Three Years Ago, I was a Smoker, Darn it! 3 Year W/O!
Written: Sep 22 '03 (Updated Sep 24 '03)
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Pros: Thank you Epinions for helping me stay a nonsmoker. Buy Generic!
Cons: Looked like a red and white whale on the patch.
The Bottom Line: Epinions and the patch, helped me become a nonsmoker! Thank you, Jamie!
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| JBduckling's Full Review: Rite Aid Nicotine Transdermal System Step One Patc... |
I honored to be invited to this wonderful write-off, having been an Epinion veteran since Christmas Day, 1999, reading and writing hundreds of opinions and musings. All having an effect on me, one way or another! I learned, I read, I wrote! I communicated. I received and gave support, and certainly, some folks positively touched my life, helping me quit my addiction. This is why I chose the nicotine patch for my write-off category because if I can quit, so can you! My fellow Epinionators helped me quit! For important product information, please go to the end of the review, past the write off information. I have failed to realized the importance of the product to all who wish to quit the ugly habit. While the support all epinionators gave me is important, product info counts, too!
"Mrssmoopy", in real life known as Jamie, and I quit smoking on the same day, January 2, 2002! Jamie, she took the nicotine gum route, while I polka dotted my big ole body with a "Nicotine Transdermal System Step One Patch". One night during a particularily difficult non-smoking hour, I was surfing Epinions, trying to find some information on non-smoking and I fell upon Jamie's writing! After reading her epinion, I emailed her and told her to "hang in there", we're in this together! We shared our epinions and emails, checking in with each other on a regular basis. Unless you were a smoker, you do not realize the difficulty of quitting and the wonderful support only a former smoker can give! We were a built in support group!
We helped, supported, and shared our collective wisdom during our quit and after, I believe about six or seven months into our quits, Jamie broke the good news about a new addition into her family. She and her husband have one child and number two is on the way. Of course, being a mommy is tough and busy enough, as I see from my wife, RBduckling, and Jamie's new baby was born to a smoke-free mommy! We have not emailed in awhile and infact, this epinion write-off will get me to send her the new pictures of my family and see how her quit is still going! Through Epinions, Mrssmoopy was there to share, help, and get me through my quit! We've both gotten too busy to keep up the emails and communications but I know I have a friend out there when I need one! Thank you, Jamie!
If you are thinking of quitting smoking, first things first and add me to your buddy or IM lists. If it wasn't for friends like Jamie, I never would have been able to make it. Firmly, I believe in sharing the knowledge and wisdom of being a former smoker to anyone who wants to and can quit that expensive terrible habit. The nicotine patch helped me, got me over the hump, and while the two months on it, nicotine was being put into my body, still, it was better than inhaling burning matter into my lungs. Feel free to read my other non-smoking epinions for some help!
Why pay a premium? Important product information! Rite Aid nicotine patches work the same, exactly the same as the higher priced, advertised brands such as Nicoderm. Nicotine is nicotine! It is in the patch, transferred through your skin into your system, to relieve the withdrawal of the nicotine. I tried higher priced labels (with rebates) and found the house brand of Rite Aid to work just as well!
Other hints with the patch: While companies do not recommend it, you can cut the 21 mg patches into thirds for the final step. The quit range is 21mg-14mg-7mg. The chance you take is uneven distribution of nicotine if you do not cut them exactly right. I saved money by cutting the 14 mg in half. It worked folks, why pay the same amount of money for 14 doses of 7 mg when 14 doses of 14 mg can be cut in half?
Night Dreams: With the patch, I tried taking it off at night but the morning cravings for a smoke were so strong, I continued to sleep with it on. While the morning cravings stopped, the dreams were truly technicolor and vivid. I even had dreams where I smoked, they were so real, I woke up thinking I had broke the quit! Still, they got me over the hump!
Red Polka Dot Whale or Why did the swimming pool empty so fast? I tried all different labels and makes of the patch during my quit, all left big red spots all over my big old body. When I took my boys swimming, people thought I had some exotic disease but were supportive when I told them about my smoking quit! The big red spots were all over, as I had some allergy to them, switching to Nicoderm, all I had were big red squares. However, the red rashes went away!!!! It was a minimal side effect for an effective quit.
Price and Value: These patches were the cheapest about $29 for 14 of them on sale. Still cheaper than cigarettes. They lasted, had no smell and I did wait until after my shower to replace them, lest the new nicotine went down the drain. The health value is priceless, of course. While my hat goes off to anyone who could cold turkey it, quitting is difficult enough, nothing wrong with a little help! Shop to get the best value, check for rebates, go with the store brand or generic. It is all truly the same! Good luck on that quit!
Other people who have been part of my Epinions roller coaster are: AJpenlady, an artist, a writer, a creative mind. Plus her sense of adventure make her Epinions a wonderful read. Suzer, a conscience of Epinions, a fine writer, who gave me direction when I began, to help with my writing. Thank you Suzer! Webogirl, who "poof" disappeared and was exiled in Epinions ticket heaven. She was the first person to "rate" me and actually added me to her WOT. Whatever happened to good ole Webo? Bonniesayers I have admired, for her advocacy with her children, the trials and information shared regarding autism. Others who positively helped me, Ann, Kath, Paul, and Bridgette. Books, Wisconsin, bowling, and kids. Thank you!
To all on the Epinion roller coaster, here's to three more years, and many, many more!
Special thanks to MM, MMM, and Sus for this write off! And remember, Keep The Quit!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
JBduckling
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 in Sports & Outdoors |
 in Sports & Outdoors |
 - Top 500 |
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Location: The Great State of Wisconsin
Reviews written: 425
Trusted by: 186 members
About Me:
The boys have Mommy's good looks. There's a resemblance between me and cat. Poor Kitty!
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