Has anyone had success in quitting smoking with the nicotine patch?

The patch may work for others, but the way I quit smoking many years ago was cold turkey. I had a good medical reason to stop which caused me to start thinking about stopping. But the real reason I quit was because I WANTED to, not because I had been told I should. I hated the smell on my hands and beard, and I hated the expense. Though I had been a smoker for years, I found cold turkey easier than I thought it would be—and immensely gratifying.

I quit once many years ago by using the patch. It worked for me. However, I started again, but that had nothing to do with the patch. I later quit again by using the gum. I’ve been smoke fear for over 10 years now. It’s great!

A friend of mine was successful in quitting by using the patch.

Another acquaintance )a retired cop) ended up dead from a heart attack. However, he was still sneaking smokes while wearing the patch. THIS IS A BIG NO NO. if your doctor didn’t tell you this he should have.

Even if you take the patch off while sneaking smokes, it doesn’t instantly clear the residual nicotine from your system and you end up with dangerous blood levels (which can be deadly).

It’s a shame because be was such a nice guy and a hard worker, even tho retired.

Interestingly, it was this knowledge that likely contributed to the success of the first guy because he knew that sneaking a smoke here and there simply was not am option.

My younger brother quit cold turkey after being hospitalized with pneumonia. He was close to death because, from infancy, he has always been severely asthmatic. He said that it was like he had an elephant sitting on his chest everytime he tried to catch a breath.

“Scared to death” is a familiar phrase but I think it’s accurate to say that, with death staring him in the face, he was literally scared into life.

Fortunately, he was still quite young when this happened (mid-twenties) so he can still enjoy many decades of a healthy life.

Here’s an interesting bit of info.
There’s more than one way to quit. In addition to the patch one can use hypnosis, group therapy, etc. and research and five year follow-up studies have shown that the highest success rate, long term, was found in people who combine more than one method. It doesn’t so much matter which methods are chosen, but just the fact of combining two or more that increases the odds of long term success.

Good for you that you want to quit. Your body will thank you (as well as your non-smoking friends and family). I wish you success.

I used Zyban. I don’t know how much it helped with smoking, but it for sure curbed my appetite.
I started smoking at 19. I smoked for 19 years. I quit over 17 years ago. I’ve tried a cigarette a couple of times since I quit, and it didn’t appeal to me. Being around smokers doesn’t bother me. Don’t let anyone scare you into not quitting, and don’t let anyone set your expectations too high.
You were a non-smoker the day before you started, and can be again, the day after you quit.