Hey Col,,Good job on the cigs!

Yes I did everything all at once as I was not only drinking to oblivion for over 25 years also but smoking(at least burning) 3 packs a day and an ounce of herb a ard ship,day(was dealing for many years) and was obviously wreaking havoc(cigarettes out to sea on board ship when I was in the Navy(65-70) were a dollar a carton,used to smoke em and gamble with them)...I was sick and craving for quite awhile(probably a year or more until I didnt crave a fag after a big meal)Today just like Ethanol my stomach gets sick when I smell either and being around smoke bothers me still(Tough drumming with different bands in smoke filled clubs even after I quit)We all react differently and My life was deteriorating so rapidly that I figured I would cold turkey on everything including people ,places and things..Reclused for quite awhile,not recommending it but it was what I did. People were fiending up on fags and caffeine when I came around in '84 and I knew I couldnt use any of those substances although today I do love Green Mountain Dark Magic coffee....There is no smoking in our houses anymore and most people I know have their company smoke outside,,Im not rigid about it cause I know during my addiction to cigs I smoked many people out,I usually just remove myself..I can only suggest what WE subscribe to in our own process,WE don't pick up,we take it day at a time and the day will come when we lose the desire for some sooner than later.Give it time ,if you want it bad enough it will come....I smoked Pall mall,Camels,and Lucky Strikes,they would stick to my lips and rip the skin off(gross picture)and when I was twisted ,which was always,I would burn myself repeatedly and had the most wonderful color of burnt yellow on my fingers.....Truly blessed  and grateful I was able to put them aside.My brother in law had a heart attack and has severe emphysyma and still smokes like a chimney,can we say death wish!!! WE can identify huh....In support and prayer.

 

 

((((Col))))  I had to quit sometime and it was in sobriety and I knew the warnings which made sense to me.  I was hugely addicted to nicotine and when I didn't have one in me or near I would stoop to anything, place or one to get one.  Yes I've taken them out of the gutter, bathroom floors, other people's ashtrays and more.  I was addicted and quitting or stopping for good was harder than booze because smoking to me was so benign in comparison.  When I first stopped; about 5 years into sobriety I made it for maybe a week and then I got so screwed up with withdrawals I went to the drug store and bought a pack and lit up in front of the cashier standing next to the "no smoking in the store" sign...I almost did the entire cigarette in one drag...I was so dropped because I was relapsing that I threw the new pack to the ground in the parking lot and then got in my car and headed down to my neighborhood liquor store.  I never made it because the trauma of being taken out of nicotine and heading back to booze got me over to the curb where I just sat and cried.   I went from 84 until the late 90ies and went back to smoking ceptin I went to cigars because a cigarette no longer contained enough nicotine for my system...I smoke and inhaled every cigar down to the nub...the lip burning nub and then with the help of HP stopped again and after a while relapsed back to cigars as many and as often as I could and then stopped with the home group buddy who also relapsed and one Christmas eve offered me a cigar that accidentally fell  out of his pocket.  Of course I said yes and before the ssssss of yes was said I was smoking again fully aware that I was being swept away in a very ugly form of slavery.   The wet slimy hot cigar nub fell out of my mouth an onto the ground and I scrambled to pick it up so that it could nurse me back into slavery.  My lungs ached and I was sure I had done myself in this time.   I am tuberculic...my Dad died from that disease and I got the addiction genetically.  Alcohol at birth...regardless of mother or father may predesign undeveloped lungs.  Anyway I got a check up which favored me and haven't gone back to smoking since.  I now am working on being around smokers...second hand smoke is also very very bad on folks.    For me it was much more difficult staying smoke free than it was alcohol free.  We get great tools in AA for our recovery from alcohol addiction...they can be used for other addictions too.

Great post....good luck; in support and service.  ((((hugs)))) 

Colleen, I pray that you God gives you strength.

Congrats on your effort to quit smoking Col ... if you learn any secrets, let me know ... I need to quit too ...

I use a great resource to help me quit and keep my quit from cigars/smoking. I can recomend a tiny bit of cross polinization...check out Quitnet.com. They have great blogs/posts that can walk you through the withdrawal processes. They have great active bulletin boards for support and inspiration. I use the 40+group for my accountability group and pledge daily to keep my quit alive. Other groups can be as active or more active. You may need to check out a few different ones to find one that works for you. They also have a live chat that is almost always busy. You can use them in times of stress or doubt. They are great at rewarding the positive and providing a touchstone for your quit.

No matter what... sobriety is great...and the Quit is JUST AS GREAT!!!


so cool that you made this decision. Congrats...and check out all the resources available to you.

3 days quit = make your wrist band to celbrate (bracelet)
describe it...place importance on it...claim it...and celebrate the 4 days you have...1/2 way through heck week.

Never forget to celebrate your Anniversaries in your Quits. We need every excuse we can find.

Craig
quit for 627days.

Oh Craig, I copied the web site info you gave, in case I can muster up enough desire to quit myself ... thanks man !!!

I quit at about 20 years sober, and went right back to step one. I didn't connect it at the time, but I had issues with anger for about three years after and nothing I did seemed to have any effect. A few years later I met an old AA buddy of mine who had 3 years of anger after she gave up smoking, and when she told me about that it all made sense.

It seem that the cigs were my way of dealing with stressful situations and I don't believe I was properly sober until I gave them up. If I got up tight about something I would have a smoke to calm me down, and when I couldn't do that, I just stayed angry. To my mind there was little or no difference from using some other kind of mood altering substance to make me feel better.

The silly thing is I gave up once in early sobriety, for a nice wee gal, and it was easy. But when we split I stupidly made the decision to start again. the second time around was pure hell.

I also was once of the mind that the smoking should be left until we are stronger in sobriety, but I think I was wrong on that. If yu are an alcoholic and smoker of my type, you might well be taken all the way back to step 1 and all the discomfort that that entails. Why go through it twice if you don't have to. If you feel the need to quit, now is as good a time as any, and a lot better than putting it of for 20 years as I did.

God bless,
MikeH.

Col,
You rock.
Tom

Thank you dear!

Love you too Mike ; )

Well... I made it through week 1. Yes, I was a bit of a lunatic- anger was the underlying theme of the week, as was prayer. I really, really wanted to be that Zen person that was totally cool with my decision to give up the smokes. I must say.. I kinda was at times. Then again there were a few tantrums and moments of pure desperate despair. Although I wouldn't put cigarettes on par with booze, my addiction to them is very strong. I'm almost childlike in my cravings for them... I have to force logic into the equation. I feel like I kept my tantrums under control for the most part ... With a few exeptions. One notable and comical (in hindsight) exception occurred last night at work. Some advice for anyone who works in customer service and decides to quit smoking cold turkey? Take a few days off:) Anyway- I had an interaction with a customer that did not go as planned, and my reaction was to throw a stapler (yup)... Not at them, but at the wall after they had left. My boss, who witnessed this, made some crack about how I 'just showed THEM'... Which was meant to be funny. I failed to see the humor as I stormed away and shouted at my nearest coworker who smokes "don't ever quit smoking! It SUCKS!!"... And then proceeded to burst into tears. Ok, so on my little list of 'Common Nicotine Withdrawral Symptoms' infantile behavior is listed- check- hahaha. Anyway- into my 2nd week of not smoking and trying my best to incorporate the principles of the program. I'm gonna need a whole lot of serenity.

Well done Col.

You are doing very well. On reflection I think I found smoking tougher than the booze to give up. The thing that got me was the powerful cravings. Kinda different to alcohol because one smoke would satisfy the craving for a good while. I never had the urge to smoke till I passed out. With booze, the craving came after the drink, and I had to carry on till the end of the spree.

The anger that came up was a surprise. Thank goodness for 10, 11 and 12. Constant application of these principles, especially 10, was what kept me sober and connected to God. Those steps allowed me to make mistakes, but also gave me the means to restore my serenity.
Prayers for you:)

God bless
MikeH

p.s. Thank you guys, I love you too! :)