Sober and trying to quit smoking

[GabbieGirl]

I’m new here but I believe in getting help and support from people who understand. I’ve recently gotten sober from alcohol and am very grateful for the new take on life. I want to be smoke free too.. addiction free. I find that cigarettes are doing to me what alcohol used to. I don’t want to continue but have never lived without a crutch. I keep trying to quit on my own but find it’s not working. So I’m reaching out for help hoping that someone with similar experience and advice will reach back.

[jillar]

Welcome gabbie and congratulations on your sobriety. I was a little confused by your quit date and thought you were coming up on a year quit. Have you set a date to quit smoking yet?

I can tell you that I was a 35 year smoker and am convinced I wouldn't have succeeded without the support of others who knew what I was going through at any given moment and could encourage me and let me know it was normal. You will find that here with us. We have lots of good tips, educational topics and even videos. Then if you just want to get your mind off the misery head to our social sections and check those forums out. 

Quitting smoking is doable and we're all proof, so stick close, we're glad you're here

[Lust4Life]

You’ll find a familiar mantra here- one day at a time.  You’ll also find valuable insight and support here.  Welcome!  

[GabbieGirl]

Thank you for the welcome . I appreciate it. My quit date this time is Dec 8, 2019. I will stick close. I willing to learn. Thanks  

[Rozuki]

Welcome aboard, GabbieGirl! Good for you! As L4L stated above...it's one day at a time when it comes to addictions...although I will admit in the beginning for me it was one minute at a time...when I finally made it to about 4 months quit is when I found my first online support group and I believe it has made all the difference in keeping the quit going strong...read everything you can on this site, watch the Joel videos and participate in the forums...and remember to NOPE every day!  

[jillar]

Glad you have a quit date. Forgive me if I'm being too personal but did you make a quit date for stopping drinking? The reason I ask is that, for me, setting a quit date never worked. As the day got closer and closer I would either smoke more or put it off just one more day or week or month or year.

I suggest you just bite the bullet and let's get this started We will be here for you and give you all the support you could need or want

[despair not]

Hl Welcome

 

Ditto to what Jillar said.

It only hurts till you get to about 3 weeks quit  after that its just a matter of willpower.

 

If you start now your 3 weeks will be over by Xmas which time of the year is full of temptations and excuses.

 

 

[Mee]

Welcome gabbie!  Congratulations on the huge accomplishment of becoming sober.  If you can do that, you can quit smoking.  Life is so much better living it free of addiction.

This is a great place for support and help.  Stay close to the forum and shout out when you need us.

[Sazerac]

I, along with the others, encourage you to quit smoking NOW. 

The stress and anxiety that comes with an approaching quit date can easily derail your best intentions.

 

Addiction is nothing to play with. 

Clear you head, make a commitment to NOPE (Not One Puff Ever) and stand by, with all your being, your choice to quit smoking.

This is one of the best decisions you will ever make.

 

You know how good and in control you feel being sober ? (congratulations, btw)

Well, being free of nicotine will bring you even more inner power, self-confidence and a profound trust in yourself.

 

Education is an essential component of a successful quit so read EVERYTHING you can and watch all the videos.

Knowledge of nicotine addiction explains so much of what we go through and what to expect.

 

Here are invaluable resources from our friend, Joel Spitzer, Daily Quitting Lesson Guide

 

and

 

you may find this thread helpful, Ten Ways To Effectively Use This Forum To Stop Using Nicotine

 

There is all the support you may need here.  We are all committed to putting our addiction to sleep and we have some fun along the way.

 

Please avail yourself to what we offer and make the decision to quit asap...you need poison yourself no longer, Freedom is delicious.

 

NOPE-ly yours,

S

 

[johnny5]

Welcome to Quit Train, Gabbie.  Congratulations on becoming sober as well as deciding to quit smoking.  A smoke free life is a great thing and we are all here to help support you.

 

Read up on nicotine addiction on this site and keep participating on the boards.  It really helps.

 

It is great to have you here.

[GabbieGirl]

I didn’t have a quit date for alcohol. I just couldn’t go on one sec longer. I do believe it’s the same with cigarettes. Half measures have never gotten me anywhere. I have started reading info on this site and I will continue. Thank you for the input and support. It’s vital. I really appreciate it ! 

[abbynormal]

@GabbieGirl I don't have much advice to add to what's already been said, but I wanted to welcome you to the Train and to say that I know what it's like to be afraid of giving up your "crutch." I have always had a crutch, since I was a kid. For years it was food, then shopping, then cigarettes, and when I quit cigarettes it went back to food again. (I have bipolar and anxiety disorders, and living without a crutch is, for me, intensely difficult.) I think the only reason I never got addicted to alcohol is that I never liked the taste very much.

 

Learning to live life without masking uncomfortable feelings takes a lot of dedication...and support. Support you can find here. The dedication you find within yourself. It's there, I promise you. Sometimes it takes reaching a breaking point to uncover it. It sounds like that was the case with alcohol for you. Other times, it's wanting to avoid that breaking point that causes us to become dedicated to making change.

 

For example, this year I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that attacks the lungs. I went through a period of several weeks where I struggled to breathe. Fortunately for me, that particular symptom went into a kind of remission after a while, but it scared me straight. I will never take another puff of anything other that fresh air ever again. Because I don't want to wait until I've reached the breaking point of COPD, other lung disease, or cancer before I quit smoking. I know now what it's like to struggle for air. So I'm dedicated to living a smoke-free life.

 

I did, however, return to food as a crutch to get me off the cigarettes. I did what I had to do to protect my lungs. But now I'm ready to make changes in my diet, as well, because my autoimmune disease is making me miserable, and the one thing I can control is what I put into my body.

 

It's all about taking back control. Which isn't easy, I know.

 

Once I give up my addiction to food, I'm going to be left without a crutch. And that thought scares me a lot. I'm going to have to face my depression and anxiety and the trials and tribulations of life without that self-comforting mechanism. I'm working on finding healthier ways of consoling myself. And this is also where having a support system comes in really handy. I'm sticking close to the forum here and to my supports in the 3D world and asking for help when I need it. And I want you to know you can reach out to me for help anytime. I'm here to listen without judgement and to share any insights I've gained from my own experience with addiction. I know there are many others here who are willing to do the same.

 

Wow, I ended up rambling on longer than I intended to!

 

Welcome, and I hope to see more of you!

[Boo]

On 11/20/2019 at 10:23 PM, GabbieGirl said:

I’m new here but I believe in getting help and support from people who understand. I’ve recently gotten sober from alcohol and am very grateful for the new take on life. I want to be smoke free too.. addiction free. I find that cigarettes are doing to me what alcohol used to. I don’t want to continue but have never lived without a crutch. I keep trying to quit on my own but find it’s not working. So I’m reaching out for help hoping that someone with similar experience and advice will reach back.

 

Welcome to the Quit Train Gabbie.

 

Any transformative process you successfully accomplish will have carryover effects.  The means and methods employed in quitting drinking will be similar, if not identical, to those needed to quit smoking.  Quitting one addiction is good practice for quitting other addictions.

 

After I quit smoking, I reduced the amount I drank and eventually gave up alcohol altogether.  With one quit under my belt, the next quit was a breeze.  Experience is the best teacher.

 

You know you have the ability to quit, now it's just a matter of getting to it.  Commit and conquer.

[Vivianne]

Welcome aboard Gabbie! How awesome that you are sober and have decided to quit smoking! Treat the forum as you would do with aa meetings and the sober compagnions, post whenever you feel like it, no shame! We have your back!