coming_clean

Really hard to admit.
I read a lot of terrible stories here.
Stories of suffering, of alcohol, and harddrugs and prescription meds.

Doing coke, booze and morphine is behind me.
Smoking weed is gone quite a while now.

I'm starting to realise.
My DOC is not weed.
It's nicotine.

Relatively harmless, but it's a major gateway that leads to all above.
It was my first drugs, and always my last.
I manage to quit it for a while, relapse, start smoking cigs again, start smoking weed again.

Nicotine-withdrawl cause the biggest cravings too.
How do I know.
I'm in the middle of it.

It makes me feel fake a bit a softy.
(I know I shouldn't compare).

MrsKing

I have been 'quitting' cigarettes since August 1st this year. I say 'quitting' like that because I've been using patches and e-cigs. I've tried to stop using the e-cigs twice, but both times I've been so depressed that I've gone back to them. I am finding quitting nicotine harder than quitting alcohol, so I totally understand where you're coming from. I haven't smoked one real cigarette in that time, though, so I'm still pleased with myself. I just REALLY need to get off the e-cigs. I didn't even start using them until I'd been stopped for a few weeks, so that's really annoying. At least it's not real smoke, anyhow. The damage it does is totally minimal compared to real cigarettes.

I don't know what the support is like in NL for quitting smoking, but here in the UK I've been attending appointments every 2 weeks to discuss my progress with a nurse at the Drs surgery, and it's been a real help to talk it through with someone... she doesn't agree with the e-cigs, though!

coming_clean

Technicallly it is a harddrugs.

Quitting smoking via support.
I tried that, they gave me Zyban.
An antidepressant that takes away nicotine cravings as a side-affect.
This was at a regular doctors office.
After a three day 'bad-trip' I threw them pills out.
I'm done talking about it with docters .
There is no running from the cravings and anxiety.

MrsKing

Yeah, I've heard many bad and good stories about Zyban.

The patches are great, though. Have you thought about trying those?

hypochondriac

coming clean... have you tried reading Allan Carr's book Easyway to quit smoking. It's kind of a counter brainwashing kind of thing. It's worth checking out.

I quit smoking with drinking because I have never been able to smoke and not drink, and I don't know which craving was the worst.

uniquesituation

15 year closet nicotine addict. I used to smoke, now I chew the gum or have a skoal mint pouch if nobody is around to smell my breath.

Nobody knows, really, taht I'm still a nicotine addict (people used to know that I smoked).

I had a class on drugs on college, that had a textbook that opined that quitting nicotine was harder than quitting heroin. Because nicotine is the one drug (aside from caffeine) that you can do anytime, all the time, and have it be socially acceptable. Heck, you could argue that nicotine HELPS productivity and work, I would argue vehemently that that is true for me.

Whoa, maybe that didn't help. But fwiw, you are one of 100 million people in the country hooked on nicotine, though probably 50 million don't publicly admit it.

SunnyFlower

I've decided to quit smoking too. I have tried the patches before and they definitely help with the cravings. Thought I'd also try going to the gym, start working out.

I've gained weight while sober and know if I don't do something when I quit smoking, the weight will double.

I have such an addictive personality, drinking, smoking, eating, etc..Just when I think I've got a handle on one, another one pops up.

Do we have a nicotine thread here at SR as well?...Kind of be nice to encourage each other as we give up that nasty habit too.

hypochondriac

This is exactly the sort of stuff that Allan Carr tries to counter. In some respects I found his books a bit annoying and a bit ranty but he's definitely right. He definitely changed the way I view addiction and just like drinking, how certain things are excuses not reasons. You wouldn't insist that all your employees smoked to increase productivity would you?

least

Nicotine/Smoking - SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information

Wolfram

Cig is hard drug, and all smokers know I also used patches, smoked again bla bla. But now am in last patch stage.

And i smoke only when I drink, so going sober destroys the other desire too.

Good day!

turt

This is proof that drugs affect people differently. My wife struggles with nicotine as has been described here. I have struggled with every substance I've used, except nicotine. I have never had a problem laying cigs down, my wife brushed off pot and drinking like it was dandruff but can't quit the cigs. I'm a "downer" person and she is an "upper".

ForMyGirls

I don't smoke, but I dip Skoal. I've really cut down a bunch since I quit drinking (9 days ago), but still have a couple of dips a day. I plan to cut it completely out once I'm comfortable with having alcohol out of my life. One habit at a time...