Honesty + Life Insurance = Quitting Smoking
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Posts: 889
Honesty + Life Insurance = Quitting Smoking
Ok, so I'm doing better (thank you everyone). My wife and I had a meeting today with our insurance agent and signed up for life insurance - which btw, is something I couldn't have cared less about when I was drinking.
So, he proposes some monthly payments for us and we agree on an amount / payment. We then start the application process and the question comes up "Are you a tobacco user". Being the alcoholic I am, my first instinct was manipulate people, places, and things so I say, "define tobacco user"...
He then poses the question to me as "whatever you tell me, I'm going to go with, so if you say you don't then I will put in you don't". Again, my first thought was "SAY YOU DON'T"...
Well, I told the truth. I've found in recovery I'm so much worse at lying than when I was drinking (thank God)! I told him that I was a tobacco user. He then adjusted the system to reflect that and my premiums doubled. It felt good to be honest but it did make something pretty clear to me, I don't want to continue to be a smoker. Before I progressed into alcoholism I was never a smoker. I didn't start smoking "full time" until I was 32. Pretty late in the game. For the past 3 years I've smoked daily. I don't like it but I haven't wanted to "rock the boat" regarding my sobriety.
Well, I think I'm ready. I am going to "ATTEMPT" to quit smoking tomorrow.
I would LOVE to hear how some of you did this. My plan is to use a lot of the same tools I've learned in AA and here. HP, powerlessness, talking to others, etc...
BUT, I am completely open to any other advice. I know this is a board for alcoholism, and god knows I am one, but I trust you guys and respect your opinions. Any help RW can get regarding this is very appreciated.
Have a good night all. I'm going to bed sober and grateful tonight. Please let me know some things that have worked (or not worked) for those of you that are like me - alcoholic and also trying to quit smoking.
Thanks!
So, he proposes some monthly payments for us and we agree on an amount / payment. We then start the application process and the question comes up "Are you a tobacco user". Being the alcoholic I am, my first instinct was manipulate people, places, and things so I say, "define tobacco user"...
He then poses the question to me as "whatever you tell me, I'm going to go with, so if you say you don't then I will put in you don't". Again, my first thought was "SAY YOU DON'T"...
Well, I told the truth. I've found in recovery I'm so much worse at lying than when I was drinking (thank God)! I told him that I was a tobacco user. He then adjusted the system to reflect that and my premiums doubled. It felt good to be honest but it did make something pretty clear to me, I don't want to continue to be a smoker. Before I progressed into alcoholism I was never a smoker. I didn't start smoking "full time" until I was 32. Pretty late in the game. For the past 3 years I've smoked daily. I don't like it but I haven't wanted to "rock the boat" regarding my sobriety.
Well, I think I'm ready. I am going to "ATTEMPT" to quit smoking tomorrow.
I would LOVE to hear how some of you did this. My plan is to use a lot of the same tools I've learned in AA and here. HP, powerlessness, talking to others, etc...
BUT, I am completely open to any other advice. I know this is a board for alcoholism, and god knows I am one, but I trust you guys and respect your opinions. Any help RW can get regarding this is very appreciated.
Have a good night all. I'm going to bed sober and grateful tonight. Please let me know some things that have worked (or not worked) for those of you that are like me - alcoholic and also trying to quit smoking.
Thanks!
Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Albany NY
Posts: 1,212
I see absolutely nothing wrong with talking about quitting nicotine on these boards. There was once a time when alcoholism was considered a disease in and of itself, but actually, the larger heading is the disease of addiction, and alcoholism falls under that broad heading. The nature of the beast is common to all addictions, regardless of the substance.
Nicotine takes 72 hours to be eliminated from the body. There are those that do it cold turkey, and pick a start date that they can work with. For instance, start on a Friday night and take Monday off from work to just chill a bit while your body is physically withdrawing.
For me, the unfortunate part was that I really could not keep a thought in my head and it really impacted me in my job. I had big time concentration issues. I admit it - I used nicotine patches to get through it. It also took me three attempts to finally get it!
I quit smoking about twelve years into sobriety, and found what I learned in AA to be extremely useful and applicable to quitting a secondary addiction. After all, its a new way of life.
Nicotine takes 72 hours to be eliminated from the body. There are those that do it cold turkey, and pick a start date that they can work with. For instance, start on a Friday night and take Monday off from work to just chill a bit while your body is physically withdrawing.
For me, the unfortunate part was that I really could not keep a thought in my head and it really impacted me in my job. I had big time concentration issues. I admit it - I used nicotine patches to get through it. It also took me three attempts to finally get it!
I quit smoking about twelve years into sobriety, and found what I learned in AA to be extremely useful and applicable to quitting a secondary addiction. After all, its a new way of life.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: I'm exactly where I should be.
Posts: 1,889
When my daughter was born 18 years ago...about a month later I ended up in ICU for 2 weeks with double viral pnemonia. They finally tapped my lungs because the antibiotics weren't working. I came home on oxygen and ended up quitting for 14 years.
Going thru a rough time (still drinking) about 4 years ago I had the urge to buy a pack and have a cigarette. Boy, was that a dumb idea. But what do you expect from an alcoholic?!
On the way home from work tonight I heard that commercial for the air cigarettes about 15 times and thought hmmm....now that I'm sober I should quit again. I'm not sure how I'll do it because I never really quit anything before...except the drinking.
I would think that changing one's habits and one's thoughts would be a great place to start. There are so many tools in AA, etc. for this kind of situation. It's just a matter of applying them.
Going thru a rough time (still drinking) about 4 years ago I had the urge to buy a pack and have a cigarette. Boy, was that a dumb idea. But what do you expect from an alcoholic?!
On the way home from work tonight I heard that commercial for the air cigarettes about 15 times and thought hmmm....now that I'm sober I should quit again. I'm not sure how I'll do it because I never really quit anything before...except the drinking.
I would think that changing one's habits and one's thoughts would be a great place to start. There are so many tools in AA, etc. for this kind of situation. It's just a matter of applying them.
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,439
You might find some useful threads here too:
Nicotine/Smoking - SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information
I gave up when I stopped drinking - never had any trouble but my experience may not be typical.
If you decide you need help, maybe you can discuss this with your Dr?
D
Nicotine/Smoking - SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information
I gave up when I stopped drinking - never had any trouble but my experience may not be typical.
If you decide you need help, maybe you can discuss this with your Dr?
D
Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 426
I swear by nicotine gum and a daily running habit - that combo keeps me smoke free. I was a 20 year daily smoker (I started young) when I quit, and it was sort of a beast to get thru the first week, even with the gum. Look out for a thing they call "quitter's flu", drink lots of fluids, and take it easy on yourself in the first days.
Congrats on deciding to quit. It's a huge quality of life improvement.
Congrats on deciding to quit. It's a huge quality of life improvement.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: New England
Posts: 5,285
Hi Reggie and congrats in deciding to quit. I smoked a pack a day the last 5 years of my drinking and smoked up and down for 12 years before that.
I quit the day I quit alcohol.
I swear by Allan carrs book "The Easy Way to quit Smoking"...its helped so many people (Ellen DeGeneres is a huge fan).
I will say I miss smoking more than drinking sometimes (which means once in a Blue moon I think it would be nice)...and when I walk past a smoker on the street I always take a nice deep breath...lol
I quit the day I quit alcohol.
I swear by Allan carrs book "The Easy Way to quit Smoking"...its helped so many people (Ellen DeGeneres is a huge fan).
I will say I miss smoking more than drinking sometimes (which means once in a Blue moon I think it would be nice)...and when I walk past a smoker on the street I always take a nice deep breath...lol
Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Pacific Northwest
Posts: 645
My sister and her husband (in particular) were heavy, heavy smokers. The types that would get up at three in the morning to go have a cigarette on the back patio. They both quit using Chantix about four years ago. It worked great for them. I think that they continued to smoke the first week on the drug and then eventually weened off to quitting completely and have never looked back.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: NJ
Posts: 20,458
Originally i smoked over 2 packs a day...(i used cigarettes in place of eating for dieting too). I quit during preganancy and went back when my daughter was about 6 months old...i waffled back and forth for years tapering down to a pack a week....at some point i would get an awful sensation of burning plastic taste in my mouth after smoking...and i couldn't stand the smell of my hair....short of brushing my teeth and washing my hair after every cigarette, i just quit....no patch, no gum....it wasn't a big deal for me after the first few days.
I have had friends who used the patch method and then switched to the gum/lozenge after they completed that program....Most of them tell me how much better food tastes and they have less sinus problems.
i hope you quit and realize you can repair your lungs and drop your liklihood of contracting lung or throat cancer by 50%...you will also lower your BP and increase your breathing capacity.
good luck Reggie-Wayne and keep us informed!
I have had friends who used the patch method and then switched to the gum/lozenge after they completed that program....Most of them tell me how much better food tastes and they have less sinus problems.
i hope you quit and realize you can repair your lungs and drop your liklihood of contracting lung or throat cancer by 50%...you will also lower your BP and increase your breathing capacity.
good luck Reggie-Wayne and keep us informed!
Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 1,061
I threw mine out 3 days ago, I was not a big smoker, never in my car, never at home and never around my kids. I have nicotine gum/lozenges on hand but I'm trying to use those as sparingly as possible because I don't want to end up hooked on those. I've had a few uncomfortable moments but nothing nearly as bad as quitting drinking. It's early in quitting but I already can feel that my breathing has improved and that my sense of smell is improving. The biggest thing is I haven't had an anxiety attack since Thursday which makes me wonder is there a connection between the smokes and the panic attacks. I sure hope so because if that's the case I will NEVER have to worry about smoking ever again. Good luck in quitting, Oh by the way, I cut way down the last week to try to set myself up for success, not sure if that works for everyone but it seemed to help me.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,288
I would have said NO.
They will hold that against you for the rest of your life and anything else you try to apply for.
Insurances DON'T" give a crap if you stopped, or had a hard time in life or whatever. they will use any little info to deny you.
First time ever I took antidepressants was when I was going through a very difficult divorce with serious custody issues. THEY NEVER LET ME FORGET IT. Bastards. Saying I'm mentally not stable.
SH*T, after reading their assessment of me, I CERTAINLY DID NOT FEEL STABLE. They make me sick.
They will hold that against you for the rest of your life and anything else you try to apply for.
Insurances DON'T" give a crap if you stopped, or had a hard time in life or whatever. they will use any little info to deny you.
First time ever I took antidepressants was when I was going through a very difficult divorce with serious custody issues. THEY NEVER LET ME FORGET IT. Bastards. Saying I'm mentally not stable.
SH*T, after reading their assessment of me, I CERTAINLY DID NOT FEEL STABLE. They make me sick.
Member of SMART Recovery
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,722
Reggiewayne:
It is a good thing you did not lie. The insurance physical would likely have revealed your tobacco use, or your personal medical records would have revealed it (your personal physician knows about your tobacco use, right?); your application would have then been denied, and you would have been flagged as someone who had been turned down for lying. This would affect your chances of ever getting life insurance.
Your best bet is to pay the higher premiums for now, but quit using tobacco and then reapply in a few years. The premiums will come down after you've quit.
As to Kiki's suggestion that the use of antidepressants will follow someone around: it will. So will the fact that you were addicted to a substance. These things increase the actuarial likelihood of death, and that is what the insurance companies care about. It may seem hard-hearted, but it is the truth.
I just applied for life insurance myself. I am quite healthy, don't smoke, don't drink, work out regularly, am normal weight, etc. but when I told them that I'd quit drinking 12 years ago and took antidepressants for a time the premium went up by about 20%. I don't like this, but the reality is that this is how life insurance works.
OTT
It is a good thing you did not lie. The insurance physical would likely have revealed your tobacco use, or your personal medical records would have revealed it (your personal physician knows about your tobacco use, right?); your application would have then been denied, and you would have been flagged as someone who had been turned down for lying. This would affect your chances of ever getting life insurance.
Your best bet is to pay the higher premiums for now, but quit using tobacco and then reapply in a few years. The premiums will come down after you've quit.
As to Kiki's suggestion that the use of antidepressants will follow someone around: it will. So will the fact that you were addicted to a substance. These things increase the actuarial likelihood of death, and that is what the insurance companies care about. It may seem hard-hearted, but it is the truth.
I just applied for life insurance myself. I am quite healthy, don't smoke, don't drink, work out regularly, am normal weight, etc. but when I told them that I'd quit drinking 12 years ago and took antidepressants for a time the premium went up by about 20%. I don't like this, but the reality is that this is how life insurance works.
OTT
Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,288
True, insurance companies only prefer to insure people who never had any problems, physical or emotional, nor do they show signs of ever to have them in the future.
Do you know ONE human being that fits that description.
Do you know ONE human being that fits that description.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: in the mountains
Posts: 38
Reggie,
I was sober for 8 months when I quit smoking. And I smoked for almost 30 years. I woke up one day last summer and decided "enough is enough"!
I was enslaved to this habit, and it was making me miserable.
So I stopped, and never looked back.
I used the tools of the program.
Where I live, cigarettes are $10 a pack. I was a pack a day smoker.
I'm thrilled with all the money I've saved the last 9 months! AND, I had a few esophageal health issues that have completely healed. Actually, you'll be amazed at how healthy you'll feel... a more holistically rounded lifestyle.
I think you did right with honesty and the insurance company.
I have a friend who's insurance company wanted physical proof that they didnt' smoke. There are tests used that can detect tobacco for a year even after you quit. People get red flagged because of the dishonesty.
Good luck to you!!
W
I was sober for 8 months when I quit smoking. And I smoked for almost 30 years. I woke up one day last summer and decided "enough is enough"!
I was enslaved to this habit, and it was making me miserable.
So I stopped, and never looked back.
I used the tools of the program.
Where I live, cigarettes are $10 a pack. I was a pack a day smoker.
I'm thrilled with all the money I've saved the last 9 months! AND, I had a few esophageal health issues that have completely healed. Actually, you'll be amazed at how healthy you'll feel... a more holistically rounded lifestyle.
I think you did right with honesty and the insurance company.
I have a friend who's insurance company wanted physical proof that they didnt' smoke. There are tests used that can detect tobacco for a year even after you quit. People get red flagged because of the dishonesty.
Good luck to you!!
W
Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,288
actually what they do is schedule an appointment with you and send a nurse that swabs the inside of your mouth for nicotine.
if you stop smoking for a couple weeks before she comes and eat some garlic the day before, you can pass the test.
Even if it's after a year, they don't just randomly come to your house.
if you stop smoking for a couple weeks before she comes and eat some garlic the day before, you can pass the test.
Even if it's after a year, they don't just randomly come to your house.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Midwest
Posts: 471
Hi Reggie,
Ironically, I decided that today will be my last day smoking, so I was excited to read your post--support is crucial!! I quit smoking once before using a medication called Zyban---it was AMAZING. Similar to Chantix I think. You start taking it and then quit a week later. It worked so well that during that week I would actually forget to smoke, even when I was allowed to. Unfortunately, I had a severe allergic reaction to the medication or I would have stayed on it. Medication definitely helps. Obviously exercise helps--as my dad (a former smoker himself) likes to say "healthy people just don't smoke." One smaller thing that helped me a ton was just hearing my husband make comments about how good I smelled or that it was nice kissing me without the tobacco taste. It's definitely a very hard thing to do, but I think like alcoholism, you just need to change your routine and add some new things in to replace the habit.
This time I plan on quitting cold turkey--just ready to be done. If the cigarettes don't kill me, the paranoia over health issues will. I keep waiting to drop dead of a heart attack or something. It's just not worth it to me anymore.
Good luck to you! I'll be right there with ya!
Ironically, I decided that today will be my last day smoking, so I was excited to read your post--support is crucial!! I quit smoking once before using a medication called Zyban---it was AMAZING. Similar to Chantix I think. You start taking it and then quit a week later. It worked so well that during that week I would actually forget to smoke, even when I was allowed to. Unfortunately, I had a severe allergic reaction to the medication or I would have stayed on it. Medication definitely helps. Obviously exercise helps--as my dad (a former smoker himself) likes to say "healthy people just don't smoke." One smaller thing that helped me a ton was just hearing my husband make comments about how good I smelled or that it was nice kissing me without the tobacco taste. It's definitely a very hard thing to do, but I think like alcoholism, you just need to change your routine and add some new things in to replace the habit.
This time I plan on quitting cold turkey--just ready to be done. If the cigarettes don't kill me, the paranoia over health issues will. I keep waiting to drop dead of a heart attack or something. It's just not worth it to me anymore.
Good luck to you! I'll be right there with ya!
Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,288
don't get me wrong, I"m not saying NOT to quit smoking. I'm just bithc..ing about the insurance companies. They are not interested that you're on the track of bettering your life and health. They don't give a damn as long as it looks like there's even a slight chance of you relapsing over anything, and I mean anything, they consider you a risk.
So, quit smoking for your own health. The insurance co. don't give a damn.
So, quit smoking for your own health. The insurance co. don't give a damn.
Sobriety date April 19th 2011
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Salem, VA
Posts: 157
Good call RW. I wish you the best of luck .
I've been about a pack a day smoker for several years. ( I started very young ). I quit for 6 months about 10 years ago but went back to smoking for one of the dumbest reasons ( it gave me more chances to hang out with this girl I liked ).
Since quitting drinking though , my coffee and cigarette intake has nearly doubled.
When I quit before I happened to quit drinking both alcohol and coffee for the first 2-3 months. Then I went back to the coffee and drink but I always wanted a cigarette when I drank beer.
Right now I'm on a weight loss program but when I start what's called the " bulk" program , I may try and quit then as the extra weight would be welcomed
Good luck to you and keep us posted.
I've been about a pack a day smoker for several years. ( I started very young ). I quit for 6 months about 10 years ago but went back to smoking for one of the dumbest reasons ( it gave me more chances to hang out with this girl I liked ).
Since quitting drinking though , my coffee and cigarette intake has nearly doubled.
When I quit before I happened to quit drinking both alcohol and coffee for the first 2-3 months. Then I went back to the coffee and drink but I always wanted a cigarette when I drank beer.
Right now I'm on a weight loss program but when I start what's called the " bulk" program , I may try and quit then as the extra weight would be welcomed
Good luck to you and keep us posted.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Washington
Posts: 456
My official "Quit Date" was last Friday. I started on Chantix a week prior and mentally prepared for it.
I'm eating tons of sunflower seeds and those tiny altoids really help if you suck on them.
Saturday morning I woke up at 6:30am and was jonesing for a smoke so bad I went to the earliest AA meeting I could make it to - just to have something to do. I'm finding it much harder here at work, however.
I'm eating tons of sunflower seeds and those tiny altoids really help if you suck on them.
Saturday morning I woke up at 6:30am and was jonesing for a smoke so bad I went to the earliest AA meeting I could make it to - just to have something to do. I'm finding it much harder here at work, however.
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