I'm depressed and I smoke - breaking the cycle

[Cassie]

hi guys,

when i'm feeling really sad, i tend to smoke alot. i usually smoke 3-5 cigarettes a day, and its a disgusting habit i really want to kick. stress and depression seem to be my main triggers.

for the coming year, i want to work on being a successful non-smoker and start on a new running regime to get my heart and lungs gradually back up to capacity. I'm posting this here so I can hold myself accountable to this. Who here is currently kicking the habit, or has kicked the habit and now lives happily smoke-free?

[JJP]

Originally Posted by Cassie

hi guys,

when i'm feeling really sad, i tend to smoke alot. i usually smoke 3-5 cigarettes a day, and its a disgusting habit i really want to kick. stress and depression seem to be my main triggers.

for the coming year, i want to work on being a successful non-smoker and start on a new running regime to get my heart and lungs gradually back up to capacity. I'm posting this here so I can hold myself accountable to this. Who here is currently kicking the habit, or has kicked the habit and now lives happily smoke-free?

Me! I'm ashamed to admit it now, but I'll gladly do it to help someone... I smoked quite a bit daily for a while mostly during my sophomore year (college). I'm a junior now and totally smoke free, and it feels great, I can't even BELIEVE I used to be a smoker , yuck.

Yeah, I agree, it was a very stressful and sad/depressing time I was going through, and cigarettes were a tough, sneaky, rebellious way to cope (admit it, there is a kind of dirty, rebellious feeling to doing it ).

However, here is something key you may not have thought about... it's easy to say that "stress and depression" are the triggers for wanting to smoke, but that stress and depression have to be triggered by something as well... they do not just come from nowhere.

That's what we have to address, the underlying stress. If it was just about kicking a habit, anyone capable of pulling a cigarette out of a box and putting it in their mouth could easily choose to pluck that cigarette out and put in a garbage can, and, boom, no more smoking.

For me, there were many depressors at the time when I was smoking -- for instance: I was hanging around REALLY dark and negative people (who smoked cigs + did drugs), I was living alone in a cold dark apartment, I wasn't getting a very balanced nutrition, I was signed up for many classes I hated and didn't have the energy for, etc, etc. All these things are basically BIG (hidden) PROBLEMS -- i.e. things that violate your personal values -- and when you don't identify them and deal with them they really haunt the shadows of your mind and cause havoc in your life. Your mind literally feels in one place while you are trying to focus on something else. Smoking was, for me, a way to sort of ground myself and bring my mind back into the present moment, something like that.

In conclusion, I would recommend that you summarize everything that you KNOW needs to change in your life, and get going... be on your way, do what you have to do, take the first steps on that right path to the person you want to become (such as, a person who DOESN'T smoke, among other things I'm sure). This is but my experience, but once I decided I had an image of who I wanted to BE in the immediate future, I KNEW what I had to begin to do and what had to change around me... I moved back with my loving family for a while, ate a lot of good food, looked for sweet and positive people to be my friends, signed up for classes that I actually LIKED, started exercising and meditating, etc, etc. and guess what... smoking just DIDN'T FIT into that new image of who I was. Not only that, once I changed the underlying stressors, I simply didn't need to cope using cigarettes anymore, obviously.

A month or so ago I bummed a cigarette from some guy and smoked it from my new standpoint. I didn't feel much pleasure, and had NO desire to smoke more. I had a bad smell in my mouth for the rest of the day, and a reminder of a time when I had to learn the lesson of courage, cause it does take courage to start taking the steps you know you have to take.


Take care, I hope that helps you... just think about it. Also I think I read somewhere that if you quit before you are 30, your lungs return to normal in about a year. How's that for a good incentive to quit now!

[Cassie]

Every time I think about reaching for a cigarette, I read your inspiring post and stop mid-pause. My lungs would give you a great big squeeze right now if they could, I'm sure!

[Hsiang-Lin]

Hi Cassie,

I never was a regular smoker so I don't think I can help you out as much, but I just want to give you respect and encouragement for choosing to pursue a healthy lifestyle. This takes courage so here's to your success!

[Cassie]

I caved and had one cigarette today. Darn it.

But, I'm not giving up.

[skinnyninja]

Good luck to you, Cassie.

You don't sound like a "regular" smoker--you know, like someone who smokes a pack a day. So, I'm not so sure my experience with quitting smoking can help you, because I was a heavy smoker. Nevertheless, I have already written down my thoughts about how to help others right here.

Again, good luck. Living nicotine-free is awesome!

[Leandro Leme]

Originally Posted by Cassie

I caved and had one cigarette today. Darn it.

But, I'm not giving up.

Hello Cassie,
Maybe a good perspective would be "I want to be healthier" instead of "I want to quit smoking", and create, step by step, healthier routines in your life. The perspective changing may looks very subtle, but I think is very powerful too.

I notice a lot of people there are stuck in the problem-driven mindset that doesn´t reach the good results because of stress fighting against the problem.

Whatever path you choose to become healthier, enjoy it! Don´t make it an obligation and the energy will flow right and smoothly.

Good luck
L

[taylor]

Hey Cassie! I'm excited for you for making a decision like this to improve your life. I came upon this resource last night (perhaps by synchronicity) from two guys who said it helped them quit, to the point where they have no desire to light up again. Here's the link:

Amazon.com: The Easy Way to Stop Smoking: Join the Millions Who Have Become Nonsmokers Using the Easyway Method: Books: Allen Carr

The book is 5 star rated on Amazon and has a lot of people raving. I can't speak from personal experience on this one, but if I were you, I'd try to find it at a library or just buy it and try it out. Worse case, you lose the cost of a couple packs. Best case, it could help remove a bad habit from your life forever.

Good luck to you!

[Wanderer]

Hypnotism is meant to work for heavier smoker

For you it seems this wouldn't work, 3 tips (which may/may not help)

1) Get rid of all your cigarettes, so you have to go out to get them
2) Find something else to do instead of smoking e.g. you think 'I want to smoke' you choose to 'do 50 press ups' replacing bad habits for good habits
3) Avoid hanging round with smokers, (at least short term), as this may make you want to smoke more

Good Luck

[FireLife]

Originally Posted by taylor

Hey Cassie! I'm excited for you for making a decision like this to improve your life. I came upon this resource last night (perhaps by synchronicity) from two guys who said it helped them quit, to the point where they have no desire to light up again. Here's the link:

Amazon.com: The Easy Way to Stop Smoking: Join the Millions Who Have Become Nonsmokers Using the Easyway Method: Books: Allen Carr

The book is 5 star rated on Amazon and has a lot of people raving. I can't speak from personal experience on this one, but if I were you, I'd try to find it at a library or just buy it and try it out. Worse case, you lose the cost of a couple packs. Best case, it could help remove a bad habit from your life forever.

Good luck to you!

I'll second the recommendation of this book from personal experience. It worked for the author of the book, who smoked about 100 cigarettes per day for over 30 years. It worked for me, who smoked about 30 cigarettes per day for five years. I became free of smoking about 3 months ago. It will definitely work for you.

This book is unique from any other smoking advice or approach that I have seen, and the person I quoted is absolutely right in saying that it leaves you with no desire to light up again, instead of the willpower method in which you are fighting that desire all day and night.

I also signed up a free account at quitnet.com so I could keep track of my progress and read messages from other people on the same path whenever I needed a mental boost.

Try it out, and you are strong for wanting to free yourself from this horrible drug addiction!

[JudithStep]

Check out this forum. It's awesome!

http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum....ab-quitsmoking

Judith
One Year Smoke Free!

[Mitalp]

Check out this article, gives some great advice on how to make yourself believe you don't smoke, thus kicking the habit: http://www.personal-fulfillment.com/...-quit-smoking/

[Jeffer]

I'm on day 3. I've read that self-identification as a non-smoker can be very helpful. You are no longer a smoker... you have escaped it and you are not going back to it becuase you do not want to and will not die early because of it.

Another thought: Do you really want to give more $ to RJ Reynolds?

You will do fine, just know that you are stronger than the "white cylinder"