tonisherrell

I smoke half a pack of cigarettes a day. I smoke a pack or nore when I drink alcohol. I tried before to quit before and had terrible withdrawal. I spoke to my doctor and he said my withdrawals were nicotine withdrawals not the alcohol. Im addicted to both so scared to try to quit both at once. Right now my drinking is 3 days a week with a binge on the weekend. Today is day 3 with alcohol and I feel ok, but I smoked w cigarettes yesterday and 3 the day before. Have anyone else quit both with success? Thanks

C0ntr0ls

I'm working on one addiction at a time and the first one is alcohol. Once I'm ready to attempt an another addiction, cig are up.

Auchieshuggle

Aye, I am 13 days sober and 8 days nicotine free! I believe one is now encouraged to give up both at once, but obviously people will react differently. My smoking habit was about 15 cigarettes per day.

However, I should add that I have had severe withdrawal symptoms and I'm still agoraphobic. My fear of having a heart attack has just forced me to stop. That said, I believe my severe withdrawal is due to kindling, rather than nicotine withdrawal.

Good luck and God bless.

joe801

I stopped smoking about 6 years ago, two packs per day on the weekends more. In my experience alcohol was unspeakably harder in terms of withdrawal, I quit cigarettes because of physical symptoms I could no longer hardly breathe when I woke up.

It took six months of singulair tablets and inhaler for all the crud to finally go away, not had any issues since - the chest rattle, wheezing, popping noises while breathing have been gone 5 years now.

DontRemember

I quit cigarettes for a couple months after the first year sober BUT, just as with quitting drinking it only takes one to lead back to the habit. I'm planning on stopping again after Thanksgiving (smoking, I still don't drink).

Edit: after the 4th day of quitting cigs it wasn't so difficult..the first couple days were a 'trip' not knowing what to do with myself. It's quite insane how much of a habit it truly is! Not to mention how unhealthy.

Auchieshuggle

Wow! How many were you smoking and for how long to develop those symptoms? Was it just tobacco? ;-)

joe801

I smoked close to ten years not at those numbers though, at the end it got out of hand. I've only smoked tobacco, marijuana I hate the smell never could use it.

Now I hate the smell of tobacco smoke.

ClarkGrizwold

I stopped smoking 9 years ago but i used smokeless tobaaccoo for 23 years or so, i quite smokeless 180 days ago. i stopped drinking 103 days ago. i really hated giving up tobaacco but it was raising my blood pressure to really dangious levels. the withdrawl for me with tobaaccoo was really bad, i felt like i was going to die for about 2 weeks but things got better! You just have to DO IT, and dont look back. its going to suck but just keep going.

MyLittleHorsie

I got over a year of sobriety under my belt before I tackled cigarettes. I am almost a year clean off nicotine in just a couple weeks.
One thing at a time worked for me. Cold turkey on alcohol, I follow my own drum in terms of recovery. Cigarettes I quit 8 times in 4 years and ran the gamut, lasers, hypnosis, pills, nic replacement and counseling. Finally, I threw everything at it, replacement, (patches), hypnosis, cognitive behaviour modification and it finally has stuck. I also stopped quitting while I quit booze.
Now I work on my sugar issues.
My quality of life has improved significantly in the last couple years, so it didn't happen all at once, but if I live 90 years, what was 2 years, a very minor blip, to improve everything.

Dee74

My smoking fed my drinking and my drinking fed my smoking.

I really only smoked when I drank so for me it was a no brainer to give up both at once.

I once got taken to task because someone read similar posts from me as saying giving up both was easy, so I acknowledge for others it's a really hard thing to give up both at once.

Best of luck and good wishes with quitting both and staying quit Toni.

D

rainbowalien

Auchieshuggle

Same. I was never able to stop smoking because after a couple of drinks I craved a cigarette. Likewise, I didn't really enjoy a cigarette without a drink and felt deprived. Today is day 14 for me on the alcohol front, and I have had a total of 13 cigarettes in that time, the last of which was more than 8 days ago!

BackandScared

Drinking led to relapse with smoking. I was a very heavy smoker who quit many years ago for a long time (would not be able to say how long; I lost count). Somehow, my drinking mind told me it was OK to share a joint with friends during a party. And that was it for me. The nicotine demon came back.

It did not warn me properly (obviously). I did not feel like smoking another one straight away. It took weeks to allow myself 'only one'. The one became 'one every time I go out/travel', before I was only smoking 'less than 10 a day'. In a few months I was back to over 20 a cay.

Smoking made me want to drink and drinking made me want to smoke. A normal 'conflict' before going to sleep was to decide whether smoking or drinking were going to be the 'last' thing before going to bed.

I quit drinking 141 days ago (I wish I could forget the number). And I have not smoked for 3 months. I have done everything possible to stay sober. Smoking was a trigger.

Both are bad ones to quick out. Alcohol is more intrusive and will kill you faster. The main difference for me has been the long-term outlook to fight the cravings. 'Not smoking now' has always been very very difficult to fight, while the idea of never smoking again is pretty attractive. 'Not drinking now' is relatively easy to beat for me. I can distract myself, go for a walk, eat, etc. The real dangerous thought that can make me drink is the 'not drinking for ever' prospect. I guess this is the social conditioning part of it. I find the idea of not drinking for ever horrible and a real trigger.

BackandScared

I hit sent to early. Wanted to add. Because of the above I focus on not smoking for ever in relation to my smoking. I picture myself in the future, 5 years down the line. The idea of still smoking, smelling like ****, coughing every morning, disgusts me.

Instead, I only focus on not drinking now when the craving of alcohol comes. If I thought of not drinking for ever I think I would drink.

brighterday1234

DriGuy

I did, but not at the same time. I quit smoking 25 years before I quit drinking, and at that time, I never anticipated a time when I would need to quit drinking. Nicotine withdrawal was much harder than quitting alcohol, exponentially harder and took much longer. I don't know if I could have done both at the same time.

About the time I quit drinking, I read a book that claimed more alcoholics die of smoking related illnesses than they do from alcoholism. From what I could tell at AA meetings, smoking must be 10 times more prevalent among alcoholics than the general population. Nicotine is highly addictive.

Auchieshuggle

Aye I understand, I have had such bad withdrawal this time that I really don't want to drink right now. However, previous attempts at sobriety have been a real chore after a few days or a week and the cravings really have hit me.

Take it one day at a time.

Yep, I have noticed the same.

Has nicotine withdrawal caused people here anxiety? I just wonder if it's added to my woes, not that I am in the least bit tempted to smoke.

Strawberry18

I'm smoked my last one and had my last drink on 27 October . You can do this cxx I feel great right now

DriGuy

I could easily imagine that, although if there was anxiety in my withdrawal, it was pretty much cancelled or overpowered by obsessive craving from morning to night. I tried doing other things to distract me from the cravings, but I'd just end up craving while I did other things. It was Hellish.