Well as the title explains, yes, I have in fact stopped smoking with the Champix tablets. I have been stopped now for 1 week and 3 days.

When I first started taking the tablets, I was determined that they were not going to work for me, with me still smoking at the time and taking them I couldn’t see how they could possibly work. I read up on the internet a little for reviews of them and I was shocked at the horror stories that people were putting.

· Driving through red lights just because they could

· Smashing the house up

· Turning really nasty

· Suicide

This made me a little scared of taking them, but like everything you don’t know unless you try. So I started taking them and experienced some of the standard side effects such as:

· Constant Headaches

· Memory not as good

· Feeling a little grumpy

· Aggressive driving

I hadn’t ever used my car horn once since I had my new car (well over a year) and within a couple of days of being on the tablets I was pipping at everyone for the slightest of things. I remember one woman who was at the traffic lights in front of me waiting for them to change, as soon as they changed and she wasn’t quick enough off the line (5 seconds I think I was waiting) I was straight on the horn pipping at her. Strange.

Another example was when I went to the supermarket, I was looking at the deodorants and the men’s isle while my girlfriend went around shopping. By the time I had finished I tried finding her and looked down every isle, she was at the very end of the supermarket. Now what I remember was looking at the deodorants for around 5 minutes tops, when in fact I had been stood there looking for a good 25 minutes. This came as a shock to me as it didn’t seem that long. Also while on the same trip I came to the freezer isle. I was looking for some Yorkshire puddings, when I eventually found them I opened the freezer and what seemed like 30 seconds turned out was about 2 minutes. A lady started talking to me and asked if I was alright. I replied “Yes thanks why?” her response was “You have been stood with the freezer door open just staring for about 2 minutes, can I just get past and get something” Yet another time that really doesn’t make sense.

Apart from those I haven’t really noticed anything else, people are commenting at work saying that I don’t look my normal self, but I don’t notice. They keep asking me if I’m ok and I simply reply “Yeah ta” because I don’t feel any difference in myself.

It’s a really strange feeling when you are getting close to your stop date, I can remember smoking and I would have a couple of drags on the cig and would throw it away without even realising. Eventually I would be having only 2 a day, down from 23ish+. The taste of the cigarette changes the more you get into the tablets, it’s a difficult explanation but I’ll always remember what one person told me. The only way he could describe it was. “It’s like going to a pub, ordering a pint of beer, you start drinking it and it tastes like water” basically saying that it doesn’t taste how you used to remember it. Mind games.

So I have been on the tablets for around 3 weeks and just started my 5 th week. I am seriously considering coming off the tablets after the 6 th week. (it should be a 12 week course) the reason being I simply do not have the time to go to the Dr’s every week and keep taking time off work. It may be different at your Dr’s but at mine I have to do the following:

· Nurse check-up (check carbon monoxide levels)

· Nurse gives me form for Dr

· I have to book at Dr week after for repeat prescription

· I collect prescription

· I have to make another appointment at the nurse for the following week to check carbon monoxide levels

You get the idea, I have to do the following for 12 weeks. To make it worse, the nurse is at a different clinic to my Dr and the nurse only works 9:30am – 4pm Monday – Friday

However I work 8am – 4pm Monday – Friday, so as you can imagine this would not go down too well with my boss and company.

I still get some craving’s to have a cig but they are not as bad so far I have managed to go without one for 10 days.

Habits I didn’t think I could break

· First cig of the morning

· Cig after food

· When having a bad day

· In the car on the way to work

· On long journeys

So far so good! I will keep this post updated with more developments and updates.

UPDATE 12th December 2011

I came off the tablets 1 week 4 days ago. This was out of personal choice due to me having to attend a Christmas party and I knew alcohol would be involved. I came of the tablets a couple of days before the party and I did actually smoke that night. I knew all along I would do. Not the attitude to have but still you win some and you lose some. However I am still off the tablets and haven’t had a cig since.

I may have to go back on the tablets shortly though as I can feel the cravings coming back more than ever. At this point I can’t see that there will ever be a permanent solution for all smokers.

More updates to follow with progress.