Quitting smoking while quitting drinking....too lofty?
 

At around the same time most evenings, my body craves BOTH cigarettes and alcohol.

I cant stand either during the day...but yes, around 9-11pm my body/mind start urging me to fill it with both, no matter how stupid it would be, and no matter how many times I told myself I wouldn't do it.

Anyone else struggle with this dual addiction? Alcohol definitely makes me want to smoke (NEED, actually), but only sometimes does caving into a cigarette make me wanna grab a beer, which could mean another cigarette, then another beer, and then a mixed drink....etc, etc.

I really know very little about the current state of "Smoking Cessation Products" or treatments. My aunt was on Chantix and said it made her CRAZY...major anxiety symptoms.

Any info or insight would be appreciated :)

THANKS!

I've been sober for 13 months, and during that time tried unsuccessfully to quit cigarettes at least 6 or 7 times.

Smoking and drinking went hand in hand with me, but smoking proved to be the harder to let go of. I couldn't drink without smoking but I could smoke without a drink! Weird.

I'm now 7 weeks or so without a cigarette and feel really confident this time around.

Lots of people manage to quit both together but I just couldn't. In the end I prioritised my drinking.

Of course, now I've quit them both, I'm finding the next addiction of too much sugar (which was always a borderline obsession anyway) has taken off big time....sigh. At least it won't kill me like the other 2 I guess! X

Hi. IMHO I'd remove alcohol intake first as it alone can result in some heavy duty reactions. There are some who stop both. More power to them. I believe in KISS. BE WELL

I did them one at a time. I knew for me that if I tried to give up everything at once, I would fail quickly at all of them. But I also smoked first thing out of bed in the mornings and all day. .. and my drinking wasn't much different. Plus, I was smoking a lot of weed as well. I knew I needed to quit all 3 but the idea of doing them all at once was far too daunting.

But in some ways, I think making multiple changes at once can make it easier. And if your brain associated smoking & drinking continuing one can make you think of the other.

I found that cold turkey was the easiest/best way to quit smoking. There is some good information in the nicotine/smoking part of SR.

It proved to lofty for me. Some have successfully. If you can quit the cigs as well your brain supposedly heals faster.

smoking resources
 

Hi JJames -- I recently put together some resources on quitting smoking in a blog post. Many links to resources, free programs, etc. Go to and scroll down to the May 31 blog post. (SR won't let me post the whole link, as I'm new here.)

I am working with Dr. Al Mooney on the second edition of The Recovery Book -- with a whole chapter on quitting smoking! It should be out next year.

Personally, I quit smoking with hypnosis. But that doesn't work for everyone, and I wasn't quitting drinking at the same time. (I just hit 20 years of no smoking!)

Catherine

Thanks Jeni26....I am completely this way. In fact, I know better than to even START drinking if I dont have AT LEAST 2-4 cigarettes. In some ways, I can try to use that to my advantage. If I dont have cigs, I won't start drinking maybe. However, the battle my body fights trying to get BOTH is pretty intense.

If I drink without cigs or run out, I'll resort to fishing out half-smoked cigs from ashtrays in the open courtyard of the restaurant next door late at nite Xo( That, and of course caving in and drunk-driving to the store for a FRESH PACK...and I already have one DUI (two technically...but they were in diff states, and the 2nd state never found out :P).

When I smoke a cig late at nite, and dont want to drink alcohol, I still usually want some kind of beverage to go with it. I've subtly noticed that the REAL ME just wants MILK!! Ice cold low or even non-fat MILK!! Is that weird? I am not lactose-intolerant, and I've found it very refreshing. Its supposed to help me sleep, has some healthy goodies, and it reminds me of when I was a kid :)

Wow thats great!! I remember seeing Matt Damon on a late nite talk show discussing how hypnosis worked for him "LIKE THAT" [snaps fingers], and always wanted to try it ever since.

I currently live in the Cincinnati area, and am sure I can dig some hypnotherapists up via Google. However, can u recommend a way to discern who might be the BEST out there? Some kind of accreditation maybe? Or at least found out who's not a charlatan lol?

Interesting also on how it just DOESNT WORK for some people....

THANKS!!!

I only smoked when I drank... Brilliant right?

When I quit drinking I tried a couple of times to have a cigarette without my wine in hand and it didn't feel right, so I stopped. My next battle was food... But I waited 90 days before tackling that monster.

Milk is great! I'd go for that if I were you!

Yeah I was the same for going half insane for a cigarette after a drink. I would search out half smoked ones or travel miles to find somewhere open to buy a pack. I'd forgotten that til you mentioned it!!

I joined AA for my drinking, and remain fully committed to that, but I used AVRT for my smoking...nothing else worked and believe me I've done cold turkey, hypnosis, patches, inhalers etc etc. I am really confident that I won't smoke again.

Aha, I like to mix things up a little!x

I don't think there is a fool-proof way to find a good hypnotist, unfortunately. I actually found mine in the phone book. This was when I lived in NYC. I found a great one, but had earlier gone to another one I didn't like at all. The good one focused on the message that "I am a non-smoker," not gory stuff. There are some who do group programs at hotels and such, too. Some good, some not so good.

It did work great for me -- and I really liked smoking. I still dream that I am a smoker!

JJames, on the 10th, I'll be 3 years sober. In September 2 years no cocaine and today 1 year 1 month and 2 days no cigarettes. I made the commitment to quit them all at the same time, but it didn't work out that way. I don't have many cravings for the booze and drugs, but the urge to smoke a cigarette is still something awful a lot of the time. I'm actually proud of myself for just "suffering through" the temptation everytime I get the urge. You can do it, rootin for ya. :egypt:

Wow, really? I don't have many cravings at all now! The ones I do still catch me unawares but I can get through them without too much angst. Sorry you're still getting them so badly after a year xx

In 2006 I attempted to quit drinking and smoking at the same time. I have been smoke free since that time, but only was able to get 2 weeks on the drinking.

I'm thinking of quitting smoking soon myself. I smoked for a while, then quit 4 or 5 years ago. Then back in February, I picked one up again and I was off to the races. I tried hypnosis, didn't work for me. I never tried acupuncture but a few of my friends did and they were successful with it. What worked for me was Chantix, but it gave me horrible horrible horrible anxiety and depression symptoms and very disturbing dreams, so that's not an option for me anymore. I think cold turkey is the simplest and best way to go. I found the website whyquit.org very motivational. Oh and on iTunes they have self-hypnosis programs to quit smoking, you're supposed to listen to it once a day. I have that, but honestly I don't really listen.

Anyway, good luck!

My father smoked six-to-seven packs of Lucky Strikes for over forty years. I rarely recall him being without a cigarette, and he was crazy during his several brief attempts at quitting. My sister dragged him to an acupuncture clinic and did the treatment with him. My father didn't believe in aspirin, let alone "non-traditional" remedies. On their way home, my father threw away his pack, while my sister lit up. He never smoked again. My father was about one year away from what his doctor told him would be his safety zone in terms of developing lung cancer, when that's exactly what happened. His decline was painful though relatively brief.

My sister, also a chain smoker (and non-drinker), recently started using e-cigarettes with good results. She's now down to a 50/50 split (tobacco/harmless vapors) when she smokes. You can smoke them at almost any place that is "smoke-free" and has a rest room. There's no scent from the vapor, so it also doesn't leave that stale tobacco odor on you and your clothes. She told me that the cost averages out to about $2.50/pack.

There are currently two major brands: Blu and Finiti. Both are well regarded, but Finitis have lots of chemicals whereas Blus do not. I also learned that the chemical combination in Finitis can result in "alcohol intoxication." Talk about drinking and smoking together...

Wow so I need to look up acupuncture too!! Did I read right, that it helped ur father quit smoking, but he still passed away from cancer? Sorry if I'm mistaken :( It seems the acupuncture did not work for your sister though?

Also, my friends are getting into eCigarettes. One friend has Blu..the other I'm not sure. They are definitely a great alternative!

THANKS!!

Whew...I quit for 3 years once in my early 20's, and felt like a 10 year old with the amount of energy I got, esp playing sports (duh!). But yeah...I moved in with roommates who smoked, and it was all over. Within a couple weeks I was "bummin" cigs, then I got sick of bein a bum so I started buyin packs. Been smoking ever since...luckily, just when I drink though!!

I'll check out those resources...THANKS!!