Addiction Addiction Addiction

[lapbandkeira 99]

Sigh!!!!! Ok so being an addiction counselor you would think I'd have a better handle on things like addiction right? Well I needed to get lapband for my food addictions like a Coke addict needs detox. I quit smoking before my surgery...like 2 months I didn't smoke. The day they called me with a surgery date I picked up cigerettes and have been smoking ever since....again. I have smoked for 13 years and told myself after this I was going to stop. 9 days post-op and here I sit smoking. I'm so upset with myself..YES I know all the health risk of smoking..and yes I know the complications I can have smoking with the band. I can't wait to get a fill but I also fear it. I want to go back on Chantix because it really is the only thing I found that has ever helped me quit with success. It really makes you sick to your stomach though and is a pretty harsh drug with some serious side effects. Do I risk it to stop smoking? I need to talk to my PCP about this because my surgeon would KILL me if he knew. I think he would probably cut me open right there in the office and rip the band right out of me if I told him. Anyone gone back to smoking or started smoking after the band...did you take Chantix?

[JinTx 19]

I used to smoke a long time ago. I stopped when i got pregnant with my first son. Many many many years later i would have an occasional smoke if i drank a lot...im talking 3 cigs a year. So i dont really have any advice there.

But what i did want to do is encourage you to talk to your surgeon about this. You need to be open and honest. Last month i did not WANT to see my surgeon. I had gained 15 pounds in 6 wks (darn vacations) and was so ashamed. But then i realized that basically i committed to my surgeon when i got this surgery...kinda like we got married. Hes gonna be taking care of my band forever. I have to be committed to it and to him. He wants to see me monthly til i hit goal...thats what i signed up for. Part of being committed to him is being open and honest. I have to do my part...which is being real with him. If i struggle i tell him...if its going good i tell him. On that same note he has to do his part too. If he belittles me or puts me down about my struggles then it may time for me to look elsewhere.

I think you need to just tell your surgeon. He wants you to succeed. I am sure he will be there to help you.

[Toddy 758]

I was a heavy smoker and quit it will be 20 years ago this November 9. I can only speak from my experience as someone that loved smoking and was young enough when I quit that I hadn't yet started experiencing any bad side effects. I think the best way (the only way for me) was to quit is cold turkey. You can't have cigarettes around you; you can't be around anyone that smokes. Set a date certain to quit. The night before clean out every ashtray and destroy the butts, because an addict will dig through the garbage to get that fix. My husband quit at the same time using the patch. At first I was resentful because he seemed to have an easier time; however, after I got through the "bad times," he was still struggling along on the patch. It ended up taking him a couple more years to actually kick the habit. I am now physically nauseated by the smell of cigarette smoke. One thing I know for sure: If I ever break down and take that one draw off of a cigarette, I may as well go an buy a carton. It's an all or nothing thing for me.

[Sojourner 2,446]

I am also a counselor, with certification in addictions counseling. I understand that when one is too close to the center, in other words the "IP", insights and the ability to apply what you know can become obscured.

Use what you already know about the psychology of addiction, and identify what defense mechanisms you are using to justify giving in to your addiction. Why have you not yet identified an alternative skill set of coping mechanisms to get you through the post op adjustments to manage your beliefs about smoking? And why are you seemingly not sufficiently motivated to quit using your chemical (nicotine) crutch?

There are valid medical reasons for you to be smoke free. Among many other reasons, at the top of the list for those recovering from surgery is that smoking interferes with the healing process, and at this stage post op, that's what you should be focused on.

I understand that nicotine is a highly addictive substance...and it should make you angry that the cigarette manufacturers intentionally increased the nicotine content of cigarettes to make them even more addictive, and people like you more dependent on them.

I don't want to seem unduly harsh with my words, but you are the only one who will be able to change your nicotine dependence into the past tense. It would seem from what you wrote that you are not sufficiently motivated to quit smoking to make it happen, and remain smoke free.

Both of my parents died way too young (50 and 66 years). Cause of death for both was lung cancer. It's not an easy way to die. Watching the slow process while I was a child, as cancer claimed my father made me never want to smoke. A generation later, my sons witnessed the same deterioration towards death when it was my mother's time. None of my sons smoke; seeing is believing what nicotine can do. My mother stopped smoking 36 years before her lung cancer was diagnosed.

I hope you will be honest with your surgeon. If you don't quit smoking now, what else will you give yourself permission to do with non-compliance and your band diet? Everyday we need to comply with the rules for the bandster diet, our success for weight loss and general well being depends on it. At present, I see you poised on the "slippery slope"...

Chantix is just another drug crutch...just like methadone to an opiate addict. For lasting success, you already know you have to change your beliefs about smoking. For success with the band, your relationship with food needs to change also. Neither nicotine or food are your friends...and seeking counseling from another qualified professional who specializes in addictions should help.

Best wishes...I'd like you to be one of the forum's success stories.

[Shoshanna 98]

Twelve step programs for nicotine addiction exist; it might be a good idea to seek one out. Failing to find a program specifically for nicotine, I suggest NA where no one cares what you used or how much you used. I've never smoked tobacco but I will have 16 years of clean time in NA next month.

[Jean McMillan 2,973]

Thankfully, I've never smoked and was never tempted to smoke. My husband has quit smoking many times in the past 25 years, so I know secondhand how hard it is to quit smoking forever. I don't think it's safe to assume that your surgeon will react violently to the news that you've started smoking again. It's quite possible that he/she can actually help you with this problem.

The other thing I want to tell you is that my Aunt Jeanne, a lifetime smoker, died a horrible, painful death from lung cancer. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, and I would hope that you wouldn't want that kind of death for yourself.

[KanesMom 44]

I was smoking a pack a day of Reds. I have asthma and it was terrible for me, but I did it for almost 7 years. I quit cold turkey in January, and it was the best thing I ever did. I'm constantly surrounded by smokers..both my parents smoke, my boyfriend, and almost all of my friends. I felt like it was unrealistic for me to think I wouldn't be around smokers, their everywhere. And of course from time to time I really want one, but I won't allow myself to have one. I have really strong willpower. If you don't think you can quit cold turkey, my advice is to start smoking a brand you don't like, and also try stopping your "favorite" one. For me, my "favorite" was the one I smoked on the way to work. Once I stopped having that one, it was a lot easier. Just a few pointers! Good luck! You can do it!