[DCaplinger]

Hey all, I need some help. I smoke. I have smoked for over 15 years. I have tried (rather unsuccessfully) to quit smoking several times. I have almost ZERO willpower when it comes to quitting smoking. However, I now know I have diabetes. I want to quit, but don't have the funds to purchase smoking cessation aids. Any advice?

My biggest fear is the mood swings. I work in a courtroom. I've already been moody the past few months (and now I know it's because of my spiking blood sugars in the upper 400's in the afternoon), and I can't afford to snap while quitting smoking. I've read that Vitamin B3 is one way a person can help ease the stress of smoking cessation, however I've also read that B3 (Nicotinic Acid) can cause increased IR.

I need to quit, badly.

Regards,

Darian

[shockme]

do you have insurance? they may cover chantix-it's a prescription med. tonite will be 7months since my last smoke,thanks to chantix!

[DCaplinger]

Nope, they won't pay for it. My doc had me all hyped about it too. I mean, how idiotic is it that an insurance company wouldn't pay for something that would so obviously improve the health of the people they are covering?

Regards,

Darian

[Jan B]

I wish I could give you the right words of encouragement. I am in the process of quitting for the last time I hope. I'm the "closet smoker" type -- I hide because I know it's stupid. I often think that all smokers are secretly depressed and trying to kill themselves faster . . .

My husband and I have a "joke" that I will literally divorce him if he doesn't quit smoking with me. I can quit, but then he disgusts me. So I join him. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I have quit with Chantix also. I even have some in my drawer, but it makes me so sick at my stomach, I'd almost rather smoke.

I can be a master at mind games though. Substitution instead of denial is helpful to me. Eating ice or chewing gum works pretty good IF you have passed that first phase of just thinking about quitting and you really want to.

Once I quit by delaying my first cigarette of the day by 15 minutes every single day until I literally went all day without smoking.

WE do need to quit. I'm sure you have willpower, just like I do. WE just aren't using it where it needs to be used.

[DCaplinger]

You know, reading your post, I realized... I do have the willpower. While I do want to quit, I also have to contend with the fact that I really do enjoy smoking. It's the best stress reliever I have at the moment. However, right now, smoking is stressful in and of itself. As I smoke, I keep thinking about how much of a contributing factor those little cancer sticks had to have in me finally becoming a diabetic.

Anyway, advice is still welcome. Needing to quit, desire to quit, and the will to quit are 3 different things. I have met #'s 1 & 2, now I just need to find #3. LOL.

Regards,

Darian

[Carwy]

First thing tell everyone at work your quitting. They will understand and help.
Second this is to just stop. Don't tapper off, this will make it harder.
Third try chewing gum or something to keep your mouth busy and do things like read books go for walks to take your mind off of it while at home.
It will take a couple of months for the urges to go away. I quit chewing cold turkey and thats how it went for me.
Good Luck to all who are trying and I hope you make it.
Everything will be better once you off it for a few months ans things will tasty different and you will have more energy.

[Gabby123]

I quit 3 years ago on Christmas Day. There was no gift I really wanted or needed but the one thing I did want was to quit smoking. I decide that would be my gift. I wouldn't let my Hubby or kids get me anything. I got up on Christmas morning and never smoke since. That was the best Christmas.I smoked for 30 years and went cold turkey.After the 3 weeks I didn't even miss them.

[labob]

Hi Darian:

If you are still smoking, you have enough funds to buy smoking cessation aids. If you can buy cigarettes, you can buy the patch. A week's worth of the patch costs just a little more than a week's worth of cigarettes for a pack a day smoker, at least out here in California.

I was diagnosed with diabetes two years ago, in December 2005, with an A1c of 13.4, so I know how awful you've been feeling. I would say to tackle first things first: figure out your diet and meds, get your glucose levels under control, do as much exercising as you can, and once you've got that on the right path, then pick a quit day. Mine was in May 2006, and I've been smoke-free ever since.

Your insurance company might offer a discounted rate for the patch (mine did, but I didn't find that out until I was almost done with the program). Even if it doesn't, it's still worth getting it over the counter -- and if it pinches the wallet a little to buy it, that's all the more incentive to stay on the program once you start.

One thing I discovered when I quit was that exercise became imperative -- it really helped keep me sane. I had been a member of a gym for years before my diagnosis, so the concept of exercise was not foreign to me. But I had never felt that daily vigorous exercise was an absolute need until I quit smoking; it was a boon that exercise helped keep my glucose levels down, but the real reason I kept going to the gym was because it helped me control my desire to smoke.

So good luck! Quitting smoking is not easy -- 19 months later, I still get the occasional passing craving -- but it is possible. Just keep reminding yourself that no one ever died from not smoking. And it does get better over time. You might also want to look into Nicotine Anonymous -- I didn't join a support group when I quit, but it certainly couldn't hurt.

[wiseguy]

After 35 years of heavy smoking, I quit last May 17. I really didn't want to quit, but with the diabetes diagnosis I knew it was time. The hard part was getting through the first 5 or 6 days of kicking the chemical addiction (without cessation aids). After that it is just mentally willing myself away from the habit. So I bought a plastic cigarette that I found online to help with the oral fixation part. Then I told myself, my wife, my family, and my friends, that I will never smoke another cigarette. I don't lie to these people so now I am a non-smoker.

[valc3]

Darian, congratulations on wanting to quit smoking, now do it. You've been given great advice and quitting tips. Do whatever it takes so you don't smoke. I quit 2 years ago, I know it's tough, but do it for yourself. Hang in there.

[mho357]

I quit ten years ago - before they had pills. I used the patches supplemented with the gum - for the overpowering cravings. I checked with my doctor before doubling up this way. As I recall, I only needed the gum for about a week.

For what it is worth, I still have a thought of a smoke even ten years later. The urge is not strong and is easy to resist. The point is that once addicted you will always be addicted.

Good luck with it,

Mark

[bryan42]

Originally Posted by DCaplinger

Hey all, I need some help. I smoke. I have smoked for over 15 years. I have tried (rather unsuccessfully) to quit smoking several times. I have almost ZERO willpower when it comes to quitting smoking. However, I now know I have diabetes. I want to quit, but don't have the funds to purchase smoking cessation aids. Any advice?

My biggest fear is the mood swings. I work in a courtroom. I've already been moody the past few months (and now I know it's because of my spiking blood sugars in the upper 400's in the afternoon), and I can't afford to snap while quitting smoking. I've read that Vitamin B3 is one way a person can help ease the stress of smoking cessation, however I've also read that B3 (Nicotinic Acid) can cause increased IR.

I need to quit, badly.

Regards,

Darian

You CAN do it Darion!!!! On new years eve, I will have hit my 1 year absolutely smoke-free, anniversary!! I was determined and used the patch. It works very well,for I smoked for 28 years..Good Luck!!

[xMenace]

Never smoked. I know many who have quit with no assistance. Set a date to go cold turkey and do it. Come here daily and check in. Relieve your stress on us!

[DCaplinger]

It should be no secret by now what I do for a living. I am a bailiff (for now) in a criminal court here in Missouri. I've been a Deputy Sheriff here for 3 years, and a cop for a total of 7 years. I am currently training to be a Computer Forensic Examiner, so that I can be a Detective working Computer Crimes Investigations.

I just don't want to go on a rampage in court because of the stress of smoking cessation. However, Iabob made a great pitch. If I can afford a carton of smokes, I should be able to afford some type of quit assistance (patches, gum, etc). I have a week before the new year... perhaps...

Thank you all for your stories. Last night was very emotional for me. I came to accept that I am diabetic before I was officially diagnosed. However, I still haven't "grieved" yet. I may post a separate thread about that. Being a cop, everything is about control. If we lose control of a situation, people can get hurt, or worse... killed. This is a situation I had no control over (becoming diabetic [Actually, I know that's not totally true either, but I didn't get to choose my parents]), however I can control where it goes from here.

Anyway, thanks again.

Regards,

Darian

[CaptainMike]

Hang in there Darian, I smoked for 18 years. I was up to 2.5 packs a say and 'needed' every single cigarette. I had tried quitting dozens of times and always started back for some 'reason'... job stress, relationship problems, financial issues, etc. It wasn't until I went on a major all day hike at altitude in a national park with my family, and every single person had an easier time of it than me, including my 70ish mother. That was when I finally REALLY realized those fracking things were going to kill me, or worse yet, render me useless and incapacitated for the rest of my life. Dragging an oxygen bottle around sure didn't look like fun. Anyway, I made the decision, told EVERYONE what I was doing, and did it. No gum, or patches, no gimmicks or reward schemes. Just the final decision to quit. That was 6 years ago this March. Best of luck to you. Keep your head straight and you'll do fine.

Mike