Smoking

[Kate1970]

Just wondered how many of us health anxiety sufferers smoke??!!
I have just started on the patches AGAIN!!! I've had a couple bad days and now feels guilty...
You would think the way I worry bout my health it would be simple to boot the dirty habit but seemingly not!!
Kate x

[Stormsky]

I Smoke, have done since i was 14 - nothing to be proud of i know..... im 45 now.... but i dont drink... and cant give up smoking if i dont want to... I wish i wanted to, but i dont...

[Carys]

I gave up smoking 10 years ago, but smoked heavily before that. Funnily enough I did smoke during my dreadful anxiety periods and managed to give up when I felt 'recovered'.

[pinkdove]

I smoke too, and smoke too much just now

[kittikat]

Hi Kate, I too am a smoker, tried to give up a few times but never had enough willpower. Also had bad skin reaction to those patches.
Always smoke too much when i'm anxious :doh:

[bignik]

smoker here too but trying to cut back as I think it affects my anxiety too

[Abarth]

Crazy as it sounds, when I am feeling healthy I dont smoke at all. As soon as I hit a heath anxiety, i go and smoke!!! The very thing that really is not good for me!!! Go figure.
Take care all.
Ant

[AaronB]

I smoke, I gave up for over a month recently after reading Allen Carrs Easy Way To Stop Smoking, it's a great book. I'll read it again soon and give another go.

One thing I realised though, smoking definitely makes my anxiety worse, no doubt about it. Nicotine is a stimulant and it raises your heart rate. So for me it's quite often a trigger for me to then start focusing and worrying it. It also starts me off on my breathing, as in worrying about that and over compensating for it.

I REALLY wish I never started.

(Been smoking since I was 16, I'm 29 now)

[Sammy J]

Hey Kate,

I'm trying to quit (again!) and am on patches also... day 2 today. It's so difficult to stop and I find I miss them terribly at times. Well, usually the times I have a drink like the weekends. I've smoked since I was 19 and I'm 41 now :(

Sam