Hi,

When I was a teenager (16 or 17), I started drinking heavily and didn't stop till I was 24. For about the last year and a half of that time I was black-out drunk every day. Somewhere during this time period, I picked up smoking. I had a really hard time quitting drinking due to really serious withdrawal symptoms (I'm only 5'2" and 110 pounds so I'm sure the 1-2 bottles of whiskey a day I was drinking impacted my health quicker than average) including severe shakes, hallucinations, etc. It took me a year to quit drinking during which time my smoking increased to over a pack (sometimes 2 on a bad day) a day. I have now been sober for a year and 8 months and still smoking like a chimney. I didn't dare take on my smoking addiction while in alcohol recovery (just too much strain on my willpower); but now that I've got some time of sobriety under my belt, I feel like I'm ready to tackle my next addiction. But I have some concerns, and I'm hoping maybe someone around here might have some experience with this issues and maybe have some advice.

I don't know if I'm just hyper sensitive or a hypochondriac or what, but ever since I quit drinking, changes in my diet/lifestyle are very deeply felt by me. If I eat too much sugar, I feel like I'm having alcohol withdrawals. If I don't drink enough water, I feel like I'm having alcohol withdrawals. This comes with anxiety that is pretty intense (which I realize may be all I'm experiencing, but it's hard to tell for sure). I'm worried that quitting smoking is going to make me feel that way again, because I do tend to get anxiety when I don't have a cigarette (which I'm sure is to be expected in heavy smokers). I call the feeling "sparky"; the closest thing I can describe it as is what I would imagine it feels like to be on the precipice of a seizure. I have never had a seizure before, even the worst of my worst withdrawals, but the sensation is startling. (Some addicts may recognize this feeling as "coming down from LSD", as a point of reference)

Has anyone coped with these sensations in quitting their addictions before? These sensations were my biggest roadblock in quitting drinking; the terrifying feelings always drove me back to the bottle. Does anyone have any experience to know if smoking will cause the same problems? Or, on a more general note: did quitting smoking make you want to start drinking again? I am of course consulting other sources and seeking the support of my loved ones, but I'm nervous about turning this corner in life and would love some input from addicts who have been through this before.

Thank you!