Archive for the ‘Cig’ tag
Alice rides again…
All right guys, here I go again... tomorrow is my new quit date. I am GOING to kick it this time! I'm posting this tonight so I can read it first thing tomorrow morning and jump-start my motivation in the AM. I don't usually have my first cig under after work, so I need to keep positive thoughts in my head all morning so I'm feeling strong when the workday ends... it's always that feeling of ah...works over, that I deserve a cig. BUT no - that's not what I deserve! I deserve to drive home, breathing deeply, feeling relaxed, not worried about ashes all over the car or flicking a butt into the backseat..
I've been listening to Allen Carr's Easy Way to stop smoking, and I'm really digging a lot of what he says. He talks about how when you stop smoking, you're not losing anything, you're gaining so much - you're health, money... About how smoking actually causes more anxiety - thinking, do I have cigs, will I be able to smoke where I'm going, how much money am I spending, what's it doing to my body... that smokers think that smoking relieves anxiety, but that the anxiety is actually caused by the smoking in the first place - remove the smoking, and you remove that anxiety...
I know for me, the last time I quit, the big reason was I was dating a guy who despised it, and so really I quit because of him. The relationship didn't work out, and I think part of me was trying to be - hey, I'm single now, I can do what I want and what I want is a cigarette... I still talk to the guy and when I have a day where I feel positive that things are going to work out between us, I don't want to smoke, and when I feel like things are going badly, it's like, I just give up, what the hell... I need to untie cigarettes from other parts of my life and just recognize smoking for what it is - it's not a declaration of independence, it's a filty, nasty habit that is costly me my health and boatloads of money. I need to know that I can still enjoy my life without smoking, because I certainly did it when I quit before, for almost 2 years, and plus - non-smokers do it everyday!
I'm going to try posting more this time, since it seems to help to get it out and also makes it harder for me to BS myself. You get that little voice in your head, and I listen to it way too often.
So wish me luck on ANOTHER day 1 tomorrow - thanks for all here for the encouragement you've given me so far!
chippa - how is your wife doing with her quit?
-Alice
I've been listening to Allen Carr's Easy Way to stop smoking, and I'm really digging a lot of what he says. He talks about how when you stop smoking, you're not losing anything, you're gaining so much - you're health, money... About how smoking actually causes more anxiety - thinking, do I have cigs, will I be able to smoke where I'm going, how much money am I spending, what's it doing to my body... that smokers think that smoking relieves anxiety, but that the anxiety is actually caused by the smoking in the first place - remove the smoking, and you remove that anxiety...
I know for me, the last time I quit, the big reason was I was dating a guy who despised it, and so really I quit because of him. The relationship didn't work out, and I think part of me was trying to be - hey, I'm single now, I can do what I want and what I want is a cigarette... I still talk to the guy and when I have a day where I feel positive that things are going to work out between us, I don't want to smoke, and when I feel like things are going badly, it's like, I just give up, what the hell... I need to untie cigarettes from other parts of my life and just recognize smoking for what it is - it's not a declaration of independence, it's a filty, nasty habit that is costly me my health and boatloads of money. I need to know that I can still enjoy my life without smoking, because I certainly did it when I quit before, for almost 2 years, and plus - non-smokers do it everyday!
I'm going to try posting more this time, since it seems to help to get it out and also makes it harder for me to BS myself. You get that little voice in your head, and I listen to it way too often.
So wish me luck on ANOTHER day 1 tomorrow - thanks for all here for the encouragement you've given me so far!
chippa - how is your wife doing with her quit?
-Alice
Why are cigarettes & caffeine exceptions in AA/NA
Nicotine & caffeine are mood-altering chemicals... yet it's commonly accepted that they will not "lead us back" to our DOC in the same way that drugs like alcohol or pot will.
Why the distinction? I definitely enjoy smoking & drinking coffee...and would definitely consider myself addicted to nicotine. Is it because these drugs don't have the capacity to make my life truly unmanageable? Let's say I was sober from ALL drugs and "relapsed" by chugging an energy drink and smoking a cig. I would definitely feel great and get "buzzed." Where is that line between mood-altering chemicals that exempts nicotine and caffeine?
I know I'm playing devils advocate here but it's something I've wondered from day one.
Why the distinction? I definitely enjoy smoking & drinking coffee...and would definitely consider myself addicted to nicotine. Is it because these drugs don't have the capacity to make my life truly unmanageable? Let's say I was sober from ALL drugs and "relapsed" by chugging an energy drink and smoking a cig. I would definitely feel great and get "buzzed." Where is that line between mood-altering chemicals that exempts nicotine and caffeine?
I know I'm playing devils advocate here but it's something I've wondered from day one.
Beer in the Garage
Just sitting here on a lonely but calm Sat, the eve before my 1st week sober, reading the posts from my new friends on SR. I wanted to share a ridiculus habit I used to have.
When I am not working on the road, I am at home and "on vacation", therefore, I got to drink everyday.
Edit - When I am not at home, I would drink then as well, but becasue I was lonely, or had job stress, or a sore back, or it was a business function, or it was hump day, etc, etc..
I used to have my inside beer and my outside beer. The difference? The inside one I would sip slowly and make last maybe 30 - 45 mins. I would have about 3 - 4 of the inside beers a day. Every 30 - 45 mins I would also head out to the garrage for a cigarette. I'd leave my inside beer beside my inside chair and sit down in the smoking chair, light up and have about half my cig. As is customary, cigarettes cause me to thirst, so I'd grab a beer from the small fridge I have out there and chug it. I could have an entire bottle done in about 3 long swallows, roughly 20 seconds. I'd then hide the bottle in one of the always partially full cases I keep to ensure a consistant count cannot be made. On average, I'd likely have 8-9 beers a day, plus a strong rum and coke, maybe half bottle of cabernet as well.
I can't believe that I could tell myself that was an acceptable ammount to drink, that I was just like everyone else.
ALmost day 7, feeling great. Day 7 will also be 3 weeks without cigarettes, which is equally as awesome. Plus I started working out again, I am huge.
Traid.
One more edit...out of curiosity, did anyone else ever get to a point that no matter how much they drank, there would be no hangover? AT least not like the first days of drinking, just a crappy feeling, but no headache, sickness, etc?
When I am not working on the road, I am at home and "on vacation", therefore, I got to drink everyday.
Edit - When I am not at home, I would drink then as well, but becasue I was lonely, or had job stress, or a sore back, or it was a business function, or it was hump day, etc, etc..
I used to have my inside beer and my outside beer. The difference? The inside one I would sip slowly and make last maybe 30 - 45 mins. I would have about 3 - 4 of the inside beers a day. Every 30 - 45 mins I would also head out to the garrage for a cigarette. I'd leave my inside beer beside my inside chair and sit down in the smoking chair, light up and have about half my cig. As is customary, cigarettes cause me to thirst, so I'd grab a beer from the small fridge I have out there and chug it. I could have an entire bottle done in about 3 long swallows, roughly 20 seconds. I'd then hide the bottle in one of the always partially full cases I keep to ensure a consistant count cannot be made. On average, I'd likely have 8-9 beers a day, plus a strong rum and coke, maybe half bottle of cabernet as well.
I can't believe that I could tell myself that was an acceptable ammount to drink, that I was just like everyone else.
ALmost day 7, feeling great. Day 7 will also be 3 weeks without cigarettes, which is equally as awesome. Plus I started working out again, I am huge.
Traid.
One more edit...out of curiosity, did anyone else ever get to a point that no matter how much they drank, there would be no hangover? AT least not like the first days of drinking, just a crappy feeling, but no headache, sickness, etc?
Temptaions
I'm sure you all have temptations. So I thought I'd start this thread so we can all talk about it, and share with each other how we said "NO!"
My temptation today came from my neighbor. He didn't know that I quit drinking, and started going to AA. He came over to bum a cig from me. Told me he'd trade me a couple beers for a cig! Oh boy! 10 days ago, I'd have been happy to do it! What a deal! TWO beers for one cig!?!?! But I quickly told him my decision to stop drinking. He apologized and said he'd have never offered if he had known. It was kinda funny, the look on his face was one like he had just ran over my dog.
A good person is an old drinking buddy that finds out you are sobering up, and does all in their power to not tempt you! Definition of an a$$hole...an old drinking buddy that finds out you are sobering up, and brings you a beer to celebrate!
:jail
My temptation today came from my neighbor. He didn't know that I quit drinking, and started going to AA. He came over to bum a cig from me. Told me he'd trade me a couple beers for a cig! Oh boy! 10 days ago, I'd have been happy to do it! What a deal! TWO beers for one cig!?!?! But I quickly told him my decision to stop drinking. He apologized and said he'd have never offered if he had known. It was kinda funny, the look on his face was one like he had just ran over my dog.
A good person is an old drinking buddy that finds out you are sobering up, and does all in their power to not tempt you! Definition of an a$$hole...an old drinking buddy that finds out you are sobering up, and brings you a beer to celebrate!
:jail
