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Drinking and smoking
Animalloverb
Community Connector Posts: 798 Part of The Mix Family
I started drinking very early on to help forget things and to just survive, I started to rely on alcohol to somewhat stay alive. I also started smoking very early on too, I started doing it to feel something and to forget just like with drinking but then I was smoking loads everyday just to survive. I basically became an addict. I am currently 2 years sober from alcohol. I did quit smoking but at this stage I feel like I sort of want that release again, I know it sounds stupid. I shouldn't do it, especially with my health issues but it's like I need it to feel something.
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Comments
Hey Animal,
Thank you for sharing this. Two years sober from alcohol is amazing- how did you achieve this?
And it is understandable and natural to get urges to revisit old habits, even when you know it will have a negative impact. I'm wondering if there is anything you have done to replace the 'release' that helped you quit?
It was really hard @Owen, becoming sober from alcohol is such a difficult thing to do, I am really proud of myself for reaching 2 years sober, I know most people go cold and just stop consuming alcohol, by removing access to the alcohol but I feel like doing that would of created me a such higher chance of never being sober. I did it slowly, slowly reduced my alcohol intake, tried to keep myself distracted as much as possible and eventually I was no longer consuming alcohol, it was a long journey and I did have many failed attempts but I am so happy to be 2 years sober.
As for smoking, that's a different story. I tried to use nicotine replacements to help me quit but as I said, I am going back to smoking.
@Animalloverb It is super difficult to become sober after relying on alcohol, that takes so much effort and strength to do which often goes unnoticed or unappreciated. It's so good to hear that you're proud of yourself for that, it is a brilliant achievement! Reducing your intake slowly definitely sounds like a wise approach rather than to suddenly stop completely, and it sounds like something that has been effective for yourself. You mentioned that you kept yourself distracted, what sort of things helped you through reducing your reliance on alcohol?
@Callum
I tried to go outside and take walks daily. I was trying to spend most of my time moving rather then sitting. The movement did help give me a mental release in a different way, I would also try and focus on the things I enjoyed to keep my mind away from feeling the need to consume alcohol. It was a difficult method but far better then the other ways for me personally. It's hard to recover from being an alcohol addict and not many people understand how difficult it is to be sober. The amount of failed attempts it took, most people after a failed attempt find it hard to try again, but I learned then failure was part of the journey and if I really wanted sobriety I would have to work hard for it. So even with those failed attempts I kept picking myself back up over and over. There were many times where I doubted myself and thought I would never be able to become sober so to hit that 2 year sobriety mark it really does mean a lot.
I almost turned to drugs at one point, I was so close to being a drug addict. But you know being a smoker isn't any better.
@Animalloverb it shows great resilience to keep going. Failure being part of the journey is such a good way to look at it. Congratulations on the 2 years! You're doing amazing! Have you been trying those distraction techniques lately? Are there any other distraction techniques/alternative, healthier 'releases' that you haven't tried that you'd like to?
@Sabah
I don't have the time to try them distraction techniques, I can't just go out for walks and stuff anymore. I do wish that one day I will be free from smoking. I know I need to quit smoking, especially with my health, I have a heart condition or even conditions that are in the process of being diagnosed and to be fair smoking is probably what has caused it.
Hi @Animalloverb, thank you for sharing this with us. I can hear that you're aware of the health impacts of smoking. I wonder, what was the reason you decided to stop the first time? What motivated you to reduce your alcohol intake and smoking frequency?
@Azziman
What motivated me to become sober from alcohol was how badly I was living to be honest. I Wasn't taking anything seriously, nearly ended up on the streets so I realised that I needed to make a change. Lowering my smoking frequency was just something I thought I would need to do, I needed to be healthy, my partner supported me and she was also the reason I wanted to change, she saw me at my worst, and I realised I can't let them see me like that, I can't put them through that so that's why I made the change too. Although I never did stop smoking as I feel it is a whole lot harder to quit smoking. I was very young when I started drinking and smoking so it is like something that has always been my way of feeling something. I started smoking before drinking though so that maybe part of why it is harder for me to quit smoking. But I mean almost 2 years being sober from alcohol is a great achievement and maybe one day I will be free from smoking.
@Animalloverb It makes sense being unhappy with how you were living was the motivation to become sober, you're so strong for reaching 2 years of sobriety! It sounds like your partner was a huge support for you through that, and I'm sensing you're worried it might be more difficult to stop smoking without your partner around, would you say that's about right? It is completely understandable you'd find stopping smoking a lot more difficult, it definitely is a pretty common experience to find it more difficult compared to becoming sober from alcohol.
You mentioned before that gradually reducing your alcohol intake really helped you to reach sobriety. I'm curious as to whether you feel like this approach, maybe a lot slower for smoking, might help you move towards being free from smoking? What's one think you might be able to do now to reduce your smoking?
@Callum
Yeah that's right.
I'm unsure as to whether the same approach will work. I mean I have been smoking a whole lot longer that I was drinking. I didn't start drinking till a while after I began smoking. It will be a really difficult thing to do, I know I need to stop because it's not doing any good for my health and I'm already being investigated for 2 conditions by my cardiologist and I know they are probably most likely caused by me smoking. I hate how my son is growing up around me being a smoker, I do it without him seeing but as he gets older he will catch on and I really don't want that. The only way I can solve the issue is to quit smoking.
@Animalloverb It makes sense you're unsure whether the same approach will work, of course it's different with smoking compared to alcohol, and no one size fits all. Stopping smoking and recovery is very relative, it's different for everyone and every situation. I'm curious, have you managed to look into any professional information, support and advice that might help you start your journey to stopping smoking at all? No worries if you haven't though!
@Callum
I haven't really had the time to look into any of that. Professional help will probably be what most people recommend but I would rather avoid that as much as I can. I may try and find some information around to help but at this moment in time I am just dealing with it and eventually I will bring myself round to getting myself to work on my journey to quit smoking.
@Animalloverb It makes sense you'd be trying to avoid professional help, that's absolutely fine as that can be so exhausting and overwhelming. Finding some information to help could be good, I'm thinking just some tips and advice maybe without necessarily being professional support. How does that sound?
@Callum
Yeah, that is sort of what I'm wanting, I don't want professional support as for me personally I feel I will have a higher chance on failing to be free from smoking with professional support. Whereas if I try to do it myself I won't be so hard on myself for failing, failing is all part of the journey for getting sobriety. Being free from smoking is obviously going to contain a few failed attempts before the one that actually succeeds.
The only thing I hate is that even after sobriety you are still seen the same way, like with me I was an alcoholic and I still get seen as one even though I am about 2 years sober. They say once your an alcoholic your always an alcoholic. I'm thankful enough to be in this new workplace and nobody knows about it. I am seen for who I truly am then something I did in my past.
I am raising my son well, I wouldn't of even had my son if I didn't get sober. So I am greatful for myself and my partner really for getting sober from alcohol as I wouldn't of had the home I have now, or my wonderful son or job.
@Animalloverb It's understandable that you're not keen on professional support, as that can feel suffocating for some, which sounds like that's how it might feel for you. As you said, failure is part of the process of getting to sobriety, that's a positive perspective, and like you said it might help you to not be as hard on yourself during those downfalls.
I'm hearing that you're worried about breaking the stereotype attached to alcoholics and those addicted to drugs, that idea of "once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic" which is such a damaging outlook. It must be a relief to be in a workplace where you're seen for who you are not for who you were, you deserve that. How does that make you feel, being seen for your true self?
You are doing a brilliant job raising your son, and it sounds like your partner helping you to sobriety allowed you to have him, which is so lovely to hear!
@Callum
It feels good that they see me for my true self, not for who I was. I hope they never find out as I don't want it to affect my line of work or others views on me. I un I made the mistake by becoming an alcoholic in the first place but it wasn't 100% my fault, most of it was as I was the one who drank the alcoholic and got addicted.
My partner really did help me get sober from alcohol, it does hurt that she is no longer around, but also to quit smoking, in a way it would be like saying to her I stopped smoking without your help but I did it for you. But also I want to do it for my son too, like I don't want him to get older and only remember me for smoking as I don't want that.
@Animalloverb That's completely understandable, it must feel so refreshing to be seen for who you are, so it makes sense you'd not want them to find out. It sounds like you've taken a lot of the accountability for becoming an alcoholic, but i can understand the sense of unfairness you feel that someone else negatively influenced you.
It must be so difficult that your partner isn't around to help you stop smoking, but it's strong that you're also using that as motivation to quit smoking and prove to yourself that you can do it without them. While also doing it for your son too, that's so powerful.
You said above about being open to some advice and guidance for how to stop smoking without seeking professional help, so I've got these couple of links that might help you with this:
Hopefully these can be useful for you, as I can hear how important this is for you. Of course continue to use our Community for support. It's really positive you're considering the steps to stop smoking!
@Callum
Thank you so much, I really appreciate it. I'm going to try my best.