Smoking Cigarettes

[blackdove]

Yes I don't think you are a failure at all and self-pressure makes me want to smoke double the usual amount. There are times in our lives I think when quitting is second to other issues and I know that my current ptsd nightmares, flashbacks etc have led to me relying even more on cigarettes.

A professional who is helping me said that I have bigger problems to worry about at the moment and I agree. There's smoking which may//will lead to an early check-out and then there is trauma stuff that could have the same effect but much sooner (am not feeling that at the moment by the way but believe it to be true) and therefore, I have decided to get the more urgent issues sorted first and unfortunately, quitting smoking is quite a way down the list.

Sounds to me like you and some others are much further along than me and so I am inspired when people try or do manage to quit smoking. The first day is the hardest and if you quit alot then that's alot of first days and that makes you pretty brave in my books! Keep at it.

 

[insomnia]

I know how hard it is to quit smoking I hope you will be able to quit smoking permanently.

A year ago I tried chantix and quit smoking for a few months but as soon as I got off the pills I started smoking.

Just today I'm starting again on chantix but this time I am taking welbutrin too. So I think I have a better chance to quit smoking.

Good luck on quit smoking and take care.

 

[intothelight]

I resurrected this thread as I have put the cigarettes away, again. I have smoked, quit for a decade, smoked again, quit for a few years, smoked again, and quit again. It is another merry-go-round I am sick of and since I have been smoke free for the past four days, I am going to commit to remaining smoke free.

It has always been my "drug" of choice, and it is time to get off this drug.

 

[The Albatross]

Wow am I glad I found this thread. Smoking is my main form of self harm now (other than thoughts). I was 5 years free, and then a year free... I need to quit. I am actually caring for my end stage lung cancer father in law right now. But I haven't been able to beat it back to quit... worthiness has something to do with it.... a sense of being unworth, deep down in my bones.

 

[intothelight]

This is not fun. I hate the increase in feeling depressed. Or maybe it is PTSD, or maybe just my life in general.

 

[Don]

... worthiness has something to do with it.... a sense of being unworth, deep down in my bones.

Sure. I wonder though, if a simplistic approach might be helpful.

Rather than think in terms of being unworthy of your health being restored, perhaps you could wrap your head around the reverse concept of not being worthy enough to enjoy cigarettes as your reason for refraining. True, there's a danger of reinforcing low self-esteem instead of the far more generally worthy theme of boosting our self-esteem. But I think the ends justifies the means here: it's to target the world's worst addictive substance. You might simply be needing a bit of misdirection, a magician doing a too quick for the eye shuffle of the cards, hence the offer of a new tact.

When giving up a habit, I find it greatly helpful to have a substitute activity at hand and ready made. eg. Some smokers trying to quit will wear a rubber band around their wrist (to snap and divert their focus from dwelling on the concept of how so very nice it would be to light up, and take a puff).

Don

ps. Recommended viewing: "Thank you for Smoking", which I found to be a hilarious satire on the tobacco industry.

 

[The Albatross]

Thanks Don, will look up "Thank you for smoking".

 

[221177]

I can relate to this. I go through bouts of saying nope, not smoking anything, that's it, to kick back of 'I can do whatever I want, f rules' so for me it comes down to trusting myself that if I want to smoke I can smoke, if I want to eat xyz donuts I can do that too, my only guide is to try and say to myself, right here right now, is it a cigarette that I really want or is it something else? More often that not, my inner self isn't really wanting cigarettes or food, but I'm wanting self-reassurance, love, or to do something fun. For the times when I really do talk with myself and the answer is 'I really want a cigarette' then I'll have one, and make sure I enjoy every minute.

For me this is all about balance and finding moderation. The more I deny myself something the more it's wanted, so if I just work with myself, have inner dialogue as to what it is I need right now, things seem so much easier.

One day I hope to quit, but my intention for this is only to be able to deal with my emotions more effectively rather than stuffing them down with other things. Until that time, I will enjoy these 'tools/methods of support/crutch' to the best of my abilities.

x

 

[Kintsugi]

Igasho, this is a long thread about tobacco, and I don't want to read all of the posts because it will make me want to smoke. Hah! But in case somebody hasn't already suggested this...
If you are currently still smoking or know someone who is, carry around a mason jar with a little bit of water in it and put out your (or others') cigarettes in the mason jar. When the mason jar is sufficiently gross and disgusting and slimy and smelly (I mean really, really unbearable, mostly full), stop smoking. When you want to smoke, open your trusty jar and take a good long whiff. This process is both extremely successful and extremely repulsive in my experience.