Nicotine patches or gum?
Nicotine patches or gum?
I've searched via the K440 search engine but just came up with e-cigs. I'm guessing it exists here since Cambodia is full of smokers, but where? And how do I ask for it in Khmer?
Thanks all
EDITED: I've been smoke free since 2004, but I've having a relapse of withdrawal symptoms and I'm miserable. I'd like to taper off my "addiction" to 2nd hand smoke as I am assuming that's what's causing my "relapse" since so many people in this country smoke.
I'm well aware of what it's like to quit and what it's like to be around smokers after quitting, and I can say with confidence that I can handle because I have already. Sure, not easy, but doable and have done it before.
Thanks all
EDITED: I've been smoke free since 2004, but I've having a relapse of withdrawal symptoms and I'm miserable. I'd like to taper off my "addiction" to 2nd hand smoke as I am assuming that's what's causing my "relapse" since so many people in this country smoke.
I'm well aware of what it's like to quit and what it's like to be around smokers after quitting, and I can say with confidence that I can handle because I have already. Sure, not easy, but doable and have done it before.
Last edited by AK87 on Fri Oct 11, 2013 12:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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I remember seeing the gum at one of the mini marts here, but I can not recall which one it was, sorry.
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When I tried to quit, I found nicotine patches in a couple of pharmacies here in Siem Reap so I guess they are available in PP, too. Don't know the Khmer word, the pharmacists here speak English.
P.S.: Didn't work for me. Ended up going cold turkey and have been "clean" for 7.668 hours, not that I am counting;-)
P.S.: Didn't work for me. Ended up going cold turkey and have been "clean" for 7.668 hours, not that I am counting;-)
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I've actually quit for 9 years (yeah, started young) and haven't a smoke since then, cold turkey. However, I don't know what happened to me recently, but I've been having massive withdrawal relapses? (not sure if that's the right word) and need to curve the symptoms. At 18 I could handle the symptoms for the week it lasted, but now it's really distracting and I can't imagine why it's happening to me, especially for being off so long.
My only guess is that 2nd hand smoke withdrawals are getting to me as I've been inside the house since yesterday afternoon until now and haven't been exposed to all the second hand smoke I usually am.
My only guess is that 2nd hand smoke withdrawals are getting to me as I've been inside the house since yesterday afternoon until now and haven't been exposed to all the second hand smoke I usually am.
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it is cold turkey all the way. don't even bother with gum, patches and e-cigarettes - they are just another source of nicotine and don't stop the addiction.
I was a heavy smoker for 12-years - cold turkey and I have been smoke free for over 2 years now (after 1st year you stop counting) and happy with that. It is cold turkey, and you have to be ready - you have to know why you are doing this - all other stuff just creates a temporary illusion of quitting when you never do.
I can go on for hours about how it changes your life - but not going to bore everyone here (unless anyone's interested). Main thing is to want it, get motivated and just stick to it - really easy
I was a heavy smoker for 12-years - cold turkey and I have been smoke free for over 2 years now (after 1st year you stop counting) and happy with that. It is cold turkey, and you have to be ready - you have to know why you are doing this - all other stuff just creates a temporary illusion of quitting when you never do.
I can go on for hours about how it changes your life - but not going to bore everyone here (unless anyone's interested). Main thing is to want it, get motivated and just stick to it - really easy
Don't worry, I know the benefits of quitting, and that's why I have. However, I'm physically shaking like mad and reliving the withdrawal symptoms I did when I quit. Sure, I can tough it out, but I'd much rather get a little bit of relief and taper it off rather than do so.
You are trying to break an addiction and a habit.
The addiction of nicotine, and the habit of smoking.
Break those two up for a better shot at winning.
The addiction of nicotine, and the habit of smoking.
Break those two up for a better shot at winning.
yeah, didn't read your OP carefully. But I still wouldn't go for anything that contents nicotine in it - too high of a risk that it will make you crave for more. Go for detox - fresh air, lots of water, squeeze some lime in it, green teas etc. I would offer coffee - but surely you already had a couple of litters since then. Food also helps - and in no time you will be back to normal.AK87 wrote:Don't worry, I know the benefits of quitting, and that's why I have. However, I'm physically shaking like mad and reliving the withdrawal symptoms I did when I quit. Sure, I can tough it out, but I'd much rather get a little bit of relief and taper it off rather than do so.
Still sounds weird that after a long period of time you are having withdrawals from smoke just after one night - maybe something else is causing it
oh, too much coffee and I have those symptoms sometimes too, try food, it could be blood pressure going either way and your body needs sugars
Stopped May 13th this year, smoked around and above 40 a day for 3 decades. Stopped once before for a 3 year period.
AK, here's an angle that might help you
When you stop smoking, initially you have to control the craving.
Think of the craving as an entity that lives in your mind.
Think of your mind as an actual physical space of finite volume.
The craving is made of 2 parts.
One is chemical, you are physiologically/neurally chemically addicted to nicotine.
Two is habitual, you are habituated to the hand/mouth gestures, the taste and sensation of the smoke, and act of spending your time at certain times of the day smoking... eg after a meal.
When first you quit smoking, the craving is made of both parts and fills much of the space available in your mind. There isn't much room left for you to juggle/consider much else. For the first week, everything you do and every action you take will be tempered by the presence of the craving, as it overshadows all and doesn't allow 100% concentration on any one thing... except smoking.
The chemical craving will diminish with time, meaning the entity living in your mind will become smaller, quieter, and easier to deal with over time... but it will never, ever, go away. It's like a tattoo - it will be there in one form or another for your entire life.
The habitual element will also diminish with time and will be forgotten, but this element will disappear entirely, and though it may be linked to by a re-awakening of the chemical addiction, it won't by itself lead to an unmanageable situation in which you begin to start smoking again.
Now, here's the thing.
The chemical addiction never, ever goes away. It lives in your mind forever. After time it will become smaller and smaller, and will not dominate your thinking. It will retreat and shrink to almost nothing, and take up invisible residence in some forgotten corner somewhere.
You are no longer a smoker, but it will always be present.
One day, for example - far from now, you'll be sat in a traffic jam near a smoker with his car window wound down. He'll be 6 cars away, but you'll smell it. The smell will awaken the tiny craving in the corner of your mind and it will grow. You will remember aspects of smoking and the craving will turn your mind to smoking again... albeit with a very tiny, weak voice.
This situation is manageable. The craving is still small and does not take up any reasonable amount of room in your mind.
Now, here's the next thing.
If your mind is already dealing with an amount of situations/matters that are pushing it near its capacity (remember, we agreed that the mind is a space of finite volume), then you will not have the time or the patience to deal with the nicotine craving. It's small, you deal with it for the moment, then you pass along to the next issue as you haven't much time. That craving will grow because you are too busy dealing with other, important things to properly calm it down and send it back to its corner. It will become larger and larger, and its voice will become louder and louder.
The longer you spend in an environment that supprts the nicotine craving, the stronger the craving taking up space in your mind will become. Eventually, if you simply cannot afford the time to stop it because your mind is so pressured in other areas, the craving will become so large and so loud that the only way to deal with both it and your everyday life will be to start smoking again, as there simply isn't enough room left in your mind to accomodate all you need to do in there.
So. Fix it.
1. Identify what is stopping you from having the patience, time, and manouvering space in your mind to deal with the chemical addiction and make appropriate adjustments.
2. Remove yourself from the environment that has reawakened the chemical addiction.
3. Fix this problem yourself by making concious decisions and going through a targetted process. Taking pills / chemicals / using patches / gum will not help you to solve the problem... the problem is you've recently been in a "wrong environment", and/or you've too much on your mind.
Not easy.
But definitely doable.
AK, here's an angle that might help you
When you stop smoking, initially you have to control the craving.
Think of the craving as an entity that lives in your mind.
Think of your mind as an actual physical space of finite volume.
The craving is made of 2 parts.
One is chemical, you are physiologically/neurally chemically addicted to nicotine.
Two is habitual, you are habituated to the hand/mouth gestures, the taste and sensation of the smoke, and act of spending your time at certain times of the day smoking... eg after a meal.
When first you quit smoking, the craving is made of both parts and fills much of the space available in your mind. There isn't much room left for you to juggle/consider much else. For the first week, everything you do and every action you take will be tempered by the presence of the craving, as it overshadows all and doesn't allow 100% concentration on any one thing... except smoking.
The chemical craving will diminish with time, meaning the entity living in your mind will become smaller, quieter, and easier to deal with over time... but it will never, ever, go away. It's like a tattoo - it will be there in one form or another for your entire life.
The habitual element will also diminish with time and will be forgotten, but this element will disappear entirely, and though it may be linked to by a re-awakening of the chemical addiction, it won't by itself lead to an unmanageable situation in which you begin to start smoking again.
Now, here's the thing.
The chemical addiction never, ever goes away. It lives in your mind forever. After time it will become smaller and smaller, and will not dominate your thinking. It will retreat and shrink to almost nothing, and take up invisible residence in some forgotten corner somewhere.
You are no longer a smoker, but it will always be present.
One day, for example - far from now, you'll be sat in a traffic jam near a smoker with his car window wound down. He'll be 6 cars away, but you'll smell it. The smell will awaken the tiny craving in the corner of your mind and it will grow. You will remember aspects of smoking and the craving will turn your mind to smoking again... albeit with a very tiny, weak voice.
This situation is manageable. The craving is still small and does not take up any reasonable amount of room in your mind.
Now, here's the next thing.
If your mind is already dealing with an amount of situations/matters that are pushing it near its capacity (remember, we agreed that the mind is a space of finite volume), then you will not have the time or the patience to deal with the nicotine craving. It's small, you deal with it for the moment, then you pass along to the next issue as you haven't much time. That craving will grow because you are too busy dealing with other, important things to properly calm it down and send it back to its corner. It will become larger and larger, and its voice will become louder and louder.
The longer you spend in an environment that supprts the nicotine craving, the stronger the craving taking up space in your mind will become. Eventually, if you simply cannot afford the time to stop it because your mind is so pressured in other areas, the craving will become so large and so loud that the only way to deal with both it and your everyday life will be to start smoking again, as there simply isn't enough room left in your mind to accomodate all you need to do in there.
So. Fix it.
1. Identify what is stopping you from having the patience, time, and manouvering space in your mind to deal with the chemical addiction and make appropriate adjustments.
2. Remove yourself from the environment that has reawakened the chemical addiction.
3. Fix this problem yourself by making concious decisions and going through a targetted process. Taking pills / chemicals / using patches / gum will not help you to solve the problem... the problem is you've recently been in a "wrong environment", and/or you've too much on your mind.
Not easy.
But definitely doable.
The outreach and advice is very much appreciated, thank you all. In case anyone else was confused, I edited the original post for clarity.
I only suspect it's my smoker days coming back because I am around smokers all day. Everyone smokes in the family except my wife, her mom, and me. 90% of my workers smoke, and 4 out of 4 brother in laws smoke too. This is the first time I can recall being away (100%) from second hand smoke for more than 24 hours. Only other thing I've taken are Ibuprofens (400 mg x 2) which really shouldn't do anything of course.
I only smoked for a year and quit cold turkey when I was 18 and believe me, living in Japan and catching constant whiffs of 2nd hand smoke makes things much harder, but I know how to control my urges. I've never had a problem with withdrawal symptoms but of course the urge is always there. I've handled it for 9 years, but I've never had anything as remotely powerful as this hit me. Today feels identical to when I did quit. Sensations the same, shaking, and craving a cigarette. Headaches too, only held off by lots of ibuprofen.
Anyway, I'm in bed still resting up, but if I return to work tomorrow, I'm going to be a mess in this state. I just wanted a few patches or gum to see if I could stave off these withdrawal symptoms because I can't focus or do anything for shit. I've quit before, and I've lived amongst smokers my entire adult life and never given into smoking again, but the withdrawals are miserable.
I only suspect it's my smoker days coming back because I am around smokers all day. Everyone smokes in the family except my wife, her mom, and me. 90% of my workers smoke, and 4 out of 4 brother in laws smoke too. This is the first time I can recall being away (100%) from second hand smoke for more than 24 hours. Only other thing I've taken are Ibuprofens (400 mg x 2) which really shouldn't do anything of course.
I only smoked for a year and quit cold turkey when I was 18 and believe me, living in Japan and catching constant whiffs of 2nd hand smoke makes things much harder, but I know how to control my urges. I've never had a problem with withdrawal symptoms but of course the urge is always there. I've handled it for 9 years, but I've never had anything as remotely powerful as this hit me. Today feels identical to when I did quit. Sensations the same, shaking, and craving a cigarette. Headaches too, only held off by lots of ibuprofen.
Anyway, I'm in bed still resting up, but if I return to work tomorrow, I'm going to be a mess in this state. I just wanted a few patches or gum to see if I could stave off these withdrawal symptoms because I can't focus or do anything for shit. I've quit before, and I've lived amongst smokers my entire adult life and never given into smoking again, but the withdrawals are miserable.
You won't stave off anything with patches - they'll just feed the need for nicotine and rebuild a dependence on it - next you'll need to quit the patches.
Identify what has put you in this position and kill it.
I suspect your home environment / noisy neighbour / lack of sleep.
Go stay in a quiet hotel for 3 nights and see if you feel the same way on Monday.
Identify what has put you in this position and kill it.
I suspect your home environment / noisy neighbour / lack of sleep.
Go stay in a quiet hotel for 3 nights and see if you feel the same way on Monday.
^I had gone to a pharmacy by Olympic stadium and found some patched but decided against them ultimately. In case anyone wanted to get off the cigs and addicted to something a little less carcinogenic. Sorry I forgot to ask the price and I didn't see if they had the nasty tasting gum either.
However I wasn't feeling any better so I rang up the doc and they suggested I stop my preventative antibiotics I was on (had minor surgery on Thursday). Feel like a new man today, I guess I am allergic to penicillin.
Thanks all for the "stop smoking" support. I know how it is, been there done that and I'm kind of glad now I didn't go for the nicotine patch.
However I wasn't feeling any better so I rang up the doc and they suggested I stop my preventative antibiotics I was on (had minor surgery on Thursday). Feel like a new man today, I guess I am allergic to penicillin.
Thanks all for the "stop smoking" support. I know how it is, been there done that and I'm kind of glad now I didn't go for the nicotine patch.
I found that in my case it was relatively "easy" to quit cold turkey (I haven't stopped drinking though, ), but with some of my friends I found they needed to taper off very slowly. i.e. 20 cigs a day and then go to 19 a day after a week. One of my friends did this and by the time he reached 3 a day many months later he told me "You know, I think I can just stop altogether." and he did. When I asked him about withdrawals he said it was "Definitely bearable."