completely failed to learn my lesson from yesterday. Had a tough day at work. Came home and opened a Corona without really thinking about it. After 2 bottles it got too much and I just bought a pack and smoked 1. Does this mean I start the quit again from day 0? I realise now I cannot drink whatsoever if I am going to get off the cigarettes. My plan is to smoke maybe 1 more tonight, then throw the rest away, and stick at it from tomorrow with strictly NO BOOZE!!! Do I start over or carry on counting the days quit?
My Mileage:
My Quit Date: 8/1/2010 Smoke-Free Days: 5 Cigarettes Not Smoked: 60 Amount Saved: $10.00 Life Gained: Days: 0 Hrs: 15 Mins: 58 Seconds: 56
I have quit drinking until I can be sure that I will not smoke again. It is just way to hard for me to have a drink and not smoke. I have quit before, unsuccessfuly of course, and I honestly attribute some of that to drinking. If I were to have 3 or 4 beers, I would just literally be thinking of cigarettes nonstop. It has happened. So, during this quit, I have personally decided that I will abstain from drinking for a long time. I dont' know how long, but I am guessing that it will be several months at least before I allow myself to have a drink. So, breaking the association? I don't think the association can be broken any easier than smoking alone can be. Just know that when you do drink, your cravings will be way stronger, so be sure that you are very comfortably off of the smokes, in my opinion.
cheers on your 4 days :)
My Mileage:
My Quit Date: 7/29/2010 Smoke-Free Days: 8 Cigarettes Not Smoked: 96 Amount Saved: $31.20 Life Gained: Days: 1 Hrs: 4 Mins: 5 Seconds: 4
Fworthy, I didn't drink any alcohol or coffee for a couple weeks at first because I associated smoking with drinking. Once I felt like I had not smoking under control I had a drink here or there. One thing that happened is that I did drink alot less once I quit smoking! Both coffee and alcohol! But that is a good thing too!
My Mileage:
My Quit Date: 8/20/2008 Smoke-Free Days: 715 Cigarettes Not Smoked: 28,600 Amount Saved: $7,150.00 Life Gained: Days: 110 Hrs: 3 Mins: 27 Seconds: 8
It took a lot of strength to beat that craving and you did it!
In trigger situations like drinking we often advise members to avoid them early in their quit. Once you become more confident in your quit you can slowly reintroduce situations that may have made you crave before. Check out the emergency coping plan to give you guidelines to follow that will assist you next time you are in a difficult situation like you were today. Remember to always keep your guard up and make quitting your top priority. So far it sounds like you are doing great!
Members, what are your thoughts on quitting and alcohol?
I'm on day 4 and so far it has gone well. I had only moderate cravings to start with and by yesterday they were getting noticeably less. I even had a job interview today, normally this would have meant chain smoking to calm the nerves beforehand, but I really didn't get a strong craving. If anything I felt calmer, without the ebb and flow of nicotine levels, and also not worrying about the smell!
However I very nearly cracked this evening, after having 2 glasses of red wine to relax. My mind was convincing me that I could (and should) smoke when I am drinking. I convinced myself I could buy a pack, smoke a couple tonight, then carry on with the quit tomorrow. I reckon the only reason I didn't give in is because I couldn't be bothered to walk 10 minutes to the shop.
I definitely feel great that I didn't crack but it was a close call. Any advice on breaking the association between alcohol and smoking? Or is it best just to lay off the drink altogether for a while?
Thanks...
My Mileage:
My Quit Date: 8/1/2010 Smoke-Free Days: 4 Cigarettes Not Smoked: 48 Amount Saved: $8.00 Life Gained: Days: 0 Hrs: 13 Mins: 30 Seconds: 53
