I didn't quit on day 8, and neither did my hubby and my mother. We were, however, able to decrease a good bit from the time we started until we quit. DH quit on day 14, I quit on day 15, and my mom quit around day 23 or 25.
My mom had the hardest time. Sounds very similar to what you and your DH are going through. She kept "waiting" for the med to kick in, and it just didn't seem to while she was still smoking.
At some pretty firm insistence from her daughter and son-in-law
, she finally picked a day and stopped. She did agree that once you put the smokes down, Chantix REALLY kicks in. We all agreed that smoking on the full dosage of Chantix is the worst. We felt guilty, lost, angry, irritable -- basically all the withdrawal symptoms you'd associate with quitting. I think it's because you really are going through a type of withdrawal then. Your brains aren't getting satisfaction from smoking while on Chantix and I think that can really screw with the mind.
Try decreasing your smokes just a bit. Change your routine a little where you would normally have a smoke. Every time you reach for a cigarette, give yourself five minutes before you actually light one up. Drink a glass of fresh water, chew some gum, breathe deep, something for those five minutes to get your mind off having a smoke. You might surprise yourself and find that after the five minutes, you don't even really need it. Get rid of ashtrays except for one. Brush your teeth lots so you have a "taste" of what it will be like to always have a fresh mouth. These are some things we did our last week of smoking to help decrease our cigarettes and prepare us.
I've been on Chantix since 5/7 and smoke-free since 5/22. I was an extremely heavy smoker, 2 1/2 packs to 3 packs per day for 20 years. I can honestly say that Chantix is a HUGE help, but you've got to do some work, too. I'd liken it to rowing a boat. Chantix takes ahold of one oar, but you've got to take the other one.
You both can do it. Life on the other side is wonderful. It's really worth it
