Quitting....smoking, is extremely hard.

[perfectchronic]

This has to be the hardest thing to do when I'm on my Adderall. I can't stop the craving of having a cigarette. I wish I never started. I'm an addict to nicotine. My meds just make the cravings worse. Today, was the day I relapsed after quitting for 2 months. I smoked today. It could've just been that I was at work and stressing, but I'm so disappointed in myself. I came so far, to fail. I have a pack of cigarettes sitting in my work shorts right now. I think one of the reasons is that I'm using a vapor cigarette (electronic cigarette) and I left it at home when I was at work --fiending like a crack-head-- I bought a pack of cigarettes from my workplace (which were $8 dollars btw, like $3 more than that from a gas station) and couldn't handle it anymore, I gave in to the temptation.

I was good after one cigarette, but the guilt "hit me" hard because I promised myself and my girlfriend that I wouldn't smoke anymore (I even made a big scene about it, like burning a whole pack of cigarettes). So, during the overwhelming guilt of finishing one, I thought about punishing myself, and what I did was I lit another up and smoked the rest of that one. After feeling sick to my stomach, I told myself "You're going to make sure you make yourself sick off of these so you never touch another one after this pack". So, every 20 mins. or so I would light up one trying very hard to make myself sick from them. It got to the point to where I would smoke it until I got about half-way and then put it out.

Right now, with a sore throat from all of the cancerous burning plant matter inhaled, I am still craving one (like wtf is this). You would think I would've learned the lesson already. Two days before today, I looked in the mirror and saw a bump on the back of my toungue (I was thinking it was cancer), you would think just the thought of having toungue cancer would stop me, but no. I told my girlfriend that "I think I have toungue cancer, and the bump is bleeding." but she said "quit coming to conclusions like that, they make me scared and sad. It could just be an ulcer." I have to be one of the most stubborn and hard-headed people I know.

Have I just given up, and accepted that I will have cancer anyways? I think about it sometimes. I know it's unlikely that smoking a pack of cigarettes will kill you, but I'm kind of just saying "screw it, people die of cancer everyday, I'll just become a statistic, and people who don't even smoke die of cancer". I know this isn't the way I should be thinking about this, but my mind can't stop it. Did I just accept dying from smoking?

I'm thinking that I'm weak-minded, or just plain ignorant to the fact that I can die from this. I've seen the pictures, and I know the facts. I just need some advice, and some support. I know if my girlfriend gets on to me for just vaping (using my electronic cigarette), then I know definately she'll flip if I tell her I relapsed. I'm just too stressed out, I just can't have that right now. I'm dwindled down mentally by the guilt already. I just need the motivation right now. Please guys, can you help me? All help will be appreciated.

[tortilaman]

I've never smoked, but I hear nicotene patches help a lot with quitting. Also, people with ADD have a predisposition to addiction and substance abuse to self-medicate.

[stef]

I'm not even on meds and I just cannot quit. It is SO addicting.
I don't know what to do.
she should be happy about the "vaping" because there are NO dangerous substances !!!!
if something will work for me, that will be it; I bought an e-cigaratte (one) in a tobacco shop thing here, but it didn't have any nicotene apparently. kind of frustrating! but, even that helped cut down for a couple of days; but then it got very annoying and made me smoke more (because i hadn't realised it didn't have any nicotene!)

[ToneTone]

Hey, be gentle with yourself. Nicotine addiction, I once read, is more powerful than cocaine addiction. Nicotine is a serious drug. Serious!

And for ADHDers, nicotine may be particularly hard to let go of. It might bring some calm and some ability to concentrate and focus.

I quit smoking cigars (which have a ton of nicotine in them and which seeps in even if you don't inhale) 6 years ago. Six years later, I'm still on nicotine replacement. I suck on nicotine lozenges or nicotine gum.

You're not supposed to stay on the nicotine replacement, but my doctors are thrilled that I'm not smoking. Pure nicotine is apparently so much better for you than nicotine obtained through cigarette smoking. No lung problems, no increased cancer risks, etc. I'll gradually start to quit one day. Until then, my doctors think I'm SO MUCH better off with the lozenges than with the cigars.

Interestingly, I switched from Adderall to Concerta partly because I was feel more addicted to nicotine while on Adderall. My psychiatrist freaked out when I told him I was binging on nicotine. So talk to your doc about this.

You are not dumb at all. Come on now. We ADHDers of all people know that KNOWING something (that I need to finish a task) is not the same as being able TO DO that something.

In fact, relapse is now considered a normal part of the process of breaking the smoking addiction. Studies show that people have to try quitting 5 or 6 times, I think, before they reach success. The trick is to NOT BE PERFECTIONIST. Get right back on the wagon.

Have you considered nicotine replacement?

Good luck.

Tone

[sarahsweets]

would liike to quit when I am 40 but it scares the hell out of me.

[perfectchronic]

Originally Posted by stef

I'm not even on meds and I just cannot quit. It is SO addicting.
I don't know what to do.
she should be happy about the "vaping" because there are NO dangerous substances !!!!
if something will work for me, that will be it; I bought an e-cigaratte (one) in a tobacco shop thing here, but it didn't have any nicotene apparently. kind of frustrating! but, even that helped cut down for a couple of days; but then it got very annoying and made me smoke more (because i hadn't realised it didn't have any nicotene!)

I wish you luck with your struggle. I know how you feel. It sucks so bad because I know I'm killing myself. I just get so stressed out sometimes. No one told me that this was going to be easy, but I'm really trying to quit even with all of this crazy stuff going on. I really hope you quit smoking. I hear it's really worth it in the long run. This is where I got my electronic cigarette: v2cigs . com.
and yes the cartridges do have nicotine in them. They have helped me out alot.

[perfectchronic]

Originally Posted by ToneTone

Hey, be gentle with yourself. Nicotine addiction, I once read, is more powerful than cocaine addiction. Nicotine is a serious drug. Serious!

And for ADHDers, nicotine may be particularly hard to let go of. It might bring some calm and some ability to concentrate and focus.

I quit smoking cigars (which have a ton of nicotine in them and which seeps in even if you don't inhale) 6 years ago. Six years later, I'm still on nicotine replacement. I suck on nicotine lozenges or nicotine gum.

You're not supposed to stay on the nicotine replacement, but my doctors are thrilled that I'm not smoking. Pure nicotine is apparently so much better for you than nicotine obtained through cigarette smoking. No lung problems, no increased cancer risks, etc. I'll gradually start to quit one day. Until then, my doctors think I'm SO MUCH better off with the lozenges than with the cigars.

Interestingly, I switched from Adderall to Concerta partly because I was feel more addicted to nicotine while on Adderall. My psychiatrist freaked out when I told him I was binging on nicotine. So talk to your doc about this.

You are not dumb at all. Come on now. We ADHDers of all people know that KNOWING something (that I need to finish a task) is not the same as being able TO DO that something.

In fact, relapse is now considered a normal part of the process of breaking the smoking addiction. Studies show that people have to try quitting 5 or 6 times, I think, before they reach success. The trick is to NOT BE PERFECTIONIST. Get right back on the wagon.

Have you considered nicotine replacement?

Good luck.

Tone

Thanks buddy, that advice really helped. I feel better about quitting now. You gave me hope. I will continue on my process of "quitting", and yes, I have a "vapor cigarette", which is alot healthier for you, but today I ran out of nicotine cartridges. It sucks. I have to wait a few day before they are shipped to my house, but I can't wait until they come in so I can stop using these nasty things.

[sarahsweets]

smoking is my nemisis. As many times that Ihave quit and retstard are enormous. Youre not a failure, you are suffering. Go easy oj yourself.

[Fuzzy12]

Nicotine is highly addictive. I've read that some people can get addicted with just one cigarette. Also nicotine affects dopamine uptake so I guess quite a few ADHDers smoke as a form of self medication.

I've just started smoking again. It helps me focus and calms down my thoughts. I'd like to quit again but it's so hard. I'm not looking forward to dying a long, painful death due to pulmonary or cardiovascular diseases or cancer. Neither do I like the fact that smoking makes me stink and is so time consuming but I'm not ready to quit yet.

I second the recommendation about using nicotine patches or e-cigarettes. My husband had quite a bit of success with using nicotine inhalers. I don't understand why your girl friend mins e-cigarettes. They are a step on the way to quitting smoking. Besides, they don't contain all the other crap that cigarettes contain besides nicotine. And she wouldn't be subjected to passive smoking. I think, I'll try e-cigs when I start seriously considering quitting.

Like the others have said, don't be so hard on yourself. If you feel guilty and are stressed, it just makes it so much more difficult to quit. Is this something you could discuss with a GP? According to the National Health Service in the UK, smokers have a much higher chance of quitting (long term) in conjunction with their GP and other services provided by the NHS.

[meadd823]

My husband and I quit smoking three years ago this past January Most of the time it is as if I have never smoked = We used Chantix along with behavior modifications!

[BluegrassBound]

I've been smoking since I was 14. I'm 29 now. I have quit and started again about 18-20 in those 15 years. I still smoking right now. Its not easy. I gave up drugs and alcohol alot easier than cigarettes.

Once my stress level goes way up. I want a smoke.

Take it easy on yourself and keep trying..

Wish I could offer more, but I haven't been successful myself

[crystal8080]

I quit smoking a little over 3 years ago with Champix/Chantix and quitnet.

[itsanADHDthing]

I dip. 3x the nicotine. It's not fun.

If you must smoke, buy a really cheap, nasty brand that you hate. And the kind of cigarettes you despise (ie, if you hate menthol, buy menthol). If you need a cigarette, but don't want to buy an entire pack, buy a little cigar like a swisher sweet. They are harsh and very cheap. They come in singles so you won't have to feel the need to smoke the rest of the pack.

[FocusPocus10]

I take dexedrine every day. I'm 60 days tobacco and nicotine free today. I don't really crave it anymore, however, I know I'm not free until 6 months, so I won't let my guard down.

Anyone quitting should check this out:www. killthecan.org/yourquit/what.asp
It's about quitting dip, but dip is just as hard if not harder to quit so read up on it. Basically after 100 days you are safe, but before then, never underestimate nicotine's sneaky tricks to get you to cave. i often failed around the 80 day mark just like they say because i'd think "I feel so bad and depressed but i've quit dip for like 80 days so it must not be that, maybe dip would help alleviate the depression? [throws in a dip] nope still depressed, damnit now im addicted again"

[Unmanagable]

I smoked for 22 years and tried multiple times to quit w/ no success (I lost count of how many) using patches and gum. The longest I made it was about 3 days.

I started purposely reading more (and feeling more) regarding the effects on my body and decided to try again. I taped a poster thingy to my bathroom mirror of the effects on your body when you quit after an hour, a day, a week, etc. That helped me stay focused on the "why".

I planned my last smoke for the early morning, to increase my chances of even having my day start. I bought a pack of nasty generics I knew I hated to have on hand, "just in case", and it drove me crazy knowing I had them in the house.

I ended up taking them outside and tossing them into a dumpster and kept telling myself I refused to dumpster dive for a smoke. My cig replacement ended up being chocolate. Bad idea in hindsight due to some weight gain, but it helped curb the cravings big time. The weight gain is slowly, but surely fading, I can breathe better, my sense of smell and sense of taste improved, etc.

After having to scrub all the nicotine layers off of my walls, other decor, launder all of my clothing, linens, etc., I was pretty convinced I'd never do it again - or if I did, I'd only smoke outside....lol. All it takes is the smell of one at a certain time, especially right after it's been lit, and I find myself wishing I had one......but the odor usually just reminds me of why I'm glad I quit. Luckily, after 6 years, I haven't relapsed. (knock on wood)

It's definitely the hardest habit I've quit in my lifetime, thus far. (the battle against negative self-talk is running a close second)

My best friend was able to quit w/ a combo of Chantix and nicotine gum. She's been cig-free for 4 years thus far.

When the time is right, it'll "click" and you'll experience success, too. I think the dreading it part kicked my a** worse than actually doing it. Wishing you lots of luck in your next attempt(s). (((Hugs)))