Been trying to quit smoking and have gone down from a pack or a little less a day to maybe one or two a day.  The last few days though I've experienced an increase in anxiety.  That's probably made worse by a new change in jobs, new home, now living with the girlfriend, etc.  

Is this normal for anyone else who tried quitting or cutting back significantly?

If you're serious about quitting you need to go cold turkey.  Trying the "cutting back" thing only enhances the angst.

Take it from me (6 weeks smoke free and counting) - get on the patch. Seriously, it works.

Thanks for the advice but did any of you experience anxiety when first quitting?

I didn't - I attribute that to the fact that I'm still (even now) getting 21mg per day of nicotine in my blood. Tomorrow I start using 14mg patches.

Quoted: Thanks for the advice but did any of you experience anxiety when first quitting?

You bet I did, after all, smoking IS an addiction.

FWIW...

I know a recovering heroin junkie that told me it was easier to kick the smack than quit cigarettes.



Good Luck!  

Quoted: Thanks for the advice but did any of you experience anxiety when first quitting?

Yes, very much so.

Quoted: Been trying to quit smoking and have gone down from a pack or a little less a day to maybe one or two a day.  The last few days though I've experienced an increase in anxiety.  That's probably made worse by a new change in jobs, new home, now living with the girlfriend, etc.   Is this normal for anyone else who tried quitting or cutting back significantly?

Dude: USE THE NICOTINE PATCH.  You are torturing yourself for no reason.  

You are doing exactly what I did and I quit successufully with no problem.  Seriously, it blew my mind how easy it was.  If you have cut down like you said you'll have no problem quitting if you use the nicotine patches.  I cut down to about ten cigarettes per day and when I got to that level I knew I had it beaten.  I then went on the patch and dropped to zero cigarettes per day and haven't smoked (or even wanted to) since.  That was about a year and a half ago.

Put the damn patch on your arm and be happy.  Oh, and I forgot to mention, a cool side effect is that you may have some very vivid, realistic dreams.  Not nightmares, but a lot of people (me included) have really realistic dreams while on the nic patches.  I kind of enjoyed them.

Now.  Get busy saving your life.

I experience anxiety just thinking about quitting. Truly.

AB

Quoted: Quoted: Been trying to quit smoking and have gone down from a pack or a little less a day to maybe one or two a day.  The last few days though I've experienced an increase in anxiety.  That's probably made worse by a new change in jobs, new home, now living with the girlfriend, etc.   Is this normal for anyone else who tried quitting or cutting back significantly? Dude: USE THE NICOTINE PATCH.  You are torturing yourself for no reason.   You are doing exactly what I did and I quit successufully with no problem.  Seriously, it blew my mind how easy it was.  If you have cut down like you said you'll have no problem quitting if you use the nicotine patches.  I cut down to about ten cigarettes per day and when I got to that level I knew I had it beaten.  I then went on the patch and dropped to zero cigarettes per day and haven't smoked (or even wanted to) since.  That was about a year and a half ago. Put the damn patch on your arm and be happy.  Oh, and I forgot to mention, a cool side effect is that you may have some very vivid, realistic dreams.  Not nightmares, but a lot of people (me included) have really realistic dreams while on the nic patches.  I kind of enjoyed them. Now.  Get busy saving your life.

LIsten to Echo-Hotel! I quit in September after 20+ yrs of a pack a day habit, and the patch made it a cake walk. It is the easiest way to do it......

I know a doctor who has done extensive research on why people use drugs and he has come to the conclusion that most regular drug use (tobacco included) is for reasons which basically come down to anxiety. People choose their own form of Valium to help tranquilize themselves. Some people choose alcohol, some choose tobacco, some choose illegal drugs but the doctor thinks the root cause is the same.

Tobacco can be the hardest drug to quit. People who quit often feel cravings (anxiety) months after quitting. Heroin treatment programs will try to keep their clients off of heroin but usually make no attempt to control tobacco use because they regard it as hopeless. (Ironically, tobacco kills a greater percentage of its users than heroin does.)

Doctors who specialize in addiction treatment say that the only method that works for the majority of people is drug substitution. That is, taking another drug in place of the current one -- the nicotine patch, for example. That method will generally work for the majority of people whereas other approaches -- like going cold turkey -- will have a success rate of about five percent per year. That's because simply stopping the taking of the drug doesn't address the reasons you started in the first place.

If you are really serious about quitting, you might look into ibogaine. Many people have reported that a single treatment cured them of their drug addictions.

It is all highly individual, of course, so whatever anyone else says you will have to experiment and find what works for you.

I wanted to rip heads off.

I went the Zyban route, its will be 5 years this Aug, The anxiety is the leftovers from the Nic that trying to recoup in your body and the whole reason behind why people can't quit. With Zyban it knocks the edge off and allows you to get off the shit. I recomend it, didn't go with patches and I had been doing it since 1977 feel better for it and am saving alot of money. Just remember when you do get off is that all you have done is quit using at that moment in time as you really never quit and can start up again as fast as you came off the crap its a strugle and something you have to live with the rest of your life.

Oh yeah.  Just the though of, "I can NEVER have another cig" was enough to drive me batty.
After the fact, i had a headache for a month and was a bear for three.  I did it for the best of reasons and my family helped me through it.  I think cold turkey is the best; no cut back, no I'll only smoke on tuedays, or any of that nonsense.
If you want to use the patch, then do.  Anything to stop an unhealthy, neh, deadly addiction.
Good luck.  and stick to it! (Eleven years and doing fine)

Check out this site. It will help you want to quit.

i am smoke free for over 3 weeks now after smoking close to 2 years and i  went cold turkey.  i didnt experience anxiety but i had some really odd and vivid dreams.  that was the first week but now i dont even want to smoke anymore

Man, I haven't smoked in about two weeks, and I've felt completely fine the entire time. I don't think I had time to get addicted.

[Dr.Angus] If it feels good, do it! [/Dr.Angus]



 jk, i'm tryin to quit as well. Did the same thing you did, cut back. I went from a pack or more a day to one or two smokes a day. Big difference. Easing yourself off isnt terrible. Dont stress over it.

For you patch users. Do they make a patch to quit the patch?

I smoked 1 to 2 packs a day for over 25 years. I had to have one first thing in the morning, and last thing before sleeping at night. I had tried quitting before and actually made it all the way to dinner time on day one, once.  Using the patch program, I haven't had a puff since 12/31, and have had no cravings at all.

It allows you to get yourself out of the habit of reaching for a cigarette all the time - you break the psychological addiction before you try to break the chemical addiction.

Tag

Quoted: For you patch users. Do they make a patch to quit the patch?

Thats what the gum is for.

anxiety, yes.  

That is why it's hard to quit.

Quoted: For you patch users. Do they make a patch to quit the patch?

The nicotine patch method involves three separate types of patches and if used as instructed you are weaned off nicotine in such a manner you won't have withdrawal symptoms (certainly nothing even remotely close to "cold turkey").

I had no physical withdrawal symptoms at all (you're getting a sustained jolt of nicotine through your skin except it doesn't make your clothes stink and you won't burn your house down ) and I used Certs for the oral fixation.

You just by the Step 1 patches and use those as instructed and then move on to Step 2, and finally Step 3.

The stuff works.  Believe it.  No more expensive than a carton of Marlboros.  Why on earth anyone would want to suffer through any other method when something like this is available is beyond me.

*Heh*..............

You life sucks for the next two years.

I was a three pack a day smoker, starting from  15 y/o with Bel-Airs to 23 with Marlboros...(Having gone through my non-filter phase)...

Quitting sucks.

It sucks, and, it's hard.

You are orally fixated now, so deal with it.

Use water bottles to keep your hands busy.

When you have a beer, and, have a buzz...let that sweet smoke cross your nose....You'll be ready to fire up.......

....And when you do....

Don't.

I been there.

Hang in.

I know it's hard.

If you're serious about quitting you need to go cold turkey. Trying the "cutting back" thing only enhances the angst.


+Eleventy Brazillian!!!

Seriously,  cold turkey is the way to go.  I quit (again) three weeks ago, after the nicotine has left the body
(2-3 days I believe) there is nothing left but the physical habit brought on by triggers in your daily routine.  
Get a beer, want a cigarette.  Early morning coffee, want a cigarette.

Just broke off a piece of pie, YEP, YOU GUESSED IT!

Change your routine and quitting cold turkey will be easier.

Before you quit,  YOU MUST WANT TO QUIT!  Do it for yourself, not for others.

Good luck!

B_S

quit two - three pack a day January 7, 1975 without withdrawals...haven't desired them since...

I smoked for over 10 years with only real long length of time that I had quit was when I was pregnet with my son. I tried the patch, cold turkey, carrots, and zyban. Zyban worked for me early last year but then I had a major tragic thing happen and I went back to it, so I tried Zyban again and this time found that it made me feel depressed despite it being an anti-depressant. So my doc gave me Nortriptylin which is similar to Zyban but you only have to take it once a day instead of twice and there's no dry mouth side effect. I have since quit back in September and haven't so much as had a craving for a cigg. In fact I can't stand the smell of it now and seemed to have developed an allergy to it. I'm just glad to  be free of smoking and I have no desire or struggle with thoughts of going back to it.