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Nicotine Patch: Patches and a Purpose

by Cindy

St. Petersbure, Florida
United States

I used the Nicatrol Patches. I never believed in making a New Years resolution because I never expected anyone ever kept them. But last year I decided it was time to quit smoking. I just kept thinking my son is grown but I want to see my grandchildren grow up too and if I continue to smoke my chances of doing so are not as good. So I thought I will make that my New Years Resolution. So I bought the first step and started wearing the patch when I got up New Years day. I had a pack with some cigarettes in it but I told myself just to leave them right where they are so I can prove to myself that they can stay there and I will not touch them. Now I need to tell you I am married to an EX-POW from the Korean War and he is a chain smoker. I knew this would make it more difficult but I was determined. Well I had trouble keeping that patch on my arm. I even washed the spot with alcohol and they still tried to come off so all day long I was making sure my patch was still there. I did real well. After dinner and first thing in the morning it went through my head that I wanted a cigarette and a couple of times I caught myself out of habit going to get one without even thinking about it and would stop half way and say "what are you doing, you don't smoke anymore!" Another thing my neighbor had quit 4 weeks before and she was doing well and a neighbor across the street quit the same time I did. So everyday I would call them with encouragement and everyday I felt so much better that I had actually made it through another day without any problems. A few months before I had tried Zyban and that did nothing at all for me. After 10 days of not smoking I thought boy this really is all in you head because I could not see where this patch was doing anything yet I did not want to smoke. And suddenly that 10th day I realized I had lost my patch. I thought "I wonder when that happened?" So I thought maybe I could just cut them in half. So I cut them in half. I had 4 patches left as the package had 14 to begin with. So for 4 days I used a half a patch and still no smoking and no real problems. Then I got up and forgot to put on my patch. At this point I had used 12 patches and had 2 left. Well I made it through the day before I realized I had not used a patch so that was the end of using them and my partial pack of cigarettes was still sitting right there on the counter, my husband was still smoking and through all this I lost my mother and still did not smoke. So I have to say, NicatrolCQ gave me the kick start I needed and the thought of my 2 beautiful grandchildren give me the will and the price of cigarette gave me the Power. So as of today I am one year without smoking and for my celebration I threw away that partial pack of cigarettes. Thanks for letting me share this with you and I sure hope I have not carried on for too long. Proud to be a non-smoker, Cindy