Susan's Place Transgender Resources

So, I smoke (puts up hands as everyone tries to beat me up for it). Although people tell me it blocks estrogen, I find it hard to believe since I'm a 36B. But, I know that over all smoking isn't good for you, etc, etc, etc.

I've tried several things and a couple of people have mentioned this book. I'm going to try it. I think it's called, "Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking."

I don't know if it will work, but apparently you smoke while you read the book. Apparently the book doesn't do things the way other programs have. Apparently it doesn't tell you how bad it is over and over (honestly, negative reinforcement doesn't work).

So, I'm going to try to find this book somewhere in town and check it out. I hope it works.

I don't know why no one seems to smoke in this board -- as far as I know, I'm the only one. Yet, where I live, a lot of trans people smoke (post and pre-op... I know people who smoked at Brassards after surgery). So, for some reason, smoking is much more popular up here than in the US, I'm guessing. Although, our smokes cost more.

But, anyway, after I read the book I have promised to loan to my other smoking trans friend. Our goal is to stop smoking well before SRS comes. We've both tried and tried. So, now it's time to try the book and see what it does. I keep reading reviews about it and how it works some how, as if by magic. You just read. You get to smoke while you read. I don't know how it works, but I'm willing to try it out.


Wish me luck!


--natalie

Good Luck Natalie, smoking is a good habit to lose so I hope you can beat it.  I don't treat smokers like piriahs, I was one once, but only socially and even that was hard to kick.  It basically made me sick after a few so I wasn't able to keep it up anyway, but I understand your struggle as I know many smokers who are truly addicted.  Keep up your good sense of humour, that helps when you're getting rid of something out of your system. 
And giving up will help you recover after surgery so much better, imagine your lungs feeling a new invigoration as it continually fills with clean, fresh air. (sorry, that sounds abit pathetic but anyways...)

Take care

buttercup  :)

I smoke like a chimney, Nat, so you're not the only one. Ask Karen and Cindi who had to put up with my puffing when I visited them. Good luck with quitting.

Dennis

Fraid you're not on your own Natalie. I think I qualify for the Olympic smoking team.

My doc keeps nagging me to give up and I'm finding it a real struggle, but I'm going to have to do it very soon because my cholesterol has recently shot up

Someone at work told me about the book you mentioned, but she made the mistake of throwing away all her cigarettes before reading it, and you need to read it while smoking so she had to get another pack and try again. It seemed to work well...for a few months at least (shes back on them again) so I may give it a go as well. Anythings worth a try. Sounds a strange way of giving up though.

I've tried nicotine gum which had no effect other than giving me jaw ache, and patches brought me out in big red blotches so I gave them up.
I also tried going cold turkey which made me bite peoples heads of in between climbing the walls. Not a good idea.

I think its all in the mind. You really need to want to give up. SRS sounds like a good incentive. I've read that most places will postpone your procedure if you're still addicted to the evil weed, as it can cause healing related complications and slow down recovery, so its got to be worth it just for that. The least pain the better.

Anyway, good luck and I really hope you manage to quit.

Bobbie  :icon_lalala:

Forget the books. Buy Chantix. It's probably not covered by insurance if you have it, but it's WORTH IT.

You will not want cigarettes. You won't want tobacco. It's not like quitting, it makes your body forget about nicotine.

You can quit with NO PAIN. No torment. You take the pill AS RECOMMENDED and your body doesn't want it anymore.

I can tell you all sorts of sucess stories, but if you take the pills as directed, you can tell us yours!

I stopped smoking 6 months ago when I started hormones as my doctor would not prescribe them if I did.  I used the patch and it worked so well for me that I doubt I could have quit otherwise.  I smoked for 11 years about a pack a day, so I wasn't a light smoker either.

The nice thing about the patch is it is hard to smoke on it.  If you were to smoke while the nicotine from the patch was in your system you would most likely get ill.  That is really what kept me in check.

Good Luck!

Charlotte

Keep on trying!-most ex-smokers like myself have had to try several times-I quit for 3 years and started again(foolish girl)!-but have now been smoke free for over a year and feel so much better about myself-WE CAN DO IT-Good luck x

I just quit again, I've been quitting for 10 years.  Never quit quitting.

I was up to almost 4 packs a day before I quit. Yes, 4. I quit more than 10 years ago using self hypnosis. It took three months but I've been smoke free since. Except for my boyfriend. He smokes and I nag at him to quit. Even being around it all the time doesn't temp me to start again. And since I got the book from the public library, it didn't cost me anything to quit.
It probably won't work for everyone but if you try enough different ways you're bound to find one that works.
A final incentive for quitting - I saved enough cigarette money to buy a better computer every year.


Karen Lyn

well im in the smokers club, atm.. im hopeing to be on my last pack as im going to start trying to quit here this week sometime, as when the last pack i have runs out i dont wanna buy more.. this time i think im gonna try the patch and hard candy or gum <ie big red> i quit for like 3 months before useign only hard candy but started again when i got persistant migranse that wouldnt go away.. so hopefull ythis times the charm  ;)

Reading you guys talk about smoking makes me want a cigarette, now I gotta go smoke one, damn.

I addicted too, a pack a day.

If my doc says shes not gonna give me HRT cause I smoke, I swear to God I will probally bite her head off.

I just gave up smoking excessive amounts of weed 6 months ago, and cigarettes are still my crutch, I cant walk, I just cant.

Also Keira I didnt place you as a smoker, dont know why just didnt.

Natalie: How did it go?  Did you read the book?  I've been considering the Carr method too... I've definitely got to stop in April before SRS, the only problem is that I'll be in finals there, so lots of papers to write and tests to take.  Definitely not an ideal time to quit smoking, so I guess I'd better get a move on.

Lia

While I dont smoke habitually, I do enjoy one every now and then.  When I started hormones my doctor told me of the slight risk of a lung embalism (sp?) and that was enough to scare me off them.  Maybe this is silly, but when I was waiting to go onstage one night with my band I just about passed out because I was afraid to breathe the smokey air in the club.

Natalie,

You are definetly no the only one, I smoke way to much especially when I am driving my truck. I would love to quit, but have tried many times and have always started back up again.

Hugz,
Ariana

I think I could quit if it weren't for the clubs and playing shows.  But I have a lot of incentives to quit, such as saved money, saving my falsetto, and, oh yeah, not dying while undergoing HRT.  So, you'd think that would be enough. 

I smoke

1 pack a day for 25 years, so thats 25 smokes a day, bingo  ima canuck, but i have decided to quit or at least cut back hard...I know it wont be easy, 4 days now i have limited myself to 6 smokes a day, a good start....i thinks.

I also smoked pot for 25 years and yup i quit this also....now i know pot isnt addictive cuz it was a breeze to quit once i got outa my system everything that i was keeping inside. I havent touched the stuff in 4 months .

do I have any tips ....maybe 1 or 2

get someone to hold onto your smoke pack and make a little schedule...mine is.
if you start thinking you need a smoke....go for a walk.

2 smokes in the morning, 2 in the afternoon, 2 in the evening.

in a few months I will try decreasing it more, maybe 1 , 1 and 1.

Goodluck and it is for the better, also just think you are giving the government all that exta money u work so hard for.....that should be lotsa incentive.

Caylea

I use to smoke like a chimny. Cig.s - pot. I quit pot about 4 yr.s ago and have cut way back on the cig.s. I'm hoping to quit altogether soon.  ;)

I will join the club.  I have been smoking since I was 13.  That is 42 years.  I have had two surgeries as a direct link to smoking.  I have had two minor strokes also.

I have stopped smoking for at least 100 times.  And tried everything.  And I am smoking as I type even now.

Will I quit?  Someday.  Every smoker does. ( Morbid Thought ).  :o

Well SRS keep me from it?  No,  I will quit 2 weeks prior to surgery.  But I will be back at it when I am released.  This I know.

Do I want to?  Yes, we all do.  Will I?  Most likely not.

I smoke.
Rarely, like a pack a month or two, while sharing it with my hubby.
I have no intention of quitting. I do not want to.
Yes I know "cancer".. I'm gonna die anyway one day.
I will not be guilted, berated, or bullied into quitting.

But if you all wanna quit. You have my support. Make the choice. Recognize "why" you want to quit. And remind yourself why whenever you waver. Good Luck!

Mark Twain said it's easy to stop smoking, Done it hundreds of times. I smoke and just got back from buying a pack. The price went another 70 cents in three days. Now I'll have to quit. Gave up pot in 1980. I just got tired of being high all the time. I was doing about one fourth pound every two weeks. I lived in Panama and it was only a $20.00 per month habit. Cheaper than cigarettes.

Quote from: gothique11 on November 03, 2007, 03:24:17 PM
I don't know why no one seems to smoke in this board -- as far as I know, I'm the only one. Yet, where I live, a lot of trans people smoke (post and pre-op... I know people who smoked at Brassards after surgery). So, for some reason, smoking is much more popular up here than in the US, I'm guessing. Although, our smokes cost more.
--natalie

I smoke.. although I live in the UK and I doubt that your cig's cost as much as ours here. :(

Let us know if the book works as I would be interested in trying it also!

Jay

An addiction therapist told me that if there are addictive personalities we are all addicted. Any thing we do and enjoy so we repeat it, is a sign of an addictive personality. My dog is addicted to hotdogs.

I was actually thinking about starting a thread like this a couple days ago... didn't realize there already was one.

I started smoking when I was 17... for that year, I think I had 2-3 cigarettes a week, then up to 3-5 a day from 18 to 19, and when I dropped out of college the first time and became a nomad, it went up to between half a pack and a pack a day. I've quit a few times, once for almost a year, but I always go back to it. There's always some reason I want to start back up again.

It's strange, because I've had the willpower to quit smoking pot and drinking for years at a time, as much as I tend to be a hedonist, and to wean myself off medications that my body was quite dependent upon, without the aid of a doctor or therapist or otherwise. Studies show that nicotine is the most addictive substance on earth, second only to methamphetamine... perhaps that's it.

I've been planning for weeks to get Nicorette gum and try that approach, as I've only gone cold turkey in the past. I think the problem is, really, that I don't want to quit. I've been smoking almost 10 years now, and while I know it will eventually be a detriment to my health (not yet... doctors are always amazed, after checking my lungs, to hear that I'm a smoker), I like it. I started smoking in the first place because, strangely enough, I liked the smell of cigarette smoke. But, for my health, I know I need to quit.

I can't possibly afford Chantix, which someone else said works incredibly well... anyone else have experience with Nicorette? I can get it very cheaply on eBay, so that's what I'm planning to go with, unless someone's got a better suggestion.

SD

Quote from: Cire on November 05, 2007, 07:41:32 PM
Forget the books. Buy Chantix. It's probably not covered by insurance if you have it, but it's WORTH IT.

You will not want cigarettes. You won't want tobacco. It's not like quitting, it makes your body forget about nicotine.

You can quit with NO PAIN. No torment. You take the pill AS RECOMMENDED and your body doesn't want it anymore.

I can tell you all sorts of success stories, but if you take the pills as directed, you can tell us yours!

I have used Chantix, and successfully quit in January 2008. It wasn't the first time, that was in 1995. Unfortunately, I have relapsed after 225 days on August 27, 2008.

Quote from: Cire on November 05, 2007, 07:41:32 PM
Forget the books. Buy Chantix. It's probably not covered by insurance if you have it, but it's WORTH IT.

You will not want cigarettes. You won't want tobacco. It's not like quitting, it makes your body forget about nicotine.

You can quit with NO PAIN. No torment. You take the pill AS RECOMMENDED and your body doesn't want it anymore.

I can tell you all sorts of sucess stories, but if you take the pills as directed, you can tell us yours!

I was going to say the same. I smoked nearly 2 packs a day at times. I was a smoker for 13 years. I started chantix in january of this year. It has been nearly 2 months. I would recommend chantix to everyone! It really works.

Hypnosis worked for me. It helps if you really want to quit though. Still, I was smoking 3 packs a day for years and quit cold turkey after hypnosis. It's been 15 years since I quit and no problems, even when I'm around smokers.

Karen Lyn

As I mentioned earlier I quit smoking pot about four yr.s ago. A pack of cig.s lasts me 2-3 days now. The reason I quit smoking pot is that my tolerance was too high and I just wasn't getting high anymore. It became about the same as smoking a cig. but taste better. I crave that taste so much still. Cig.s are just a crappy substitute and taste like dirt. But the laws are really strict where I live now and it is almost impossible to find pot. And if you do find any, it's crap  :P

Virginia is jonesin' for a J :laugh:

I've been smoking since I was 15 years old and quit in January 2001 using Zyban. Unfortunately, I started smoking again in 2006 thinking I could smoke and quit anytime I want. Wrong! I decided to quit again Jan 2009, which I did - again using Zyban. After a week of taking it, cigarette tasted awful. I can't describe exactly how it tasted but I wasn't enjoying it anymore but as for medications there are side effects. I was supposed to take Zyban for 3 months but I had to quit after only 3 weeks. I couldn't take the side-effects. Fatigue, I felt like I was getting suckered-punch continously, headache, neckache, depression (not wanting to talk with anyone), abdominal pain etc. so I quit taking it but I wasn't craving for cigarettes anymore. I still think about it especially when I see someone smoking but it wasn't bad enough to make me start again. So I am 74 days and 45 minutes smoke free. The only 3 advices I can give you is that - first, you must really want to give up smoking for anything to work. Zyban or any quit smoking remedy is just to help you with the withdrawal symptoms and second, if you succeed quiting, NEVER even try having "just one" because you will start again. We cannot fool ourselves that we can be social smoker.  Third, do not watch the movie Die Hard (first one), watching Bruce Willis puff those cigarettes would make you want to smoke. :) --> Goodluck!

I use to smoke then one day, when the price went up again, I decided I wasn't going to give up, I was just delaying the next ciggie (sorry almost said fag :D), it's been twenty odd years. I still haven't given up. The same left over ciggie still sits on the shelf. Probably no too good to smoke now!

I remember a friend telling me his Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer. Everyone in the family was in shock and got out their cigs!

Cindy James

I just went to the doctor's a few days ago cuz I am coughing alot (to the point that I throw up)
He took some X-rays and found "something" wrong. he dosen't want to jump to conclusions without
further tests, but he thinks stomach fluids are getting into my lungs when I cough which causes me to 'toss my cookies'

Sometimes it happens when I bend over (no not for that  ::)... to pick something up)   :laugh:

He want's me to stop smoking like now. I told him that I won't be able to stop.
He gave me a script for chantix, which i picked up earlier today but I am too nervous to take cuz
of the suicidal thoughts warning. I get real depressed at night for some reason, and while I don't want to hurt myself,
I am guilty of suicidal thoughts already but know I won't do anything stupid,
but with the chantix...not so sure. I hear so much about it's side effects, and about how good it
works but.....

Anyway, am I nervous for nothing? should I take the damn pill and lock away the sharps?

I guess I am wondering if others, who have taken chantix, and have had suicidal thoughts, noticed
the thoughts got worse?

I haven't done Chantix. But I noticed the anti-depression med.s I was taking increased my suicidal thoughts. Go figure....I was thinking about suicide and happy about it  :laugh: Well, I quit the pills. Everything effects everyone differently. But noted side effects freak me out too  :P

Don't know Chantix,
But if you are feeling suicidal get help. Your Dr should or call or a life line group.

Cindy James

I've tried the patches and the gum
but I stopped using them because
I found it difficult to keep them lit.

-------------------------------------

O thats a good one!!!

Has anyone here heard of the electronic cigarette? You charge it and buy cartridges for it but the thing is there are none of the harmful substances that are in cigarettes in them, and they produce no second hand smoke. There is nicotine however, so it's still addictive, but none of the other 4000 chemicals that are added to cigs (although you can get nicotine free). I got one recently after being advised to quit smoking when going on hormones and it's working out pretty well. I'll still smoke socially but rarely feel the need to buy a pack. It works real well for people who get addicted to the act of smoking rather than the physical addiction to it. Anyone looking to quit, check em out just do a google search

I've heard of them.  Another chap I knew said they did a pretty good job as a surrogate cigarette, as they released a white cool but steam-like vapour so you really felt you were drawing on something when you inhaled.  I was lucky, I just stopped cold turkey and that worked fine for me.

I'm an E-cig convert and they really do work. you need to get over a couple mental things though. first it's unnatural to take a normal drag so you take puffs awkwardly at first. once you convinceyourself to drag on it like a normal cigarette it's very satisfying. secondly, you don't have to smoke the whole thing!! when you smoke a cigarette you always smoke an entire cigarette. with ecigs each cart is like a pack, so if you keep hitting it you'll be there for hours.

I just take 2-4 puffs when I want a cigarette and put it down. if they are out of sight I don't even crave them hardly.


(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsmokefreequitmeter.com%2Findex.php%2Fmain%2Fbanner%2F48793.png&hash=b8b6f5e31f5d49931e9921748adeedc5f346e32b)

Quote from: beth~chella on July 25, 2009, 12:47:53 PM
I'm an E-cig convert and they really do work. you need to get over a couple mental things though. first it's unnatural to take a normal drag so you take puffs awkwardly at first. once you convinceyourself to drag on it like a normal cigarette it's very satisfying. secondly, you don't have to smoke the whole thing!! when you smoke a cigarette you always smoke an entire cigarette. with ecigs each cart is like a pack, so if you keep hitting it you'll be there for hours.

I just take 2-4 puffs when I want a cigarette and put it down. if they are out of sight I don't even crave them hardly.


(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsmokefreequitmeter.com%2Findex.php%2Fmain%2Fbanner%2F48793.png&hash=b8b6f5e31f5d49931e9921748adeedc5f346e32b)

What exactly is this E-cig convert?

electronic cigarettes. basically a vaporizong device that delivers a puff of vapor instead of burning tobacco leaves. there are a bunch of brands out there and you can see them in US malls. recently they took some heat from the FDA since they found 2 harmful chemicals (1 in each seized shipment), but the same chemicals they found are in cigarettes already and even nicotine gums so I'm not really concerned.

I have never smoked a cigarette in my life and I dont intend to. But good luck for anyone trying to quit

Quote from: Sir Kyle on August 13, 2009, 09:17:15 PM
I have never smoked a cigarette in my life and I dont intend to. But good luck for anyone trying to quit

keep it that way :)

Heather!!

Go girl. It should be getting easier by now. I've been ciggie clean for many years but it was damn hard to break. Someone told me, or I read, that giving up nicotine addiction is worse than giving up heroin. I've never tried (and never will) try heroin.
Interested if anyone has comparisons.
1) I still bite my nails, but less so than as young; don't ask me to define young.

I'm not sure if I have any other addictions, substance wise, I'll drink either tea or coffeee, like one or the other to start the day but not fussed.

BTW congrats to all of you giving up smoking   :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

hate kissing ashtrays but happy to kiss you'all

Luv
Cindy

I can verify that this is the hardest thing that I have ever tried.  I fail at every turn.  I so want to beat this, but I become a raging Bi**h that even I can not stand.

Even now I need that nasty thing.

:'(
Janet

Endo gave me prescrip for chantix. Hope it works or she won't give me T. I got to hear more sad stuff too.

You guys are making me want a smoke!

I think I'll have a walk with my pipe on my way to work.

Quote from: CindyJames on August 14, 2009, 04:01:13 AM
Someone told me, or I read, that giving up nicotine addiction is worse than giving up heroin. I've never tried (and never will) try heroin.
Interested if anyone has comparisons.

Very interesting.  I've heard similar things about nicotine being the hardest to quit and all of that.  Personally I don't think this is related to the actual physical addiction of nicotine, but rather the habit of smoking cigarettes.  They're legal so they're easy to get, they're socially acceptable, and people get in habits with cigarettes like needing a smoke every time they're in a car or after eating or whatever.
I have never done heroin but I will say that I managed to quit coke, which is supposedly the most psychologically addicting drug (not physical tho) with only a few slip ups, but trying to quit smoking has been harder, even with this electronic cigarette.

Hi Chamillon

Congrats on giving up coke. You can do anything dude. Don't give smoking do what I did and what Heatherrose is doing. Just put off having the next ciggie. I've been putting off the next one for over 20yrs now.

Luv
Condy

Quote from: CindyJames on August 17, 2009, 01:11:55 AM
Hi Chamillon

Congrats on giving up coke. You can do anything dude. Don't give smoking do what I did and what Heatherrose is doing. Just put off having the next ciggie. I've been putting off the next one for over 20yrs now.

Luv
Condy

Quote from: heatherrose on August 17, 2009, 01:36:02 AM

Dude, I am the furthest thing from a "Former Smoker Nazi"
but if you want it, you can do it. I too, had a problem with the
"Nose Candy" along with anything else I might have been able to
ingest to achieve an altered state. I started smoking at the age of
eight years and started buying my own when I was thirteen.
At one point I was up to four packs a day
If I did it, you CAN too.

Thank you both very much.  That just putting off another cigarette seems like a good idea.  I've gone over a week without one by just putting it off, but when I mention the words "I'm quitting" it just kinda freaks me out.  Also congrats to both of you for giving up smoking

Knowing people who have quit both, all three of them say that heroin is easier to kick than smoking.  And coke is not all that hard. But meth is.

Dang, I was going to edit my post but hit the remove button by mistake  :P

Anyway, I've cut down quite a bit on smoking. But it's been the hardest thing for me to quit

Quote from: tekla on August 17, 2009, 07:57:16 PM
Knowing people who have quit both, all three of them say that heroin is easier to kick than smoking.  And coke is not all that hard. But meth is.

Yeah I would agree with meth being harder.  Where I said coke was supposedly the most psychologically addicting drug, I forgot to mention that in that study they didn't test meth but thought it would have shown similar results.  Basically, in the study, rats had a choice between coke and food, and would keep doing the coke until they died of starvation.  For all of the other drugs tested, the rats would eventually choose to eat to survive.  But considering meth is just like coke only 100 times more powerful and lasts like 12 hours instead of 20 mins, I would imagine it would be much harder to quit.

Sorry for taking this thread way off topic, I'll stop now.

meth is just like coke only 100 times more powerful

No, they are not.  Totally different chemical compounds, with different effects that have differing psychological addiction rates.  Addiction to Heroin is very physical however, making it different. 

Heroin by the way is a trademark name, owned by the Beyer Corporation who developed it as a non-addictive substitute for morphine.  Oops.

Yeah I'm aware they're different chemicals lol, coke's not even an amphetamine.  All I meant by that statement is that they're both stimulants with similar effects, and meth's effects are stronger.  Not meant to be taken literally.

I have to work around both of those, and its always good to know the difference before you bend over the mirror. And if your meth is only lasting 12 hours, you need a better dealer.  That's part of the trouble with it, its the energizer bunny of drugs.

Quote from: tekla on August 18, 2009, 12:30:10 AM
Heroin by the way is a trademark name, owned by the Beyer Corporation who developed it as a non-addictive substitute for morphine.  Oops.

Yeah, and clearly methadone was supposed to do the same thing.  During my time on it as a pain drug, I kept hearing stories from everyone who said it was easier to quit heroin than to quit methadone.  I didn't believe it 'til my doc pulled me off cold turkey.  Pure hell, even at sub-opiate replacement levels.

I ran out of cig.s last night. Normally I would go get a new pack. Not this time. Now I'm wondering how long can I go with out a smoke. I'm hoping to make quitting stick this time

I smoke about 2 packs every three days. And I don't want to quit. Perhaps this not the best place to post this, I think it is, seeing how they are the two-sides of the same coin. My parents are fairly old, both have medical problems, and If I quit now, when they go, I'll start right back up again. I hate to think like that, but it's something I consider.

All the people I know smoke or have no problem with it. I don't smoke a pack a day either, so, I'm really not seeing much reason to quit. I'll die sooner or later, so that's no problem for me.

The only time I've thought about smoking was to use as a fake excuse for why my voice would be lower as a girl, but that was before I learned people could really REALLY change their voices.  So yeah, not happening.

In two days, I'll have been off smokes for three months :)

Did it with Champix, which I took for about 8 or 10 weeks. Wasn't too hard to do this time, and hasn't been bad staying off them. I guess the time was right for me.

Dennis

congrats dennis! :icon_woowoo:

I would have to say I 'quit' smoking cigarettes sometime around April...
I quit chewing tobacco two months ago...
Now I just need to quit this damn gum =/

I haven't been smoking much lately, trying to get myself healthier and I know it isn't a good idea to smoke on hormones probably... but its so hard to kick the urge. If I dont have ciggs I am fine, but the second someone has one or offers me one I cave.

As far as pot goes, I like it too much lol. Would that have any negative effects on hormones at all? And what if it was vaporized only rather than smoked?

-Heather