super71

I am on my 10th day of abstinence from alcohol (still working towards sobriety , but I have been feeling very down in general. I have come to the realization that one of things that is bringing me down is that I am still smoking about a pack of cigarettes a day. One of the main things that finally got me on this quest for sobriety was my concern over my health. I know that it's not going to be easy giving this up as well, but I think it will make me feel better emotionally and will make me really feel like I am changing my unhealthy lifestyle in a substantial way. I think this will make the short term stress of quitting well worth it and keep me motivate. Tomorrow is my oldest son's birthday - seems like a good day to quit.

Was just wondering if anyone else has quit smoking in early sobriety? Any tips? Or if anyone is currently going through this - feel free to share.

Thanks! Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.

loveon2legs

Hi Super!! Well I didn't quit smoking...My thought on that is one thing at a time....I'm just not ready to quit smoking....it is something I plan on doing down the road abit further...i think if I tried it would just be too overwhelming at this point in my recovery!!

Best wishes to you!!!

boudiepitbull

Embracing a healthy lifestyle is an awesome thing to want for one's self and as a goal to work towards. The question is are you strong enough this early on to compound your struggle for sobriety by removing nicotine right now too? Might be too much all at once. Wouldn't it be a shame to slip now all because you needed a cigarette?

super71

Pitbull,

I hear what you are saying and I have thought about it quite a bit .. I just feel like one of the reasons I am feeling so down right now is because I absolutely HATE my smoking habit and feel that I will be less depressed in general if I stop - which I am hoping will give me more strength in all areas. We shall see... but I can tell you this - If I quit smoking and then start feeling as if I am going to slip with the drinking thing, I will pick up a pack - because I am not going to drink again. If that happens, I will recognize that I am not ready and try again once I am stronger.

Dee74

Hi Super,
As you can see opinions vary

I did both at once and I'm glad I did - but I know others who had real trouble distinguishing between smoking cravings and drinking ones.

See how you go

D

Anna

I have no advice but I am glad that you are embracing a healthy lifestyle.

Toronto68

Super, give it a try and just have a positive outlook. I tried it and made it for 5 days and caved. Maybe there is hope for me later. You will see some emphasis in replies to you about making your sobriety the focus. That's not wrong, but do what you can do.

eleanor

A high school friend of mine (who I follow on Facebook only, we don't really talk) has been sober for 6 months now and she said that her doctor told her not to quit smoking for a year after getting sober because quitting both at the same time would be too challenging.

That being said, maybe her doctor told her that b/c s/he know that she wouldn't be able to do both - it's an individual thing, right?

Good luck if you DO decide to quit. I usually just smoke when I drink (which means I don't smoke anymore - ha!) but I had a cigarette the other day at a meeting.

alexvt

Hey Super71, This is going to sound so strange.. But i use to smoke at least a pack every every time i drank but i never woke up the next day and smoked or any days i wasn't drinking and i never craved them unless drunk. Don't know why i never got hooked.
Remember i have been drinking for 25 years!

Guess i got lucky. Didn't even post it that i also haven't smoked in 8 days either. Still have a carton.

My mom has been smoking most her life and has never successfully quit, so i know how hard it can be.

Sucks! But at least you got 10 almost 11 days without alcohol, so don't beat yourself up!

XO-Beth

OZboy

..yeah I have.....

..go to whyquit.com......Ozy...

mf150

I was lucky...I quit smoking about 1.5 years ago. I'm two weeks into sobriety. Both were hard to shake, but well worth it.

I feel MUCH better.

FWIW, I used the nicoderm patches (all 3 stages). It took several attempts to quit (I would relaps), but like anything else, it takes a few tries and resolve.

spen71

I have tried both a few times. Seem to manage 30 days of not drinking and smoking and then it goes all **** up. I end up smoking and drinking more than ever. I am obviously not strong enough to do both at the same time.

The only person who knows if you can do both at the same time is YOU!!!

totfit

While the "old" guidance was one thing at a time, research has shown that it is really best to do both. I think it funny how folks don't apply to one thing at time logic to Pot, Heroin, Pills, etc and alcohol. Smoking is so entrenched in drinkers and there are those that "think" they are in recovery and still smoke. I guess it is to each their own, but I could have never quit drinking had I continued to smoke. What really helped me was to replace both of those addictions with healthy pursuits. A healthy diet, exercise, and healthy socialization are in my opinion the keys to a happy sober life.

yeahgr8

I waa advised not to quit smoking in early recovery by my sponsor, CBT counselor and my doctor...take what you will from their advice:-)

getr345

I see a much greater overall risk in continuing to smoke, and/or delaying your quitting efforts.

The time is now and the road to real sobriety and recovery includes overcoming your nicotine addiction and learning how to live and cope substance free. Everyday you wait is another day wasted in addiction IMO.

Good luck Super.

You can do it and you will be glad you did.

HFA

Do both. My smoking lead me back to booze so many times. They just seem to go hand in hand for me. But then again, that's me.

Videodrone32

If you approach nicotine like you did alcohol you will be successful. That worked for me and I'll have been smoke free 2 years on July the 4th

NEOMARXIST

I guess the smokers will be OK with their path thus justifying their smking and the ones who gave up smoking will be glad they did.

It all boils down to what you feel is a priority and what you wish to do. If giving up smoking will take you back to a drink then it may be prudent to concentrate on the abstinance from the alcohol. IF not then go for it.

For me I gave up alcohol, drugs and smoking on 8th July 2009. Sobriety for me means no drug being pumped into my body to satisfy my addicted mind at a consequence of damaging my health. That is one of the main reasons I got sober to be free from the shackles of chemical addiction.

However I viewed/view alcohol, drugs and smoking as one package.

Each to their own though.

Videodrone32

I really like what was said here. I feel that after all the damage we've done to our bodies physically we owe it to ourselves to stop putting deadly chemicals in our bodies. My health is my responsibility. With that said I got clean the first time in 2004 and I never felt good about my smoking. I hated how my life revolved around this drug. It took me alot of trys and I never gave up even through acouple bad opiate detoxes I never smoked. I was a 2 pack a day for 10 years smoker by the way. If I can do it surely you can peace and love.

crystal67

Hi Super

I quit smoking a couple of months back (been smoking 30yrs!!) and then within a few weeks decided to get sober too. For me, smoking and drinking went together, so one was a trigger for the other.

I stayed sober for about 2 weeks, then had a slight 'blip', but funnily enough still remained determined not to smoke.

I think smoking is a purely a physical addiction in that it doesnt give you a head change, make you agressive/emotional, cause you to blackout and not know what you have done etc etc. In that sense it is easier to quit because once you get past that physical addiction, with the help of over the counter products, the addiction is relatively easy to control.

Alcohol on the other hand is really an addiction to a 'sensation', the only problem is, an alcoholic cant stop when they begin to sense that 'head-change', that sensation, and ultimately the drink takes over and wreaks havoc!!

Im now completing Day 3, and feel that giving up both has actually been easier for me than if i had tried to quit one without the other.

Everyone is different I guess, and what works for one person wont necessarily work for another, but I wish you well, and to be honest if you were to ask me which one would be best to focus on for the health of yourself and your family, then i would undoubtedly, unequivocally say the alcohol every time!!

Good luck and stay strong :-)