My cousin finally stopped smoking at age 49.
He started out as many do, just casually picked up the habit while he was in school and then at work, where he was a mechanic in a small western Kansas town.
He was no different than a thousand people that lived around him in his rural community.
The smoking culture was very strong, especially among the lesser educated, blue collar workers such as himself.
Over the years, we city-folk relatives would give him a hard time about his smoking.
He would just nod his head and say, "Yep, I should stop.
" But once he returned to the culture, the addiction bonds and behavior were too strong.
But finally he came to a crossroads.
His children were growing up and following in his footsteps.
He, like many other Americans, wanted a better life for his children and was afraid they might make the same mistakes he had made - smoking in particular.
So, try as he might, he began the long road to smoking cessation.
He tried quitting cold turkey and then the patch.
His comment about the patch was funny.
He said he would put 2, 3 sometimes 4 patches on his body and he'd still crave a cigarette.
He told me that if he could have, he might have even tried lighting one up to see if he could smoke it.
Of course, this was just a joke.
But that's just how his addiction worked.
It doesn't mean the patch is bad, it just isn't for everybody.
Finally, a few years later he did what he was supposed to do.
He saw his doctor and talked about his nicotine addiction and his previous relapse.
He and his physician then came up with a comprehensive plan to quit cigarettes once and for all.
That plan included Chantix.
Once he started the program, he never looked back.
He quit smoking after 32 years.
Today, after two years, he says that he doesn't miss them and kicks himself for not quitting sooner.
I asked him if he had any bazaar dreams or weird/eccentric feelings.
He said that he remembered his dreams more routinely while taking the Chantix, but nothing too crazy happened.
Now, you can't get him to stop talking about how he quit smoking.
He is a new man, with a completely different future than what he had two years ago.
Before he left to go back home, he told me what I've been telling my patients for years.
He said that he was finally tired of smoking and wanted to stop.
You see, it's not the method or the medication that helps you stop.
Those are just tools to help you stick to your decision.
It always seems to come down to that decision.
I've never met a patient who ever told me they quit smoking by accident - they were always just ready to quit.