Psst…!

Over here.

No, wait…over here….

I have discovered a magical and provocative land, where butterflies propel giant ships…

where billowy clouds are anchored to the earth with silken strands….

and are tethered to the Earth with the gentle hands of a hundred co-operative souls….

Come with me, let us sip the ethereal ambrosia of one the world’s most decadent surrealists. 

[Whispers.....His name is Vladimir Kush....]

[Let us peek into his realm...Shall we....?]

OB’s latest post spurred me to write a little something-something on Champix.  Has anyone heard of this drug before?  Champix is a relatively new type of non-smoking drug (approved in the US on August 1, 2006).  The chemical name is Varenicline (see more information here).  The drug actually works by blocking the receptors that cause your nicotine cravings.  I have seen this product work.  Anecdotally, I provided a friend with an acupuncture treatment for her lower back (sacro-iliac pain)…then I went away to a conference this month.  She contacted me a week or so later after the treatment, telling me that she had started Champix.  This is a two-pack a day smoker.  She has been smoker for 20 years.  She has never, ever uttered one word to me, expressing her desire to quit smoking.  Ever.  So, needless to say, I was intrigued. 

Well…nearly three weeks later…and a few thousand miles (she was my road-trip companion)…my friend has been smoke free.  I can’t tell you how refreshing it was to travel with her, chase adventure and enjoy her company without the presence of cigarette smoke (up until this point, our travel time on previous trips was always compromised by her addiction…but I never harassed her about it once).  Way to go K!  You did it!!!  Nearly 2 weeks smoke free!!!!  My advice - give Champix a try if you can afford it.  My friend found that she could quit on a much lower dose than suggested.  Actually, when she upped her dose, she began to feel nausea as a side effect (so she maintained herself on a lower dose)…but still continued to have absolutely no desire to smoke.  Too hard to believe?!  Try it for yourself.

-PM