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sarahsweets · Sep 24, 2021 at 01:43 PM

First of all @fuzzycactus dont beat yourself up. I am a sober alcoholic (8 years) and I detoxed at home and thought I would die. The worst I have ever felt. But it was still easier to kick alcohol than it is cigarettes. I hate vaping and the kind of cigarettes I smoke (not to rationalize just explaining) are organic, additive free so I do not experience any of the coughing or other smoking related issues. I used to smoke regular smokes and it would leave me feeling gross and when I switched to these those issues went away.

I am not dumb enough to think that no neg effects now means a healthy cigarette or no long term issues, its just something that contributes to how hard it is. I have stopped and started a zillion times. I even had an eval with a sleep doc(for insomnia and other stuff) and I asked him about chantix. He said for someone like me on bp meds and a history of sleepwalking- well no way is that ok for me. In a way I think smokers are one of the few things people feel ok shaming you for. Its not like its a choice per se. Once the chemical part takes hold and you factor in the mental illness its really hard.

Do people with mental illness and substance use disorders use tobacco more often? | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
Read this if you want to know the information about addictions, specifically smoking and mental illness.
i dont know how I will stop. it helps me so much. I am not on benzos or anything for anxiety and while smoking is a stimulant, it actually helps calm me down. In fact a lot of people with adhd have sort of opposite reactions to things that are meant to be stimulating. In fact benedryl doesnt make me sleepy either. Anyhow dont be hard on yourself. You are not a failure.