day and so forth for the next week and then stick only with the 14. I figure it will be less of a problem that way and will let you know how it works.

Should it work well, I plan to do the same when the time comes to step down from 14 mg to 7 mg.

Good luck Don and I'll keep you posted.

[Don Claybrook]

7. about the patches

I stopped wearing them. I got to the end of a 21mg box and was preparing to buy a 14mg box, then thought I'd just try to save the money and see how it felt with no patch.

There was nothing. No craving, no........well, nothing. So I got all worked up over nothing. I'm going to drop the Wellbutrin after I run out of it in a couple of weeks.