</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
salukigirl said:
i tried the patch and then after about 2 days i said "doesnt this defeat the purpose of quitting if im still putting nicotine in my system?"

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">Yes, nicotine replacement therapy still puts nicotine into your system. But since you are not smoking, you are not putting carcinogens into your body (nicotine does not cause lung cancer, it's the other nasties in cigarettes that do that). So that is a significant benefit to your health. Also, using a patch or gum can help people break the habit of smoking, putting the cigarette to their mouth, inhaling, etc. Many people find it easier to tail off using the patch or gum than to tail off smoking. So first the switch is made to some form of nicotine replacement therapy, then the tailing off begins. It works for some. Smoking is one of the hardest addictions out there to conquer, so every little bit helps.

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
i have also been on celexa, effexor, paxil and adavan(sp??) and none of them did anything. so i dont think anti depressants would do anything for me to not smoke.

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">I believe it is only Wellbutrin (Zyban) that has been shown to help some people break their smoking addiction. Other anti-depressants such as SSRIs have not been shown clinically to help.

It is great to read in this thread about so many people trying to quit or planning to quit. Please, everyone, keep on trying. Smoking is so very, very bad for your health. The average person does not quit on the first try. It takes a number of tries. So if you have quit and then relapsed, hang in there. Tomorrow is another day. You can quit again.