• Welcome to the Anxiety Community Forum, a friendly space for discussion, help and support with mental health issues. Please register to post and use the extra features available to members. Click here to register.Everyone is welcome!

Quitting Smoking

ThankfulJen

ThankfulJen

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2021
Messages
962
Reaction score
756
Thank you all! I failed. I'm not going to lie. But I'm not going to give up. Starting over again until I get it right.
 
Cuchculan

Cuchculan

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2019
Messages
4,810
Reaction score
3,573
As the great Peter Griffin once said ' If at first you don't succeed, give up, it is not worth it '.

Not an easy thing to do. You are used to smoking at certain times. Might have to find something else to do with your hands. @bin_tenn get your mind out of the gutter. I live there. :p
 
bin_tenn

bin_tenn

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2019
Messages
3,498
Reaction score
2,051
Cuchculan said:
As the great Peter Griffin once said ' If at first you don't succeed, give up, it is not worth it '.

Not an easy thing to do. You are used to smoking at certain times. Might have to find something else to do with your hands. @bin_tenn get your mind out of the gutter. I live there. :p
Click to expand...
We'll be roommates then, because I'm not leaving either.

Try to kick me out and see what happens. As the great Peter Griffin also said: "Roadhouse!"
 
B

Belizz

Active Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2020
Messages
438
Reaction score
196
ThankfulJen said:
Thank you all for your advice, recommendations, confidence. I am ready for this. I'm ready to be able to breathe again. To have a life not dependant on a cigarette to get me through. I need to pray. This is going to be hard!
Click to expand...
Sorry for the late reply,
Go Jen! You can do this. I am so proud of you as a non-smoker :D
I know for a fact that people start smoking for many different reasons and I can understand the psychology behind it. I am an addict of some other things, so. Same logic.
I was a second hand smoker most of my childhood and teenage life, but my dad decided to quit smoking after his ENT doctor said to him "well it's totally up to you to quit smoking or not, but it's my duty to tell you that one more cigarette and you have cancer". I was there with him and when we left the doctor's office my father quit smoking cold turkey right there, even though he had one cigarette left in his package, he threw it to the trash can.
It's going to be hard but you can do that. Some people can quit it cold turkey some really can't.
Do it the way you feel most comfortable. Resist the temptations, you will be fine <3
 
J

Jonathan123

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2021
Messages
1,466
Reaction score
1,623
Nicotine is a drug. We all know that, and like any drug it can become addictive. Having said that it can be stopped, and these days many doctors will give good advice on how to. You may not believe this but when I was a kid, (Dinosaurs were around then. :mad::mad:), you were allowed to smoke in a doctors's surgery. Honest! And in hospital!!
Thank God that has all changed. The old song by one of the old Western singers comes to mind.
"Cigarettes are the curse of the whole human race.
A man is a monkey with one in his face.
Take warning dear stranger,
Take warning dear brother,
A fire on one end and a fool on tother".
 
B

Bibi

New Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2021
Messages
2
Reaction score
2
I gave up 3 times since covid. First time cold turkey for 3 months. I basically quit cold turkey as was frightened that smoking would make covid worse, which it does, and I’d end up on a ventilator was enough of an incentive for me. I had many withdrawal issues mainly gum related and weight gain related. I then started smoking again a pack a week for a month. But I just didn’t like it so stopped again. This time though I got vapes as a back up. But I don’t like the vapes so I decided I’d put up with some weight gain, the oral problems started to improve and just keep going with the not smoking. I liked not having cigarettes controlling me, I also no longer liked the taste or smell. I liked the money I saved and have put all that money on extra nice things for me like a new phone a laptop an iPad and an Apple Watch. Its now 11 months since I last touched a cigarette. I have no urge to smoke and have totally replaced with other nicer things. I’m now focussing on losing weight, I gained a stone and a half, I’ve lost the half so far, and exercise. The main problem I’m left with is anxiety I hadn’t realised that I used cigarettes to cope with stress. That’s been hard to deal with, it’s an ongoing battle but I realise now ciggies weren’t helping me cope they were actually holding me back. But still if it takes another year to get totally healed it will be worth it to feel freer. The irony fir me is now my anxiety is running wild that’s affecting my breathing, I get a tight chest feeling, which is very unpleasant. But I’m still glad I gave up and you can too. You just must have your little coping strategies set up and ready, you’ll have to try different things that work for you, tweak them and try again. For me the biggest trick I have , is to know I do not want to smoke but if I choose to at any time in the future if I want to have one that much I will, but it doesn’t mean I’ll ever go back to smoking. I can’t stand the memory of the taste or smell at all, and I certainly wouldn’t choose to go through the withdrawal symptoms again. By the way I smoked for 30byears, a couple of packs a week. Never indoors all outside, my other half does not smoke, which helps. Be brave and just try, and if you falter just try it again. The more you try and do it the more you realise you CAN do it!
 
J

Jonathan123

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2021
Messages
1,466
Reaction score
1,623
Bibi said:
I gave up 3 times since covid. First time cold turkey for 3 months. I basically quit cold turkey as was frightened that smoking would make covid worse, which it does, and I’d end up on a ventilator was enough of an incentive for me. I had many withdrawal issues mainly gum related and weight gain related. I then started smoking again a pack a week for a month. But I just didn’t like it so stopped again. This time though I got vapes as a back up. But I don’t like the vapes so I decided I’d put up with some weight gain, the oral problems started to improve and just keep going with the not smoking. I liked not having cigarettes controlling me, I also no longer liked the taste or smell. I liked the money I saved and have put all that money on extra nice things for me like a new phone a laptop an iPad and an Apple Watch. Its now 11 months since I last touched a cigarette. I have no urge to smoke and have totally replaced with other nicer things. I’m now focussing on losing weight, I gained a stone and a half, I’ve lost the half so far, and exercise. The main problem I’m left with is anxiety I hadn’t realised that I used cigarettes to cope with stress. That’s been hard to deal with, it’s an ongoing battle but I realise now ciggies weren’t helping me cope they were actually holding me back. But still if it takes another year to get totally healed it will be worth it to feel freer. The irony fir me is now my anxiety is running wild that’s affecting my breathing, I get a tight chest feeling, which is very unpleasant. But I’m still glad I gave up and you can too. You just must have your little coping strategies set up and ready, you’ll have to try different things that work for you, tweak them and try again. For me the biggest trick I have , is to know I do not want to smoke but if I choose to at any time in the future if I want to have one that much I will, but it doesn’t mean I’ll ever go back to smoking. I can’t stand the memory of the taste or smell at all, and I certainly wouldn’t choose to go through the withdrawal symptoms again. By the way I smoked for 30byears, a couple of packs a week. Never indoors all outside, my other half does not smoke, which helps. Be brave and just try, and if you falter just try it again. The more you try and do it the more you realise you CAN do it!
Click to expand...
Of course, it's why people smoke, to relieve stress as with caffeine. The big problem with anxiety sufferers who smoke is that they are already keyed up so nicotine becomes even more addictive. For a while, after being off your particular drug, you will feel more anxious. It's withdrawal symptoms. But as you rightly say, it's well worth it for your physical health. I think you have done amazingly well, and good luck for further progress. We all have to be patient with time, and giving up smoking does need a lot of patience.
 
Cuchculan

Cuchculan

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2019
Messages
4,810
Reaction score
3,573
No harm in not actually managing to quit after telling everybody you are going to quit. Like everything else in life, these things can take time. Have heard many times from people who were quitting smoking. They all still smoke. i don't see them as failures. Just think they jumped the gun in telling people what they were going to do. Everything takes time. I would guess people saying they are quitting smoking is the biggest thing said that never does happen. As we all know the dangers of smoking. What it can do to our health. Which is why I would never say I was quitting smoking. If I ever tried I would just do it. That way nobody else would have to know. If you tell others you might think you are letting those people down if you do continue to smoke. And that is the wrong way to think. Just piles on the pressure. Which might actually make you smoke more.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top