Smoking again :(
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Macomb, Michigan
Posts: 65
Smoking again :(
Hello everyone, I'm on day 15 and as I have posted before the stress level of quitting is still getting to me. So much so that I have started bumming cigarettes from my friends and co-workers. Now I have struggled quitting smoking now for about 6 months (quit for 4 months then started back up for a month and then it had been a month free before I just started up again). My addiction counselor said that I was crazy for trying to quit smoking and drinking at the same time with so much going on in my life right now (school full-time, work full-time, current living situation, etc). And my g/f (my quit buddy) also said that quitting smoking should take a back-seat to my alcohol problems right now. Just wondering if anybody was going through or have had similar problems...? What should I do?
Thanks
Thanks
Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 650
I just started again myself, and want to quit before I get too addicted. Last time I quit smoking and drinking/drugs at the same time, and made it 4 months. I went back out due to my own problems, nothing to do with quitting too much at once. I think it's doable, but if you are going to relapse on one, please let it be the cigarettes (they kill you slower 
).
).
Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: New England
Posts: 5,285
Hi Ksquare and congrats on 15 days!
I quit a pack a day and 2 liters of wine a day at the same time. For me the two went hand in hand....and I knew I could not quit one without the other. That was 7+ months ago. I've also got a lot of stuff going on in my life...there is never a good time to quit. That said, if you can only do one at a time do the drinking.
P.S. - It's the smoking I miss today...I can't stand next to someone drinking because the smell makes me ill, but I love hanging out with my smoking friends and just inhaling!
I quit a pack a day and 2 liters of wine a day at the same time. For me the two went hand in hand....and I knew I could not quit one without the other. That was 7+ months ago. I've also got a lot of stuff going on in my life...there is never a good time to quit. That said, if you can only do one at a time do the drinking.
P.S. - It's the smoking I miss today...I can't stand next to someone drinking because the smell makes me ill, but I love hanging out with my smoking friends and just inhaling!
Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Whistler, British Columbia
Posts: 222
Femme has it right on
The same exact thing I had to do as the smoking and booze when hand in hand and one would for sure lead me to the other.
Keep strong K what your doing is seriously amazing!
The same exact thing I had to do as the smoking and booze when hand in hand and one would for sure lead me to the other.
Keep strong K what your doing is seriously amazing!
Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 107
Best to play it by ear... if you feel quiting completely will really compromise your sobriety then obviously don't. My experience was the opposite, smoking really compromised my sobriety and as such, I strongly recommend cutting out both at the same time. This is not to say that you should be a healthy lifestyle fanatic in search of perfection, it's just that nicotine delivered via a cigarette is an extremely potent stimulant and in my experience this kind of jarring periodic imbalance makes life without alcohol WORSE.
I found that regular exercise lessens a lot of the discomfort and agitation previously extinguished, and exacerbated, by lighting up. If you have a physical impairment that makes it difficult to exercise I would recommend scheduling some time with a physical therapist or dr. who can give you some alternative ideas that will help you raise your heart rate.
Congratulations on your 15 days, I know what a serious hard won accomplishment that must have been. As for the quitting smoking, one thing that has struck me is how long the shortness of breath/lung problems persist. It took me about nine months smoke free before I really started to clear out and feel better (I smoked a pack a day). Please hang in there, the more distance you put between yourself and your last cigarette the better, it just takes forever.
I found that regular exercise lessens a lot of the discomfort and agitation previously extinguished, and exacerbated, by lighting up. If you have a physical impairment that makes it difficult to exercise I would recommend scheduling some time with a physical therapist or dr. who can give you some alternative ideas that will help you raise your heart rate.
Congratulations on your 15 days, I know what a serious hard won accomplishment that must have been. As for the quitting smoking, one thing that has struck me is how long the shortness of breath/lung problems persist. It took me about nine months smoke free before I really started to clear out and feel better (I smoked a pack a day). Please hang in there, the more distance you put between yourself and your last cigarette the better, it just takes forever.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: I'm exactly where I should be.
Posts: 1,889
I quit for 14 years even though I was still drinking. Then a couple years ago started up again (smoking). Since I drank in the house alone and smoke outside...if I tried hard enough to quit the smokes I prolly could. But I'm gonna wait because I just don't need anything else to worry about right now.
I'm sure it can be done at the same time but if you can't toss them then I'd wait till the drinking thing is over. No body knows but you about your life, stress, problems, etc.
I'm sure it can be done at the same time but if you can't toss them then I'd wait till the drinking thing is over. No body knows but you about your life, stress, problems, etc.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Tampa
Posts: 178
Hate to say this... I quit smoking December 31, 2007.
I now smoke again, but am 6 plus months free of alcohol.
Why I'm okay with this....
Quitting smoking was so very difficult for me as a drinker. That drink always called for a cigarette.
Now that I no longer drink, when I quit smoking again, there will be one less trigger.... drinking!
Having cigarettes don't make you crave a drink. Having a drink "requires" a cigarette.
Quitting cigarettes is by far harder than giving up alcohol. I can do it again though. Next time, with one less trigger.... alcohol.
Good luck. One thing at a time!
I now smoke again, but am 6 plus months free of alcohol.
Why I'm okay with this....
Quitting smoking was so very difficult for me as a drinker. That drink always called for a cigarette.
Now that I no longer drink, when I quit smoking again, there will be one less trigger.... drinking!
Having cigarettes don't make you crave a drink. Having a drink "requires" a cigarette.
Quitting cigarettes is by far harder than giving up alcohol. I can do it again though. Next time, with one less trigger.... alcohol.
Good luck. One thing at a time!
Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Tampa
Posts: 178
Personally, I think it's a good idea for smokers/drinkers to quit both at the same time.
The craving for alcohol is nothing compared to the craving for cigarettes.
In the search for sobriety, the alcohol quitter might postpone his/her cigarette quit for down the road. This little reward will make giving up alcohol FAR easier, as the cigarette typical smoker becomes uncomfortable (craving) at shorter intervals. Smokers more than 8 hours into their quit are ready to sell their firstborn for a cigarette.
Once alcohol is long gone, the smoker can make a renewed effort to live healthier by surrendering cigarettes... with the new found mental self control earned by quitting alcohol. That mental control is what is needed to give up cigarettes, as those urges and craves last up to a year after you quit.
I know what I'm talking about here.... LOL
The craving for alcohol is nothing compared to the craving for cigarettes.
In the search for sobriety, the alcohol quitter might postpone his/her cigarette quit for down the road. This little reward will make giving up alcohol FAR easier, as the cigarette typical smoker becomes uncomfortable (craving) at shorter intervals. Smokers more than 8 hours into their quit are ready to sell their firstborn for a cigarette.
Once alcohol is long gone, the smoker can make a renewed effort to live healthier by surrendering cigarettes... with the new found mental self control earned by quitting alcohol. That mental control is what is needed to give up cigarettes, as those urges and craves last up to a year after you quit.
I know what I'm talking about here.... LOL
Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Dallas, Tx
Posts: 2,405
I smoked and drank and was advised to not worry about quitting smoking the first year of sobriety and I didn't; then I quit smoking around my 1 yr anniv and w/in a couple of months the stress got to me and I "had to" either smoke or drink so I smoked and I still smoke. and I enjoy my 5-8 cigarettes a day in my private alone time, I never smoke in front of others don't smoke in my own home (even though I live alone) don't smoke in my car, my mom smoked this same way all her life and she was very healthy and lived to be 85 so if you want to smoke smoke.
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,386
I quit both at once, and I was glad I did - for me smoking did actually require a drink and vice versa.
I think it's a great thing to do - if you can manage it
Best of luck with whatever you decide KSquared.
D
I think it's a great thing to do - if you can manage it
Best of luck with whatever you decide KSquared.
D
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