Smoke free me ! (Nicorette Inhalater)

Member Name: thehonesttruth

Product:	Nicorette Inhalater
Date:	26/02/09 (606 review reads)
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A few weeks ago, I decided to give up smoking . Not for the first time either . I had numerous reasons for wanting to give up - my boyfriends a non smoker, so I want to be all nice for kissing him. I also want my house to smell nice, my daughter to not breathe in second hand smoke, and to never again have the miserable experience of standing outside a pub in the pouring rain, using my cigarrette for warmth as well as nicotine - curse you smoking ban!

Oh, and yeah, I guess I'd like to live a little bit longer too!

Everyone knows smokings bad for you - we have adverts on TV on the radio about it, magazines are plastered with adverts for new leaf , doctors lecture us about smoking habits, and we know the tar yellows our teeth, clogs up out lungs, gives us horribly phlegmy coughs and whatnot . Its also expensive.

My Spend on Ciggies
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Oh, but that sweet sweet nicotine has a hold on me, and has done since I was 14 - I'm now almost 27, so thats 13 years of cigarettes . I average about 10 a day, so 365 x 13 x 10 = 47450 little sticks of cancer inducing rubbish smoked . Dividing that number by 10 gives us the number of individual packs of ten I have purchased - 4745.
Now, a 10 pack of ciggies is around 2.45 , multiply that by 4745 and thats £11,625.25 in total spent on ciggies, coming to £894.25 a year.

Hoooooooly crap - thats the first time I've ever worked out my personal spend on ciggies, except - for about 6 of those 13 years, I smoked 20 a day until I made a deliberate attempt to cut down, so for each of those 6 years I need to double my spend - so instead of 13 lots of 894.25, I need 19 = £16,990.75.

The Nicorette Inhalator
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Having tried and failed to give up in the past using will- power, patches, gums, and new-leaf, I decided to try the inhalator . I paid £6.95 for a starter pack, containing an inhalator and 6 cartridges . You can buy larger refill packs for a little under £20 with 42 cartridges (and an inhalator) . While this is expensive, you can get these on prescription which will save you a fortune, or, if like me you don't have to pay charges, free.

I paid for my starter kit, (I couldn't get to my Gp to get a prescription til the next day, but was keen to start right away on the day my boyfriend was due for a visit), and read the instructions, which contained a step by step guide to using your inhalator and some other tips to help you quit smoking.

The inhalator itself is easy to use - simply click one of the capsules out of the blister pack, shove it firmly on either end of the inhalator, put the other bit of the inhalator on the other end, and firmly push and twist to break the foil and lock the inhalator together . Its made of shiny white plastic , about 3 inches long, and according to my daughter looks a bit silly, but in all honesty its not that huge, and its not too embarrassing to be seen chuffing on one .

Each capsule contains a nicotine and menthol soaked pad that gives 20 minutes of sucking, which you can spread out however you need it . Its the equivalent to about 3-4 ciggies, and most people use 6 capsules a day.

Taking a drag, the first few were strong, hitting the back of my throat and giving me the urge to cough - funnily enough, not unlike having a real ciggy, but with a pleasantly menthol taste rather than icky smoke . As the cartridges get used up, you'll feel less effect, and its time to change the cartridge .

So, how did I find it ? Well, on the day I decided to quit smoking, I woke up with a stinking hangover and a sore fagged out throat, so I didn't get round to actually using my inhalator until mid afternoon, and aside from a few bouts of coughing, it went ever so smoothly . I was able to 'smoke' in the normal situations where I would do so. Initially, I found the menthol taste a little odd, but the nicotine immediately hit me and soothed my tensions and stress, and as I got used to the taste, I found I actually rather like it .

Apparently, each cartridge is the same as 3-4 ciggies, so I was amazed to only actually use one cartidge in the first day, I put it down to the hangover though . The next day, I did the same - I worked out that it only took one or two puffs for me to get the nicotine hit, so I didn't need to suck away as though I was smoking a whole cigarette - whereas with real ciggies, if it was lit, I'd be smoking it .

I've now been on the inhalator for 3 weeks- and you know what, apart from the odd occasion when I've gotten a whiff of ciggie smoke as someones walked past, I haven't wanted one. Also, I've none of my usual 'I can't have a ciggie' angriness that I get when trying to give up . Bearing in mind that one week of the none smoking was my daughters half term so extra hectic and stressful, I think this is great . Most days, I've only used one cartridge, a few days I've used extra when more stressed, but for the last week or so, I've only been changing my cartridge every two days .

Theres still some way to go before I beat my addiction to nicotine - but my addiction to cigarrettes is over for good, and I couldn't be happier . Sure, I feel a little silly sucking on my plastic ciggie at the bus stop, but I feel very smug when my friends are outside the pub in the rain getting their fix, and I'm snug and warm at the bar , getting mine.

I haven't had any side effects, apart from a few days where I hawked up some foul coloured phlegm - but you know, thats a good thing, thats my lungs clearing off all the tar and muck!

Its recommended that you stay on these for 12 weeks, the first 8 weeks using as many as you need (up to 12 a day) and the last 4 reducing your usage gradually down to none . You can't smoke at the same time as using these, and they are not recommended for under 12s or pregnant women .

Find your own way of using these that works for you - if you take a few hearty puffs for five minutes and it works for you, great . If like me, you need to smoke more at a certain time of day, do so .

These are great, but of course you need a certain amount of willpower too - although I have found I really didn't have cravings for cigarrettes so far while using these, it was still weird saying no when friends offered up their packs .

The costs for these are listed above in the review, remember though that your doctor can prescribe these, which will save you a fortune! Your doctor will also be able to give you the numbers for new leaf and other stop smoking organisations, and give you advice about any concerns you may have .

Useful Contacts:
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http://www.quit.org.uk/ : Practical advice on giving up. Telephone helpline available. 0800 00 22 00

http://smokefree.nhs.uk/ - helps you find your local NHS stop smoking service, and gives loads of practical info .

http://www.nicorette.co.uk : Product website, with plenty of information about the inhalator.

I presonally cannot recommend this product highly enough . I've been smoke free for the longest period since I started smoking 13 long years ago . I feel better - I have less sore throats, less headaches, and I'm less stressed . My house smells clean and fresh, and not smoky and stale, my daughter no longer scowls at me when I get my nicotine fix, and my boyfriend enjoys me not giving him asthma attacks and having a lovely fresh mouth just right for kissing!! 5 stars!

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