Chantix: The New Quit Smoking Drug--Does it Really Work?

Can I have a Whoooooo hooooo? A drug that actually will work for those who want to quit smoking.

I work in the health care field. As a matter of fact, I am a Respiratory Therapist. Now you would think that amongst those who deal with people who cannot breathe because they have smoked, you would think that they would be able to quit. Well, I hate to tell you, heath care professionals can get addicted too.

One day my friend told me that in a few months her daughter was going to have a baby. My friend, a chain smoker, who loved smoking was going to be a grandmama. I told her that she had to quit smoking. Her daughter encouraged me in trying to get her to work on her smoking addiction. Soon after that, she came into work and told me that she honestly had quit smoking and the way she had done it was with Chantix. One of the RN's that I know has quit and two other Respiratory Therapists have quit.

Here is my disclaimer: Nothing will work for a person who does not wish to quit smoking. Some people enjoy smoking and they absolutely do not want to quit. Guess what, Chantix will not work for them...nothing will work for them short of dying from suffocation from not being able to breathe.

Go to a Pulmonologist or an internal medicine doctor who is very familiar with the new drug. Sometimes they will start a person on Welbutrin and Chantix. It all depends on the doctor. I recommend Pulmonologist, because the lungs are their specialty.

If you want to quit smoking, give Chantix a try. I hope that it will work for you.

Is Smoking Around Children Child Abuse?

This is a very difficult subject, yet one that I feel very strongly about. I cannot emphasize to my readers and to my patients on how dangerous smoking is for their own health. Studies have shown that it is even more dangerous to smoke around others. For those who cannot fight back, our children, I feel the need to speak out. There are many times when I ask one of my patients who is having difficulty breathing if they still smoke. (Smokers lungs have a definite way that they sound) When they tell me that they have never smoked, I am surprised, then I am appalled when they tell me that their parents smoked or their spouse smoked.
The damage that smoking causes to the lungs is irrefutable. The damage that a smoker can cause to their children's lungs is absolutely terrible. If we could see the damage on the outside that the smoking is causing on the inside, I believe that parents all over would either quit smoking, or be arrested for child abuse charges.

One of my good friend's husband used to smoke around his daughter...she has cystic fibrosis. I told her many times to call the police for child endangerment. She finally divorced him, one of the reasons being, that he loved his cigarettes more than he loved his children. I couldn't agree more.

There is a new drug out called Chantix. Several of my chain smoking friends who are RN's and RRT's have quit smoking with this drug. To quit smoking, the number one thing is that you have to want to quit smoking.

It is my belief that smoking around children hurts them. Therefore, it is my belief that smoking around children is indeed child abuse.