Hi All,

Just stumbled across this forum and I'm very happy I found it. Have been dealing with HA for most of my adult life. I can go for months, even a year without it rearing its ugly head, only to manifest itself again and result in several weeks of near-daily anxiety attacks and panic attacks. I definitely don't help myself, have been smoking 10-15 cigarettes a day for 12 years or so and during the worst times I self-medicate with cannabis (its virtually legal in Canada).

I have now reached the point where the herb no longer helps (in fact it has become a trigger). I made the decision to actually quit smoking (cigs and herb), instead of pretending to quit for a few weeks before resuming my bad habits. I put out the last cigarette this morning and almost immediately had a panic attack. I've noticed the development of a smokers cough over the past few months. Nothing sinister just some phlegm in the morning but that was enough to make me firmly believe (at least once a day) that I would soon be wasting away in a hospital with lung cancer. Today was also the first time that I had a full-blown panic attack at work. Normally this sort of thing happens in the evening. Weird thing is that the thought of all of the other smoking related illnesses don't phase me at all.

I think I know the root-cause of my HA, stems from childhood and watching a friend die from cancer. I am an other-wise healthy, 32 year old guy, with a loving wife and a pretty decent quality of life. I have a relatively stress-free job and only minor financial stress, no more than others my age. Even though I don't have much in life to complain about, this HA has started to take over my life.

Wondering if anyone else out there has had similar experiences.

Cheers,
C