Quit smoking and now quitting drinking!

[swans]

Quit smoking and now quitting drinking!

FallenAngel;494739 wrote:
Hello Swans & congratulations on your quits! Yes, I can totally relate. There are many similarities to the two addictions, and we can use what we have learned from one to help us with the other. The strength & determination that I got from quitting smoking, is what gave me the confidence to know that I can do whatever I set my mind to doing...it just takes perseverance, patience & also we must choose to love, respect & be gentle with ourselves...something we have probably forgotten how to do over the course of our lives.

For me, quitting drinking seemed to be harder than when I quit smoking, but I think that had to do with it being my "last crutch". I think if I had quit drinking first, I would have found that going nicotine-free more difficult. Now that I have become totally comfortable being a non-smoker & non-drinker, life keeps getting better & better!

Stay strong in your resolve, the rewards that await you are far greater than you can imagine

Congratulations fallen angel on your success, thanks, very inspiring, yes you are right drinking is the last crutch for me, sometimes I still want that cigarette and I struggle with maybe quitting drinking will be easier as a smoker, but I know that its my mind playing tricks, and I will feel even worse about myself afterwards. I hate addiction, wish I had never started any of this. Thanks for the support all of you

[kaponium]

Quit smoking and now quitting drinking!

SWANS!!!! How you doin, darl? I certainly would not attempt to give up smoking as well (just yet, anyway) - but I really admire your efforts to date, and love reading your strength and hope. I believe others' input and encouragement extremely important...

I do not smoke a lot (about four per day), and NEVER take my cigs out with me ANYWHERE. Sometimes this means I am VERY looking forward to getting home (lol) but I found this a really good method of cutting back.

Glad to see you here, and hoping all going good, Swans

[Evie.Lou]

Quit smoking and now quitting drinking!

I think Cigs are harder for many to quit.i never smoked....only because i have a huge fear of fire.
i never even lite a match until I was 25yrs.old
If I had started smoking it would have probably done me in.
In my world, anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

[swans]

Quit smoking and now quitting drinking!

Thanks for the support Evie Lou, I loved fire unfortunately, and being cool was way better in high school, what did I know?
Kapo Girl!!!!!!! Where have you been?????I haven't seen you in the last few days, well.........4 cigarettes a day are ok in my book, I wish I could do that!!!!It was more like a pack a day for me, and I coughed all the time, energy is much better, I can actually work out and take a cardio class at the gym. Drinking is my LAST project. Good to see you spongebob:-)

[veritas]

Quit smoking and now quitting drinking!

I found that smoking was physically much harder for me, the cravings came on fast and frequent and they could be very strong. It helped me to read that a nicotine craving, although frequent, does not last that long. It was a matter of dealing with one craving at a time.

I am not feeling physical cravings with alcohol, more psychological. I am however finding that they are more difficult to push away. I have too many memory triggers, like the bottlestore right next to my office. Now that I have realisd that the danger period is from 4-8, I am coping better.

[Silly Bugger]

Quit smoking and now quitting drinking!

Just a newbie from New Zealand who happened to catch this thread and felt compelled to respond.

I was a heavy smoker until nearly 4 years ago (I'm 52 now) and Allen Carr's book was the key to my stopping, even though I ended up having to read it twice before I finally, truly, got it. I went from a 30 gram packet of loose tobacco a day to absolutely zero smoking overnight. And here's the best thing... I have never felt that I have "given up" anything at all - that's the powerful thing about his approach.

As I see it, Marbella hit the nail on the head by recognising that the addiction is/was 90% psychological. As we think - so we are.

So anyway, now I need to get started on the booze thing, and that's why I'm here.

Simon

[johnnyh]

Quit smoking and now quitting drinking!

Interestingly my smoking has gone to almost zero over the last couple of months. (besides the odd smokes over a couple of drinks.)

Now that I'm off the booze I am starting to smoke again. It helps me with the cravings.

Well hopefully I manage not to develop it into a new habit. (replace one with the other).

[veritas]

Quit smoking and now quitting drinking!

I nteresting that you say that, Johnnyh. I don't smoke, but my coffee intake has gone through the roof. Not only that, but it's not keeping me awake.

[swans]

Quit smoking and now quitting drinking!

I can relate, I now drink coffee like a mad woman, but it wont kill me.........tobbaco will!!!!!! I smoked for 20 years before quitting. This is my 3rd try and I refuse to go back to smoking in order to quit drinking, no matter what!!! Johhny you will just replace one addiction with the other by increasing your smoking, I really think these addictions are very intertwined with one another. My mind still plays tricks on me and tells me to smoke so that I can quit the drinking, I actually fell for that last time I quit and I wound up drinking and smoking a larger amount than ever.

[boozehag]

Quit smoking and now quitting drinking!

I gave up both together as they were so completely interlinked for me. I never drank without smoking and I never smoked without drinking. I used champix to get me my first 30 days AF & NF. That was nearly 9 months ago now and I havent smoked since and I have hardly drank at all in that period and only once to excess. I believe that one of the major reason why I can mod now is because luckily it would seem that without the double whammy of AL and nicotene my brain just doesnt see any point in drinking. A friend of mine has been completely AF for 12 months but she has smoked more to compensate and to help with the cravings and she is now wishing that she had done both together as she now has to tackle the smoking which is another big challenge.
BH

[boozehag]

Quit smoking and now quitting drinking!

Oh yes and I too am drinking way more coffee! It seems to be my replacement reward. What are we like!
BH

[johnnyh]

Quit smoking and now quitting drinking!

Hey.

Yeah. True. I drink more coffee as well. Anything with a bit of a kick.

I'll definately won't develop it into a fully blown habit again (the smoking). But it helps with the cravings at the moment and seems to be the lesser evil?!

[midway]

Quit smoking and now quitting drinking!

Swans,I am midway thru two addictions.Stopped the smoking over year ago,what an adventure,lots of willpower,still miss it,but getting better with time,feel 100% better.

For any one trying to quit nicotine try whyquit.com,Alot like this site lots of info and support from good people,just like this site.Without that info and support id still be puffing.

25+ year drinker,functional al I guess.Just started reading and waiting for book.I feel the bodys breaking down from abuse,time to stop or slow right down.

af three days sometimes.Tiredness and some strange feelings,dont feel normal at all.
4th day AL only thing on the mind,start again in afternoon,then weeks,then af for 3 more,and on and on and on.

all i can do is read,read,read and know I already have some determined willpower in me.

I feel AL is going to be worse to control or quit.

Good luck.

[swans]

Quit smoking and now quitting drinking!

Hi Midway, and :welcome: You are making the right choice, there is only so much abuse our bodies can take and its amazing HOW MUCH it actually puts up with. I suggest you take the supplements recommended in the book, it makes the withdrawals tolerable, keep posting

[changemylife]

Quit smoking and now quitting drinking!

Wow, Much of my life is in the 29 posts above.

I quit smoking for 6 months 5 years ago. That would be the time I started drinking heavily. Heavily turned into home alone out of my mind every night. I went back to smoking and did both heavily for the next 4 years.

I have been NF for almost 4 weeks. Extremely difficult until I read Allan Carr's Book last week.

I am meeting my AL Goals except for 1 slip up which I have forgiven myself for. I am going to read Allen Carr's book on drinking also in the hopes that it will reinforce my current goals.

I must say that it is rediculous the amount of coffe I am drinking lately. Do I need to work on that also?