GingerBeer

FrenchPink and all
I (luckily) never really smoked cigarettes besides trying to look cool in high school and very occasionally later. I liked pot for a while but cigs and pot never really had that social acceptability that drinking has. I totally see the connection for people who smoke and drink that when you do one the other feels natural so quitting both sounds daunting but might be the logical thing to do to avoid putting yourself in such craving/temptation by only doing one.

I also resonate with what you are saying about saying you'll first quit one and then quit the other when the time was right. I always had some reason that it wasn't the right time to stop drinking alcohol (vacation coming up, holiday, wedding etc) and that always put off taking that first day sober. And then the next.

I'm trying to shake up my routine timewise and taskwise.The cliche of 1-day at a time doesn't sound so cliche when I'm doing it...

There have been some people in my life who have used AA who I really respect and admire. I went to an AA meeting earlier in the week (probably my 6th one in my lifetime) and again I left thinking that it just doesn't feel right. It's obvious that the people there really find it helpful (and that is great for them) but lots of drunken stories just don't appeal to me. And I'm uncomfortable with the prayers and talk of God, even though it is said that it isn't necessarily a part of it - it always happens more than I expected and I find it hard to just skip over it.

I have some interest in hypnotic suggestions, not the stage version but more of the hypnotherapy. I have an appointment on Friday for an hour session. I'd like to try and develop an aversion to drinking and drunkenness in my subconscious - kind of like how I feel when I smell smoke on people's breath or see them huddled in the cold getting a nic fix. I want drinking to look unattractive in that same addiction way (instead of feeling the attraction to it that I currently strongly feel).

Good luck everybody!

GingerBeer