6 months sober, started smoking again
 

6 months no alcohol, doing the work, meeting w/therapist, full check up with doc (honest about my alcoholism), taking meds to handle anxiety and depression—overall feeling great BUT I started smoking cigs again

I’m feeling not good about it. I feel like I “need” to be abusing something/anything and since it’s no longer alcohol I picked up the smokes again

Alcohol was killing me in so many ways, and smoking will kill me in others

Looking for advice from others who may have had similar issue and advice

I feel like smoking is the same as drinking—I’m sabatoging me, hiding to smoke, disappointing others and killing my self — why did I pick them up again? And they sucked me right back in. 5 years quit and right back where I started. Haven’t confessed to therapist/doctor yet—those appointments are next week. Any help/insight appreciated.

I don't have any experience to share - I quit both at the same time - but there's a lot of help quit smoking aids out there

https://smokefree.gov/

It's a tough battle, isn't it? I'm finding it much harder to quit smoking than it was to quit drinking. I'm assuming you're referring to cigarettes.
I'm on my third month without one, and it's been a little rough. I use a stop smoking aid called Nicotrol. It helps immensely.

I see the doctor Monday and I'm going to come clean about my thirty year habit.
I need to have my throat examined. I've been getting sore throats, indigestion and a cough.
Bill Wilson, the co-founder of AA, was never able to quit smoking, so we're not alone.
I know, just like alcohol, if I have one I'll be right back to my pack and a half day habit.
You're not alone. I struggle with it too.
Best to you.

nope

sorry

I don't get how some people find smoking more difficult to quit that alcohol. Don't get me wrong, when I quit smoking it was hell for about a year. The thing is, society hates cigarettes and smokers are pariahs now today.

Meanwhile everyone wonders what is wrong with you if you don't drink.
Just sayin...if you find alcohol easier to quit, I envy you to the tenth degree! :)

ps: sorry not too much advice to offer, obviously. I have a couple of thoughts about that.

1) yes, self sabotage is real
2) beyond that, it's also the adrenal system (amongst other biological functions) that are looking for some sort of juice. If it's not cigarettes, it might be caffeine or sugar or other drugs. Essentially the body is looking for an outside boost because waiting for the internal equilibrium is just too long and too difficult to endure.

No one has ever wondered what is wrong with me because I don't drink and I've been sober over ten years.
Society is right to hate cigarettes. It's a dirty, disease causing addiction.
There was a study done, probably over ten years ago now, about how heavy drinkers die.
It revealed most of them were dyeing from smoking related disease.
Thanks for sharing your experience. It's just not the same as mine.

I couldn’t give up cigarettes and tried vaping instead. It worked and my cardiologist approves. I think you are trying to find a way to deal with stress. Bill W died of emphysema. I have no asthma now. Maybe look at other outlets for stress.

Hi...I'm 2 years sober of alcohol and want to Quit cIgs now...I smoked between 40 and 50 cigs a day and now I do between 5 and 8 a day...I am vaping too and it works for me...It's becos my battery needs to reload for 2 hours I have it dificult but I will by an extra E cigarette this monday so I wont have that problem again..I wish you (and me)all the best in quiting smoking...It's hard

I quit smoking over a year ago after switching to vaping, and finding - with trial and error - a good set up that worked for me. Obviously not everyone is pro-vaping but I'm happy with where I'm at now.

When I quit drinking I gave myself one year to quit smoking cigarettes. I didn't want to overwhelm myself in early sobriety, especially considering I had already relapsed twice before. At the same time I had no intentions of trying to build a better life for myself while continuing with such a disgusting and harmful habit.

About a month before my first birthday I had a family dinner to attend. Right before leaving work I had a cigarette, there was only three left in the pack. As I smoked one of them I realized I wouldn't have enough for later in the evening and I would need to stop by 7-11 on the way home. Then I remembered the promise I had made for myself and since I didn't want to inconvenience myself I thought...why not just stop now?

I smoked that last cigarette and tossed the other two in the trash. For a couple of days I was cranky and irritable but I quickly got over the hump. Most people say quitting smoking is harder than quitting drinking which I find surprising. For me it was about a billion times easier to quit smoking. Sugar on the other hand...

Thank you to everyone who replied.

Like I said, I’m coming clean to therapist and doc next week about picking the cigs back up. I just am frustrated.

I am feeling good about sobriety but not good enough not to harm myself in another way. Been abusing alcohol/drugs/cigs for most of my life—alcohol was always there, drugs when I was younger and cigs until about 5 years ago. This alcohol quit has been the longest and most brutally honest I’ve ever been with myself, I just can’t wrap my head around why I need an external source to live my life. More to talk to the therapist about I guess.

To all those who are reading this and are in the early days of sobriety—it is totally worth it. Not drinking these past 6 months has been life changing in ways I never thought possible. It’s been a hard road, of self evaluation, patience and forgiveness. Keep going, it gets better. I will continue my sobriety, and quitting smoking too—it’s part of the process of my healing and continued learning about myself and what makes me tick. Do the work, and lean in for help.

Thanks SR.