Smoking cessation
September 21, 2015 10:10 AM Subscribe
What's the latest and greatest on smoking cessation aids/programs? What, if anything, is known to be the best approach to stopping smoking assuming the person, a chain smoker, wants to do it?
I think the 'known' best method is whatever works for you. Gum, patch and lozenges did not work for me, but vaping did immediately. Don't run out and get an e-cigarette from 7-11, as those are somehow both overpriced and cheap and you'll hate them.
Go to a dedicated shop (or search about online) and spend a little money. You can easily ramp down in nicotine level, but you need to start out fairly to make sure you actually satisfy your craving at first.
I smoked fairly heavily for over ten years, but haven't had a real cigarette since the day I took this up. It is undoubtedly not as good for you as doing nothing, but it's lot better than inhaling smoke. I very quickly felt better after stopping the cigarettes, including not getting out of breath as easily. I now exercise regularly, and my doctor guardedly approves of it (especially compared to smoking cigarettes).
posted by GriffX at 10:34 AM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
Go to a dedicated shop (or search about online) and spend a little money. You can easily ramp down in nicotine level, but you need to start out fairly to make sure you actually satisfy your craving at first.
I smoked fairly heavily for over ten years, but haven't had a real cigarette since the day I took this up. It is undoubtedly not as good for you as doing nothing, but it's lot better than inhaling smoke. I very quickly felt better after stopping the cigarettes, including not getting out of breath as easily. I now exercise regularly, and my doctor guardedly approves of it (especially compared to smoking cigarettes).
posted by GriffX at 10:34 AM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
Allen Carr's Easy Way to Quit Smoking is still the go-to AFAIK.
posted by griphus at 10:34 AM on September 21, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by griphus at 10:34 AM on September 21, 2015 [5 favorites]
I am not a doctor, I am not this person's doctor, I am not a cessation counselor, I am not this person's cessation counselor. But I am a behavioral health scientist, and here's what I know.
The best science indicates that the combination of nicotine replacement therapy (most people use the patch, but there are others) + behavioral counseling + a mood stabilizing drug, like varenicline/Chantix or buproprion/Wellbutrin has the highest rate of success. In the US, the patch is available over the counter. If you are in the US, you can call 1-800-QUITNOW to get behavioral counseling (the amount of counseling varies by state from very little to a lot, and might only be available for certain people, like low income people or pregnant women -- but it's worth trying). Some people also have success with using an app for the behavioral part (one like this, although there are others). Chantix and Wellbutrin are available by prescription only. If cost is an issue, 1-800-QUITNOW can also help you find assistance with that. Most people need all three components to be successful.
The key to this approach is to ignore the instructions for how many weeks to use the patch. If you follow the regimen on the box, you will use the patch for 8-10 weeks total. Whatever the time periods are on the box for each "step" of the patch (and they will vary depending on the brand), they should be used for at least twice that amount of time -- so if the box says 2 weeks for a certain step, they should be used for 4 weeks for that step. Some successful quitters use the lowest level patches for 6 months are more before weening off of them.
I'm sure a lot of people will recommend e-cigarettes. The science on these as tools for quitting cigarettes is not as established, and there are known quality control/contamination issues that are matters of concern. From my point of view, your question "What, if anything, is known to be the best approach to stopping smoking assuming the person, a chain smoker, wants to do it?" is asking for the science, which is what I've summarized above.
But having said that, there is more and more evidence that e-cigarettes might help certain types of smokers quit, especially those who's dependence includes a significant behavioral element, which might be the case here depending on what you mean by "chain smoker." It seems like (and here I'm giving you my opinion, not science, but for what it's worth, my opinion is scientifically informed) the key to successfully quitting with an e-cig is to switch completely to the e-cig -- do not allow yourself to continue using cigarettes at all -- and as someone upthread stated, to get a good quality e-cig from a vape store. There is also more and more evidence that e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes. If someone near and dear to me wanted to use e-cigarettes to quit, I'd drive them to the vape shop and pay for the e-cig myself.
posted by OrangeDisk at 10:46 AM on September 21, 2015 [4 favorites]
The best science indicates that the combination of nicotine replacement therapy (most people use the patch, but there are others) + behavioral counseling + a mood stabilizing drug, like varenicline/Chantix or buproprion/Wellbutrin has the highest rate of success. In the US, the patch is available over the counter. If you are in the US, you can call 1-800-QUITNOW to get behavioral counseling (the amount of counseling varies by state from very little to a lot, and might only be available for certain people, like low income people or pregnant women -- but it's worth trying). Some people also have success with using an app for the behavioral part (one like this, although there are others). Chantix and Wellbutrin are available by prescription only. If cost is an issue, 1-800-QUITNOW can also help you find assistance with that. Most people need all three components to be successful.
The key to this approach is to ignore the instructions for how many weeks to use the patch. If you follow the regimen on the box, you will use the patch for 8-10 weeks total. Whatever the time periods are on the box for each "step" of the patch (and they will vary depending on the brand), they should be used for at least twice that amount of time -- so if the box says 2 weeks for a certain step, they should be used for 4 weeks for that step. Some successful quitters use the lowest level patches for 6 months are more before weening off of them.
I'm sure a lot of people will recommend e-cigarettes. The science on these as tools for quitting cigarettes is not as established, and there are known quality control/contamination issues that are matters of concern. From my point of view, your question "What, if anything, is known to be the best approach to stopping smoking assuming the person, a chain smoker, wants to do it?" is asking for the science, which is what I've summarized above.
But having said that, there is more and more evidence that e-cigarettes might help certain types of smokers quit, especially those who's dependence includes a significant behavioral element, which might be the case here depending on what you mean by "chain smoker." It seems like (and here I'm giving you my opinion, not science, but for what it's worth, my opinion is scientifically informed) the key to successfully quitting with an e-cig is to switch completely to the e-cig -- do not allow yourself to continue using cigarettes at all -- and as someone upthread stated, to get a good quality e-cig from a vape store. There is also more and more evidence that e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes. If someone near and dear to me wanted to use e-cigarettes to quit, I'd drive them to the vape shop and pay for the e-cig myself.
posted by OrangeDisk at 10:46 AM on September 21, 2015 [4 favorites]
Former chain-smoker here, quit now for 16 years. Respectfully, Allen Carr works for some people, but the tone isn't for everyone, and though it works better according to certain research studies than a control group that uses no particular method, it hasn't been shown to do better compared to other methods. Also, it's all proprietary, so if you want to use his services you need to pay for the products (workplace classes, online support, DVDs, etc).
After 7 attempts, I finally quit by going through the very research-supported and well-managed Freedom From Smoking program of the American Lung Association. It's completely free and available online (some major hospitals have in-person programs but the online version works just as well). You can do it in conjunction with SSRIs and nicotine supplements, both of which Carr rails against, and it provides several modules that you work through to carefully plan before you quit, then move you through adopting new habits, all while providing an online forum that lends a ton of mutual support. Nothing else worked for me (not drugs alone, not supplements, not cold turkey). I did find a lot of useful stuff in Carr, particularly the biological/neurological breakdown of what withdrawal sensations are all about, but don't feel bad if it doesn't work for you, because there are other effective ways.
I found this online encyclopedia-type directory of program types with some notes about efficacy.
posted by Miko at 10:47 AM on September 21, 2015 [4 favorites]
After 7 attempts, I finally quit by going through the very research-supported and well-managed Freedom From Smoking program of the American Lung Association. It's completely free and available online (some major hospitals have in-person programs but the online version works just as well). You can do it in conjunction with SSRIs and nicotine supplements, both of which Carr rails against, and it provides several modules that you work through to carefully plan before you quit, then move you through adopting new habits, all while providing an online forum that lends a ton of mutual support. Nothing else worked for me (not drugs alone, not supplements, not cold turkey). I did find a lot of useful stuff in Carr, particularly the biological/neurological breakdown of what withdrawal sensations are all about, but don't feel bad if it doesn't work for you, because there are other effective ways.
I found this online encyclopedia-type directory of program types with some notes about efficacy.
posted by Miko at 10:47 AM on September 21, 2015 [4 favorites]
Don't run out and get an e-cigarette from 7-11, as those are somehow both overpriced and cheap and you'll hate them.
On the other hand, this is exactly what I did rather than investing in a bunch of complicated gear - and excuses - out of the box. It got me started. And I've been off the complicated gear I did eventually go to for ~16 months, but will still grab an Njoy from the drugstore or gas station when I feel a bad case of the fuckits coming on because they just work.
Smoked for 25 years, 2 packs a day at the end, *loved* smoking. Haven't had one in about 3 years.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:48 AM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
On the other hand, this is exactly what I did rather than investing in a bunch of complicated gear - and excuses - out of the box. It got me started. And I've been off the complicated gear I did eventually go to for ~16 months, but will still grab an Njoy from the drugstore or gas station when I feel a bad case of the fuckits coming on because they just work.
Smoked for 25 years, 2 packs a day at the end, *loved* smoking. Haven't had one in about 3 years.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:48 AM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
I did it using Chantix. I was super motivated, and the drug worked really really well for me. I also made good use of their program called "getquit" which provides positive support by email and telephone.
For me personally, nicotine replacement did not work at all. I smoked a pack a day for 30 years.
posted by janey47 at 10:49 AM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
For me personally, nicotine replacement did not work at all. I smoked a pack a day for 30 years.
posted by janey47 at 10:49 AM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
I used an e-cigarette to quit smoking. I am still on the e-cig a year later, but reducing my nicotine dose little by little. It's different - you don't get the peaks and troughs of "that first smoke in the morning" and it's easier to go out and not smoke, but I still get cranky if I don't get that nicotine fix eventually.
posted by the uncomplicated soups of my childhood at 10:52 AM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by the uncomplicated soups of my childhood at 10:52 AM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
I once quit for a year and a half using patches + gum & lozenges. That, actually, was pretty fantastic at managing the physical addiction, until I was left without gum during an extremely emotionally challenging Christmas. (I was absolutely beside myself, desperate for something to calm myself down, and just didn't have it in me to resist picking up a pack someone had left on a table.) If you don't anticipate significant emotional stress in the near future, highly recommend.
I've read Carr's book, and I think it's great at helping to reframe your smoking addiction, def pick it up. (I used it during a 6-month quit, during which time I supported my reframing efforts by making two "inspiration boards". One had pics of stained teeth, yellowed and wrinkled skin, frail and breaking hair, blackened organs, tumours, images of rats pressing levers adjacent to pics of smokers freezing in January and playing the slots in Vegas, and unflattering images of smoking celebrities and ordinary people. The other board had pics of healthy-looking adults and kids running around having a ball, myself as a kid, mountains, lakes, etc.) (Again, emotional stuff did me in.)
I tried e-cigs. The evidence so far suggests they're (probably) by far a safer bet than smoking. (The basic constituents of the juice are used in things like asthma inhalers.) Nicotine juice flavours are currently unregulated, though, and some of them contain diacetyl, which can lead to "popcorn lung" (bronchiolitis obliterans). I only liked flavours with diacetyl (sweet, custardy ones), so I am putting that option to one side.
Definitely not the latest (it's from the 1950s-60s) and not sure if it's the greatest, but I'm excited by and imminently implementing this cold turkey plan (link opens to a pdf. Also, I just read that the guy who came up with it was an Adventist, in case that matters to you, doesn't to me.) I'm passing on NRT this time around, because one reason I'm wanting to quit is $$, and that stuff costs about the same as my "prestige" smokes, so.
I've previously used cardio (burpees) to handle major cravings, but can't do them right now. "Urge surfing" is what I'm planning to use instead (along with Vitamin C spray - please don't judge, willing to try almost anything atm).
The thing I noticed during my quits was that once I had committed - either by accident, waking up one morning and being sick of it, or talking myself the hell into it - being a non-smoker felt easy - it felt easy to just not do something, easier than I'd thought. I also felt about 60% better. I found myself with an amazing amount of energy. I'd had no idea how much physical malaise I'd just been living with (lots). I'm looking forward to feeling that way anon, and hope the same happens for you.
posted by cotton dress sock at 11:28 AM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
I've read Carr's book, and I think it's great at helping to reframe your smoking addiction, def pick it up. (I used it during a 6-month quit, during which time I supported my reframing efforts by making two "inspiration boards". One had pics of stained teeth, yellowed and wrinkled skin, frail and breaking hair, blackened organs, tumours, images of rats pressing levers adjacent to pics of smokers freezing in January and playing the slots in Vegas, and unflattering images of smoking celebrities and ordinary people. The other board had pics of healthy-looking adults and kids running around having a ball, myself as a kid, mountains, lakes, etc.) (Again, emotional stuff did me in.)
I tried e-cigs. The evidence so far suggests they're (probably) by far a safer bet than smoking. (The basic constituents of the juice are used in things like asthma inhalers.) Nicotine juice flavours are currently unregulated, though, and some of them contain diacetyl, which can lead to "popcorn lung" (bronchiolitis obliterans). I only liked flavours with diacetyl (sweet, custardy ones), so I am putting that option to one side.
Definitely not the latest (it's from the 1950s-60s) and not sure if it's the greatest, but I'm excited by and imminently implementing this cold turkey plan (link opens to a pdf. Also, I just read that the guy who came up with it was an Adventist, in case that matters to you, doesn't to me.) I'm passing on NRT this time around, because one reason I'm wanting to quit is $$, and that stuff costs about the same as my "prestige" smokes, so.
I've previously used cardio (burpees) to handle major cravings, but can't do them right now. "Urge surfing" is what I'm planning to use instead (along with Vitamin C spray - please don't judge, willing to try almost anything atm).
The thing I noticed during my quits was that once I had committed - either by accident, waking up one morning and being sick of it, or talking myself the hell into it - being a non-smoker felt easy - it felt easy to just not do something, easier than I'd thought. I also felt about 60% better. I found myself with an amazing amount of energy. I'd had no idea how much physical malaise I'd just been living with (lots). I'm looking forward to feeling that way anon, and hope the same happens for you.
posted by cotton dress sock at 11:28 AM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
e-cigarettes might help certain types of smokers quit, especially those who's dependence includes a significant behavioral element, which might be the case here depending on what you mean by "chain smoker."
I have read that some people are at greater genetic risk for nicotine addiction, and that cessation approaches that involve NRTs or meds might be more effective for that group.
posted by cotton dress sock at 11:41 AM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
I have read that some people are at greater genetic risk for nicotine addiction, and that cessation approaches that involve NRTs or meds might be more effective for that group.
posted by cotton dress sock at 11:41 AM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
E-cigs worked for me. I used a basic cigarette sized battery + replaceable cartridge. I started at a high nicotine level and slowly stepped down to zero, then stopped using it entirely. I've been smoke free for two years now. I had tried the patch and cold turkey unsuccessfully in the past.
posted by Requiax at 12:24 PM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Requiax at 12:24 PM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
'What works for you.' I took the harm-reduction route a while back with snus, because I wasn't as beholden to the act of smoking, and tapered off nicotine from there. I know people who quit full-stop with the Allen Carr book, and people who are managing things better with e-cigs.
posted by holgate at 1:16 PM on September 21, 2015
posted by holgate at 1:16 PM on September 21, 2015
I have quit just about every way mentioned here one time or another, and all worked for a time.
I've just stopped a month ago going all in with a good $45 vaporizer and selection of E-Liquids from a good local shop (also online) that specializes in nicotine vapes. Much better than the mixed use (sort of head shop) vape place I went to last year- much better equipment and great support for only $10 more too. The technology has made good reliable vaporizers so much cheaper than a few years ago, it's amazing. A good vape shop will let you test all the flavors you want after recommending what matches your favorite cigarettes the best.
I faced the fact that I was in no mood or place to taper off and that I love nicotine but needed to stop the cigarettes, and so I armed myself and was able to commit. Two weeks in, I bought a backup model, because I misplace things and don't want to screw this up. I might buy another tank for when I want heavier hits, but I'm very much committed to not going back and am happy I retried the method now that products and prices are so much better than just a couple of years ago.
Good luck to you!
posted by TenaciousB at 1:27 PM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
I've just stopped a month ago going all in with a good $45 vaporizer and selection of E-Liquids from a good local shop (also online) that specializes in nicotine vapes. Much better than the mixed use (sort of head shop) vape place I went to last year- much better equipment and great support for only $10 more too. The technology has made good reliable vaporizers so much cheaper than a few years ago, it's amazing. A good vape shop will let you test all the flavors you want after recommending what matches your favorite cigarettes the best.
I faced the fact that I was in no mood or place to taper off and that I love nicotine but needed to stop the cigarettes, and so I armed myself and was able to commit. Two weeks in, I bought a backup model, because I misplace things and don't want to screw this up. I might buy another tank for when I want heavier hits, but I'm very much committed to not going back and am happy I retried the method now that products and prices are so much better than just a couple of years ago.
Good luck to you!
posted by TenaciousB at 1:27 PM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
E-cigs worked for me, but not until I found the right flavor and equipment. It was very stop-gap until then.
posted by destructive cactus at 2:16 PM on September 21, 2015
posted by destructive cactus at 2:16 PM on September 21, 2015
I quit just before e-cigs hit the big time, and the only thing that's stuck for me is cold turkey. The thing that made it stick the last time, about four years ago, was the price of cigarettes. (My dad quit his four pack a day (!) habit cold turkey, so it's not just for light smokers.)
For me, personally, going the e-cig route would absolutely be trading one addiction for another, so if your motivation is the health concerns of smoking tobacco, then try it. But if your motivation is stopping anything else related to cigarette smoking -- the cost, the smell, the craving, the ritual, the ostracization, the work breaks -- then I'd steer away from them. That's just me, you know yourself. I have two close friends who use the flavored e-cig stuff, and now they basically smoke non-stop. That's why it's not for me.
35 year chain smoker, cigarette-free for ~4 years.
posted by Room 641-A at 2:43 PM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
For me, personally, going the e-cig route would absolutely be trading one addiction for another, so if your motivation is the health concerns of smoking tobacco, then try it. But if your motivation is stopping anything else related to cigarette smoking -- the cost, the smell, the craving, the ritual, the ostracization, the work breaks -- then I'd steer away from them. That's just me, you know yourself. I have two close friends who use the flavored e-cig stuff, and now they basically smoke non-stop. That's why it's not for me.
35 year chain smoker, cigarette-free for ~4 years.
posted by Room 641-A at 2:43 PM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
I used to smoke 2 packs a day. I smoked for 15+ years. The only thing that helped me quit was Chantix.
That said, I'll never smoke again because quitting with Chantix was a nightmare, and I had all of the bad side effects including wanting to die. It worked, but it was not fun.
posted by bibliogrrl at 2:44 PM on September 21, 2015
That said, I'll never smoke again because quitting with Chantix was a nightmare, and I had all of the bad side effects including wanting to die. It worked, but it was not fun.
posted by bibliogrrl at 2:44 PM on September 21, 2015
Three anecdotes: (1) a person very close to me stopped via an electronic cigarette (a good one; he confirmed a poster above who said the crappy ones are...crappy). He ramped the nicotine down until there was none, and then after awhile gave up the cigarette itself; (2) a friend who is an M.D. stopped via Chantix after many attempts in the past had failed; she did not have bad side effects; (3) I stopped cold turkey and almost lost my job because of my absent-mindedness (this was 40 years ago and there were no patches, medicines, etc. available (that I knew of))
It's wonderful that you're going to stop. Remember that after a couple of months or less the feeling better part will itself be reinforcing.
posted by DMelanogaster at 2:58 PM on September 21, 2015
It's wonderful that you're going to stop. Remember that after a couple of months or less the feeling better part will itself be reinforcing.
posted by DMelanogaster at 2:58 PM on September 21, 2015
I'm going to suggest that you keep an open mind about whether it's really so hard to quit smoking. Addiction issues are very amenable to self-hypnosis, so watch carefully the messages you're feeding yourself.
When that little bell/reflex/alarm/whatever-you-want-to-call-it in your brain that lets you know that it's time to have a cigarette, observe it, but don't act on it. Do not think of what's happening as "I want a cigarette." That isn't really an accurate description. It's more of a Pavlovian thing. It may seem surprising, but if you don't react to that little "bell" by smoking, it actually goes away anyway. And the longer you go without smoking, the greater the time before the next "bell" goes off.
Get a little exercise. Endorphins really do a good job of reducing cravings of all kinds.
It's also a pretty good idea to prepare the people you love for what you're going through. You may well go through an emotional rough patch, so take your own emotions with a grain of salt, don't believe everything you think, and try to give the people around you the benefit of the doubt for a few days.
Maybe the most important thing: just because you aren't going to have a cigarette doesn't mean you don't get to relax. Drop your shoulders and breathe deep! You aren't going to die. You're going to be OK.
posted by O. Bender at 4:55 PM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
When that little bell/reflex/alarm/whatever-you-want-to-call-it in your brain that lets you know that it's time to have a cigarette, observe it, but don't act on it. Do not think of what's happening as "I want a cigarette." That isn't really an accurate description. It's more of a Pavlovian thing. It may seem surprising, but if you don't react to that little "bell" by smoking, it actually goes away anyway. And the longer you go without smoking, the greater the time before the next "bell" goes off.
Get a little exercise. Endorphins really do a good job of reducing cravings of all kinds.
It's also a pretty good idea to prepare the people you love for what you're going through. You may well go through an emotional rough patch, so take your own emotions with a grain of salt, don't believe everything you think, and try to give the people around you the benefit of the doubt for a few days.
Maybe the most important thing: just because you aren't going to have a cigarette doesn't mean you don't get to relax. Drop your shoulders and breathe deep! You aren't going to die. You're going to be OK.
posted by O. Bender at 4:55 PM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
The best way to quit, I think we can all agree, would be to come live on a friend's couch and have them throw movies and food and videogames at you for three days, then to go off home for three more days and sulk on your own and not bathe and be a monster. And then to emerge, like a butterfly! This is all science has at this point.
I smoked for 30 years, and I'm almost a year off cigarettes. And what everyone's said above is true. You will quit the way that is right for you, and you absolutely can.
Our case are all different. Chantix wasn't an option for me, because of my history and also because my doctor is too traumatized to ever give it to anyone again after what his other patients have been through. I would have if I could have. I could have taken Wellbutrin, but honestly, was it going to hide my lighters from me or something? No, it wasn't.
I spent a LOT of time over-thinking quitting. The fact is, I just had to not buy any more cigarettes.
I literally quit smoking by not smoking. And I didn't want to replace it with anything, so I very intentionally did not take up vaping. I would absolutely be puffing one a vape thingey right now if I had started then.
If you're going to give up nicotine, go for it. Why lie to yourself? We have to be honest with ourselves at some point in this process. Denial kept us smoking. How else could you face down stroke, heart attack, amputation and cancer each day?
Yes, the bloody Alan Carr book helped. It's an easy read. And he's not wrong, after all. Yes, the love of a good man helped. Yes, ice cream and cake certainly helped. If you feel something will help, grab onto it.
All of us here can guarantee it's easier than you are worried about it being. The best approach, as you've heard above, is to just roll with it. You can have a 100% success rate. You can never smoke again. You're going to believe it, then you're going to do it.
posted by RJ Reynolds at 4:55 PM on September 21, 2015 [6 favorites]
I smoked for 30 years, and I'm almost a year off cigarettes. And what everyone's said above is true. You will quit the way that is right for you, and you absolutely can.
Our case are all different. Chantix wasn't an option for me, because of my history and also because my doctor is too traumatized to ever give it to anyone again after what his other patients have been through. I would have if I could have. I could have taken Wellbutrin, but honestly, was it going to hide my lighters from me or something? No, it wasn't.
I spent a LOT of time over-thinking quitting. The fact is, I just had to not buy any more cigarettes.
I literally quit smoking by not smoking. And I didn't want to replace it with anything, so I very intentionally did not take up vaping. I would absolutely be puffing one a vape thingey right now if I had started then.
If you're going to give up nicotine, go for it. Why lie to yourself? We have to be honest with ourselves at some point in this process. Denial kept us smoking. How else could you face down stroke, heart attack, amputation and cancer each day?
Yes, the bloody Alan Carr book helped. It's an easy read. And he's not wrong, after all. Yes, the love of a good man helped. Yes, ice cream and cake certainly helped. If you feel something will help, grab onto it.
All of us here can guarantee it's easier than you are worried about it being. The best approach, as you've heard above, is to just roll with it. You can have a 100% success rate. You can never smoke again. You're going to believe it, then you're going to do it.
posted by RJ Reynolds at 4:55 PM on September 21, 2015 [6 favorites]
Respectfully, Allen Carr works for some people, but the tone isn't for everyone
I had this problem with it also, which may explain why I read the book more than 10 times, attended the live seminar twice, attended the refresher once and then finally quit with that method by watching an online version. I was always distracted from the core message and framework by the way it was presented, but had a sense that there was a kernel of truth there. Now that I have quit by using those ideas, I completely 100% believe there is indeed truth there.
I adore being a non-smoker and I never, ever miss smoking. I had absolutely no side-effects whatsoever, just a mild feeling of unease for a day or so, similar to when you wake up after your final exam and at some level think you should still be studying.
I would rarely be so dogmatic about anything but I can say with complete confidence that Allen Carr's method is absolutely the best way to quit. Everything else is just a way to move the problem around.
posted by StephenF at 4:56 PM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
I had this problem with it also, which may explain why I read the book more than 10 times, attended the live seminar twice, attended the refresher once and then finally quit with that method by watching an online version. I was always distracted from the core message and framework by the way it was presented, but had a sense that there was a kernel of truth there. Now that I have quit by using those ideas, I completely 100% believe there is indeed truth there.
I adore being a non-smoker and I never, ever miss smoking. I had absolutely no side-effects whatsoever, just a mild feeling of unease for a day or so, similar to when you wake up after your final exam and at some level think you should still be studying.
I would rarely be so dogmatic about anything but I can say with complete confidence that Allen Carr's method is absolutely the best way to quit. Everything else is just a way to move the problem around.
posted by StephenF at 4:56 PM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
One other comment - Carr's framework is based on logic and analysis, not positive thinking or 'tricking' yourself. As a rational person, that realisation helped me immensely.
posted by StephenF at 4:58 PM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by StephenF at 4:58 PM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
Chantix worked for me (14 years, pack a day) in combination with using a vaporiser to smoke weed when I really, really felt like I had to have a cigarette.
posted by Wantok at 5:31 PM on September 21, 2015
posted by Wantok at 5:31 PM on September 21, 2015
SmokEnders claims to be the oldest and most successful smoking cessation seminar program in the world. All I can say is that my mother smoked for 40 years and I smoked for 14 years and after we each completed the program (a few years apart) we have been smoke free for almost two decades. I mean not even a single puff. It's as if we never smoked to begin with. Highly recommended.
posted by mizrachi at 5:33 PM on September 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by mizrachi at 5:33 PM on September 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
I quit with an e-cig. If you go that route, I would suggest using 100% VG liquid. The PG/VG and Max VG liquids contain propylene glycol which can start to irritate your throat after a few weeks.
posted by smashface at 5:38 PM on September 21, 2015
posted by smashface at 5:38 PM on September 21, 2015
I can say with complete confidence that Allen Carr's method is absolutely the best way to quit.
It may have been the best way for you to quit. As my comment detailed, it was insufficient for me. I think it is very important for people to know there are many supports to quitting, none have an outstanding success rate, and the best one is whatever one works for them.
posted by Miko at 6:47 PM on September 21, 2015 [3 favorites]
It may have been the best way for you to quit. As my comment detailed, it was insufficient for me. I think it is very important for people to know there are many supports to quitting, none have an outstanding success rate, and the best one is whatever one works for them.
posted by Miko at 6:47 PM on September 21, 2015 [3 favorites]
Yeah it depends why you smoke. For me, I mostly need something to do with my hands or need to do it while drinking so an electronic cigarette absolutely worked. I chain smoke that now but for chain smoking it's almost better because you can use it just for a few seconds if you need to (like walking through the parking lot or whatever) rather than light a whole cigarette up. Also, if you're inside and can find somewhere relatively private you can smoke indoors without going outside because there's no smoke...
posted by Polychrome at 5:45 AM on September 22, 2015
posted by Polychrome at 5:45 AM on September 22, 2015
Wellbutrin, after smoking for 10 years, and like Lynn Never above, I LOVED to smoke, and honestly, would still be smoking if I didn't feel so much better once I had quit.
posted by eclectist at 9:15 AM on September 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by eclectist at 9:15 AM on September 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
I want to add a couple of things. I tried quitting several times in the 30 years that I smoked, and I did find that acknowledging that I wanted a cigarette was far more helpful than chanting affirmations like "I am a nonsmoker. I am a nonsmoker. I AM A NONSMOKER." I would say to myself, "I want a cigarette, but I'm not going to have one now. Maybe later." Then, later (which might be 3 minutes later), I would acknowledge that I was having a craving and say "Not now, maybe later."
I also want to expand a little on my experience with nicotine replacement. I tried it, and it did fuck all for my emotional cravings and of course it doesn't do anything about quitting the physical addiction. I'm 7 years out from quitting now, and I still occasionally get emotional cravings for various reasons. They're not nearly as strong and they don't come very often, but the fact that I still want a cigarette every now and then tells me that I was right (for myself) in undertaking to break the physical addiction and letting the psychological addiction fend for itself. If I had stayed on nicotine replacement until my psychological addiction were gone, I would still be ingesting nicotine.
I brushed my teeth a lot at first, and I drank a lot of water. I also would purse my lips and suck in air. It is astonishing how satisfying and refreshing that action is.
Finally, it's helpful to know that there are physical side effects of quitting that mimic depression. Your sleep patterns may be disrupted. Your eating patterns are likely to be disrupted. There's a lot of anger and obsessive thinking. Wellbutrin (Zyban) can help with that. But knowing that you're experiencing withdrawal symptoms can help a LOT with not believing what your crazy mind is telling you. And again, for me it was extremely helpful to affirmatively acknowledge what I was thinking and feeling and then explain to myself that my mind was trying to trick me into smoking, but that I really would feel dumb if I felt chained to a cigarette.
It is hard. Quitting smoking is a hard hard thing to do. And honestly, that's one of the things that has prevented me from having a cigarette for 7+ years, because the previous times that I was successful (i.e., had quit for more than 6 months), it only took one cigarette to put me right back on the pack-a-day train.
posted by janey47 at 2:48 PM on September 22, 2015
I also want to expand a little on my experience with nicotine replacement. I tried it, and it did fuck all for my emotional cravings and of course it doesn't do anything about quitting the physical addiction. I'm 7 years out from quitting now, and I still occasionally get emotional cravings for various reasons. They're not nearly as strong and they don't come very often, but the fact that I still want a cigarette every now and then tells me that I was right (for myself) in undertaking to break the physical addiction and letting the psychological addiction fend for itself. If I had stayed on nicotine replacement until my psychological addiction were gone, I would still be ingesting nicotine.
I brushed my teeth a lot at first, and I drank a lot of water. I also would purse my lips and suck in air. It is astonishing how satisfying and refreshing that action is.
Finally, it's helpful to know that there are physical side effects of quitting that mimic depression. Your sleep patterns may be disrupted. Your eating patterns are likely to be disrupted. There's a lot of anger and obsessive thinking. Wellbutrin (Zyban) can help with that. But knowing that you're experiencing withdrawal symptoms can help a LOT with not believing what your crazy mind is telling you. And again, for me it was extremely helpful to affirmatively acknowledge what I was thinking and feeling and then explain to myself that my mind was trying to trick me into smoking, but that I really would feel dumb if I felt chained to a cigarette.
It is hard. Quitting smoking is a hard hard thing to do. And honestly, that's one of the things that has prevented me from having a cigarette for 7+ years, because the previous times that I was successful (i.e., had quit for more than 6 months), it only took one cigarette to put me right back on the pack-a-day train.
posted by janey47 at 2:48 PM on September 22, 2015
It may have been the best way for you to quit. As my comment detailed, it was insufficient for me.
I think we just have different opinions here. For me, the Alan Carr method is completely logically sound, like a mathematical proof. If it doesn't 'work' for you (the general you, not you specifically), it's because you didn't understand some link in the chain.
For me, quitting smoking was not hard. And I had smoked more than 20 a day for a third of my life and was afraid I would never find a way to stop. I had tried dozens of times. The AC method was like discovering a way out of a maze and being profoundly glad I was out. I firmly believe that it can be the same for 99% of smokers who want to stop, and it is the answer to the OP's question.
posted by StephenF at 4:41 PM on September 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
I think we just have different opinions here. For me, the Alan Carr method is completely logically sound, like a mathematical proof. If it doesn't 'work' for you (the general you, not you specifically), it's because you didn't understand some link in the chain.
For me, quitting smoking was not hard. And I had smoked more than 20 a day for a third of my life and was afraid I would never find a way to stop. I had tried dozens of times. The AC method was like discovering a way out of a maze and being profoundly glad I was out. I firmly believe that it can be the same for 99% of smokers who want to stop, and it is the answer to the OP's question.
posted by StephenF at 4:41 PM on September 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
If it doesn't 'work' for you (the general you, not you specifically), it's because you didn't understand some link in the chain.
That's exactly the problem with that method; it doesn't recognize that people not only have different addictions, but different learning styles, different psychological and physical conditions that interact with smoking, and different needs for degrees and kinds of support. Experience with actual smokers who have permanently quit shows that many different approaches work - medication, supplements, psychosocial approaches like Freedom From Smoking, getting really sick, and Allen Carr - but no single approach works for everyone, and no single approach stands out as far more successful than any other. We can't know what is "the answer" to the OP's question, because it depends greatly on who the OP is and the nature of their addiction and habits.
I know that people who succeeded using AC alone are quite evangelical about it, and it's great if it works for you, but it seems as though it is fairly low-performing as an essentially self-driven method, and it would be a sad day if people (like me) who tried it and failed with it assumed that the fault was theirs, rather than trying (like me) one of the many other successful approachces and quitting permanently using one of those. Research shows that most people require up to seven attempts to quit smoking permanently, and each quit attempt, regardless of methodology, teaches you more about how to be successful next time. People have different levels of dependency and different comorbidities (depression, anxiety, etc.); The important part is not to slavishly embrace one single system, but to keep trying to quit until you find what works for you. Many things work.
posted by Miko at 6:47 PM on September 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
That's exactly the problem with that method; it doesn't recognize that people not only have different addictions, but different learning styles, different psychological and physical conditions that interact with smoking, and different needs for degrees and kinds of support. Experience with actual smokers who have permanently quit shows that many different approaches work - medication, supplements, psychosocial approaches like Freedom From Smoking, getting really sick, and Allen Carr - but no single approach works for everyone, and no single approach stands out as far more successful than any other. We can't know what is "the answer" to the OP's question, because it depends greatly on who the OP is and the nature of their addiction and habits.
I know that people who succeeded using AC alone are quite evangelical about it, and it's great if it works for you, but it seems as though it is fairly low-performing as an essentially self-driven method, and it would be a sad day if people (like me) who tried it and failed with it assumed that the fault was theirs, rather than trying (like me) one of the many other successful approachces and quitting permanently using one of those. Research shows that most people require up to seven attempts to quit smoking permanently, and each quit attempt, regardless of methodology, teaches you more about how to be successful next time. People have different levels of dependency and different comorbidities (depression, anxiety, etc.); The important part is not to slavishly embrace one single system, but to keep trying to quit until you find what works for you. Many things work.
posted by Miko at 6:47 PM on September 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thank you all for sharing your experiences. I am passing this on to the person on whose behalf I posted this question.
posted by Dragonness at 6:24 AM on September 24, 2015
posted by Dragonness at 6:24 AM on September 24, 2015
The important part is not to slavishly embrace one single system, but to keep trying to quit until you find what works for you. Many things work.
I see your point and it's a good one, as is your point that there may be greatly complicating factors in a given person's specific situation and mental state.
However, my closing comment is this: for the great majority of people living a relatively normal life where their only serious addiction is nicotine, the AC method is a path to freedom much more effective than any other.
I can understand how this could be contrary to the surveys on the subject - the AC method is subtle and requires some leaps of faith that only make sense in retrospect. For a survey to convince me that the AC method is not superior to other methods, it would need to involve some sort of metric around how well the participants understood the AC concepts.
I also see how if the AC path is the 'one true way' and it doesn't work for you, it could seem as if you're screwed. But this needs to be balanced against the fact that it takes some persistence to understand the arguments, otherwise you can flick through the book in a few minutes and dismiss it (as friends of mine have done despite my best evangelical efforts), or not really pay attention at a seminar.
Dragonness, to repeat an offer I've made on Metafilter before: I'd be happy to have a copy of the AC book sent to your friend from Amazon if they were interested in giving it a shot. And I wish him/her the very best of luck - after years of addiction it's a great feeling to be completely free of cigarettes and never ever want to smoke again.
posted by StephenF at 4:51 AM on September 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
I see your point and it's a good one, as is your point that there may be greatly complicating factors in a given person's specific situation and mental state.
However, my closing comment is this: for the great majority of people living a relatively normal life where their only serious addiction is nicotine, the AC method is a path to freedom much more effective than any other.
I can understand how this could be contrary to the surveys on the subject - the AC method is subtle and requires some leaps of faith that only make sense in retrospect. For a survey to convince me that the AC method is not superior to other methods, it would need to involve some sort of metric around how well the participants understood the AC concepts.
I also see how if the AC path is the 'one true way' and it doesn't work for you, it could seem as if you're screwed. But this needs to be balanced against the fact that it takes some persistence to understand the arguments, otherwise you can flick through the book in a few minutes and dismiss it (as friends of mine have done despite my best evangelical efforts), or not really pay attention at a seminar.
Dragonness, to repeat an offer I've made on Metafilter before: I'd be happy to have a copy of the AC book sent to your friend from Amazon if they were interested in giving it a shot. And I wish him/her the very best of luck - after years of addiction it's a great feeling to be completely free of cigarettes and never ever want to smoke again.
posted by StephenF at 4:51 AM on September 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
AskMe is not for debate, but your continued insistence is making it hard for me not to respond.
For a survey to convince me that the AC method is not superior to other methods, it would need to involve some sort of metric around how well the participants understood the AC concepts.
You keep implying that there is a fault in the person if the AC method doesn't work; that they "don't understand the concepts." Nothing about AC is intellectually demanding, but the truth is that for many people, additional supports are needed. And no one should feel bad about using any and every source of support available to them in their quest to stop smoking. It doesn't matter how you stop. At all. It matters that you find something that works. AC's method of fact-based hectoring and repetition is simply not the path for everyone. Not everyone has the kind of addiction that will knuckle under after someone reads a book and applies some thinking routines. It's GREAT that it works for you and has worked for others - congratulations on your quit! - but you are a certain kind of person and a certain kind of smoker and your experience isn't universal. I also have been quit 16 years after trying Carr, finding it didn't provide enough of the supports and practices I needed, and being successful with FFS. So your offer is nice, but I hope the point stands that there are many ways to quit and some people need a lot more help than others, or a lot more help than reading a book, and that is ok. The important thing is to keep trying - try everything you have to.
posted by Miko at 6:13 AM on September 25, 2015
For a survey to convince me that the AC method is not superior to other methods, it would need to involve some sort of metric around how well the participants understood the AC concepts.
You keep implying that there is a fault in the person if the AC method doesn't work; that they "don't understand the concepts." Nothing about AC is intellectually demanding, but the truth is that for many people, additional supports are needed. And no one should feel bad about using any and every source of support available to them in their quest to stop smoking. It doesn't matter how you stop. At all. It matters that you find something that works. AC's method of fact-based hectoring and repetition is simply not the path for everyone. Not everyone has the kind of addiction that will knuckle under after someone reads a book and applies some thinking routines. It's GREAT that it works for you and has worked for others - congratulations on your quit! - but you are a certain kind of person and a certain kind of smoker and your experience isn't universal. I also have been quit 16 years after trying Carr, finding it didn't provide enough of the supports and practices I needed, and being successful with FFS. So your offer is nice, but I hope the point stands that there are many ways to quit and some people need a lot more help than others, or a lot more help than reading a book, and that is ok. The important thing is to keep trying - try everything you have to.
posted by Miko at 6:13 AM on September 25, 2015
Yes I think we've reached a natural conclusion here and further debate would stretch the site guidelines beyond breaking. Good luck to all who read this in the future.
posted by StephenF at 7:49 AM on September 25, 2015
posted by StephenF at 7:49 AM on September 25, 2015
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Good luck to her.
posted by dinnerdance at 10:32 AM on September 21, 2015 [4 favorites]