Trala

Hello I am currently on my 12th sober day. (Longest I have gone in 9 years) and on my first day quitting smoking with the patch. I am quite irritable today but I am not sure if its because I barely slept last night with the patch on. Anyway I really am determined to quit both for good and I am looking for any suggestions or experiences on how to deal with quitting both vices. I WILL NOT FAIL!

MantaLady

When I have used patches in the past they always have affected my sleep badly and I got bad dreams too. I personally wouldn’t and didn’t wear them in bed. I lasted 6 months smoke free

Alysheba

I actually quit smoking at the same time I quit drinking. I haven't smoked for 4 years (but it took me a lot of tries to stop), but I have still had moments with alcohol off and on the last few years, but I haven't started smoking again. They got so expensive and they're so bad for you, but we all know that. I think you can quit both, you just have to really be motivated. I did it, so I know you can do it. No patches either.
Love, Aly xxoo

Forward12

You can give your doc a visit and they can give you a prescription for some anti-smoking medications, there are also lozenges and gums that are usually also covered by insurance.
Would also be a good idea just to get a checkup at the same time for the past alcohol abuse as well.

Gottalife

Completely different experiences quitting smoking vs drinking. I was ove twenty years sober when I quit the cigarettes. I used a free counsell.ing service from my doctor, plus various techniques to buy time, like locking the ciggies in the trunk of the car. The crav8ngs were immense and went on for a long time. The, when I finally got clear, I had about three years of hell on earth which I didn’t initially connect to the smoking.

What happened was that smoking had been my way of dealing with anger and stress, and when it went, the anger came out. It seemed to clear up on its own, though coincidentally that happened at the same time I became more active in the aa program.

If I had my time again I would knock off both at the same time. Why get taken back to step one again? But in saying that, I would have the benefit of a solid recovery program in the form of aa, which has shown me how to live life on spiritual terms, without chemical props.

If I didn’t have AA, I might find the use of chemical props essential to keep me abstinent.

DarrenJGalea

I quit smoking on 29 December 2006, 11 years, 4 months, 12 days ago. I used a book, and it was (about) my fifth attempt at quitting. I quit drinking on 12th May 2013, 4 years, 11 months, 29 days ago largely with the help and support I got here. There has been the odd lapse, normally around Christmas but I have kept my promise to myself. One of the most important things to bear in mind is, never give up and keep trying, and eventually you'll get there. Good luck!

Cosima11

I'm trying again to quit smoking, tomorrow will be my last day. When I quit for a week at 4 months it didn't make me want to drink but I remember thinking the cravings were actually more intense than with drinking initially. Or maybe not intense but persistent, it's kind of minute by minute all day for the first few days. So dealing with both things at once... I needed a few months for things to stabilize but now at 7 months there's just no excuse anymore.

If you can do it more power to you but it's your call to make. It also probably depends on your smoking habits.. if you mostly smoked when you drank and not so much sober obviously yeah it will be easier to stop both.

Oh and I will not do vaping, gum, or any other form of nicotine substitute because to me that's just keeping the (emotional at the very least) addiction alive, but I know that's kind of an extremist view. Many people successfully switch to a less physically damaging form of intake. Do whatever works and best of luck!

FreeOwl

I never could quit smoking - until I quit drinking.

For both - what really helped the most was to quit quitting and start starting.

As long as I focused on "I've gotta QUIT" - I always fell down.

When I began focusing on the life I WANTED.... when I began focusing on the things I DID value instead of the feeling of loss...

When I truly painted a picture for myself of a happy life free from cigarettes and booze and drugs - it became much more effective, easier and happier.

quit quitting.

start starting.