Effect of Tobacco on State of Mind

[paulbf]

How powerful of an effect do think tobacco has on your state of mind? I'm trying to convince myself to quit. I suspect it does a lot to limit the proper blood flow to my brain & while it doesn't really get you high, it does have an effect. Non smokers or folks who have quit then try a cigarette will get quite dizzy so probably as a regular smoker I'm also making myself pretty dizzy all the time, just that I'm used to it but it could really be having a big impact on my state of mind. OTOH, it's funny how AA people are famous for taking up smoking when they quit drinking & I think it's sort of accepted but is it really that different? Personally I don't get withdrawals but I guess I get anxious or edgy & pulling out a smoke is such a customary way of reliving that tension. It would be a huge change for me to quit smoking!

[aneededchange]

I just WISH I could quit smoking ....

I don't think that I can ... not until I pass this darn test.

Good luck to you.

[paulbf]

But do you think it gives you foggy brain or is just a bad habit good for calming down?

[aneededchange]

bad habit good for calming down I guess ....
almost like a lesser form of adderall for me.

[Garry]

Smoking is bad for the health

Yada Yada Yada ...............

I smoke as it does the same for me as my dexadrine but I can control when I have a little hit as opposed to taking a dexxy and having a big hit that lasts 8 hours and has a terrible come down


I tried to quit and it caused such anxiety and stress that I looked at it and said Id rather smoke and enjoy what Life I can KNOWING FULL WELL that I may shorten my life but at least I can get some relief from now till I die.


My opinion for what its worth

[paulbf]

Dr Amen says it causes brain damage & it's bad for your brain. I'd be curious if any ex smokers found their thinking clearer after quitting. I imagine it's not as clean as stimulant meds, though I can understand your point Garry.

I'm sure if I quit I'd have to make a lot of changes & probably would eat myself into a baloon to compensate. If I didn't smoke so much maybe it would be tolerable but I'm pretty much a chain smoker. I wonder if that's why stimulants didn't do any real magic for me because I'm already all drugged out on nicotine.

[bluesman]

Aside from the physical addiction, it's just more to do with my hands and mouth. I've tried the patch, and it helps an awful lot. I just can't keep enough money to re-up when I need to. Coffee is also a problem for me, I need the stimulation. I switched to tea for almost a week, but I just "feel bad" all the time.
Yeah, the A.A. thing. Dumping the number one worst drug for the number 2 worst drug.
A.A. says to K.I.S.S., keep it simple stupid, and claims to be a simple program, and indeed it has set my mind up to comprehend the adhd issue. But adhd and the people with it are anything but simple.

[Ian]

I think everything is crisper now without smoking. I smoked like the proverbial chimmney for a long time. I deliberately did not make note of when I quit but it must be ten years or so now.

It sucks my strength and that's what I noticed most when I quit. I combined it with some exercise so I saw huge changes quite quickly.
ian

[janesays]

I just quit smoking successfully. I smoked for about 5 years. I've been smoke free for about 4 or 5 months.
I used wellbutrin to help me quit. It makes cigarettes taste bad. It works. Plus it calms you so your not having a nic fit all the time. And I had to remove myself when other people lit up around me. Also the after dinner cigarette was a hard one to get over. Whenever I eat a good meal I just want a good smoke after. But I realize now that there was nothing good about a cigarette after a meal it was simply bad habit. Also when I get really stressed out I have to deal with it in other ways.

[Ian]

I went back after two years off smokes.. be on guard..

[allegro]

I am a chain smoker...there, I said it and someone else didn't. I hate it. It stinks and makes me stink. It gives me headaches. It sucks my energy reserves dry. It only makes me feel better if I haven't had one in a while and I am having a nic fit. Problem is, I don't need to be having a nic fit to light another, and one after that and one after that and...

I tried the patch and I was taking it off to smoke and putting it back on after I finished. My doc recently put me on Wellbutrin. I noticed the first couple of days that it wasn't such a HUGE need. I even told myself I would only smoke when I absolutely couldn't stand it anymore. Within a week, I guess my brain figured out I wasn't following my old routine and decided to force me to over compensate, because I am even more aware of when I "should be smoking".

I really want to quit, but do I? I sure don't act like it. I am so dependant on the stimulating effect of cigarettes and how the stimulant calms me down that I pick up my cigarette and light it while thinking of all the reasons I am going to quit SOMEDAY.

[aneededchange]

Welllll ... My quit day is Feb 2nd ... I am gearing up for it.

Please excuse me if I am cranky for a few days after the 2nd ... I will need to get it out of my system.

BTW ... I am going cold turkey. Wish me luck!!

*hugs*
Ane

[allegro]

I am so glad you have nailed it down to a date. That is the first step...one I haven't had the courage to make yet. The determination in your post tells me you can do it! Let us know how you are doing with it!

You can do it!!! I can do it, too...soon. If you need support, let me know. I will be your cheerleader!

[Ian]

I must have quit a million times. I had heard somewhere not to stop trying and that repeated attempts increased my chances of getting free of it.

I'm not sure how or why but it finally stuck and I stayed quit. I made no reference to the date, I suppose mostly because I didn't have any reason to believe I wasn't just going to pick it up again but I didn't.

Keep trying and don't stop trying. I believe that repeated attempts to quit helped a lot and taught me things about how it would play out when I quit making ever more familiar.

I will likely die from smoking. Many of my male relatives were ringers for throat, mouth and lung types of cancer. It helps me enjoy the days I have smoke free now and to take advantage of my ability to run!

I can hardly believe I'm running but I am, four times a week. It's a dream to be able to go 2.5 miles with a big smile on.
Much remains to be done.
Ian

[shinobi]

repeated attempts do help, i believe. I think if i wanted to i could quit, I quit after i lost my job (i wont get started ranting about that, still bitter) just biined the backie, papers and lighter and walked out the front gate. Picked it up again when i ran into some cash, pack ran out, stopped again. Strange that, i was on 40 a day at one point, proly more. I guess coz i tried so many times ive learned copeing methods to deal with the withdrawrl symptoms. Ill proly quit proper at some point, i go back to it because i enjoy the actual act of smoking. The whole stress thing and that. I have concerns about my health over it, if i had the cash idd go get cat scanned, mabey thats my paranoya thing i seem to have though. Anywho, remember that if you relapse its not the end of the world, its just a part of quitting that some people suffer from, and some dont, that applies to most any substance.

Best of luck, dont resort to coffe or chocolate when you get a craving eather.