Has anyone given up smoking with patches?

[Darrell]

And if so, were you successful? I smoke 15 -20 a day but am desperate to stop. I used to smoke as soon as I woke up, literally from my pillow (before kids, obviously!) but now have first cigarette after about an hour of waking up. Which patches should I get?

Any other info, tips, would be fab. Thanks.

www.whyquit.com

you are trying to get away from nicotine, patches just prolong the process.

yes, and I never smoked again. I won't say they saved my life, but I am fairly sure they prolonged it.

get the higher strength. Follow the course. Don't be without a patch until you finish the course.

Play the PS2 or something in the long evenings.

Thanks. I love whyquit, used it the first time I gave up! But I can't do it again. I'm a bit funny in that once I've done anything successfully, I can't repeat it. Same with diets - I never achieve that level of commitment 2nd time.

God, I realise how weird I sound.

ah why quit was my last resort. 3 and more years now. Allen Carr?
how did you get back on the fags? NTAP!!!!!!

SmugColditz, thanks! So do I just slap the patch on in the morning? Did you know you were wearing one - I mean, did you feel many cravings?

NTAP, I know! Don't. I keep getting images of Kim and her missing lung (she died, didn't she?) and one bit about, "she waves off her grandchildren while a tumour the size of an orange grows in her chest..." fark.

You know what you need to do!!!!!!!!!!

Um... I will warn you, they itch like hell.

Get the 24 hour ones and slap one on at the peak time for cravings. You don't really know you have it on - the itching wears off - but you will know within an hour if it falls off as you will start craving.

Use plenty of distraction techniques.

Allen Carr was quite good. I might buy his DVD. I'm hard-core smokey. Mum smoked when she was pregnant with me and I'm sure it's given me some kind of hyper-addiction.

Ask at your Dr for a referral to a stop smoking clinic. You can get patches and other nicotine replacement therapy on prescription and you are much more likely to be successful if you give up in a group. Good luck.