Cigarettes were her pals. But a combination of exercise, a support group and Wellbutrin helped Renee kick a decades-old habit.
renee kinsella 44Her Goal
Quit smoking
Start As much as a pack a day
Finish 0 cigarettes
attorney—and also three children (Finn, 11; Rory, nine; and Charlotte, four). After the third, Renee stayed home to take care of the kids full time. Her life was full of changes, but she knew she could count on one constant: her cigarettes.
And though she quit during her pregnancies, Renee always drifted back to smoking four to eight butts a day. “Throw in good friends and a bottle of wine, and it could go up to a pack,” she said. But the habit scared her. “At night I sometimes dream about the cancer cells in my lungs,” Renee said when she started the More program. “I would be incredibly grateful to stop smoking forever.” After 40 days, she was headed in that direction.
Step One: Conquer Nicotine Cravings
Dr. Roberta Lee of the Continuum Center for Health & Healing in New York City ordered up a full arsenal of smoking-cessation tools for Renee: nicotine chewing gum (available over-the-counter) to satisfy some yearnings for the addictive chemical; the prescription antidepressant Wellbutrin (bupropion), which reduces nicotine cra-vings; an over-the-counter oral spray called Neu-ro-Science EndoTrex, which contains L-theanine, a relaxing amino acid found in green tea; and, to stave off irritability, SAM-e, a mild OTC mood-booster used in Europe.
The gum helped Renee temper severe cravings the week after she smoked her last cigarette, but she says she gave it up because it made her feel “a little sick.” She continued to take Wellbutrin and SAM-e and to carry around the calming spray—“my security blanket”—to use in the event of unexpected cravings.
