I have been smoking cigarettes for almost 11 years now and back then you couldn't have told me it was this addicting. I had it in my head that i could go cold turkey and stop on my own whenever i decided to but it over powered me without my even knowing. I have lost weight,gained weight, just to lose weight again. Its said that the first step in quitting smoking is having the will power and i strongly have that but still find it hard to not light up a cigarette.  I am currently down to about ten a day which is much better than the one and a half packs a day that i used to do. Still this is just not good enough, I've went twenty four hours from time to time without having to light up and usually this was when i didn't have a cigarette nearby or was just too lazy to take that trip to the store. For me its not just about having the will power since most of the time i am lighting on up is when i am stressed at home or at work. Cant really blame the fact that i am having a hard time quiting on stress because i know i have an addiction to cigarettes that comes from just about everything.  You know its a bad situation when after many years of smoking you start to get this cough,clogged up on the inside not  being able to hardly breathe. I've looked into books on how to stop smoking, and the stop smoking patches in the past but neither have worked for me. The patches i noticed caused sickness right from the start so i could never keep it on. Now i have just started using the nicorette fruit chill gum.   Reading the package it is stated as a good alternative for those who smoke twenty five or more cigarettes a day, comes a hundred pieces to a pack and is a twelve week program.

During weeks 1- 6  take one piece every 1  to 2 hours

During weeks 7- 9  take one piece every 2  to 4 hours

During weeks 10 - 12 take one piece every 4 to 8 hours

You are to chew the gum slowly until it tingles then park it between your mouth or gums until the tingle is gone then start chewing again until the tingle returns. It takes about 30 minutes for the tingle to leave but you are not to eat or drink anything for 15 minutes before chewing the gum or the effects wont work as this is a medication. Also you cannot chew more than 24 pieces a day or you risk a overdose.

      I have been using this for at almost two weeks now, the first day i took it without clearly reading the instructions and warnings on the back of the box. It clearly says do not take if you have high blood pressure not controlled by medication along with several other warnings. I have had high blood pressure for almost nine months now, but have not experienced any harmful side effects while using the nicorette gum. However as i am writing this it is about seven in the morning and i have just taken a piece without eating breakfast so i am really hungry. The first time i took the gum it had excellent results because i went practically half the day without smoking a cigarette, then when i lit up that newport cigarette i felt an immediate sickness in my stomach. I also smoke tobacco kites but when chewing the gum and then smoking the rolled cigarette i didn't feel that same sickness. This was very confusing because the tobacco kites still contain nicotine. I am doing great with the nicorette gum program hardly ever smoking anything now so i know that its just a matter of time before i am done altogether with smoking cancer causing cigarettes, I have that will power. If you have had a hard time quiting with the patch or other medications i would suggest giving this a try.

     I am not singing all praises to this gum because of the simple fact that i believe somewhere in the executive office of the company who created this medication sits a fat rich guy getting richer helping people quit smoking cigarettes but also being the same who has a hand in manufacturing the cigarettes and placing them on the market.  Sure no one ever puts a gun to someones head and says smoke or I'll kill you but back in the day no one ever said smoking would kill you because the cigarettes did not contain that message on the pack from the so called surgeon general.

     There are other ways to quit smoking that all consists of will power, such as exercise. But how would you exercise when you cant hardly breathe as is? Cigarettes should be amongst the worlds most dangerous drugs because they have all the symptoms and side effects. Ever notice how people who smoke are easily angered when they don't have that soothing cigarette?  It is just a thought but i feel that if the prisons wouldn't have allowed cigarette smoking back then they would have had a riot every hour of the day. The commercials used to and some still do advertise cigarette smoking as cool. You'd see big movie stars like Sharon Stone puffing off a cigarette, yeah if you'd want to sell cigarettes sex was the best way to do it.  I'm not bitter anymore about the subject because i am taking my steps towards becoming smoke free and my children will not have to question why i smoke. I am also glad that they are seeing that smoking is not a good thing at a early age so when they get older hopefully they will remember to stick with the idea. I was raised around smokers so as a child i would say it was in my things not to do list but even at that early age just saying it didn't stop me from doing it. I will keep you all up to date on my progress.....I'd love to hear from others in this battle against smoking as i know i am not alone.