Giving up alcohol vs giving up smoking

[allankay]

It?s been well documented that smokers usually drink and drinkers often smoke. But if you had to choose which do you say good bye to?

The fact is that the legal age for a person to buy tobacco and alcohol is the same and it?s adding to our culture of binge drinking and smoking. Why? Because you often pick up both habits at the same time. This makes it so much more difficult to quit one or the other. I have tried to quit smoking so many more times than I have tried to give up alcohol. Once I even managed to remain smoke and alcohol free for 6 months but it is only because I quit both habits at the same time.

I have mentioned in my previous post that due to my drinking relapse I started smoking again. Even though I feel that at least for me, giving alcohol is a hundred times more difficult than smoking I feel that I can?t do one without the other. Every time I smell tobacco I get a strong craving for alcohol. On the other hand giving up smoking without quitting alcohol is nearly impossible. Why? Because giving up cigarettes requires tremendous amount of self control and will power. Alcohol, however, breaks both of these defences down. From my experience and from what I read on the internet it is necessary for a person to give up the drink to quit smoking. And in any case would you really like to have a habit that kills a lot more people than alcohol does?

So I think if you are considering giving up smoking or drinking you got to do it at the same time.

I am interested to hear your opinions.

ALLAN K.

[KisstheBull]

Giving up alcohol vs giving up smoking

I found it pretty easy to give up smoking. I just kept thinking of the smokes being a ball and chain around my ankle and what a pain in the ass it was to make sure I had enough for a nite out or wherever I was going. Then I had to have a light souce.. Lighter, matches, etc. Now with all the non smoking areas there was another deterrant. So I ended up just saying hell with it and stopping. Believe me I miss it at times. Sitting outside by a nice campfire, when having a nice drink, after dinner, etc. Well, now I have to put that friggin ball and chain idea to work again to stop drinking. I sure hope I can do this!

[allankay]

Giving up alcohol vs giving up smoking

Yes, you are absolutely right. The anxiety of running out of cigattes is pathetic and i am very hopeful that this time its for good. The only upside was bonding with the other smokers outside in the freezing cold lol.

I am just starting out AF path, do you have a plan for yours?

[KisstheBull]

Giving up alcohol vs giving up smoking

Lol, I know what you mean...I so miss freezing my butt off having a smoke with my girlfriends:H. As far as a plan for becoming AF, I really have no set plan as of yet. I ordered Jason Vale's book from Amazon but, I haven't received it yet. So far it has prettymuch been seeing how many days I can go w/o AL. I have been taking L-glute. It seems to help with sweet cravings but eh with AL cravings. I have been riding on the good feeling of not having drinks in 3 days so I'm trying to stick with it. How'bout yourself? How are you doing it? How do you handle social situations? All my friends except one know I'm a drinker and they will definately be surprized to see me NOT drinking. Not that I care what they think about that, my concern is not being "pulled in".

[allankay]

Giving up alcohol vs giving up smoking

I will miss smoking breaks and bonding over a cigarette complainig about how we used to be able to blow smoke inside and come back home with burnt holes in our clothes...but that is it.

I have been NF and AF since the first of this month and my goal is to abstain from social environment and after work drinks for 30 days (making up excuses as i go) before breaking the news to my friends. Last time i quit for 6 months just for my family to criticise me for not drinking. They now live in Spain amoung other Brits and drinking is a daily thing for them and they really dont thinks its a problem. even though my parents took an early retirement i see some 60-80 people who they invite over drink until they are intoxicated, it just blows my mind. I guess they have nothing else to do, its party, after party over there, everyone knows each other so its a pretty good environment. So the last time I was there my parent kept saying why dont you just enjoy yourself, you are with family and you are not going to have a drink? It's prety amazing that not even mature people realise that getting drunk at least twice a week is not normal and needs to be addressed.

ALLAN K.

[Lavande]

Giving up alcohol vs giving up smoking

Hi Allan,

I guess we truly are all different!
In my case giving up smoking was much harder & I believe it's because I smoked much longer than I drank. We all started smoking as very young teens but with the legal age to buy booze here (21) drinking wasn't that big in my circle of friends. Although I drank after age 21, it was purely social. The smoking, looking back at it was an almost immediate addiction. Drinking didn't become an issue for me until I was in my 40's

You can see from my signature line I gave up one beast at a time. It was rough but completely doable.
Good luck!

Lav

[FallenAngel]

Giving up alcohol vs giving up smoking

IMO, the "last crutch" is the hardest

For me, both were very hard. I quit smoking first. I found that in the evenings when I got a craving to have a smoke, I would just pour another glass of wine.... that would instantly give me relief. I ended up drinking more by the end of my first year of quitting smoking than I had been before I quit.
When I quit drinking, what I found very hard was that it was my "last crutch"... I no longer had anything easy & familiar to fall back on when i wanted to relax or escape. That was the real tough part for me. For the first time in my adult life I had to find other ways than substance abuse to find my "peace".

[FreeFly]

Giving up alcohol vs giving up smoking

Both together for me - they literally go hand in hand. For the last few of years I only smoked when I had a drink. This showed me that it was literally a psychological mindset. Previously I'd been a 'proper' smoker. No way I could give up smoking without drinking as drinking weakens my resolve, and for some bizarre reason they tasted good together (well ok in my head they did). Absolutely no desire for a cigarette without alcohol. All of this however, has been helpful in me believing I can quit both - I know they're just habits and I can live without them. So, in early recovery of both revolting substances

[allankay]

Giving up alcohol vs giving up smoking

FreeFly, I can’t agree more. I used to be a heavily smoker - a pack a day, a few years back. But over the years I smoked less and less. Eventually cigarettes made me gag sober but were irresistible to me drunk. I quit both at the same time after reading a few article on the internet that suggested that people have had a lot more success quitting both together. So far it has been 28 days.

Now I love smelling fresh. I bought a bunch of method products. My hands now smell like summer

AK

[K9Lover]

Giving up alcohol vs giving up smoking

Allan,

I SERIOUSLY admire you for giving up both at the same time. I kept smoking after quitting drinking, I justified it by saying "whatever it takes to not drink". I tried quitting one other time before this one, I lasted 30 days. Currently I am on day 33 and have no desire at all! I guess I just needed to be ready, like with alcohol. I honestly don't know which one was harder...they were different "quits" for me...if that makes any sense

[paulywogg]

Giving up alcohol vs giving up smoking

i still smoke but id rather do that than drink,at least im in my head and cant get a dui from smoking

[allankay]

Giving up alcohol vs giving up smoking

Hi K9, thank you! I think you set a good example As I mentioned before I started smoking and drinking around the same time and they were part of one big addiction. I could never drink without smoking and smoking often triggered a drinking urge. I have managed to cut down and would smoke just a few cigarettes here and there; however, I could easily finish a pack and a half while drinking.

I miss the taste of AL a bit more than cigarettes, probably because they are nasty. It?s hard to explain to a non smoker that you hate the taste and the smell of the thing but you still smoke...?!?!? Now I am hyper sensitive to the smell of tobacco, if anyone smokes within a half mile radius I will know

On the way home I casually thought about a beer, consciously processed the thought and let it flow out of me. I think that the key not to get obsessed with AL. Acknowledge the thought and let it go.

ALLAN

[allankay]

Giving up alcohol vs giving up smoking

Pauly, smoking is worse for your health than drinking but has lees social impact. So its choosing evil over evil. If it helps you to quit AL then you are probably doing the right thing.

AK

[K9Lover]

Giving up alcohol vs giving up smoking

paulywogg;1384160 wrote: i still smoke but id rather do that than drink,at least im in my head and cant get a dui from smoking

That was my reasoning too Pauly...I figured "well, at least I won't black out from a cig". I agree that smoking does more damage to your body in a quicker amount of time...but like Allan said, it's picking the lesser of two evils. I had to smoke until I was ready to quit...bottom line. Nobody could have forced me. I broke that promise to my daughter for YEARS...now I am finally keeping it. I have a sign up by the door leading to my back yard (my old drinking spot), it's the Japanese symbol for "Promise"....it reminds me that I not only promised my child, but myself and my HP also. I won't break it this time.

[allankay]

Giving up alcohol vs giving up smoking

K9, I agree with you about being ready. I think a person needs to be in a special place to give up a strong addiction like tobacco or AL. I feel different this time around and have very little doubt unlike the times before it. Having a plan helps a lot too.

K9, what is HP and DB?

AK