It's kind of horrible. Don't get me wrong, you can stand it, but it really sucks. The way I managed it was I did a day of cold turkey, and then slapped on the patch. It's almost enough nicotine to make you not notice that you're not smoking. I found chewing gum helped me get over some of the more anxiety filled times, but it wasn't always perfect. Basically, you're going to want to punch people in the head quite a lot. Also, the directions on the patches say you should wear them highest on, 21 mg from what I recall, for 6 weeks, but I only stuck with them for 2, and then moved through the lower 14 mg and 7 mg, in 2 weeks as well. You'll feel really shitty. Tired. Bored. But, it helps you quit if you want to quit.

I know of two people who have used Chantix to quit, and it was relatively easy. Cigarettes start to taste awful and they don't want to smoke anymore. But they slept really well. The downside is sometimes it make your dreams really awful. I've heard this from someone else who tried it. Also, it has a black label warning, because it does cause psychotic episodes in some people, and I've read, sometimes suicidal thoughts and acts.

About the patch, you have to move it to a different place each day. I've found it tears up your skin if you don't let the place rest for about 5-6 days. Also, I couldn't fall asleep wearing a patch, like you're supposed to and would take it off every night. Also, you shouldn't keep it on if you're going to do something where you sweat a lot, it will direct all the nicotine to your gut, and you'll have to shit like crazy. So take it off. You can probably preserve the patches by sticking them to a piece of aluminum foil if you need to take it off for whatever reason.

And, smoking while you're wearing a patch will make your heart beat like crazy, and the second one will make you want to throw up. If this happens to you, remember, you can always start your attempt to quit again. I know, I quit like 50 times before I was able to stop. So, never stop trying.

Also, reading "Junkie" by William S. Burroughs, and "Trainspotting" by Irvine Welsh helps you appreciate the whole withdrawal period.

CanHead