anyone quite drinking and cigarettes at same time?

[greenmeadow]

I've been reading every day but haven't posted much lately.

I started the having wine in moderation thing this last week but I see it creeping up again. Haven't gotten tipsy or had hangovers (i must have a wooden leg or something) and even wake up fine but I see 1 glass becoming 2 and then 3 so I have a pretty good idea where this seems to be heading.

I sat down and figured out how much money I spend on cigs and wine and figured if I dropped both I might feel rich again lol...

The two seem to go hand in hand, light a cig and have a glass, so maybe I should drop both together??

I can remember the years i didn't buy either and I seemed to have a lot more $$ to do other things..
has anyone dropped both and been successful?
Thanks.

It helps to read all your posts as I don't think I can do the moderation either seeing as how the last days are creeping up.

greenmeadow

[bookie12]

Hello Greenmeadow. After what I went through...detox, withdrawals, insomnia, depression, mood swings, etc., after giving up the alcohol, there is no way that I could have survived without my smokes. It just would have been too much for me to handle all at once. I've been sober for 53 days now and have decided to wait another month to 45 days before I attempt to give up the cigarettes. And yes, I think I'll feel rich again too! LOL

Stay strong!

Bookie12

[candy15]

greenmeadow, i'm with you in your struggle. i'm trying to give up both too. tried before and i blew it. but--the fight continues. keep fighting. i will too.

[greenmeadow]

Thanks Candy and Bookie,

It's hard giving up the cigs. I sit here and look in my wallet... I have groceries for more than a week, gas in my car, no need for anything right now, I have no inclination to buy wine, I like money in my wallet it makes me feel "secure" but if I stick to my budget and also go buy a carton, at $65.00 it hurts lol and leaves me with only $40. and that seems paltry and will make me go to the atm machine again.

Having smoked for ten years it boggles my mind that I have spent the equivalent of a new car over that time and that's a very nice car!

When I went to sleep last night, I pictured the days and years when I did not smoke and hoped I would wake up today and not grab a cig, but I did after a half an hour and my second coffee!

Guess I will stick to no wine and then if a couple of months have passed with success I will try the no cigs again! A real battle, yes.

Greenmeadow

[Chy]

I hear it's very difficult to do both, I couldn't and haven't, lord let me have one vice! Most I've seen try it have a really hard time, one day at a time one thing at a time is my opinion. I sure get that hand to mouth fixation though! Good luck!

[brighty86]

Hi greenmeadow,
I don’t know about quitting drinking and smoking at the same time. I imagine it would be hard. I quit smoking first and know that I increased alcohol consumption to “take the edge off” the nicotine and psychological cravings. I don’t think I could have done both at the same time unless I was stranded on an island somewhere! I do know one thing for sure, quitting smoking taught me things about addiction, I never knew and gave me a bit of self-confidence and the strength to finally quit drinking; That and a lot of prayer!! I think the key is to learn all you can about your addiction. whyquit.com has more than you would ever want to know about smoking and nicotine addiction. This site has very graphic photos, I hear. I avoided them.

Maybe it is best to take it one addiction at a time and one day at a time for each. I think quitting both might be like biting off more than you can chew, at least for me.

Good luck and God bless.
Brighty

[IceWolf]

Unless you choose to go through in-patient rehab or go to the wacky shack where you can be isolated from them for a week or more, I'd quit the wine then wait a few months and worry about the coffin nails then.


IceWolf

[Sonny McB]

I quit both at the same time. Start doing cardio routines. I don't mean jog down the block... Set up a serious routine and stick to it. I guarantee you that it will be easier if you run a minimum of 1-2 miles a day. I've been doing this and by the end of the first week smoking sounded repulsive. My friend is doing the same thing and told me a cigarette is the last thing on his mind now too. Try it. What's the worst that could happen... You'll feel better?


If there's no way you can do both at the same time then I recommend you get the drinking under control first. I know how it is.. Get one drink in me and I'd automatically go looking for a smoke.

[nandm]

I quit both at the same time. I was smoking 3 to 4 packs a day, and drinking two 30 packs a day along with a pint of 100 proof Hot Damn. I realize today that I the more I drank the more I smoked. Once I quit the drinking the I no longer craved the cigarettes.

[Mandarina]

I'm quitting both at the same time, because for me alchohol and cigarettes always go together. I never drank without a cigarette and I never smoked without a drink in my hand. I would try to stop smoking and lose my resolve after a few drinks or try to stop drinking, but the smoking triggered the need to have a drink. So I've been nicotine and alchohol-free for two weeks tonight. I've been focusing so much on staying sober that i kind of forget about the no smoking part.

But I smoked less than half a pack on avarage per day, so if more serious smokers need to tackle one problem at a time, then that makes perfect sense.

Good luck greenmeadow!

[tomuch2handle]

I quit drinking and smoking back in October. I quit both at the same time and haven't had either since. Well.....I am also pregnant and the first 14 weeks of morning sickness did help a whole lot! The smell of smoke or the thought of drinking made me rush to the bathroom to vomit!! Now that the morning sickness is gone I crave both....but I have to think of my little boy and not be selfish! I pray that I leave both alcohol and cigs behind after the baby. And yes, I have saved A LOT of money!! (But now the money goes to doughnuts, ice cream and candy cravings!!)

[NOMOMERLOTMAMMA]

I agree with the previous posters. I couldn't imagine quitting smoking the same time that I quit drinking!!! But, if you find it makes the not drinking harder for you, then I would quit both. God bless ya!

I'm quitting smokes on Feb 21, my one year anniversary sober. I'm NOT looking forward to it.

Karen

[uggib]

i know for me when i quit drinking i thought there was no way i could quit smoking too...the rehab i was in actually encouraged us to smoke because they said it helped ...i am not sure if that is true...i still smoke to this day...i haven't quit because i don't want to...and it simply comes down to that...if you want to quit both at the same time then you definitely can...