I don’t know how quitting Chantix affects others, but this is what I’ve experienced:

1. A few days after I weaned myself off of Chantix, I began craving cigarettes very strongly. After a couple of weeks some of the cravings are more intense (Chantix contains no nicotine, so I’d already gone through the heavy nicotine withdrawals). I don’t know what this means, but it’s what I’ve been experiencing. I’ve actually been close to smoking again, but that could just be my own failed attempt and not a Chantix withdrawal. I don’t know what’s going on yet.

2. My thoughts come in patches, instead of a normal flow. I have to stop and start my sentences when speaking, due to forgetting what I was saying. Not a normal “forgot where I was” kind of thing, but my mind goes blank in the middle of a sentence. The next word, the next sentence, the continued thought…simply stops. Randomly, suddenly, and frequently. All day and night. If the thought or story was simple and quick, I had no problem. Answering a question or replying to a comment on Facebook, for example, was easy. If someone called and asked a question that required a simple, short answer…then I had no problem. For me and my communicative personality, this has been a scary side-effect. Today, however, I noticed my synapses firing a bit better. I was able to express myself (almost) normally for much of the day. I’m praying that this is a sign that the proverbial fog is lifting.

Weaning myself off of Chantix. Stopped taking any as of yesterday. Paying close attention to my behavior. Explaining things in short sentences for some reason. Still smoke-free since 12/12/10.

Close to a month being smoke-free. I wish the random, sudden cravings would stop. I can go hours and hours now (finally!) without wanting a cigarette and then BLAMMO! … from out of nowhere a strong craving slaps me like a pimp.

I am $200.00 richer this month from not buying cigarettes. It’s all gone to lottery and scratch-offs, instead of something responsible

I want to stop taking the Chantix, but they recommend I continue for a while longer. I wish I knew if cravings would come back (or come back stronger) when I stop taking it. Just in case anyone’s reading this that wants to know, I’ll try my darndest to give updates.

Quit date was 12/12/2010. I’m now over two weeks smoke-free! (and I haven’t even cheated once. promise.)

The cravings are subsiding, but still get incredibly strong ones. A few times they felt overbearing, but since I had no cigarettes here at the house, I couldn’t cheat. Urge went away quickly enough, though, so I didn’t get in my car and drive to the store.

Also…it’s not the Chantix anymore (I’m thinking about stopping taking it) since it just controls the nicotine receptor for when I smoke. Since I’m not smoking or cheating, it makes no sense to continue taking it. I do love the vivid dreams and will miss them! I’ll check the literature first to see when/how/why to stop taking Chantix (taper off? continue until I’ve finished what I have? etc…)

I’ve never gone a day without smoking for over 28 years. Maybe one time when I was sick, but I don’t recall. I am now on Day 4 of not smoking. I haven’t even cheated with sneaking a drag when nobody was around. Completely smoke-free for 4 days. I want a cigarette as much as ever, though…and that makes me very nervous.

My weight remains the same, oddly. I was beginning to think my digital scale was broken, but then I lost a pound yesterday (which is strange, since I’ve cheated on my diet twice this week). I have an appt. with my doc soon, so I’ll see what their scales say then.

QUITE DATE: 12/12/2010

A couple of years ago I tried Chantix to help me try to quit smoking. Oddly, it almost worked. I say “almost” because I only took it to see what it would do to me, with no real desire to quit at that time. I got down from about a pack-a-day to two cigarettes a day, which lasted for three months. When I stopped taking Chantix, those two cigs I was still smoking started tasting wonderful again and I fell back into a pack-a-day.

So…I’m trying again. This time, however, with an actual intent of quitting. Unfortunately, I’m back in the same pattern again. For 2 weeks now, I’m smoking those same two cigarettes a day at the exact same times and pattern I did before. If I can stop those two, I’ll have a real chance of quitting…but if I can’t stop the two, then I’m screwed again.

I’m 44 and have been smoking since I was 16. At a pack-a-day, I’ve smoked about 205,000 cigarettes so far. Jesus Tap-Dancing Christ.

Also fueling the fire is the fact that my blood sugars went bonkers the past few months and I’m now on diet and insulin every day to get me back on track with my Type2 diabetes. The severely reduced carbs might be keeping the obligatory 10-30 pound weight gain that comes with quitting smoking, since I’m at the exact same weight since I started this.

What a roller-coaster ride…

It will be Easter when I turn 44 on 4/4. I think I read in Revelations that that’s the sign of Jesus coming back to smite us all. Sorry.

i’ve had this site since around 2000, but have never done anything with it except to play around with testing flash, graphics, cgi, and php scripts, and about anything geek-related. what i discovered is that i just don’t have the time anymore. work is (and remains to be) my first priority.

a part of me thinks it’s narcissistic to do a personal blog. i mean, why would anyone care what i’m doing or thinking? then again…many of the people out there seem to care way too much about what celebrities are doing and, although i’m no celebrity, might want to paparazzi me too (yes, i used that as a verb). for those people, i give this gift of me…in blog form.

for those who need fodder: i turned 41 on 4/4/07. i’m a gay, white, male who lived most of his life in north carolina and then moved to seattle, where i’ve been living for over 10 years now. i’ve owned a porn company for about 11 years and i’m always on the lookout for non-porn ventures, but i just don’t see any real money in non-adult sites…so porn remains my priority