Quiting smoking for pilots

[moxiepilot]

http://www.dedicateddesigns.com/qk/

a handy dandy "how much money saved, cigs not smoked" etc etc - I keep mine on all the time to remind me how good i'm doing. good luck to you guys

 

[wildfreightess]

Stop smoking timetable

http://whyquit.com/whyquit/A_Benefits_Time_Table.html

Also, http://whyquit.com is a wonderful website loaded with the right amout of information, encouragement, and scary (true) stories.

Good luck to you.

 

[waka]

I'll put in another vote for the patch. I used the generic Walgreen patches that cost about half as much as the big names. I also used the patches twice as long as the normal program.

These helped me;

1. The urge to smoke usually lasts just a few minutes.

2. When you're having a really hard time, take an unlit cigarette or a pen (even just hold your fingers to your mouth) and act as if you're inhaling and hold it in for a couple of seconds and let it out as if you're exhaling smoke. But, really, you're just taking a deep relaxing breath. So what if it looks silly?

3. Whenever I would see a friend about to light up, I would offer to light it for them and not inhale. It satisfied the oral fixation and the taste. I only did this if I was at a bar drinking with friends. It made it alot easier to be around smokers. Eventually this stopped.

4. If you're not doing regular aerobic exercise, start. If you're already doing it, step up the intensity and endurance. Whether you're running 2 miles every other day or running 10 miles every day doesn't matter. The most important thing is to be consistent in your routine. I started running before I had quit and I couldn't stand that smoking was affecting my training. This was a great motivator.

 

[aLear31pilot]

You guys sure make me want a smoke.... OOOHhh ya,,, that's it. Good ole' Red. Yummy!

 

[Swede]

I don't smoke, but I dip. I've tried quitting more times than I remember. I even had an entire year free of nicotine at one point. Here's what I observed over that time... I am not trying to discourage you, just something to be prepared for.

You'll feel better, but not entirely better, and it takes months. The physical side literally only takes a few weeks, but the poorly understood brain chemistry associated with addiction did me in. I think after years of pummeling my synapses with nicotine (a powerful poison with a lethal dose less than that of arsenic) I had utterly destroyed my "reward/pleasure" mechanism, which is, I believe, associated with dopamine. Everything was dull, I gained zero satisfaction from normally rewarding activities. I would have been diagnosed as depressed, but since I'm a pilot I don't get depressed.

At this point, the "gum" went over the counter. I actually bought the gum to abuse it! The irony is painful. From the gum I went back to full-blown dipping.

I was sick at heart. Then I did a bit of research. Check this guy (Dr. Rodu) out:

http://main.uab.edu/smokersonly/show.asp?durki=63612

He presents strong arguments that it is the combustion products which kill, and the dangers of smokeless are hugely overblown. There are some Scandinavian countries where 50% of the adult males dip, and their oral cancer rates are no higher than any other country. His basic premise is that if you simply cannot quit smoking, try to use smokeless as a nicotine delivery vehicle. I'm not trying to plug anything. If you can quit, do it. But after a year I still felt like shiite.

No I don't use a spit cup in the cockpit, I don't have a big line in my mouth. I can dip in total stealth and no one would ever know.

Good luck, I hope you guys make it. I couldn't.

 

[DenverDude2002]

The patch tore up my arms, i still have damage and that was over a year ago. i just went cold turkey, and if i got the urge at night substituted nictotine with rum

 

[rfeathe1]

As previously posted, COLD TURKEY is the best way to go.I smoked for 42 years & managed to quit CT. It wasen't easy, as I had an unexpected death of a close relatlve 2 weeks after I quit. It's been almost 20 years now & I've never regretted it. Now, if I could only control my appetite----------

 

[cfd130]

I used the nicorete looseneges(sp) The gum tastes awful- The lossenges arent bad- only used them for a couple of days- I think it is more in your head than anything-Thought I would miss smoking like crazy- dont miss it a bit-smoked for over 25 years. I really dont miss trying to find a place to smoke at the airport-or going into a smoke filled smoking area where even a hardened smoker walks in and gags. Also If I had been smart and quit 20 years ago and saved that money instead of making Philip Morris richer. I could have paid cash for my kids education rather than borrowing it- Oh Well
Best of luck

Nothing like a reformed alcoholic or smoker LOL

 

[side stick-n]

I quit smoking and took up piercings........

After smoking for 24 years and numerous failures in my attempt to quit, I finally succeeded by pure determination. First, you must WANT to quit and second, you must convince yourself you can do it. I was down to around 15 cigs a day and started with step two of the patch. After two weeks on step two, I went down to step three. One evening, three weeks later, I realized I had forgotten to put on a patch that morning. That was it; no more cigs, no more patch. If you choose to use the patch you might want to consider taking it off at night. I experienced VERY vivid dreams and didn't sleep well at all when I wore it to bed.

If you enjoy adult beverages, I would suggest that you stop that as well. At least for a few months. I know more than one person who went through months of frustration to stop only to start again after a few drinks with the buds. :blush:

Good luck, YOU CAN DO IT!

 

[350DRIVER]

No I don't use a spit cup in the cockpit, I don't have a big line in my mouth. I can dip in total stealth and no one would ever know.

With as much Copenhagen as I normally dip many seem quite sure that I am headed back down to Houston for the Livestock show and rodeo or something a long those lines. A can of Cop a day keeps the doc away.:laugh: