Stop Smoking Day 56 - Friday March 7th 2008

I have certainly been feeling much better over the last few days. I think it was a mistake to come off the Champix, and I guess I'll need to discuss this with my doctor. I mean, it's such a new drug, who knows what happens when you stop taking it?

I haven't been to see him yet. I was going to go yesterday morning, but I just imagined myself sitting there and telling him I was depressed. It made me feel a bit stupid so I didn't go. I know it's ridiculous thinking like that but it is a hard thing to do when you are faced with it.

I will have to see him anyway within the next couple of weeks, because I'll need some more Champix. I think I'll leave it until then to talk to him.

I had a great night out with the "lads" from work last night. We went to a pub and had a few pints while watching a UEFA cup match. Then we went to another pub but we didn't stay there long; it wasn't our sort of pub as it only had men in it! Then we went for a nice Indian meal and a few more pints.

I didn't think about smoking hardly at all, which is good. Also after a night out like that in the past, I used to feel terrible for the whole of the next day. However, although today I have a bit of a hangover, at least my mouth doesn't feel like total shite! I used to get through two whole packets of fags in just one night!

I am now almost certain that I will never smoke again.

Saved so far £462.00

Stop Smoking Day 53 - Tuesday March 4th 2008

I went back on the Champix this afternoon. It got to the point where I was so fed up with everything, that I nearly went to get some fags. However, I didn't, and I took the Champix instead.

I think I'll go see my doctor soon about my depression. It's got to the stage where I've lost interest in everything except football. Luckily for me, there's some Champions League on TV tonight (Manchester United v Lyon) so at least I've got that to look forward to.

Stop Smoking Day 52 - Monday March 3rd 2008

Hmmm, yesterday was not so good and I'm not feeling too good today either. I'm wondering if the effects of the Champix have taken a few days to wear off, and if I felt less depressed simply because I had come off the Champix!

I'm feeling very down again at the moment and if it continues, I think I'll have to start the Champix again. I am getting rather fed up with this depression and can only hope that it goes soon.

Stop Smoking Day 50 - Saturday March 1st 2008

The last few days have been better than expected, considering I'm not taking the Champix anymore.

I am feeling some differences though, which are worth noting:

• I am nowhere near so depressed (very good).
• The thought of a cigarette no longer makes me feel sick (bad).
• My bowels seem to be returning to normal (good).
• I'm not getting vivid dreams (neither good nor bad).

So overall I'd say the effect of not taking the Champix is positive. However I must point out that I don't think I could have stopped smoking without it in the first place. It was just a case of not knowing when to stop taking it.

Saved so far £412.50

Stop Smoking Day 48 - Thursday February 28th 2008

The last few days have been much better for me, although I haven't had much time to write in this blog. I'm still here though so all is well.

I'm writing this "live" today, i.e. it's 10:45am on 28th February at the moment. The reason for doing it now is because I have a small problem.

I am staying away from home tonight due to work commitments. I packed all my stuff for the overnight stay, but what did I forget? My Champix! Of all the things to forget, it had to be my Champix. I first realised this morning at 10am which is when I normally take my morning pill, and it wasn't there!

So my only option is to miss the next 3 tablets (2 today and 1 tomorrow morning). I hope things will be OK, and if they are then maybe I can stop taking it permanently. If things aren't OK, then.....oh no!

........Update........

Things were OK for the day without the Champix. Well, at least I don't think I felt any different having not taken them. It's not easy to be sure though because I was always conscious of the fact that I hadn't taken them and it worried me a bit. Also I did go to bed rather early as I was bored, so the day was quite a lot shorter than normal! If I still feel OK by the time I get home tomorrow evening, then I think I'll stop taking the Champix.

Saved so far £396.00

Day 27 - Thursday February 7th 2008

Oh dear, a terrible day, but not because of the smoking I don't think. It all started after work when I was wondering what to do with myself that evening. There were things to do, but I just couldn't be bothered to do any of them.

Then I realised I was very very depressed. I thought about going to buy a pack of 10, smoking one and throwing the rest away. However , just the thought of the taste of the cigarette made me feel sick. I think that's a good thing, as I don't remember feeling like that about cigarettes before.

Earlier in the day, I had found a forum that discussed Champix (the drug I'm taking to help stop smoking - known as Chantix in the US). It was quite interesting reading about other people's experiences but one thing I noticed was that it caused depression in some people.

So what had made me so depressed? It was either:
1. Because I don't smoke anymore
2. Because I'm taking Champix
3. Because I had read that other people on Champix get depressed
4. Because of how I felt after seeing my doctor (see Tuesday's entry)
5. Other
6. A combination of any of the above

I don't think it's 1 because the thought of that made me feel sick. I decided it was most likely 2 so I decided to stop taking it. But then I changed my mind because I thought I might start smoking again!

So I just went to bed early in the hope that a good night's sleep would make me feel better again. I would like to hear from anybody who has any thoughts on this, or has suffered something similar. The good news is that I'm still smoke-free!

Saved so far £222.75

Day 3 – Monday January 14th 2008

First day at work as a non-smoker, but had to see my doctor first to get a new prescription for my Champix. He nearly fell off his chair when I told him I’d stopped, but after he’d composed himself he told me that stopping smoking was the single most important thing I could do for my health and is way ahead of any medication I’m on.

The day went surprisingly well at work and I was pleased that I managed to get through it without being too tempted.

Saved so far £24.75

The Build-Up

I’ve tried to stop smoking several times before with varying success. The longest I managed was 3 months but something happened and I went back on them again.

This time I’m more determined than ever to succeed and I think that writing to this blog may help, because if I fail I’ll feel like I’ve let everyone down who reads this (that is assuming that anyone will read it!). Also, perhaps I can help someone else to quit. If both myself and at least one other person quits because of this blog, then it’s all been worthwhile.

My doctor recommended Champix to me, which is available in the UK on prescription and is fairly new. In the US it’s known as Chantix. You continue smoking while taking it for a while (which I liked the sound of) and then stop at a chosen point in the second week.

My understanding of the drug is that it attaches itself to the receptors in the brain that nicotine normally attaches to. Therefore it means that even while you’re smoking, you’re not getting the full effect of the nicotine so it doesn’t seem so bad once you finally stop.

I took my first tablet on January 1st and decided to stop on day 12, simply because that would be a Saturday and I figured that would be easier for some reason. Incidentally, on the packet it says you should pick a day between day 8 and day 14.

I didn’t really notice any difference during the first week, but in the second week I noticed I was smoking less, simply because I had lost a bit of the urge. This was encouraging but I was hoping that it wasn’t just a placebo effect.