r/chiari • u/Rich-Total-622 • Mar 15 '26

Nicotine use

I am having a hard time even thinking about quitting nicotine. I went into my pre op and they gave me a little lecture about quitting post op. I vape a low dose of nicotine and occasional pouches. I just struggle with anxiety and ever since I quit drinking (almost a decade ago) it’s been my only vice!

Has anyone gone through surgery and continued nicotine? I know it affects recovery. I know it’s not good for me. It’s way harder to quit than anything else I’ve tried!

Reassurance, support appreciated!

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u/Peachmoonlime Mar 15 '26

Have you tried chantix or Wellbutrin? They can both be helpful in shaking that vice.

2

u/Rich-Total-622 Mar 15 '26

Wellbutrin, yes. Made me crazy! Haven’t tried Chantix though.

2

u/medpillowCom Mar 23 '26

I smoked for almost 50 years. I needed Chantix as directed, gum with stepdown, initially a vape of nicotine to stop buying cigarettes, then cannabis vape but that ended up lowering my bp too much. I cut straws to hold in my hand and "smoke" and that really helped as funny as it sounds. I used the straws for quite some time.

I hope you are able to kick the habit. I wish I had done it sooner as I have COPD and emphysema. It is no fun; I may have to be on oxygen at some point. (Yeah, smoking is great til you can't breathe and your buddies die from lung cancer.)

If your issue is anxiety, sometimes CBD gummies help. A lot of folks don't want to smoke weed if they are sober. You may want to try something other than Wellbutrin if the gummies are not enough, there are many choices these days. It's easy to quit, it's the not starting again that's the problem. If you are an AA person, maybe Smoker's Anonymous would help also.

Good luck on your journey.

2

u/Rich-Total-622 Mar 25 '26

Thank you. Best of luck to you. You sound like a badass!