Getting too much

[Jenny85]

Hi everyone. Sorry for the rant that's to follow.

I'm 26 and have been having problems with anxiety and depression for around 2 years. It all started when I was 24 and decided to give up smoking. All of a sudden, I had the most horrendous anxiety and an urge to smoke constantly. So I did. Anything to give me even a brief moment of calm. Everyone, including the doctor, told me i should tacke the anxiety before the smoking and that's what I tried to do. I had a course of CBT and was put on Citalopram. I started to feel quite a bit better - no horrible anxious mornings, but I never felt ready to quit smoking.

The Citalopram, I think, has stopped working. I've had horrible anxious episodes for a long while now, despite upping my dose. I should have tried to stop smoking when I started to feel better, but I was never ready.
Smoking rules my life. I absolutely hate being dominated by it, but dread the thought of the rest of my life without it. I want to have kids with my fiance and am dreading what me smoking during pregnancy would do to them.

People have recommended I try Allen Carr's book, but I'm too scared it won't work. I'm scared of how I'll divide up my day without smoking. I wish I'd never started, wish I had no desire to do it. I feel at my wits end, and would appreciate any advice whatsoever. Thanks guys.

[Magik]

I"m sorry to hear your meds don't seem to be helping. I quit smoking last year, August 26th last year. I had been smoking for about 26 years then. To be perfectly honest, cigarettes can have an IMMENSE hold and impact on the way your brain functions and stopping.

It's not an easy thing to do, but you have to be resolved and to quit smoking for no one else, but yourself. Having the anxiety along while you attempt to quit is hard, I know from experience. But once I made it about a month, things got easier. I don't want to put websites here, but if you do a Google search for a man called Joel Spitzer, he has alot of material online including some FREE self help stopping smoking videos on Youtube. He was how I quit so easily, he explains everything you'll go through, everything you'll be thinking and missing, and if you check it out, I'm sure you'll find some of what you said earlier is a block because deep down, the nicotine does have a hold on you.

It's never going to be a good time to quit...there's no such thing. But you have to do it for you and your health. I have two boys myself and I wanted to spend more time with them..thats what motivated me to quit. Anxiety isn't fun, but if you could get rid of your smoking, you might find it actually easier to control. I had a nice break...no anxiety or need to take my meds for nine months after I quit, but it started back up again.

Smoking seems to have become a crutch for you. I used it as such for years. But if you believe in yourself and keep to your goal...you'll be so much happier and healthier afterwards. I know when I smoked, I hated people who preached their "quit smoking" stuff to me, but after all this time, I can say they were right. Good luck quitting and I hope you feel better soon.