Kate18

NOPE

Idyllic and serene. Are there crocodiles lurking about? And, NOPE

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NOPE I really gotta remember to do this each morning. Happy I'm not thinking of cigarettes for days at a time, which is why I forget to pledge, but I want to support those of you who are still working at it. Not One Puff Ever!!

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Congratulations!!! NOPE

Nicely done. Every time we stand firm, we become even stronger. And further and further away from that last, nasty cigarette.

NOPE

Six treatments--two each week for six weeks, then another three weeks later, and yet another five weeks after that one. They it's "as needed." Some people come back every few months, some people go much longer. I had the second two days ago. No dramatic boost in mood this time, but the good mood established on Monday persists. Truly, if this helps with nicotine addiction, it could be a game changer. The only problem is the expense. Insurance doesn't cover it for addiction treatment. On the other hand, smoking is very expensive.

NOPE

Wow, it's the morning after my first ketamine infusion. Interesting experience. Profoundly relaxing. I was cautioned that it could take three or four infusions before I felt better. About three hours after the infusion, I realized that I was feeling more alert, felt like going on a walk. Walked a mile, came home, cooked, and did some chores that I'd procrastinated because I felt apathetic. It isn't a 180 degrees turn around, but it's definitely more than 90. This morning, 6:40 am, the pleasant effect still lingers. So, returning to helping people quit smoking... Smoking and ketamine; I wondered if there could be a benefit for people trying to quit smoking. I didn't find a lot, but see the third paragraph about SGB. Let me know if you've had it or know anyone who has. I read on WebMD on ketamine and addiction in general: https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/ketamine-for-addiction-what-to-know More research on how ketamine affects addiction is needed, but it may change how your brain deals with cravings, motivation to quit a drug, and controlling behavioral reactions. Ketamine treatment might also make behavioral therapy more effective, which is a big part of overcoming addiction. For ketamine to be helpful in addiction treatment, it must be used under the close care of medical professionals. Recreational use could lead to addiction and other dangerous effects. From PubMed, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29339170/ Smoking cessation strategies are of prime medical importance. Despite availability of various pharmacological agents in combating addiction to nicotine, more effective medications are needed. Based on recent findings, the glutamatergic system in the brain may provide novel targets. Here, we evaluated the effects of acute administration of sub-anesthetic doses of ketamine, an NMDA receptor antagonist, in both male and female Sprague-Dawley rats trained to self-administer nicotine. Animals were injected subcutaneously with 5, 7.5 and 10 mg/kg ketamine or saline and the effects on the number of intravenous nicotine infusions during a 45 min session was measured. Ketamine treatment significantly reduced nicotine self-administration in a dose-dependent manner. And then there is this: https://ketaminehealthcenters.com/blog/stop-smoking/ It's a ketamine clinic, but this treatment is with SGB, a local anesthetic. Sounds like a miracle treatment. This minimally invasive procedure has low risks and no major side effects and takes less than an hour and a half! Results and relief have been seen within 30 minutes and can last from a few months to years. SGB can be used to treat many conditions such as Anxiety, Depression, Lymphedema, Nicotine Dependence, Migraines, Facial Pain, Upper Extremity Pain, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Post-Herpetic Neuralgia, Hot Flashes, and Hyperhidrosis. The overall benefits of SBG include improved quality of life, better sleeping habits, decreased alcohol and substance use, improved cognitive function, improved physical functioning or exercise capacity, and healthier relationships.

Going for ketamine infusions in two days, on Monday. I wish I smoked. I crave oblivion. Would smoking help? No. NOPE I don't want to live, but smoking wouldn't change that. If you are on the fence, quit smoking. Don't smoke. Find your reason to quit. I found mine a year and a half ago. Covid. Whatever frame of mind you are in, trust me, it won't get better with smoking. If you are depressed and smoking to mask it, seek professional help. It is essential. Don't smoke. Just don't smoke.

I am awed to quietness. Good for you.

Idyllic. And NOPE

I bought stocks. My portfolio is up 35% in 14 months.

Your comment reminds me of something I learned from a bipolar researcher who published a medical report on Medscape--S. Nassir Ghaemi, MD, MPH, Bipolar Disorder Expert. He said that people who have recurring depression seem to record happy memories in a sort of neurochemical "bath" (I think that's my term, not his), and when the brain has that neurochemical state, good memories are easily remembered. When the person lapses into biologically induced depression, the neurochemical state does not allow the good memories to be recalled, or not easily. What is remembered are the memories that were recorded, so to speak, when the neurochemical state was a depressed one. So, the trick is, how to restore the neurochemical state where the good memories can be remembered. But this is a forum for quitting smoking, not combatting depression. Many smokers smoke because they are trying to self-medicate themselves out of depression

Hi Tara, looks as though your last post was about 10 days ago. Where are you now? Don't be afraid to say it if you're still smoking. Just keep coming back. Every day you post something about your journey means that you are thinking about it, trying to find your tipping point to becoming a nonsmoker. There is no judgement here. No judgement. Just support. Tell us what you're feeling and the reason you smoked each cigarette, if you smoked. Putting the reason you smoked helps to take it out of secrecy, put it into clarity, and diminish its hold on you.

Yes, good one! You've encapsulated the situation exactly.