So, I took the first step today. At 6:00pm this evening, I walked into a small classroom at Kaiser Permanente, and sat down at a desk that was more suited for, probably, a seventh grader than for my six foot two inch frame. But, there I was, ready to go.
I went with the expectation of walking out with a prescription for Chantix. Everyone I know who's used Chantix has successfully quit smoking, except for my buddy Chris, who lost his health insurance and couldn't afford it on his own (the stuff isn't cheap). I walked out, however, with no prescription at all.
I walked out with a plan.
I have a quit date: January 16, 2012. If all goes as planned, my last cigarette will be smoked the day before. I'll get there, though, a little differently than I thought. Seems that they've got people who study and figure this stuff out, and they're smart. Really smart.
First, let me just say that, in the past, I've always tried to quit cold-turkey. Well, I'm probably not breaking any news when I say that doesn't work. I need the smoker's equivalent of a 12-step program, and I think I found it.
Tonight was an orientation. We're talking about a lifestyle change. For 35 years, smoking has been a part of daily life for me, and changing that wasn't going to happen because I went to a meeting. Smoking has been a habit. I need to make not smoking a habit now. The point of tonight's meeting was to impress upon us (the room was full) that it would be a lot of work, but that there are a number of tools available to help us quit smoking.
We filled out forms, marked down what tools we'd like to use, and had a good group discussion regarding why we smoke, why we want to stop, etc. It was actually pretty enjoyable, and it helps knowing that, every week, I'm going to be in this room with a group of people who are every bit as miserable as I'll be. We were give a folder chock full of information about quitting, support resources, you name it:
The first step is done; the orientation.
The second step will come on Thursday, when I pick up my prescription. I opted against the Chantix. Apparently, there are serious concerns with it. It does work; that can't be argued. But it's believed that a combination of Welbutrin and the Nicoderm patch are equally effective. The upshot of "the patch" and the Welbutrin is that they don't have the potential very serious side effects that Chantix does. I was a little gun-shy when I learned that Chantix makes some people suicidal or violent, and the confirmation that the other medication, combined with the patch, was as effective was all I needed to hear.
And, if the patch and the Welbutrin don't work, I can always go the Chantix route.
They gave us our "Quit Date" tonight: January 16, 2012. That'll be the third meeting I attend (seems even health care professionals take time off for the holidays). At that point, I'll start using the patch:
One of the most important things in whether or not I succeed will be how honest I am about it; not only to myself, but to the others in the group, my friends, and my family. The Registered Nurse doing the orientation assured us that we would have lapses. There would be time when we would light one up. If we can be honest about doing that, and share those lapses with our support structures, it actually has a positive impact on our being able to quit. Hiding those lapses gives us the sense that we can "get away with it", and that can only have a negative effect.
So, there it is. That's the task; the job ahead of me. For the first time in my life, though, I really do think I'm ready to do this, and I know I want to. I'm tired of waking up and feeling like I'm coughing up my spleen before my feet hit the floor. I'm tired of not taking those sweet room upgrades when staying in hotels because none of the swanky suites are smoking rooms. I'm tired of scheduling my business travel based on which airports have gate-side smoking lounges.
I'm just tired of it, and it's time me to change it because, let's face it, no one is gonna' change it for me...
No comments:
Post a Comment