http://callinitquits.com A health writer's smoking cessation journey. Mon, 21 Jan 2008 22:56:10 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Callin’ it Quits, a health writer's journey to smoking cessation, has been discontinued. We appreciate your support and involvement. To learn more about the WEA Trust's tobacco cessation program, please visit the health and wellness section at weatrust.com and click on tobacco cessation. http://callinitquits.com/posts/229 With sorrow, I have to say goodbye to all of you--and the Callin' it Quits blog. The many demands of my father and sister's estates in Florida have made it necessary for me to leave the Trust, under whose auspices this blog is presented. My final day at work is tomorrow ... http://callinitquits.com/posts/228 It's been a couple of years now since the FDA approved Chantix (the generic is varenicline) as a smoking cessation aid, but many people still have questions about the medication. Zyban (generic name, bupropion) has been used to help people kick the smoking habit since 1997. Under the name, Wellbutrin, the ... http://callinitquits.com/posts/227 When chatting with a fellow smoker at one of our outdoor smoking hangouts here at the Trust, she mentioned that she's considering laser treatment to stop smoking. It seems a couple of her friends reported great success with this method. Cold lasers are used on specific "energy" points, like acupuncture, to ... http://callinitquits.com/posts/226 Looking at the photo of Popeye puffing away on his pipe in Wednesday's post reminds me of my great-grandmother, Sally Wilkerson. Like darned near everyone in my family, Grandma Sally smoked. Unlike the other women in the family, Grandma Sally smoked a corncob pipe. I'm sorry that I have only vague ... http://callinitquits.com/posts/225 Illiterate I'm not Innumerate ... http://callinitquits.com/posts/223 My mother has been gone four years now. Except for the first few months after she died, I don't think I've missed her more than I do during this time of additional loss. Mama Don't Take My Kodachrome Away I now am the keeper of all my parents' and my sister's photos--albums ... http://callinitquits.com/posts/222 Next summer, the Trust is going to adopt a total smoking ban, including all Trust property--inside and out. Given our commitment to wellness, I applaud the decision. I can't help but wonder, however, about some of our staff who are really, really hooked. I guess people will go out to the ... http://callinitquits.com/posts/218 When I kicked the smoking habit last year, there were times I needed something in my mouth to replace the cigarettes. Most often, I popped a nicotine lozenge. Hard candies also worked well. A couple of times, I sucked on unlit cigarettes. I bit my nails too, but I do ... http://callinitquits.com/posts/217 Acomplia (rimonabant), the new medication that helps you lose weight and (off label) kick the smoking habit, again has failed to pass muster with the FDA. This was their third run at the FDA since 2005. The drug has been approved in the EU and several other countries. But the ... http://callinitquits.com/posts/213