Young Lawyer can't quit

[StephanieHunt]

The stress from my job is killing me, but I can't quit smoking no matter how hard I try....  

I've been smoking since I was twelve, smoking regularly throughout high school, smoking even more college and law school; and kept on smoking during my two years working as a law clerk for the county courthouse, almost two packs a day for the past ten years --- and I just dont know how to quit. My new job as a entry level associate has me so stressed out Im smoking more than ever, but its getting me into trouble at work because Im always needing to take smoke breaks at the office, usually two or three in the morning, another for lunch, and at least another two or three more smoke breaks every the afternoon.

My new boss even recently complained that I always smell overpoweringly like stale cigarettes!!  Even though I wear alot of perfume and chew alot of Nicorette Mint gum, its still not enough!  Im afraid Chantix would make my anxiety attacks even worse and terrified of the thought of not being able to smoke again. I know thats just the addiction talking, but I dont know what else to do.

[PinPinPatrick]

Lol wow I just read your post and it's pretty harsh but is pretty true.

The nicotine is still definitely a highly addictive drug and it causes arterial constriction, grey matter loss in the brain at high doses over time, and it toxic to the body at high doses.  But it's still not as bad as breathing in 1000's of chemicals from cigarette smoke combustion...  Including cadmium, arsenic, lead, mercury, radioactive radon, benzopyrene, hydrogen cyanide, benzopyrene, methane, phenol, nitrosamines, carbon monoxide, and 100's of other byproducts of tobacco combustion that make up 'tar'.  This is what is accountable to all the health complications of tobacco use, not the nicotine

Id she's so hooked on nicotine that she really doesn't want to quit I would still rather her chew nicotine gum, or try an eCigarette.  

3 packs a day is freaky scary to think of... Omg that is so extreme though I can't imagine her health lasting much longer and then being lost forever. At least 1 of those packs is being replaced by nicotine gum which doesn't help the addiction to nicotine but sure helps reduce that extra damage done by tha extra pack.

Still if I were her I would take about 2 weeks off work even if I lose a little money for it and go cold turkey right on the first day.  Then i'd eat healthy, drink lots of fruit juice and water, and lay in bed all day long.  I'd also completely eliminate all alcohol and caffeine during that time off and in my spare time read on whyquit.com to permanently scaring myself shieetless from ever taking another puff!!!  And honestly that would work and I'm trying to tell her that she doesn't need to do anymore damage to her health for the rest of her life.  

But I'm not her and if I was her I probably wouldn't think like me, I would think like her.

[StephanieHunt]

Just wanted to thank everyone again for their supportive comments, and even some of those "tough love" comments which can be hard to read. Last week I managed to keep my smoking between two and a-half and two packs a day!

On two different days I managed to get by with just 42 cigarettes all day! Although there were plenty of days where I ended up smoking 48, 49 or 50, I never went over 50 a day in any single day last week, which has to be some kind of record. Honestly I was thrilled. I havent gotten to where I can keep myself from needing to open that third pack, just as a "security blanket", even if I just smoke two or three cigarettes from the pack before I get ready for bed - but I still think its been far more successful than I'd ever expected.

Even this morning, when I found myself depressed and loveless on Valentines day again, I managed to limit myself to only smoking 3 cigarettes before I left for work, instead of the usual 6 of 7 that I had been before. I cant say that Im quiet set on the trajectory to go from three and a half packs a day to only one pack a day just yet - but if I can keep pushing the envelope the way I have been, within a few months I hope to be able to hold at just two packs a day!

My hope is that if I can get myself down to only two packs a day, and keep it that way for several months, then I can try to start drawing down from there slowly over the course of the rest of the year to where Im close to getting by on only one packs a day. I know its a long shot, maybe even a pipe dream since I have been a 3 pack a day smoker for so long, and I have alot of doubts that I can make it for long on anything less than 2 packs a day, but I really believe in my heart that I can make it.

Thanks again for everyones love and support!

[brice1967]

I said I was not going to comment any further, but have decided to retract that statement.  What I will do is not offer any more help suggestions.

PinPin.... yeah, what I said was harsh but 100% truthful.  And as I stated above, those are the things that sting the most.

What we know about smoking is simple.  Nicotine is what is addictive.  The habit itself becomes part of the daily routine.  There are absolutely no benefits to smoking and at least the hundreds of chemicals you introduce into your system as reasons to quit.

With that said, Steph has decided to cut down and is chewing nigorette gum.  As she mentioned, she has cut down (some days) but is chewing more nicorette than ever before.  So, that being the case.... she is infact receiving the same amount of nicotine and on days where she is smoking 3 packs a day and chewing nicorette, she is boosting her nicotine addiction.

Instead of less nicotine in the system, there is more on some days and that itself is making it more difficult for her to quit.  Obviously by delivering the nicotine through 2 systems now, that too complicates the addiction.  The chewing of gum will eventually become a habit, and the only benefit to that delivery system is that all of the chemicals from inhaling the noxious smoke is that all of them chemicals present in said smoke aren't being introduced into the system.  

I just looked at the price of the nicorette and its generic alternatives.... holy moses is that stuff expensive!!!!  The gum, losenges, and patch are a giant expenditure!!!!  With that being said, I know people who are addicted to them.... now what?

What needs to be done is attack the root of the problem.... nicotine.  And since our subject has no interest in that, her addiction will grow.  And truly, that is sad. She mentioned above about being alone on Valentines day.  You'd think that anyone who wanted to not be alone on Valentines day would do everything or at least something to increase their personal value.... make themselves more marketable on the market.

I am fortunate that even though I used tobacco for almost 30 years, I had other traits that were marketable and I found my lovely wife of almost 20 years.  My wife was never a tobacco user, and although she is full of marketable traits... one thing I found attractive is that she didn't smoke.  She didn't smell like the saloon I used to run, and when I kissed her it was wonderful.  It was not like kissing a dirty ashtray.....  I don't know, maybe it's just me.

[PinPinPatrick]

Well why not just quit smoking altogether and just chew nicotine gum if you get a craving.  Just chew the strongest kind of gum at first.  

Whatever you do... I know you want to gradually cut back with the number of smoked cigarettes, but don't go out and buy any more tobacco because you're just gonna smoke them.  Ration the cigarettes you have left.  You can always break the ones you have left... I broke my last 10 cigarettes and flushed them down the toilet when I quit.

I wish you'd just quit though!  You know what the past week I have had a burning feeling in my chest... Kinda like an inflammation feeling and it isn't localized in any particular area, but it goes all the way upto my throat.  I have even had these minor throat infections.   I don't like it and it's scaring me actually.  Like one point I can't help emphasize any more is that each and every cigarette is just causing more and more damage... and we have a tendency to think that oh I smoked this many cigarettes and for this many years what kinda difference is another month or two of smoking...Or maybe, I'm still young I can still smoke more and my lungs will heal. No it's a huge difference!  And the damage done is basically permanent and gonna last you the rest of your life.  I have a hard time accepting that.  I just wish my lungs could breath like they would have been able to breath had I never ever smoked!  But one thing I know for sure I sure don't want to do anymore damage to them.

[brice1967]

That's what she is going to have to do... just quit.  She'll rationalize that cigarettes are cheaper, more readily available and that it is just probably easier to keep smoking.

I used for essentially 30 years.  Quitting was hard.  But I was determined to quit and I have it done.  I'd imagine a relapse is a possibility, but it's a faint-distant possibility.  I know what that garbage is doing to me and I got it handled now.... so adios nicotine.

[StephanieHunt]

I really do appreciate the thoughts, particularly about how nicotine is the real target not just the cigarette itself - but I think Im so helplessly addicted to nicotine that it would just be too harsh for me to quit all at once, which is why my "goal" for the next 3 months is to gradually, slowly ween myself down from 3 packs a day to only 2 packs a day. Then I figure it will take another 3 to 6 months to try and cut down from 2 packs a day to maybe only 30 cigarettes, or a pack and a half a day - which I used to never think possible with as much as I was smoking.  Yes, that Nicorette gum is expensive, I chew almost 20 pieces of the 4mg Mint Nicorette a day to help me try to limit myself to only 2 packs of Marlboros a day.

Its like probably $60 a week for two boxes of the extra strength mint nicorette, and I still buy two cartons of Marlboros a week at a Discount cigarette store that is like right around the corner from my house, but those two cartons run about $80 a week too. I used to order my cigarettes online, which was way cheaper by the pack, but it usually meant I had to order 10 cartons at a time, which made it even harder to quit with so many cigarettes readily available. As it is now, I try to only keep 2 or 3 cartons at my apartment, so as to limit myself. Thats the same reason I try to not keep more than two bottles of crown in my apartment at any time, because it helps reduce the temptation to just lose myself in depressed, chain smoking night drenched in booze. I dont know how much I used to spend a week on liquor, but it was way too much. After some AA I started doing better, and although I quit going to that too, Im still doing alot better. Im hopeful I can do the same with cutting back to get control of my smoking as well.