Why is tonight so hard ?????

[Jules1977]

Cooking dinner, couple of glasses wine, why do I want to smoke so badly !!! This is hard !

[Nancy]

Yes, it is hard, and will be for a while yet.  But it is not impossible, and it will start getting better very soon.  Hang on, enjoy your wine and dinner and just DO NOT smoke!  You are doing great, so just hang in there!

[Devil Doll]

Some of us had to lay off of the wine for a bit early in our quits because it was a huge trigger.

It gets easier, hang it there!

[Jules1977]

Thanks, you guys don't know me but I am a bit of a party animal and it's hard but worth it

[Doreensfree]

There will be curves in the track ,as you travel to freedom..just be on your guard.

Don't stick anything in your mouth and set for to it..everything else is OK..

Alcohol.if you think you might lose your quit..try waiting till your a bit stronger..

But hey..your a fabulous non smoker now..high five !!!

Stay close...

[robrr44]

My wife's 40th b-day party last night. Would have been a celebration during which I would have smoke a pack and a half. Just said NOPE. It's not an option. Drank a bottle of sambuca and still didn't succumb. Just say NOPE and commit. You got this!

[Jules1977]

Yep !!! I agree, it's getting easier now, I dont miss sitting in garden at this time of year when it's 40 deg c outside !

[robrr44]

Awesome to hear! Day by day it gets easier.

[Reciprocity]

You've received great advice from these other fine people so I can't really add much else. Yes, quitting is hard. Very hard in the early days but it will get easier to manage. It's a slow process so you just have to have faith that it will happen for you, as it does for all of us. The most important part is, do not smoke. Not even one puff. There's just no other way to beat this thing.

[Petra]

I drank a lot of wine during my quit, and it enjoyed it very much.  Even after way too much wine, I just told myself NOPE.  There were a few times it was a bit tough after several glasses, but if you are resolved to stop you can do it!!!  Hangovers aren't quite so bad without the smoke hangover that went with it.  :)

 

I loved eating salt and pepper pistachios with wine.  The combo was so good and kept my hands and mouth smoke free.   

[Jules1977]

Petra, I fully agree, the hangovers without the 2 packets of cigs chucked in from the previous night are almost bearable !!

[onthemark]

Jules, the best advise is to commit to NOPE and stick with that.

The problem with alcohol and well, some other drugs, is that their use

lowers inhibitions and can also be a smoking trigger long after... because of

what you learned about after 2 packs of cigs with a hangover..

It's always potentially more risky a situation.

 

The main thing is to be able to be able to recognize if you are truly in danger of losing your quit

and leave the situation if you are.

 

Or get on chat with a crisis guru who has promised to always talk you through or your facebook friends,...

 

but the main point is to plan an escape if you are getting triggered heavily it is really unpleasant anyway and you will be relieved

to get away.

 

KTQ!

[Jules1977]

It is hard, we all know that, and i expect many on hear have tried and failed to quit on previous attempts. Quite honestly I had smoked for 20 years, enjoyed it (or brainwashed myself into thinking i enjoyed it), and this is my first attempt to quit. I am determined to keep it up. I am enjoying not smoking and have no desire to return to 2-3 packets a day.

[Gigi74]

I'm laying off drinking for awhile because I know it's a big trigger for me. That was what caused me to lose my last quit and I won't go down that road again! It's better to abstain if it's something that can put your quit in jeopardy early on. I think all of these things get easier the longer we go. Just protect it!!

[Runfree]

Tracey is spot on when she says if you have the resolve to quit, it will happen. That said, eliminating triggers will help. I'm not a big drinker anyway, but I avoided it for a few months. The most significant was having to spend less time with the bossy big sister! For a while there, I'd go into a tailspin every time she opened her mouth. Just check out the curse thread

[Sirius]

Your mired in associations.  

 

Instead of wine drink grapefruit juice.  

 

That should take you far enough a field that your associations are left behind.