SelfhelpMagazine Blog

In the SHM Community Forums, Dini advised one member how to deal with nicotine addiction. He said:

Hi Kipling and welcome,

Being a sober alky and one who has puffed a few smokes and a few other things I can relate to both having an addiction and the kind of "over-use" of something like your description of chomping away on that nico-gum.

Nicotine is one tough "drug" and I often think people don't realize just how strong an addiction it is; since it's legal and it doesn't make you stupid on the spot I suppose people view it differently than some other addictions. But it's a powerful addiction, and in my experience, has two components; one is the physical addiction to nicotine, the other is the "habit" the "ritual" – all that stuff you're doing with your hands and mouth.

I never did do the gum (tried it and couldn't stand the taste of it – is that ironic and stupid or what? hehee….. and I tried several times to quit on the patch alone, and would stop for spells. What REALLY helped me with the physical addiction was taking a suggestion from my doctor; using Wellbutrin (an anti-depressant which in this case is used in a dosage less than what would be used for depression) along with the patch. The doc told me the "success" rate was something like 50% higher than with the patch alone. And I guess he was right; it worked for me.

I used a few things I learned in AA to help as well, with the habit, the ritual, the "mind-set." I would tell myself it was only one day, or one minute or five minutes or whatever, at a time. I NEVER tell myself I will NEVER smoke or drink again. That's TOO BIG for me to handle. I can only handle it in small doses, like one day at a time. I also used the little mind trick when the urge hit to tell myself, "OK, I'll have a smoke, but I'll wait five minutes" rather than hanging on by my fingernails trying to tell myself I wouldn't do it at all. Well, in five minutes the urge usually passes and if it doesn't, you tell yourself you'll wait another five minutes. After you do that a number of times, it gets easier to do. And I don't know if you pray Kipling, but I would say little prayers, walking down the street, whatever (and I don't know that it matters who or what you pray to; I didn't and still don't really have a clue except I know I don't run the universe, for which the universe is no doubt very thankful, and I know that it helps – that's about all I need to know for practical purposes) – prayers like "God help me to be a non-smoker just for today." Or for the next hour, or minute. After awhile, I crossed some line where I no longer wanted TO be a non-smoker but was one.

Anyway, maybe talk to your doc about Wellbutrin and the patch? And let us know how it does OK Kipling. Maybe keeping a bit of a running "journal" here will be helpful to you? And don't kick yourself when you're down; I don't know a single, solitary person who stopped smoking on the first try. There probably are such people, but I haven't met them.

Welcome again, Kipling!