Smoking

[saranadine]

Hi,

I was just wondering if any of you smoke, I worry like mad aboout my health, but I just can't stop smoking, I have around 20 a day, and I am always thinking, I'll pack in or cut down, but I just can't. Since my anxiety started I have smoked more than I did before, even though I know people say that it does'nt relax you, I feel so stressed if I don't have my cigarettes with me, but I feel stressed most of the time anyway if that makes sense.

Everywhere I look, it says that the most important thing to do for your health is to not smoke, but when I have tried to stop or cut down, I feel more anxious than ever, so have to start again.

I just feel like such an hypocrite sometimes, because I worry so much about every illness, but I carry on puffing away, Am I the only one.

Sara

[Wannabeloved85]

im in the same situation! I wanna get all healthy, but i dont see the point if i still smoke. Id say i smoke around the same as you, 20 a day, more if im super bored, less if im anxious.
I was told by my therapist not to stop smoking whilst i have anxiety, yet she tells me that im learning to cope with my anxiety, it will never just go. Does that mean i always have to smoke? it confuses me!
Ive tried gradual cutting down, cold turkey and hypnosis cds. all useless! i have an alan carr book that apparently you read and by the time you turn the last page, your a non smoker, but i found the book boring and decided to return it to the book shelf for now.
Maybe ill try just cutting down again. My uncle stopped smoking and everytime he usually went for a smoke, hed suck a sugar free polo! he went from small chubby to tall and skinny! But cos im tall and skinny i fear ill gain weight like my sister did. Its like anxiety, cant win :(

Becci x

[trevor]

hi sara,,

please dont worry about smoking i suffer with severe anxiety and panic attacks and smoke 20+ a day i dont think it increeases my anxiety and when i am stressed it does calm me,,

the drs blame everting on smoking if you have a ingowing toenail they would say ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh STOP smoking ,

please dont worry if you enjoy it why worry,,

trevor,:D

better to fight for something than to live for nothing

[ceecee]

hi sara yes i smoke too,and i feel the same way,that i,m a real hypocrite,cause i have health anxiety so bad!!!but i say to myself if i didn,t feel anxious i won,t smoke!!!i do want to give up even if it,s for a few days just to see if it helps the anxiety!!!so no you are definitly not alone
take care rachel x

[sassy]

same here lol and i get more stressed at trying to quit then failing!
i read somewhere that alan carr has cancer! he quit and it certainly did him no good (if its true). everything is bad for you these days-the air we breathe is hardly free of carbon.
if you really want to quit then its possible and no amount of anxiety will hold you back-sadly i dont.

[carlin]

Hi there, gave up smoking by going cold turkey about 4 years ago. I suffered with anxiety and panic then, and still do now. Of course it's not good for us and health wise i do feel better, panic wise????? no different. Take things easy, see how things pan out and then re-think what you want to do, don't feel pressured. xxx p.s Sassy you are right alan carr does have cancer after giving up smoking, in an interview i saw he blamed it on the people he was trying to help and passive smoking? no offence meant here at all. xx

[Wannabeloved85]

But didnt alan carr quit smoking after like 30-40 years or something? Its not the cancer that worries me. its the breathing.

[saranadine]

Hi again, :D

Thanks for your replies, I don't think I am ready to quit just yet, its just that all these papers, magazines, tv programs that I see , they are going on about smoking, and how more and more things are being caused by it. I don't think I would worry about my health any less if I packed in though, because i've always been a worrier anyway.

When you mentioned Alan Carr, I thought you were talking about him from the friday night project, but when you said that he smoked for 30 or 40 years, I googled and the Alan Carr that you were on about smoked 100 fags a day at one point, How did he find the time for that many....

Thanks again, I feel better now.


Take Care

sara x [8D]

S N Mayson

[honeybee3939]

Hi Sara

I smoke too around 20 day, i wish i could stop but at this time of year everyone is going on holiday and bringing me 200 or more back !!!!!
My family keeping telling me to quit! but they are the ones bringing me the cigs back from holiday !!!.lol

Love

Andrea
xxx

[Wannabeloved85]

lol andrea,
Just pass the smokes this way!!

[leanne1980]

hi

I was suffering with health anxiety 2 years ago, my dad had been diagnosed with cancer in the july 04, i was panicing about myself who had nothing wrong but smoked 20+ a day and there was my dad who dosn't smoke with cancer, something just clicked in my head and i jst quit just like that, i really think u need to stop not because u think u should but because u want to. it will happen but dont be to hard on yourself, its a hard thing to do, and to be honest my anxity hasn't lowered from not smoking.

take care
leanne x

i just wanna feel normal

[ksmith]

Hi there

I gave up smoking on 13th of July this year. Firstly used patches then had some acupuncture. I do feel better from a health anxiety point of view; I feel I am being pro-active instead of my usual reactive. As for Alan Carr, well, if he hadn't ever given up he might have died years and years ago, so he got a bit longer by not being a smoker perhaps.

I smoked for 23 years 30 a day or so. It's not easy but you can do it.

Kay x

[Ballandalloch]

Hi
I smoked for years and then recently started getting problems with my throat, swallowing etc. It scared me so much that i got all of my duty free and emptied them into a bath full of water!! I havent smoked since. Im not saying it was easy and at times i would love one, but the fear of throat cancer was and is greater than my longing for a fag!! they are lovely though!! Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

[carly123]

Hi Sara and anyone else still reading these posts,

I smoke 20 a day (probably drink too much and don't eat properly either)too and all these things make me think 'if I packed it all in, I wouldn't worry about the harm it's doing to me' and feel a bit crazy for doin it! but these posts have made me realise what I probably already knew- I'm anxious about my health (and my kids' for that matter) cos I have health anxiety, not cos of whatever else I'm doing!
That said, I wish I had the willpower to cut right down...
What the hey life's for living isn't it?

(ramble ramble ramble...lol!)

[Penelopepitstop]

It's not a great thing to do of course but my MIL has smoked at least 20 a day for 55 years and she's still fine!!

Actually you may still worry if you stop. I've never smoked, I eat really well, exercise, take tons of vitamins and I still worry.



Penny x

[scoobygirl2005]

Hi.

I don't smoke but if you want to give up you could try a nicotine patch? That may help.

Scooby2005
x x