Failure rates: willpower vs. Allen Carr vs. Patch/gum vs. Champix etc

antiskeptic

Another poll identifies various methods that are used when attempting to quit smokng. This poll attempts to identify the long terms success of some of those methods. A "successful method" is one by which the person who has quit is still a non-smoker two years after quitting. A method is considered to have failed if the person is back smoking less that two years after quitting.


Thanks.

antiskeptic

*bump*

Go on, share your failure/successes..

Terry

I fail on all 4.

I'm not going to stop trying though.

Fey!

I finally had a success on willpower (1 day of patches). Had previously used patched and attempted willpower. I had also tried hypnosis.

The hypnotist wouldn/'t hypnotise me as she felt that I didn't REALLY want to quit. I have to admit that she was right; it was only after I made a conscious decision that I managed to give them up.

Oh, and another method that doesn't work is parental/peer pressure...

froosh69

failed on cold turkey a few times before finally getting it right...battle aint over though

antiskeptic

*bump*

JohnDigital

I'm really surprised with the amount of failures for Nicotine replacement options in the poll above. I'm 3 months off the smokes today, and Ive been using the NiQuitin CQ Lozenges. I was a 20+ a day smoker for the last 16 years. I failed miserably on the patch's and gum twice in the last two years, but I think I was more determined this time around.

For anyone thinking of trying them, yes they taste horrible at first, but after a week I bet you will hardly notice the taste. To me now they taste like polo mints. I tried the gum before and couldn't get used to it, it tasted rank and I found my jaw would end up aching. But Ive found the lozenges to be brilliant.

I started to cut down on the cigs right after Christmas and managed to get myself to about 10 a day easy enough. But found that of that 10 there were around 3 a day that I absolutely couldn't bear to forgo so I needed to replace them with something. For about a week I still found myself having to have one or two cigs a day. But on 8th Jan I had my last one. I think that it was the fact that I bent the rules for the first week made it easier to adapt to the Nicotine from the lozenges. I followed the directions on the pack very closely and moved from the 4mg to 2mg a couple of weeks ago and I'm nearing the end of my course.

Right now the thought of actually smoking seems horrible. The lozenges really have worked for me! They really do cure the craving in a minute and the fact that you control the dosage yourself more so that you can with patch's for me is a major plus.

antiskeptic

JohnDigital wrote: »

For anyone thinking of trying them, yes they taste horrible at first, but after a week I bet you will hardly notice the taste.

A point made by Allen Carr regarding our taking up cigarette smoking as teens!!

Indeed, the same could be said of drugs such as coffee and alcohol. They all taste crap until such time as the taste is associated with arrival of more of the drug to which we've become addicted.

Right now the thought of actually smoking seems horrible. The lozenges really have worked for me! They really do cure the craving in a minute and the fact that you control the dosage yourself more so that you can with patch's for me is a major plus.

Congrats and best wishes. It's a frikkin curse is smoking. It doesn't matter how they get the shove as long as they get the shove

smallBiscuit

JohnDigital wrote: »

I'm really surprised with the amount of failures for Nicotine replacement options in the poll above. I'm 3 months off the smokes today, and Ive been using the NiQuitin CQ Lozenges. I was a 20+ a day smoker for the last 16 years. I failed miserably on the patch's and gum twice in the last two years, but I think I was more determined this time around.

tbh, I could write a book on giving up using the patches/gum/inhaler. I've given up on average once a year for the past 6 or 7 years, using one of those methods and would be back after about 4 months

JohnDigital wrote: »

I tried the gum before and couldn't get used to it, it tasted rank and I found my jaw would end up aching.

Yea, that happens, so it hurts to eat, but it fades after a few days, it happens with normal gum too

JohnDigital wrote: »

I followed the directions on the pack very closely and moved from the 4mg to 2mg a couple of weeks ago and I'm nearing the end of my course.

That's the point when I tended to go back on them

My belief, for me anyway was they were to easy, I found it easy to give up using a replacement method, so no 'cost' to giving up, no 'cost' to going back on them

My longest run was 10 months, I gave them up on budget day year before last, no planning, no patches, no nothing. I came home from work, the smokes had gone up 50cents I think, so I quit, that day. Went insane, killed a few people then got over it (the victims didn't but I went to their funerals and bought flowers, so that's ok).

I find the 'need' is like a fight for a couple of months.
But the 'want' was/is a sly bitch, I was off them 10 months with every few days a "go on have a smoke, one will be ok, nobody has to know" whisper running through my head, which slowly went to every week or so. Then one day I picked up a small stick, about the size and shape of a smoke, it automatically 'fell' into that in between your fingers hold of a smoke, and that was it, the whisper became a daily scream, a week or so later I was out having a drink and bought some ..... I'm typing this with a smoke in my hand sucking the crap into my lungs while I stink and the venetian blinds in the kitchen here are yellow with nicotine.
But, despite giving up at least 20 times, today I'm off again, "once more into the breach" I have one cigarette left when its smoked ..... no replacement's, cold turkey and I have the victims all picked out, they wont be missed. Graves pre-dug in a hidden location so I wont have to answer any awkward questions from the police:D

antiskeptic

*bump*

antiskeptic

*bump*

antiskeptic

Based on 47 respondants to date and taking the success* rate of the methods listed in the OP:


27.5% success rate with Allen Carr's Easyway

44% success rate by application of Willpower

18% success rate with patchs/gum/NRT

Champix (and other non-NRT) methods aren't represented sufficiently - so no success figure is quoted.




*as defined in the OP

antiskeptic

*bump*

murrayp4

6 days on patches, made me feel weird, kind of like when you've been off the fags for a while and you have your first one. Also used to get a sharp pain down the arm the patch was on about half an hour after i put it on. Went cold turkey after that and haven't smoked since 2005.

ANGEM

I tried givin up loads of times never lasted but last year found a lump and decided whatever the result was I was giving up cigs read Alan Carrs book up to last chapter put it away till I got all clear from hospital finished the book havent smoked since over a year

Tip

Angem was it as easy as he says in Book ???????. I am off cigs at mo on day 14 with Champix. I must say I've also read The Easy Way To Stop Smoking and it certainly helped my head space. I find the Champix brill takes the pain away with quitting cigs. But I would also praise the book for giving me insight to why I smoked. ADDICTION

antiskeptic

Tip wrote: »

Angem was it as easy as he says in Book ???????. I am off cigs at mo on day 14 with Champix. I must say I've also read The Easy Way To Stop Smoking and it certainly helped my head space. I find the Champix brill takes the pain away with quitting cigs. But I would also praise the book for giving me insight to why I smoked. ADDICTION

Curiously, he'd argue that it's more difficult if you use something like Champix, patches, chewing plain gum in addition to his method.

The point of the book was that the withdrawal symptoms from nicotine addiction are so mild as to be barely noticeable. As bad as mild hunger pangs for a few days is the sum total of it in fact.

If someone is feeling it worse than that when using his book then his argument would be that psychological addiction (95% of the problem) is what's causing it - which means the books message hasn't been understood completely. It's the books job to remove the psychological addiction afterall

That said, it doesn't matter much how you quit so long as you quit .. and are a happy ex-smoker. Happy ex-smokers are more likely to remain ex-smokers than unhappy ex-smokers.

ANGEM

Hi Tip I tried everything bar champix (patches gum the lot)think you have to be ready to give up. As Antiskeptic said using champix kinda defeats the purpose of the book but having said that if the champix is working for you thats all that matters. Best of luck

Currahee01

I had a 4 month effort with Allan Carr a few years back, am on 6 months now with cold turkey. Caffine intake has doubled but the bank account and lungs are healthier!

One strange side effect is that I've started snoring, anyone else ever heard of this?

JohnDigital

Im 5 months off the cigs now. Im still taking the NiQuitin Losenges though, I think Im hooked on them as bad as I was on the smokes! Im averaging 9 a day still. What's the best way to get off these now. I've no desire at all to go back to the cigs which is great, but if I go cold turkey off these I'm afraid that might change. I presume extended use of the losenges is not a good thing, no warnings to that effect on the box though but im sure its not good.

antiskeptic

JohnDigital wrote: »

Im 5 months off the cigs now. Im still taking the NiQuitin Losenges though, I think Im hooked on them as bad as I was on the smokes! Im averaging 9 a day still. What's the best way to get off these now. I've no desire at all to go back to the cigs which is great, but if I go cold turkey off these I'm afraid that might change. I presume extended use of the losenges is not a good thing, no warnings to that effect on the box though but im sure its not good.

Try Allen Carr. It doesn't matter which nicotine delivery device you happen to use (cigarettes, gum, pipe, cigar, lozenges, etc), his method will free you from it. If you follow all his instructions.

staker

Off the cigarettes over 5 years now on the Allen Carr,having failed cold turkey and patches.
Had been smoking 20 a day,smoking 15 years or more.
Thanks Dave if you're reading;)

antiskeptic

staker wrote: »

Off the cigarettes over 5 years now on the Allen Carr,having failed cold turkey and patches.
Had been smoking 20 a day,smoking 15 years or more.
Thanks Dave if you're reading;)

And Allen Carr if he is reading too.

Yakult

currently on my first day without fags using the gum. First off the gum is horrible but it beats spending €8.50 on the aul fags. Was a little tempted earlier on but went for a walk instead. I have a feeling its gonna get alot harder tho in the comming weeks

Lushed1

I used to smoke 20 to 30 a day. I then read Allen Carr's book and i never smoked again. A great book i would recommend to anyone.

Charlybird

Gave up with Allen Carr 7 months ago, if you really want to give up, you just do it. i know it sounds a bit condescending but if you want to it happens.

staker

antiskeptic wrote: »

And Allen Carr if he is reading too.

I know some people believe in afterlife and all that,but do you know he passed away??

antiskeptic

staker wrote: »

I know some people believe in afterlife and all that, but do you know he passed away??

I do.

I also believe in an afterlife

not yet

Last cig was 4th may last. Started on patches then added gum, then added nicorette inhalers.

On one night out was strung out on all three together, overdosed on nicotine. seriously thou have stopped snoring,lots more energy etc.

So if someone out there id thinking (I'd love to give them up) just do it, you'll get the benifits almost straight wawy.

peckerhead

Charlybird wrote: »

Gave up with Allen Carr 7 months ago, if you really want to give up, you just do it. i know it sounds a bit condescending but if you want to it happens.

+1. Two years off them today...

The Allen Carr book helped, but it was (is) mostly a case of continued "willpower" — as in I want to stay off them more than I (occasionally still think I) want to smoke.

But I hope I'll never let my guard down; I know too many people who've gone back after years off them.

antiskeptic

According to a poll of 90 respondants, the success of the quitting methods listed in the OP rolls out as follows.



1st: Champix/other non-nicotine-replacement drug based methods

50% failed to quit, 50% succeeded in quitting. However: this result is based on a very low sample of 6 people voting either way

2nd: Application of Willpower

54% failed to quit, 46% succeeded in quitting. Result based on a decent sample size

3rd: Allen Carr

68% failed to quit, 32% succeeded in quitting. Result based on a decent sample size.

4th: Nicotine patches/gum/nicotine replacement therapy

81% failed to quit, 19% succeeded in quitting. Result based on a decent sample size