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I am a senior citizen and recently got diagnosed with CAROTID ARTERY DISEASE. I have read and reread that if one continues to smoke with this condition. A HEART attack or a STROKE soon follows. I have begun quitting. The questions I have are can I quit permanently even though I suffer from anxiety and depression? Also live with one of my sister's who stresses me out big time a lot. Are these just excuses to continue smoking? Please someone give a hands up?
I too have anxiety and depression, and about a month ago I became a senior citizen to (if senior starts at 60). Quitting permanently is possible. It takes a strong desire to do it, a willingness to learn how to, the flexibility to let yourself guided here by people who might know what you need at different times in your quit, and will gladly share the advice.
You are in the right place, this community helped me quit nearly 2 years ago, and I am positive, even if I quit by myself and joined here at 40 days into my quit, if it were not for this group of wonderful people, I would not be at 685 days of freedom today.
Please do the reading, come back often and speak with us, quitting is possible even after many years of smoking (nearly 40years for me), you are in the right place to meet your health objective!
Welcome!
Hello cruelft65. Welcome and please take what helps and let go of the rest to be HELPFUL is MY only aim. Great job asking question and thank you for your courage sharing your fears and stress buttons. Suggestions remember to breath and take your day moment by moment. Read the advice given here by Dr Hays blogs and read all the blogs by those who are STAYING quit no matter what together WE love and remember when WE first quit. YOU GOTTA WANT TO QUIT FOR YOU. It was suggested when I first came to educate MYSELF on MY nicotine using no one else. To take the SUGGESTIONS is your CHOICE. I took ALL suggestions given and did as they said to educated myself on my nicotine use and drank lots of water and ate oranges and put cinnamon on my applesauce and exercised walking for me and found something to do with MY hand to mouth HABIT like an art project or painting or crochet or drawing or piano etc. Suggested to stay on this site reading blogs and writing blogs BEFORE I took that first puff over ME! I stayed on this site the first 90 days. I wrote blogs on my feelings my fears my withdrawal from nicotine. It was also SUGGESTED to ME to go to a site called whyquit.com to watch the videos of nicotine addiction and I did and watched Byron's video on his early death from nicotine and his video brought ME out of MY denial I admitted I am a nicotine addict. I sent a thank you card to his family for their posting his video helped me to quit by the FACT it would happen to ME if I didnt quit using nicotine. So i cried out to God and I prayed and asked My Lord Jesus... I said of you dont take these cigs from me I will smoke them until I drop dead... i woke the next morning with a cold turkey quit... I used nicotine 38 YEARS.. i tried many many times to quit on MY own ways... I am born again believer since nov 5 1986 and smoke like a chimney at the end of MY using I smoked 50 cigs a day! Only by Gods grace I celebrated 7 years NICOTINE FREE on Jan 6, 2018!!! MY quit date is Jan 6, 2011! So YOU gotta want to quit for YOU! I hope you blog blog blog BEFORE you take ONE PUFF over You! Keep on keeping on and WE will stay quit together ONE DAY AT A TIME!
I will be a quit for good on 1/31/2018
You can do this. I also suggest the Alan Carr book!
You got this! cruetf65
I'm 63 and started my quit last year 27 February. I have been totally smoke free for over 300 days much to my own surprise.
I am still under a doctor's care for major depression, anxiety and panic attacks (since 1986)..and was sure this would make it impossible for me to quit completely.
The people on this site sometimes had to walk me through the panic attacks. But I'm doing it. One smoke free day at a time and you can do it too.
It boils down to making the decision, setting a comfortable quit date and then educating yourself.
While you are reading all the valuable information from the members on this site, blog too. It helps - like keeping a journal of your quit journey but which you share with others walking the same road you are.
And yes, unfortunately they are excuses you have to work at to find your way past them. Do it for yourself! Believe in yourself.
Blessings to you.
Bree
Planning is key to quitting. Support can go a long way in helping you pre-quit and post. Also, nicotine replacement therapy or medication have helped some. I'm neither making a recommendation, just suggesting that you talk to your doctor about those options, surf the net and youtube for info.
Because this is an addiction, I firmly believe in lots of support from quitters. Especially since you are worried about getting stressed out by your sister--Ex folks are good listeners--you can bring your stuff here.
Part of planning is making a list of things you are willing to do or that you like to do for when an urge hits.
Not everyone who quits has a hard time. Some are relieved and adjust to life without the cigs with relative ease. There is no law that says you must hang on for dear life after quitting. You have a powerful reason to quit. So stay tuned to that and keep gathering good support around you to move you forward.
Yes you can, one day at a time
Of course you can quit permanently. Stressful sister or not. Think of quitting as a skill. And like any other skill it just takes education, dedication, understanding, practice, perseverance and especially commitment. The tools are all here. All you need to do is use them. First begin by understanding the nature of this addiction. Get your quit plan started and make it the focus and priority of your life. Read the material on the Plan side of the site (My Quit Plan - upper right of the page), as well as the blogs and suggestions offered within the community. A strong preparation makes for a stronger quit.
The more you get to know us as individuals on this site, the more the consequences of smoking will become apparent and hit home. We're here to help. Glad you reached out. Stick around! Chin up.
Quitting smoking requires that you make changes both mentally and physically. I had so many to make. Here is a list of a just a few things that I had to be willing to do. Hopefully they will give you an insight as to what it takes to become free.
Until I finally realized the importance of the knowledge of nicotine addiction, what’s in a cigarette, etc. my thinking would not have changed about having the “need” to smoke.
Until I learned, studied, practiced self-talk, and relearned my thinking I would still be stuck.
Until I accepted the fact that I was not losing anything I may fail.
Until I was willing to let it go I would stay on the course of a vicious slow death.
Until I made up in my mind that I was not going to smoke and was totally committed I would fail.
Until I gave it my all and pledged to myself that no matter what, I would literally not put a cigarette in my hand, not on my lips, not on my tongue, not in my lungs, not in my throat, I will not choke, not up my nose, not in my clothes; BTW that became one of my theme songs and mantras and I became a nonsmoker.
Until I gave it my all and learned HALT, NOPE NEF SINAO and had a support group and friends like the EX community I would fail.
Until I committed daily to study and read the blogs and listen to the advice of the Elders I would fail.
Until I learned that my quit was the most important thing in my life I failed.
Until I did it for me and believed that I was a non-smoker I would never become one.
Until I gave it every part of my inner being through God’s strength, determination, education, perseverance, honesty, forgiveness, soul searching, praying, making friends, singing, crying, laughing, screaming I would fail.
Until I meant by any means necessary I will not smoke, no matter what I would fail.
really takes to be smoke free.
Pinch your sister! :-)
Welcome cruetf65! I will echo the elders and personal advice in their recommendations to read, post, believe, and achieve! It absolutely will help BUT you have to help yourself first. This is not an easy road but it is so worth it!
I have bipolar disorder II (mixed, more towards depressive). I started Chantix and smoked for about 3 weeks then cut down and quit at week 4. I have gone through several bipolar episodes since quitting and really thought about starting again a couple times but I knew from these people that it smoking wouldn't solve any of my problems or depression. I still have to have a talk with myself everytime I go down that same road. It DOES get easier with practice and time I promise! Check out some of the mental illness groups here. You'll find some good information there as well. You can do this! We WILL help!
Julie
89 days quit
what helped me a great deal is the section under the "My Quit Plan" (found at the upper right-hand corner), go to the Beat Tobacco Cravings. Identify your triggers and then the most important part is the trigger tracker tool. Here is where you devise your own plan of separating yourself from automatically picking up a cigarette. Here you replace that action with a different one. In my case, my youngest daughter stresses me out. Drama queen. She didn't live here the first year I was quit, she moved back home in the second year. I knew that I'd have to think of ways to cope with certain triggers (things she does) that drives me insane. I prepared for when and if she ever came back. This section is individualized because everyone's life is different and everyone's triggers are different. So you're going to have to put your thinking cap on. talk to your doctor if life in general gets to be too much and let them know you've quit smoking. Some people find that some medication can assist you along the way.
I always said I'd die with a cigarette hanging out of my mouth. I couldn't imagine myself as a nonsmoker. well, it's now been over 2 years. You just have to educate yourself, learn about what nicotine is and what it does to your brain and why it keeps you coming back along with your own personal reasons why you started smoking in the first place and continued to do so over the years. Quitting is difficult because there's so much emotional ties to it and that's what keeps you coming back. Some drink to forget, some use drugs to hide some trauma. it's all a personal thing. As you move along the process of quitting, you're going to learn a lot about yourself and why you see smoking as a comfort, a friend, a stress reliever. You've come to the right place. We're just a bunch of former smokers helping other smokers quit. Welcome !!!!
I am 63 years old and I just quit about 8 weeks ago. I have had major depression and anxiety since an early age. It is possible. But you have to quit buying them. It's that simple - and that complicated. I had to go for two weeks without buying any except for using up some rollies that I bought and hated. And when I ran out of those I started digging butts out of the garbage. Finally when I ran out of those I just stopped. I thought I was going to go nuts and after about 5 days someone suggested using the patch. I had some leftover from a previous quit and I put one on and felt immediate relief. I know this sounds stupid but it's almost like I had to go through all that agony for 5 days to realize that the patch could help me. Previous attempts with the patch had not worked. I just kept smoking. Don't be fooled that you need these. You don't. You need food. You need air. You need water. You definitely do not need cigarettes. Hope this helps.
You can quit. You can quit for good and in time you won't miss smoking. You can not only survive you can thrive! Read all the comments above over and over and do all the reading suggested. Learn about quitting and believe you can. We did and you can too.
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Welcome to our community!
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but, yes, those things you listed ARE excuses. There are NO good reasons to smoke. I think you will understand this better if you gain some knowledge about this addiction. I wrote a blog and asked for best advice of our members that you might find helpful: For Our New Years' Quitters (and community members, too) I recommend you start by reading Allen Carr.
I am also a senior citizen and quit when I was told I had arterial blockages going to both legs. The surgeon said that if I continued to smoke I would probably need the surgery again but would probably not be healthy enough for him to do it. The possibility of the loss of one or both of my legs woke me up to the REAL danger I was putting myself in, and I started on Chantix and quit two weeks later. I have now been free for over 5 years, and it is worth what it takes to get here.
Please start reading! Ask questions when you have them. Stay involved here.
You CAN do this - I thought I would die a smoker and I quit - so can you!
Nancy