Cigarette Smoker - Need Help

[Kahn]

Alright, so I've been smoking for about four and a half years now. The amount I smoke has fluctuated, but recently (IE the past two years) I've been a daily smoker, smoking anywhete from 3-13 cigarettes per day. I also smoke marijuana daily, and have been for the past three and a half years. This is obviously incredibly unhealthy for me, and has taken its toll both physically and mentally. To add to the trouble, I was diagnosed with asthma at a very young age.

It goes without saying that I need to quit these habits, or at the very least cut-back. The problem is, I'm addicted to both these drugs. The moment I wake up, I crave my first bowl and cigarette, and if I'm without them everything feels dull or tenuous. If I don't have any, I search everywhere until I find a cigarette or nug, because I usually have leftover stuff from a party somewhere. If I find it, I get happy for a few moments, but the relaxation and relief I experience as I take my first drag or hit wears away as I realize "this could be the last of it - I need to search some more!" If I don't have anything hidden or stashed away I get even more sullen, and angry.

I miss the before drug mindset. The desire to do things without considering "damn, this would be so much better baked." I'm sick of my thoughts being so disorganized, and spontaneous. I hate having short breath from doing the simplest of tasks. I hate not being able to converse with someone because my mind is elsewhere, thinking about my next fix, or because I'm too focused on how fucked up I am at that point in time. I hate how I wasted four years focusing on that shit instead of working towards creating a foundation for success for myself.

How do I quit? How do I focus on whats in front of me and not on these substances? Any thoughts will help. I've tried, I just get so stressed I relapse quickly and pathetically. I'm not even saying I don't need to quit them fully; just tips on cutting back would help.

I need to start weening down my use now or I fear that I'll lose whatever mettle I have left.

[James Dean]

You would be saving money if you stopped. Having to go outside and leave the group to smoke, people look at you crazy when you start smoking in public. All those things are annoying, in addition it stains your teeth and you smell of cigarettes it gets in your clothes. Just try chewing gum and eating candy. You knew once you started it was going to be tough to stop. It's called an addiction for a reason. I think once the motivation is there, the rest would be simple for you. You already have asthma so that already tells you that your lungs probably can't take that much of it. I know you probably turn to smoking as a way to calm yourself down, but there are other things that can be done. Just quit slowly at a time. Maybe only smoke twice a week or something, just to get you into the mood of stopping completely. Hopefully things go well for you, and I wish you the best in solving this issue. :)

[Stronk Serb]

About cigars you need friend and/or family support. At least in my case. With cigars out of the way you'll start eating more. It's a good idea to get some chewing gum because the psychological addiction is a problem. I'm three days without a cigar amd it's good. I started like five months ago but it escalated to 10-20 a day. I might be having it easier than you but keep trying. About weed, I don't know how to quit with that because I never had a problem with it.

[ImagineRepublicCity]

I'm not all too experienced with this kinda of stuff, but what I can say first off is let someone know you want to stop. At least this way, they may be able to help you out. Then, go to a counselor or someone similar. They may be able to give a couple of alternatives and some options as to how to help you out.

I don't know how addictions work per say, but I think one thing you can try first is using an alternative. There are many different alternative to smoking. Example? My sister found something which is like smoking, but instead of the gases and stuff, it's actually fruit flavoured or something. I can't remember, you'd have to find it. (but she only wanted it because it seemed like a cool idea to smoke flavoured fruit stuff, so you know)

If something like that doesn't work, try small first. When you have the urge, resist for just another 5 minutes. If you have another urge, resist yourself for 10 minutes. Normally smoke about 10 a day? Try cutting that down to 8. Every month, try and cut down a little bit and record how many you smoke. At the end of the month (or whatever time period you decide to make), if there's improvement, treat yourself with the money you have saved from not buying cigarettes for a fancy dinner or something.

The key is not for instant gratification, but for the long term benefits. c:

All the best with your journey~ :D

[Horatio Nelson]

I'm not all too experienced with this kinda of stuff, but what I can say first off is let someone know you want to stop. At least this way, they may be able to help you out. Then, go to a counselor or someone similar. They may be able to give a couple of alternatives and some options as to how to help you out.

I don't know how addictions work per say, but I think one thing you can try first is using an alternative. There are many different alternative to smoking. Example? My sister found something which is like smoking, but instead of the gases and stuff, it's actually fruit flavoured or something. I can't remember, you'd have to find it. (but she only wanted it because it seemed like a cool idea to smoke flavoured fruit stuff, so you know)

If something like that doesn't work, try small first. When you have the urge, resist for just another 5 minutes. If you have another urge, resist yourself for 10 minutes. Normally smoke about 10 a day? Try cutting that down to 8. Every month, try and cut down a little bit and record how many you smoke. At the end of the month (or whatever time period you decide to make), if there's improvement, treat yourself with the money you have saved from not buying cigarettes for a fancy dinner or something.

The key is not for instant gratification, but for the long term benefits. c:

All the best with your journey~ :D

The fruit flavored stuff as far as I can tell is an E-cig.



To the OP: The only person I've known that quit smoking was because he had a heart attack, so he forced himself to quit.

I don't know what will work best for you, but you could try nicotine patches or nicotine gum. Have you tried going cold turkey?

Other thing that helps is moral support, is there someone you can stay accountable to? Have them keep you on track, that sort of thing.

[ImCoolBeans]

Once you get into a routine of smoking bud that often, and for such a long time, it is so hard to stop. After a while it stops being fun, and becomes more of a routine, or more of a fix. A lot of people will sneer at the thought that you can get addicted to marijuana, but you can absolutely build a dependence on the drug. As for stopping, there isn't much you can do besides forcing yourself to stop. Even if going to work, school, shopping, family events, etc, is more doable while stoned, think to yourself, is it really worth it to go about your day to day life glazed over, in a mostly conscious state, but with a lot of your emotions smoothed over or out on pause?

I can't say I've been very successful in this department, but I understand the feeling. When you wake up and feel compelled to it, or feel like your day is going to suck unless you pack yourself a bowl. And if you run out, the anxiety of just "being out" can ruin your mood/day instantly.

When you are in that mindset, the health risks don't matter to you, but you can't help but feel disappointed in yourself. I constantly feel disappointed in myself because I'll say "ok this will be my day 1. I'm going to stop today." Then I start to feel a little anxious and I rationalize the buying of more and there goes all of my plans, and my dignity. Although I've failed at stopping thus far, I have stopped at points in the past, and any time I did, even if for short periods of time, it was because I buckled down and just forced myself to stop, and stuck to my guns in doing so.

Cigarettes are a much more physical addiction, and take a little bit of a different route to quit, cold turkey works for some people but not for most. A lot of my friends stopped smoking cigs and moved onto ecigs, but now they have been smoking ecigs for months, so I'm not sure if that really constitutes for quitting because they're still getting a regular fix. If you can ween yourself off of cigs with an ecig then that may be the route for you, but be wary, as you can get stuck on ecigs. There is also the patch, the gum, if needed, or you could start cutting back to x amount per day, but that is also dangerous because you still have cigarettes readily available to you, and if you really want to, you'll be able to smoke like a fiend.

I wish you well with your endeavors, I think you'll be able to do it. If you need anything, shoot me a PM. Good luck, Adam.