Kicking the Habit!!!

Hubby finally decided to kick his nicotine habit!!! Hallejua! He's talked about it for years & tried all sorts of methods. The gum gives him hiccups! The patch nauseates him. The lozenges produce unholy heartburn! Then along came this nifty pill called Chantix. It requires a doctor's prescription. His father and grandmother have successfully quit smoking with it's help so now it's Rick's turn! Ironically it's not covered by insurance so $130 and 9 days later he's still committed to the process. Praise God for small wonders!

The program works to squash the nicotine craving by slowly blocking the nicotine receptors in your brain. During the first week, you continue to smoke as usual while taking Chantix as prescribed. After the first week of taking Chantix, you toss the cigarettes, ash trays, and lighters. Continue taking Chantix for a month as prescribed to help overcome withdrawals and begin your life cigarette free. Your doctor can prescribe a refill order if both of you feel it's necessary. From all the testimonies we've personally heard, no one's needed another month's supply so I'm hopeful Rick won't either.

With Chantix comes the Get Quit Program. Hubby likes this program. You receive a special sign up number with your prescription that gives you unique access to online, email, and telephone support. The program is customizable to the individual so if you prefer exclusive email or telephone support or a combination of the two, it's simply up to you. Rick's chosen a combination of email and telephone support so we receive an email every day giving him tips helping him stay off the cigarettes. He also receives a telephone call checking in with his progress and reminding him of some key strategies to help cope during the rough patches. You can also log in any time to get instant online support and view your personalized program.

Currently Rick's on Day 2 without any cigarettes! Side effects could be worse. Cranky. Irritability. Figetty. Heartburn. The usual mild symptoms associated with most stop smoking methods. Of course he's still recovering from back surgery so some of the symptoms could be from cabin fever and his post op meds too. He's going through lots of changes in a short period of time so who knows!

The most important change I've seen is his DESIRE to stop smoking. Past attempts have been met with the expectation the gum, patch, or lozenge will completely remove his desire and will to smoke cigarettes without any other effort on his part. This time the mental change is significant enough, I believe he will succeed! Wish us luck and I'll be sure to keep you posted on his progress!

Jenn's Tip: Pfizer, maker of Chantix, also has a Patient Assistance Program to help people in various financial circumstances pay for their prescriptions.