Testimonies: Successful Quit Smoking

Sharing 1
I used to smoke 1 pack a day for the past 10 years plus and now after the 3 months treatment with champix I am smoke free.Over the years I had tried many times to quit smoking with a lot of different methods but was not successful but Champix seems to help me quit with less effort.Well let me start at the beginning of my treatment.The first few days when I took champix somehow or rather I seem to have had more than a pack a day maybe thinking that I will quit smoking.Anyway it took me around day 10 or 11 to totally stop smoking.The only reason that made me stop was the taste of the cigarette not only there was no rewarding feeling but it tasted different and very bad. In the first 2 weeks of treatment I had experienced slight nausea,dizziness and vivid dreams.The nausea feeling for me was mild and transient and also was the dizziness it was bearable cause I was still able to drive to work and so on. The vivid dreams (sometimes nice) I had experience more than 2 months. I seem to be able to remember my dreams pretty well the next day when I woke up.

I also didn't seem to experience very bad withdrawal symptoms i guess it must be the help of champix . During the course of the treatment I still meet up with friends whom are smokers but even I wanted to join them for a stick I was not able to do it due to the terrible smell . Smoking for over 10 years I realized that I had already adopted a very bad habit or routine that I had been doing for example 1 stick in the morning while I do my business,1 stick after meals and also driving long journeys I had to smoke to keep me awake.All this I had found new ways to replace my old habits like having chewing gums after meals and driving long journeys it actually works for me and the good news is I do not actually feel asleep .Reading a magazine while I do my business so far it has worked for me too cause at first I had this fear that I was not able to do my business without the help of smoking well I was wrong.I guess it is all conditioning the body.I found that The beauty of quit smoking is my sense of smell is back,food taste better, I don't smell like an ashtray now,no more second hand smoke to my wife and kids, my wallet is thicker and last but not least better Health.

CR Shares (Jan 3, 2009)

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Sharing 2
Tam became am a smoker at the age of 17 and achieved smoke free at 30 years old. He has been having Clean Breath for 4 years since his 4th attempt. Tam admitted he loved smoking as it helped him to think, and was a great companion, and an excellent social catalyst.  And despite those few pluses, he strongly felt it is GREATER to have CLEAN BREATH.  WHY??  

Some of the factors that motivated him to work on achieving CLEAN BREATH are

1. His determination to prove his boss wrong.
2. He witnessed his puffer friend nearly losing his life by heart attack in the office, now needing to take those expensive medications+++
3. His observation that great majority of the HIGH ACHIEVERS in Corporate are also CLEAN BREATH people. Ya Good observation.
4. A MTV show revealed to him the almost inevitable end of every puffer (yes, even doctors admit few smokers get lung cancers, none can miss this deadly end if he/she lives long enough) Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Even Tam had experienced symptoms of COPD. The goodnews is that our bodies/lungs can heal itself to some extent, if the insult is removed.

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Sharing 3
“Please be informed I have successful quick smoking since last August 31st 2004. I am now an independent man. Thanks you all so much & I'm a free man now” – Mohd.

“I quit smoking after 21 years. It really works! I would highly encourage anyone who wants to quit smoking! It has absolutely changed my life in many ways!”  – Ooi.

“I save money and the smell of tobacco is gone. I want to see my kids to grow up in a clean environment.” – Andy.

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Sharing 4
I was a smoker since I was 17 years old and have totally quit when I was 30 years old and now I am 34. It was my 4th attempt. The 1st time was for 2 weeks, the 2nd time was for 3 days and the 3rd time was 8 months. The 1st and 2nd attempt failed as I was struggling with the withdrawal symptoms. The 3rd time failed as I had too much work stress and needed another brain to help me to think and Marlboro Light helps. For the record I love smoking, it helps me to think, it is a great companion, it is an excellent social catalyst as almost all of my friends smoke. I still miss it but it is not worth it.

Why I quit? A few factors that motivated me to quit

1. My boss told me when I failed my 3rd attempt that I can not quit. It will always be a part of me. I was determined to prove him wrong.
2. My best friend at the office had a heart attack at the office in front of me. We smoke together every working day. I saw how bad it was for him and his family. He almost died and still on medication till today. The cost of his medication is more expensive than the cigarettes.
3. The higher the level you climb in Intel, the peer pressure not to smoke increases as the number of smoking managers becomes smaller and smaller the higher the grade. In some meetings that I go to, it is hard to find a smoking partner. Thus smoking breaks in meetings was an imposition and unfair to others. Not forgetting the look you get from them coz of the smoking smell.
4. I saw a short real life show in MTV about a lady who was going to die due to COPD as a result of smoking. They interviewed her and her daughter. It was distressful for them. It also showed a scene where they cut a deceased smoker’s lungs and a deceased non smoker’s lungs. The smoker’s lung was really awful. Imagine a rotten raw meat.
5. I was having some medical problems like shortness of breath. I find KHTP stairs a challenge. I was unfit to jog for even 100m. I can not sleep well, having a lot of insomnia, feeling lethargic most of the time and I was having chest pains.

Was it hard? Extremely hard.

1. I dreamed that I was smoking and missed it terribly. It is like missing a best friend. I still have those dreams but not that frequent anymore. It used to be weekly, then monthly, then once every 3 to 4 months.
2. The first side effect was to start eating more. I gained a few kilos but starting to lose it as I pick up more exercise.
3. Then I started to feel stupid. I can think and I can solve problems like I use to for about 2 or 3 weeks. The work stress started to pile up. This is where you need your friends, office colleagues, boss and family to support you.

So I decided to quit for the 4th time. How did I do it?

1. Buy nicorette, a nicotine gum. You need this to help you fight the cravings. If you do not, it will be really tough.
2. Avoid your smoking friends for a while. Do not ever visit the smoking zones.
3. Get yourself busy. The first 3 days I quit, I cleaned my house, may car and jog to get my mind off from smoking and make me physically tired so that I fell asleep earlier each night.
4. Avoid the habits that you normally do with smoking like no coffee or the tarik at nights out with your friends, no spicy food and no political talk or anything discussion that excites you to smoke. In other words, stay at home .
5. Always motivate yourself that you can do this and you want to do this. Get your friends and family to support you.

The benefits outweigh all the reasons to smoke. I started to improve after 3 months I quite smoking.

1. I don’t smell like a chimney anymore. I started to realize that smoker’s breath really stinks when they talk in an air con environment is very unpleasant to others. Smokers do not realize this till they stop smoking.
2. I can taste food. I used to be able to take really spicy food. Now I can’t coz I can not stand the hot taste on my gums. I can feel sweet and salty food almost immediately. Normally when I go out, I just eat the food while my wife complains about the taste. It was the same for me most of the time till I quit smoking.
3. My teeth look a lot better.
4. My skin is not as rough as before.
5. I can run and play active aggressive sports. I have better endurance and stamina.
6. My kids and family are not exposed to 2nd hand smoke. My house and my car are cleaner now that we do no have ash trays.
7. My kids love to hug and kiss me. Kids don’t lie. In the past, I used to ask my kids to kiss me and hug me and they are hesitant, they still do it but they tell me I stink.
8. My boss had to pay me his bet for being able to quit smoking.
9. Sexual improvement. When I was smoking, my doctor told me that the risk of ED is higher for smokers. Of course there are aphrodisiacs to help but quitting smoking is the best option. Your sexual capability improves and your partner appreciates you more. A simple example, your lover would love you more coz your breath does not stink anymore.
10. Financial gain. You guys can calculate to know the saving. I lost track of the how much a pack of Marlboro cost now.

My hope is I do not smoke again. I still need to avoid smoking zones and never ever try one. I know I can get hooked back again coz I love the habit of smoking. My friend started smoking again after 10 years quitting coz of stress. So I should never be proud that I stopped smoking coz I can start again for some reasons but I am sharing my experience coz it does helps and improve life. Stop smoking. Enrich your life.
Rgds,
Zam