pre-med cigarettes smokers...?

[marbou3]

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Lately I have found myself smoking a lot more than usual. It seems to me that pre-med has stressed me out a lot. I know that most people on SDN will say that they have their HEALTHY ways of relaxing themselves; however, I am unable to calm myself down unless I have a cigarette. Does anyone else feel like this?

Any thoughts are welcomed....and yes even the people that HATE cigarettes!!!

 

[coffeebythelake]

Lately I have found myself smoking a lot more than usual. It seems to me that pre-med has stressed me out a lot. I know that most people on SDN will say that they have their HEALTHY ways of relaxing themselves; however, I am unable to calm myself down unless I have a cigarette. Does anyone else feel like this?

Any thoughts are welcomed....and yes even the people that HATE cigarettes!!!

As long as you understand the health implications, and as long as your second hand smoke isn't affecting the people around you.

 

[SickOfLaw]

Try Nicorette. It takes a week or so to get used to, and it can get expensive, but use the following strategy:

1 - buy the "store brand" product, and buy it in the 110 unit packs. Keep an eye on the prices, because it's very easy to get it half price at least once or twice a month when the pharmacies have their weekly coupons.

2 - buy the 4mg stuff instead of the 2mg stuff. And just chew half a piece at a time.

It's unlikely to cure the addiction to nicotine, but its a lot safer than smoking. There are plenty of people who swapped smoking for chewing the gum with absolutely no intention of using the gum to give up. They just keep chewing for years.

 

[Jolie South]

i'm not a smoker, but i work out to relieve stress. if you haven't been working out, starting can be difficult. just hang in there though and you'll get into a routine and want to go everyday. biking and swimming are probably easier cardio type workouts to start with.

 

[MossPoh]

Part of it is your addiction, but part of it is probably just that repetitive motion and that separation you encounter of work from relaxation/play. I'm thinking if you can find a nice relaxing activity that is not affiliated with studying, volunteering, and getting your a$$ kicked it'll probably health. Many use exercise, some use videogames, naps, or whatever else. Gum is kind of a good thing to do, nicotine or otherwise. If you have a bit of downtime then I suggest weening off all those stimulants though. Stress will only increase, and it won't be good on your health or your wallet to smoke a pack or two a day. Find a fun physical activity that you can do for a half hour to get away from things. Lots of my friends enjoy riding bikes or just going on little weekend hikes to kind of work off stress.

 

[Lecter]

 

[punkindrublic]

As a smoker for over 10 years (I'm a few years older than most of you, and was smoking a pack a day at 15), I can certainly relate. That said, I've been smoke free since January. I don't know exactly what you're looking for here, validation or other ideas, but I can tell you that those feelings won't go away until you quit, and even then, they'll sneak up on you. Just like an alcoholic or heroin addict, if you've been using nicotine long enough, it's rewired your brain for that reward (nicotine) permanently.

That's the real bitch of nicotine. You start because it's pleasurable and gives you something to do with your hands. Then, once you're hooked, it becomes 'calming'. It's really not though. As someone who's also had panic attacks, I can tell you that panic/anxiety is essentially the same feeling you get from nicotine withdrawal. So you begin to associate smoking with a calming effect, even though it's the smoking that's going to be causing a lot of the anxiety in the first place. It's a vicious circle.

For what it's worth, I used the patch to quit. Can't say it's a magic bullet or anything, I've used it before without success. I've also used gum, and really hated that. Most of it has to do with mindset, and I think most people really need to start becoming concerned about their health before they quit. I was getting sick of being winded all the time, and realized that with my family history of cancer, if I continued down this road, I'd probably be dead within a decade.

Oh, and probably the coolest part: I only hit the ATM like once a week now. It used to be pretty much every other day so I could buy my smokes (I live in MA, and a pack is ~$6-7).

 

[BlitzSleep]

Everyone has their bad habits. Anyone condescending enough to rant and criticize are the hypocrites that have the illusion of themselves sitting high upon a pedestal.

I do not smoke nor approve of it due to its potential harmful effect on others.

Although my bad habits are not caused from stress, but from other sources, I cannot say much.

 

[fireflygirl]

Lately I have found myself smoking a lot more than usual. It seems to me that pre-med has stressed me out a lot. I know that most people on SDN will say that they have their HEALTHY ways of relaxing themselves; however, I am unable to calm myself down unless I have a cigarette. Does anyone else feel like this?

Any thoughts are welcomed....and yes even the people that HATE cigarettes!!!

I was once more of a social smoker but never got addicted...I could go weeks without a cig but then going out to a pub or lounge, and I just felt strange not smoking. Anyways, when my boyfriend who was a pack a day smoker decided to quit, so did I. He has been on Chantix which has REALLY helped!! Maybe something to try and pick up a more healthy habit like exercising or a hobby of some sorts. I knit - it sounds so grandma but I love it and it's very therapeutic for me. And I picked it up because I had my own set of bad habits that I was using to calm myself down, and now I'm much healthier and I can make cheap clothes 😍

 

[Kaustikos]

I was once more of a social smoker but never got addicted...I could go weeks without a cig but then going out to a pub or lounge, and I just felt strange not smoking. Anyways, when my boyfriend who was a pack a day smoker decided to quit, so did I. He has been on Chantix which has REALLY helped!! Maybe something to try and pick up a more healthy habit like exercising or a hobby of some sorts. I knit - it sounds so grandma but I love it and it's very therapeutic for me. And I picked it up because I had my own set of bad habits that I was using to calm myself down, and now I'm much healthier and I can make cheap clothes 😍

Chantix has shown amazing results and is arguably one of the most recommended medications to help stop smoking. Unlike the patch, it also let you smoke while using it, a huge plus for people who are just too lazy/ignorant/addicted to smoking to know the dangers of smoking and using a patch. It'a amazing the amount of success I've seen at the pharmacy I work at from people who got the chantix, used it and have successfully quit smoking. Easily 70%*.👍


*Results may vary

 

[AUD]

Easily 70%*.👍


*Results may vary

Lol. 😛

 

[Depakote]

Just a fair warning, your stress will only increase in medical school and a lot of medical campuses are going totally tobacco free (mine did this year). If you're going to quit, it will definitely be easier sooner rather than later.

 

[LikeClockWork]

Just a fair warning, your stress will only increase in medical school and a lot of medical campuses are going totally tobacco free (mine did this year). If you're going to quit, it will definitely be easier sooner rather than later.

Seconded. The hospital I work at is going completely smoke-free by the end of the summer. Should be interesting watching patients in hospital gowns crossing the 4 lane street to go smoke...

 

[EpiPEN]

Just a fair warning, your stress will only increase in medical school and a lot of medical campuses are going totally tobacco free (mine did this year). If you're going to quit, it will definitely be easier sooner rather than later.

Ahh... I see where you are getting at. I'll translate for you:

"Find other drugs to use" 🙂


On a more serious note, I've smoked once when I was young but never liked the smell or the idea of the cig. Now I don't know if my usual pro-health surrounding biased my views (i can see it happening but strange that I really don't have any appreciation for the way cigs smell or make me feel although it's been years and years since the time when I tried it). So long does it take for someone to get addicted? How many cigs usually?


oh and yes, try to quit, you know it's good for you so do it. I know it's easy for me to say but still, if you can come out of the pre-med processa live, then you can quit smoking!

 

[tocems]

Seconded. The hospital I work at is going completely smoke-free by the end of the summer. Should be interesting watching patients in hospital gowns crossing the 4 lane street to go smoke...

My hospital went tobacco free this week (strange that it took this long) and there are already pissed off patients who don't want to have to walk a block for a cig. and seeing that I'm in Madison, I'm curious to see what happens when there is four feet of snow and people are still wandering around smoking.

I smoked off and on for about 4 years and found the only way that I was able to quit was to give up booze. Alcohol and cigarettes just go so well together (at least I thought they did when I smoked, now I can't stand the smell) that it is hard to give up one without the other.

 

[littlealex]

Most premeds are smart enough not to make terrible choices such as smoking. You know the medical implications, and you should not had started in the first place. That was a ******ed choice, sorry to tell you that.

Now that you've already started smoking, go work on quitting. Sure it's hard but it beats cancer.

 

[AKu2984]

Chantix 👍

I've seen it work miracles for many people I know. You still need the will-power to WANT to quit, because it has some nasty side-effects...like nausea, for example. The side effects vary from person-to-person, obviously. I work with a woman who smoked for 20+ years, and, with some struggle, she was able to quit using Chantix. Geez...I'm staring to feel like a friggin' drug rep, so I'll stop now. But, I'd say give it a try.

Good luck to you!!

 

[lil'trooper]

Most premeds are smart enough not to make terrible choices such as smoking. You know the medical implications, and you should not had started in the first place. That was a ******ed choice, sorry to tell you that.

Sigh sigh. People do all sort of things they know they shouldn't do. And people dabble. And dabblers can become regulars. Even really really SMART people like MOST PRE-MEDS.

Yes, smoking is dumb. But folks are human, not young gods.

 

[Disinence2]

The error in that logic is you label "most" pre-meds smart.

 

[Drogba]

The error in that logic is you label "most" pre-meds smart.

And that "smart" people don't do drugs or exhibit self destructive tendencies.

Me, personally, I'm an antihero.

 

[Isoprop]

i can totally relate to op. i smoked when i was a teenager. i stopped for years, but even now, when i'm really stressed, i feel like lighting up. 🙁

 

[Drogba]

Light up a joint instead.

 

[Lecter]

Light up a joint instead.

lol, seriously...

stimulants for stress release? u mad? 😛

 

[MilkmanAl]

Chantix is definitely awesome, but almost all insurance companies don't cover it. I guess you can look at the $130 tag as more incentive to quit so you don't have to keep paying it. 😛

 

[LadyWolverine]

1. Stop hanging out with other people who smoke.
2. Stop going to places you associate with smoking.
3. Chew gum, every waking hour of the day. I recommend Extra. Don't take the piece out of your mouth for at least 2 hours; and then, only take it out to swap for a new piece/eat/brush teeth/sleep. If you smoke while chewing that piece of gum, you're stuck with that nasty taste in your gum until you can swap out for a new one. (It also helps with the oral fixation.)
4. Move into a place that is smoke-free, and surround yourself with non-smokers. It's amazing how much of the habit is social. DON'T LIVE WITH SMOKERS. I'll say it again: DON'T LIVE WITH SMOKERS.
5. Lollipops, hard candy, gum, straws, ice - put stuff in your mouth, chew it. It's a bad habit, and no doubt terrible for your teeth, but much better than lung cancer. Eventually you can wean yourself off.
6. Get active. And by this, I don't just mean go to the gym and work out. Every time you feel the urge to smoke, do something else. Clean your bathroom, go for a walk around the block, do the dishes, weed the garden, mow the lawn, fold the laundry. Channel that negative energy/craving into something productive. But make sure it requires some repetitive motion and acitivity - not watching TV or reading - that will only make it worse. If you have to, tell yourself you can have a cigarette ONLY after that activity (don't think of it as a "chore") is done. Most of the time, the craving will pass before you are done with the activity. Lather rinse repeat as needed.
7. If you crack and have a smoke, it's ok. Self-flagellation won't get you anywhere. Try again.
8. Reward yourself every week by figuring out how much you have saved. After a month, treat yourself to something nice (a nice dinner, new shoes, put money into a savings account for a trip, etc.)
9. Don't date anybody who smokes. If your SO/spouse smokes, explain to them that you need their support, and the best way to get that support is for them to also quit.

I can't stress to you enough the importance of #1, 2, 4, and 9. The rest is just personal experience.

The first 2 weeks are brutal. The first few months, it's easy to slip up/forget/get tempted. After a year, you don't really feel the urge anymore. I can now hang out with my old friends and go to places I used to go, and I don't feel the urge much at all. I'd be lying if I said that I *never* feel tempted (especially when drinking!!), but, as long as I'm surrounded by non-smokers, I really don't give it a second thought.

Good luck.

 

[Drogba]

...
3. Chew gum, every waking hour of the day. I recommend Extra. Don't take the piece out of your mouth for at least 2 hours; and then, only take it out to swap for a new piece/eat/brush teeth/sleep. If you smoke while chewing that piece of gum, you're stuck with that nasty taste in your gum until you can swap out for a new one. (It also helps with the oral fixation.)
...

[YOUTUBE]http://youtube.com/watch?v=GTbusMZEL0Q[/YOUTUBE]

 

[WildlifeSaver]

Start a work out and then move to running and if you do it for about 4-6 months you can get adrenaline rushes. Thats the best drug😀

 

[brimley]

Funny that some here think it takes a stupid person to smoke. More than a few of my undergrad professors smoked, including my physiology professor whose research sometimes deals with the lungs.

 

[BigJuicyWart]

Lately I have found myself smoking a lot more than usual. It seems to me that pre-med has stressed me out a lot. I know that most people on SDN will say that they have their HEALTHY ways of relaxing themselves; however, I am unable to calm myself down unless I have a cigarette. Does anyone else feel like this?

Any thoughts are welcomed....and yes even the people that HATE cigarettes!!!

If being pre-med is stressing you out to the point that you need to smoke like a chimney, I suggest you go to some stress-management counseling because you will not make it in med school. I'm being totally serious.

And calm down! If you need some MAD relaxation, one joint in the morning ought to do the trick.

 

[Chuckwalla]

Most premeds are smart enough not to make terrible choices such as smoking. You know the medical implications, and you should not had started in the first place. That was a ******ed choice, sorry to tell you that.

Empathy, give it a try.

 

[McPoyle]

Chantix is definitely awesome, but almost all insurance companies don't cover it. I guess you can look at the $130 tag as more incentive to quit so you don't have to keep paying it. 😛

I used chantix after smoking a pack a day for the last ten years (plus I had the privilege of adding a can of chew per day to that as well for the last two years). I started the chantix the day after christmas 07' and have been tobacco free since a week after starting the medication!!!! As of two weeks ago I stopped taking the chantix as well. I had tried other methods (patch, gum etc...) but this is the only thing that worked for me (besides starting to chew which got me off the smokes for a number of months only to combine the two after a bit).

As far as the cost, I was lucky enough to have my insurance cover (most of) it, so it cost me $20/month. With that said, I know that the makers (Merck?) was offering an insurance of sorts for people who wanted but couldn't afford the medication, with this the cost was just a ten dollar co-pay. You'd have to look/ask about this though.

 

[wizenedone]

Seconded. The hospital I work at is going completely smoke-free by the end of the summer. Should be interesting watching patients in hospital gowns crossing the 4 lane street to go smoke...

Haha!!

 

[kami333]

There's a lot of evidence out there that suggests that drug/alcohol abuse is more prevelant among physicians than it is among the general population.

Of course, lifestyle (resident hours) and access may be a huge factor but I think at least part of the problem is that many don't want to admit that they are just as human as anyone.

 

[kami333]

As far as the cost, I was lucky enough to have my insurance cover (most of) it, so it cost me $20/month. With that said, I know that the makers (Merck?) was offering an insurance of sorts for people who wanted but couldn't afford the medication, with this the cost was just a ten dollar co-pay. You'd have to look/ask about this though.

Pfizer link

 

[Picklesali]

[youtube]GTbusMZEL0Q[/youtube]

I love how he invoked Godwin's law

 

[JaggerPlate]

Ahh I love the pre meds who have never touched a cigarette in their lives chiming in and immediately going for the 'lung cancer' thing (ignoring oral cancer, heart disease, weight loss, etc etc), you guys should see if truth.com is hiring (maybe conduct some research about deadly second hand smoke).

Hahaha sorry ... okay OP listen. Everyone in this thread knows smoking cigarettes is bad for you. You don't need a D.A.R.E. style lecture concerning this. Cigarettes goof with your life. They make you loose weight, taste and smell, you become anxious, paranoid and basically plan out your life around having cigarettes. The breaking point (in my opinion) needs to come from a point where you WANT to quit. You will (hopefully) reach a point where you understand that the benefits of not smoking cigarettes far outweighs the costs and this is the point where you can move on. From here I honestly recommend cold turkey. You need to just have no cigarettes anywhere ... cutting back or dipping or anything else to reduce it just really doesn't cut it. Good luck .... quitting will suck (not as bad as people will believe you to think though) and once you're done you will realize how much better you feel all around.

 

[StevenJ128]

Ahh I love the pre meds who have never touched a cigarette in their lives chiming in and immediately going for the 'lung cancer' thing (ignoring oral cancer, heart disease, weight loss, etc etc), you guys should see if truth.com is hiring (maybe conduct some research about deadly second hand smoke).

Hahaha sorry ... okay OP listen. Everyone in this thread knows smoking cigarettes is bad for you. You don't need a D.A.R.E. style lecture concerning this. Cigarettes goof with your life. They make you loose weight, taste and smell, you become anxious, paranoid and basically plan out your life around having cigarettes. The breaking point (in my opinion) needs to come from a point where you WANT to quit. You will (hopefully) reach a point where you understand that the benefits of not smoking cigarettes far outweighs the costs and this is the point where you can move on. From here I honestly recommend cold turkey. You need to just have no cigarettes anywhere ... cutting back or dipping or anything else to reduce it just really doesn't cut it. Good luck .... quitting will suck (not as bad as people will believe you to think though) and once you're done you will realize how much better you feel all around.

Best post yet.

 

[anomalous738232]

Light up a joint instead.

LOL

 

[Tutmos]

I smoked about 2 packs a day for ermm about 10 years, that's what you get for moving to London at age 15. Once my wife became pregnant it was time to quit for good. I had tried a number of times in the past with moderate success. The fix in the end was to use both Welbutrin, I forget the name they gave it for smoking cessation but it's the same drug, I also used the patch at the same time and tripled the time scale they suggested. Worked like a charm and I haven't smoked in 6 years and have no desire to at all anymore.

 

[punkindrublic]

I smoked about 2 packs a day for ermm about 10 years, that's what you get for moving to London at age 15. Once my wife became pregnant it was time to quit for good. I had tried a number of times in the past with moderate success. The fix in the end was to use both Welbutrin, I forget the name they gave it for smoking cessation but it's the same drug, I also used the patch at the same time and tripled the time scale they suggested. Worked like a charm and I haven't smoked in 6 years and have no desire to at all anymore.

Zyban. My dad used that to no avail...

 

[-Goose-]

IF you still smoke by the time you matriculate. Realizing that many (maybe most?) of the cadavers that you are hovering over for hours on end in anatomy lab died of lung CA, you should definitely quit.


If that doesn't make you quit, nothing will.

 

[foster033]

do you smoke camels?

I used to smoke for maybe 8 years....and then one day I just didn't feel like doing it anymore. I had no real desire to quit before this happened. In fact I tried smoking a few times after and I hated it. I live with my bf and he still smokes and it never gives me the urge to smoke.

I remember hearing at some point that loss of interest in smoking can be a symptom of something, but I don't remember what.

Has anyone else heard this or am I just delusional?

 

[dizzyorange]

"I like to think of fire held in a man's hand. Fire, a dangerous force, tamed at his fingertips. I often wonder about the hours when a man sits alone, watching the smoke of a cigarette, thinking. I wonder what great things have come from such hours. When a man thinks, there is a spot of fire alive in his mind - and it is proper that he should have the burning point of a cigarette as his one expression."


I hate Ayn Rand but that's a damn good quote. As bad as smoking is for you, you can't deny that it's pretty pleasurable. If it wasn't bad for you, I'd smoke 2 packs a day.

 

[Drogba]

"I like to think of fire held in a man's hand. Fire, a dangerous force, tamed at his fingertips. I often wonder about the hours when a man sits alone, watching the smoke of a cigarette, thinking. I wonder what great things have come from such hours. When a man thinks, there is a spot of fire alive in his mind - and it is proper that he should have the burning point of a cigarette as his one expression."


I hate Ayn Rand but that's a damn good quote. As bad as smoking is for you, you can't deny that it's pretty pleasurable. If it wasn't bad for you, I'd smoke 2 packs a day.

I agree. Unfortunately, as it stands, it is quite bad for you and I smoke 0 packs a day.

 

[TeddyMeddy]

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[TeddyMeddy]

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