28_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXI2N8kEPAs_smoking cessation 
gpt
Hi Carrie, thanks for coming in today.
human
Thank you, my doctor [unintelligible 00:00:05]
gpt
What brings you in?
human
Well am having, um-- I've been an ongoing problem with smoking and trying to quit.
gpt
So, you'd like to give up those cigarettes?
human
Oh I've been wanting to, for a long long time in years.
gpt
Yeah, so then it's, um, right now, uh, tell me a little bit about, um, right now at this point in your life why it's so important to quit.
human
Well I have a 15-year-old daughter and she's highly against it. And, um, health issues, you know, I'm getting-- not getting any younger and I have asthma and I have chronic bronchi-- bronchitis and, um, I'm having a hard time breathing when I exercise and not to mention it's socially unacceptable really.
gpt
Like being a leper in a leper colony right now to be a smoker.
human
Actually it's like being a leper in a non-leper colony.
gpt
'Cause you can't find a leper colony anymore. So, um, so it-it's really important for you to be a good mum-
human
Right.
gpt
-and model for your- for your daughter who's at this age where 15 would be a really common age at which she might decide to smoke.
human
Right and, um, she's been expressing, you know, she walks in and she's like shhh and it's embarrassing for her friends and, um, and in-in turn, it's embarrassing for me.
gpt
Okay. So, you-you wanna look good, you know, and she's proud of you I'm sure anyway and then this just would be an added benefit. Yeah.
human
Right right, yeah.
gpt
So, and then you mentioned quite a few things about medical problems. So, um, you mentioned, um, asthma, um, acute bronchitis did you say—
human
Oh and emphysema the beginning stages of emphysema.
gpt
Oh my goodness. Okay. And so, and that-- yeah, that's very-- that's really scary beginnings of emphysema, I'm sorry to hear that.
human
Thank you.
gpt
Well, I mean that's-that's, you know, tell me about when you were diagnosed with that.
human
I really couldn't tell you, um, I remember when my daughter was like five, um, I was-- it was humid out and I have a problem with humidity-
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
-you know, for breathing, um, and, um, I was trying to stick my head out the window to gasp for air-
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
-and my daughter became so frightened that she went next door to our neighbor and called 911 and it really—
gpt
Smart girl.
human
Yeah-Yeah she's very intelligent, yeah. Um, and they came they took me, you know, on this chair type of thing in my robe and my daughter was in sure panic, um, thinking she's was gonna lose me and she's 15 so its been 10 years since then and I still I've tried this Chantix-
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
-unsuccessfully, uh,--
gpt
Tell me a little bit about what happened with the-the Chantix.
human
Well, um, I don't know if it's my lack of willpower but, um, also had ve-very bad side effects from it so.
gpt
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Wh-What sort of if-if you are willing to talk about what kind of side effect—
human
Um, I had nightmares-
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
-nausea-
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
-um, stomach problems, and agitation. Yeah.
gpt
Oh really. You know, and I've heard that too, Carrie, that people especially you know those are, um, some people seem to have a lot of success but when people do have the adverse side effects they are really pronounced like the ones you just described.
human
Right and it didn't stop me from smoking as well, so that's, uh, [laughs]—
gpt
Want the good [crosstalk] no good right? And how long ago was that that you—
human
Um, that was about two to three years ago.
gpt
Okay, all right.
human
I tried it a couple of times.
gpt
Okay.
human
I would get a, um, a new prescription refilled thinking, "Oh I could try it this time."
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
And I had friends that it worked for-
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
Um, and there is a support group that they have that you can go online or call-
gpt
Okay.
human
-but of course I didn't do either but-
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
-um—
gpt
It just didn't fit for you to do the online.
human
No. Yeah.
gpt
Okay. So, um, but you gave it a good try and it was just not a good fit for you like you-you really listened to what your body told you like nightmares, nausea, I mean those are really bad things.
human
And agitation really-
gpt
Oh yeah.
human
-because, um, you know, um, being at my age I'm going through the menopause stage which is part, you know, you'll have that anyways and then having 15-year-old that causes a little bit more stress so you don't need any extra stress, I don't think, as far as I'm concerned.
gpt
So, it's already piled I'm thinking up for you, you don't need anything else so you're looking for some relief and not something to make you feel worse.
human
Right, exactly.
gpt
Um, have there been some times in the past where you were able to quit smoking completely?
human
Only when I was in the hospital. [chuckles]
gpt
Okay.
human
And even then I-I snuck out and had a cigarette, you know.
gpt
Okay. So, what's the longest you've ever gone without a cigarette including being in the hospital?
human
Oh God, I would have to say, uh, three days.
gpt
Oh, three days. You know, that's a long time and I felt, you know, that's a pretty long time to go without smoking and I would imagine, I think that's pretty good.
human
But it was not really by choice, it was by, um, the situation I was in, I wasn't able to smoke so, yeah.
gpt
You were forced to-
human
Right.
gpt
-not smoke?
human
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
gpt
What did you notice during those three days when you weren't smoking?
human
Um, constant thoughts about smoking.
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
Um, uh, just as, um, a chocoholic craves chocolate-
gpt
Mm.
human
-I was craving my cigarette.
gpt
You were [unintelligible 00:06:04]
human
Yeah, exactly. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Um, and the first thing when I was able to smoke, I didn't care if I smoke my brand or anybody else's brand, I just wanted that cigarette.
gpt
Okay.
human
The nicotine is the addiction.
gpt
Right.
human
And-and also the-the psyche thing, you know, with-- I mean, I wake up in the morning, I want a coffee with- I want coffee with a cigarette.
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
Um, if I'm stressed, coffee with a cigarette.
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
I mean, just cigarette. Um, so it's always, like, it's-it's a duel kind of problem I think-
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
-you know-
gpt
Mm.
human
-I'm finding it to be.
gpt
It does, uh, it does a lot of positive things for you.
human
Mm-hmm.
gpt
And it sounds like it's paired, like a coffee and a cigarette. I mean, you know, probably hard to think about, "How will I have a cup of coffee without a cigarette?"
human
Mm-hmm.
gpt
You know, and, um, that's actually, yeah, that's a-- I think it does become very paired with lots of different things. And, um, you might already know this, and so let me know if you do, um, because of the way cigarettes you're describing it and accurately is-- it is really what we call an almost perfect drug in a lot of ways. And-
human
Oh, really?
gpt
-it will do whatever you need it to do at any given time. The downside is-is it-it kinda get, it gets in the end with the health.
human
Oh, yeah.
gpt
It'll-it'll take a good usually 10 years off your life minimum.
human
As they say, my aunt was like, "Put another nail in your coffin," you know.
gpt
Okay. What do you think when she says that to you?
human
More on kind of cocky and I say, "Well, you know, Aunt Kathy, you were my role model, and back in the day, um, I used to envy and watch and think you were so sexy, and all the movies, the old movies."
gpt
Glamourous.
human
Yes, yeah. And that's what I associated with at the time and now it's almost, I'm ostracized for it.
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
So, it's kind of like a double-edged sword.
gpt
So, and I would- I would-- it really is because it wasn't like that 20 years ago.
human
Mm.
gpt
It wasn't like that for sure 30 years ago.
human
Mm-hmm.
gpt
So, it's become harder to be a smoker. You light up a cigarette-cigarette and people make assumptions about you.
human
Oh, yeah, and you have to travel like 10 miles-
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
-in order to have a cigarette. And not say you're in a situation and you only have a 15-minute break-
gpt
Mm-hmm.
human
-you can't even finish your cigarette, um, because you have to be back within a certain amount of time and it takes you, like, let's say seven minutes to get to the place where you can smoke and seven minutes to get back-
gpt
Mm.
human
-and a cigarette, um, for me takes five minutes to smoke.
gpt
Okay-okay. So—