Tendencies

I first came to this forum with a lot of pain but looking for support and I received it. It's been great. My life has done nothing but get better since I've participated and posted.

My plan to get healthy again is taking shape and I took another major step a few days ago. I'm on day 43 of sobriety but I'm only on day 3 of no smoking.

One of the main reasons I quit drinking was because it was killing me. So I've quit smoking for the same reason. I"m on day 3 and climbing the walls. Not all the time but sometimes. The first two days were the worst. It is getting better. I hope after 6 months I won't think of it at all anymore. I don't even consider drinking everyday anymore. That would seem absurd to me. To drink every day. That would be nuts. And I'm broke so that's another reason not to do either. I find I'm going though a lot of emotions like I did with quiting drinking. It's the same but it's different.

I had a very stressful situation come up today and my reaction was "I need a smoke" which is kinda funny because a month ago it would have been "I need a drink."

I smoked a lot and quit cold. I can feel my nostrils and sinuses itching and burning as they come back to life... kinda feels weird. I had a headache the first two days.

A friend of mine who has a drinking problem and wants to quit smoking told me he envied me today. That felt kinda weird.

Next step is running again and losing the beer and wine weight.

-Tendencies

Dee74

Good to hear you're doing well Tendencies

D

artsoul

I'm so impressed, Tend! I'm trying to psych myself up to quit smoking, too. I did it a few years ago (for 8 months), but my work really suffered (couldn't sit and paint as much - had to move, walk, keep busy, etc.).

Let me know if you have any great tips. I plan to get myself evaluated for ADD, since I've never been able to sit still (among other things). I wish you the best of luck! I have a hard time even thinking about it right now - I've gone into panic attacks trying to do it.

I'm wondering how others did it - was it easier or harder than quitting drinking or drugs?

AmericanGirl

Hey tendencies -- I'm on day 6 without nicotine and I feel you. It's quite a drug. I'm quitting from smoking very little, only a few a day since I picked up again, so that part makes it easier, but the LAST time I quit I was a much heavier smoker--and what really helped me was the patch (I used the patch for four weeks and successfully quit for over two years). It really helped me deal with the emotional and mental addiction before I had to deal with the physical one, if that makes sense. Not sure what others think of that and I did end up picking up smoking again eventually, so maybe it's not the best method, but at that time it was really good for me.

You're doing a great job! Congrats on 43 days!