One year smoke free !!

I used champix tablets to stop smoking and my mum has now stopped for 6 months. It's a been a year for me and this is the longest time I have stopped in my 30 year history of 15 cigarettes a day. The health benefits have been amazing, my skin is glowing, the dark circles under my eyes are less prominent, I can run without getting breathless after a few yards and I smell nice! My tip is to take one day at a time and get plenty of slow paced exercise especially in the first week, such as walking. Sugarless chewing gum helped me too but champix is a miracle drug. Yes you will have cravings but not the ones where you are climbing the walls, really irritated or even aggressive. Cravings on champix pass quickly and are less intense. I had side effects which included a terrible headache the first week, nausea and weird dreams. However apart from the nausea the other side effects could be attributed to nicotine withdrawal. I tolerated the effects as I felt they are much better than the pain of lung cancer or COPD disease. Stay on YOUR plan, this is the best thing you will ever do for your health and for those around you who love you. If you don't replace cigarettes with food your weight gain will be minimal. I gained about 6lbs but I have a thyroid disorder and my medication is constantly being altered so I cannot say for certain that my weight gain is down to stoping smoking. Good luck with your journey and remember that you will feel so proud at beating the evil addiction. My home, clothes, hair and breath are so fresh now