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 Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2013 11:16 pm
...and it sucks. evil
I've been smoking cigarettes since I was 14 (I was a cool kid). My parents both smoked, and my mum still does. My partner smokes, my boyfriend smokes...it's just sort of been something I've always been exposed to and come to see as almost the norm. It's not like I didn't know it was bad for you. I might be older than most of you, but it's not like I grew up in the 1940's.
But as I get older, I keep reminding myself that I need to start taking better care of myself. I been abusing my body in one way or another for over half my life. Let's face it: it's a minor miracle that I even lived to see my 30th birthday.
And I have been slowly making my lifestyle less of a health hazard. I actually go to bed and try to get at least five or six hours of sleep a night, rather than just staying up until collapse from exhaustion. I've developed more healthy eating habits, both in WHAT I eat as well as WHEN I eat. For most of my adult life, it wasn't uncommon for me to eat for days, and when I did eat, it was hardly ever anything close to a real meal. Most people would probably classify my "meals" as little more than a light snack. Despite the fact that I've always been very underweight, I'm also somewhat terrified of gaining weight. My psychiatrist thinks I have some form of EDNOS (eating disorder not otherwise specified; basically just a blanket term for people exhibiting symptoms of an eating disorder that doesn't fall into the category of bulemia, anorexia, or compulsive over-eating). Nevertheless, I've been making a concerted effort to eat more like a normal person. Eating healthy foods has never been an issue for me, I just need to keep eating larger quantities of said healthy food.
I've dealt with my drug problems more or less. Well, to be perfectly honest I still do some drugs (and yes, alcohol is a drug), but those instances are few and far between, and I haven't touched any opiates in over two years. Opiates are really the only drugs I've ever had problems with. I still smoke pot from time to time (which does genuinely help my insomnia), sometimes I'll have a couple drinks (though hardly ever to the state of considerable drunkennes), I might drop acid or do DMT if the oppertunity presents itself, but that's more or less it. Which might not sound like I have my drug use under control, but not all drugs are created equal and at this point in my life I know what will cause me to go off the deep end and what won't.
So all that's really left are these stupid cigarettes. My sister got me one of those electronic cigarettes, which you puff on and inhale vapor containing nicotine, just without all the tar and rat poison. It's not really as satisfying as a real cigarette, but it more or less does the trick most of the time. So I'm trying at the very least to stop smoking real cigarettes and just use the e-cig. Still, half the time I use the e-cig, it just makes me want a real cigarette even more.
Anyway, as always, prayers and advice are always appreciated.
Have any of you successfully quite smoking, and if so, what worked best for you?
Mostly for now, I'm just not buying any more cigarettes so that all I have at my disposal is the e-cig.
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Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2013 9:10 am
It's strange. In some ways, quitting smoking is almost harder than kicking heroin. IN SOME WAYS.
With heroin, you have nightmare-ish withdrawals. Hot sweats, cold sweats, one minute you're freezing and then as soon as you've heaped a bunch of blankets on top of you you immediately feel overheated and start pouring sweat. Then assoon as you throw off the blankets and the air hits your sweaty skin, you're freezing cold all over again. You can't eat, and if you do manage to eat something, odds are good that you'll puke it back up within ten minutes. And even once your stomach is empty, you're still dry-heaving and hacking out bile. You can't sleep, because if your inability to maintain a comfortable temperature and your nausea doesn't keep you awake, the muscle spasms and body aches will. Auditory and visual hallucinations aren't uncommon, especially once you've reached a certain point of sleep deprivation. You're not well enough to get up and do anything, but you can't get comfortable in bed either. For those of you who have seen Trainspotting, the withdrawal scene in that film is a little over the top, even for a heavy user, but it's almost that bad. The whole process usually takes 7-10 days, at least to get through the acute withdrawals. After that, there's some far less intense secondary withdrawals that usually last for about a month, but they're mostly emotional.Depression, irritability, etc., and while it's unpleasant, it's a bloody picnic compared to acute withdrawals. I'm pretty sure that's what hell is: withdrawing from heroin for eternity.
But the thing about kicking something like heroin is that you know it's something you have to do if you want to lead a normal life. Heroin addiction consumes your life in a very real, tangible sort of way. Cigarettes are different. While smoking certainly is an expensive habit, it's not expensive in the same way an illicit drug is. You can usually buy a pack of smokes from the coins you dig out from under your sofa cushions. Of course, over time it adds up to be a painfully large amount of money, but in the moment, it doesn't really FEEL that expensive. And even though we all know smoking is terrible for your health, you or your friends aren't going to fatally overdose on cigarettes in the span of an evening. And if you're a fidgity person like me, smoking a cigarette gives you a mindless repetitive task to do without looking like a crazy person. And while smokers aren't exactly society's favourite people, there's nowhere near the same social stigma surrounding smoking as there is surrounding an addiction like heroin.
Anyway, I got a new flavour for my e-cig that I really like (they make probably close to 100 different flavours for this thing; everything from tobacco and menthol to blueberry and chocolate mint), so I'm starting to enjoy using it more. It's also pretty neat that because there isn't any second-hand smoke, I can use it pretty much anywhere, even in places where smoking isn't allowed. And my partner said that he'd quit with me, so that will definitely help a lot.
Gotta give up them vices sooner or later. I really think I can do this. This isn't the first time I've tried to quit, but they say that most people who successfully quit smoking had to try more than once. I'm not exactly sure who "they" are, but I'm hoping that quitting sticks this time. Even if I never truly quit and just replace cigarettes with e-cigs, my lungs will thank me.
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Posted: Tue Jul 09, 2013 5:34 am
I was a smoker, like two packs a day smoker.
I stopped when I found out I was preggers, cold turkey.
Eat a lot of sweets, it helps. D:
Lollypops, chocolate bars, and peppermints helped me a lot.
Also chew gum it helps too.
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Posted: Tue Jul 09, 2013 12:01 pm
Most of the folks I know who use e-cigarettes smoke more than they did before they got one. I like them, but don't have one of my own (I mooch a puff or two from my friends ). They do taste pretty good though and the smell doesn't stick to you.
I kept a journal to help me quit. Every time I caught myself jonesing for a cigarette, I'd take out my journal and write down the reason(s) I wanted one. Then I'd read them out loud to myself and realize how silly and weak-willed I sounded. I convinced myself I was not weak-willed or silly, and that made quitting a little easier. Eventually it got to the point where buying a pack was kinda dumb, because it was just going to sit in my purse getting stale.
Good luck in your decision to quit! <3
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High-functioning Werewolf
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Posted: Wed Jul 10, 2013 2:49 pm
My mother and grandmother used to smoke, but they gave it up. I never found it attractive, especially with second hand smoke making me cough and irritate my eyes. I talked to them and prayed on it and they quit. The only..thing that bugs me is my mother will smoke if she feels particularly stressed. Yeah. But I'll pray for you, ok? heart
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Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 4:51 am
Servant Reborn My mother and grandmother used to smoke, but they gave it up. I never found it attractive, especially with second hand smoke making me cough and irritate my eyes. I talked to them and prayed on it and they quit. The only..thing that bugs me is my mother will smoke if she feels particularly stressed. Yeah. But I'll pray for you, ok? heart Thats why I smoked. It was a nervous habit of mine. I have an anxiety disorder and when I was off meds smoking would help keep me calm. But after giving smoking up and getting meds again it has really helped. I still crave cigs now and then though.
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Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 6:51 am
Crunchy Fetus Servant Reborn My mother and grandmother used to smoke, but they gave it up. I never found it attractive, especially with second hand smoke making me cough and irritate my eyes. I talked to them and prayed on it and they quit. The only..thing that bugs me is my mother will smoke if she feels particularly stressed. Yeah. But I'll pray for you, ok? heart Thats why I smoked. It was a nervous habit of mine. I have an anxiety disorder and when I was off meds smoking would help keep me calm. But after giving smoking up and getting meds again it has really helped. I still crave cigs now and then though. I have an anxiety disorder as well, and amen to stress-smoking. I've always sort of been able to find (bad) excuses not to quit. When I was still relatively early in my heroin addiction recovery my mantra was "one vice at a time!" After I'd been a year clean off opiates, my excuse was that my life was still very stressful and I was waiting for things to calm down. But the reality is, my life is ALWAYS stressful in one way or another, so I've finally admitted that's a stupid excuse, which doesn't leave me with much of a foothold to stand on. At the end of the day, I just really enjoy smoking, whether I'm stressed or after a meal or after I've had a drink or two, or just...when I can't find anything better to do with my hands, honestly. So the e-cig makes it easier in that respect, but since I don't find it as satisfying as a real cigarette, I find myself reaching for it a lot less often. So that's something, I guess.
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Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 6:14 pm
Thank you both for sharing. I may not smoke, but I have a bad habit of over eating when I'm very stressed. It's something I need to be on the look out for, and it is much better for me to pray on it than..trying to make myself feel better by eating. It's not very healthy way to deal with stress. 3nodding Well, I wish you success in quitting and may the Lord be with you. Stay strong. heart
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Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 12:48 pm
Thanks to everyone for the advice, prayers, and well wishes.
Servant, I've never been a stress eater, but at times I have been a stress....starver? Sometimes I don't eat at all when I get stressed. I just lose my appetite and sometimes even if I do force myself to eat, I'll vomit it all up within an hour.
Finally getting psychiatric help, both in terms of therapy and in terms of medication, has helped me to deal with stress in healthier ways, like going for a walk, or going to my favourite park if the weather is good and either reading a book or writing in my journal.
I've always found writing to be a great way to help de-stress myself. Sometimes I write about why I'm stressed, and sometimes I write about something completely unrelated, but putting all that anxious energy into something creative and/or productive helps a lot.
I also frequently practise my violin when I'm stressed, or rather, I just play pieces that I love (as difficult practise sessions are often the CAUSE of much of my stress), or I'll sit down at the piano and either play some of my favourite pieces or just pick a chord progression and just improvise around it for...hours, sometimes.
But writing is a more universally viable option, as I realise not everyone knows how to play a musical instrument, or enjoys playing a musical instrument, or even owns a musical instrument.
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