Someone asked me for advice to help them quit smoking cigarettes, here's my response (if you're a smoker, please read this):
Chase,
I believe cigarette addiction has more to do with occupying yourself by fidgeting as it does with nicotine. That's why I think that a nicotine patch is pretty much worthless, because it takes less than half a second to apply the thing, and then you're left with nothing left to do to occupy yourself. Nicotine gum seems pretty worthless to me, as well- it's so flavorless and stiff, I couldn't ever bring myself to chew it for more than a couple minutes.
What I found incredibly helpful, and used for the first month and a half or so, was "Commit" nicotine lozenges. They've got the nicotine to help with any physical cravings, and you can fiddle with one of those things in your mouth for up to two straight hours if you choose to. Think of it this way, quitting smoking is not a process, it happens in an instant. You make the decision, and then you are a non-smoker. While you get used to being a non-smoker, at those times when you feel like you need to break down and grab for something, grab a nicotine lozenge. Let that be what you consider "caving in". Cave in with nicotine lozenges all you want, they'll give you the same drug cigarettes used to, so there's no reason why you'll need a cigarette. Stick with the lozenges, and forget about cigarettes. I bet you'll you'll throw away the lozenges after less than two months, too, like I did.
I haven't smoked a cigarette since August 5, 2008. If I ever so much as take another single puff, I'm sure I'll instantly be a full-on smoker again, just like if I drink another sip of booze or take any drugs I'm sure I'll go straight back to the hell I was in just over three years ago. Good luck, Brother, you can do it. Thanks for this, too,
Steve-O
