What is the worst habit (addiction you ever tried to break or did break)

J

Just plain me

Member
Mine is cigarettes! I know all the facts! I know most of the how-to's. But even with my health can't find it in me to say "No!" Tried the websites, hypnosis, chantix and cold turkey, and patches. Nothing seems to work. Stop "cold turkey" twice for 6 months, hubby smoked the entire time. Tell myself every day "tomorrow" till I don't even beleive it anymore. Health, money and religious views are reasons why I should. Not neccessairly in that order. Neither is "guilt" a deterent. Anyone got any other ideas or maybe you have a different "hangup:.Maybe something will click in our brains if we try to help one another!
 

Alcohol, but I believe that nicotine is much harder to give up.

One person I knew told me that he had to give up cigarettes for health reasons but to do so successfully he had to abstain from alcohol also. In his case having a drink and a cigarette were so closely linked he had to give up both.

Alcohol's effect on the brain tends to weaken resolve and can make lapses more likely whether we are talking about quitting smoking or trying to stick to a diet.
 

It was smoking for me too, but I quit the habit cold turkey over 30 years ago. I wrote this article awhile back to maybe help others who were struggling with ditching the smokes. At the prices they are today, I don't know how anyone can even afford the habit anymore. :eek:

It's a fact that we usually take our health for granted until we lose it. I'm writing this for mature adults, many of whom had started smoking cigarettes in their teens or twenties, and have continued to do so on a daily basis for their entire adult lives. I gave up smoking on my own over thirty years ago after smoking over a pack of Marlboros a day for around fifteen years. I can honestly say that it was the smartest move I've ever made, and have never regretted it.

Years ago, smoking was advertised on TV and radio. All the commercials were very seductive. Some phrases used were, 'come to where the flavor is, come to Marlboro country', 'smoke Pall Mall get satisfying flavor, so friendly to your taste', 'you've got your own cigarette now baby, you've come a long, long way' (Virginia Slims), 'Salem softness freshens your taste, softly freshens', 'I'd walk a mile for a Camel'...and on...and on...and on. Sounded pretty awesome, stimulated a desire in the consumer audience to be sure. We didn't think back then that they just were just big corporations, doing what they needed to do to sell their products and make money, and we were their key targets.

Aside from the commercial ads, there was also a very 'cool' thing about smoking. We saw attractive, sexy and tough actors and beautiful actresses in the movies smoking, and that made it even more appealing. In our teens, some of us started smoking because our friends did it and we wanted to be grown-up and 'fit in'. When some of us started smoking, a pack of cigarettes cost less than one dollar, probably less than fifty cents, not too bad for twenty smokes.

No matter when we started, or what the reason was, we realized after a time that it became a habit. We'd have a cigarette in the morning, either with or even before our coffee, one to three on work breaks (back then we could smoke in the buildings), one after every meal or snack, one or more with drinks, etc. Sometimes we'd light a cigarette in the bedroom, only to find that we already had one lit that was in the kitchen ashtray. We had to be sure that we always had a pack of cigarettes with us, and we did what we had to in order to guarantee it.

Years into smoking, we noticed that although we weren't that old, we'd be out of breath after a couple of flights of stairs, if we had to run or walk fast even for a brief period, we'd be huffing and puffing. Usually in the mornings, we'd notice that we were coughing up phlegm from our lungs, maybe hear an audible wheeze, it seemed as soon as we were over a cold, we'd catch another one. Despite these 'inconveniences', we continued to light up, after all, it was so pleasureable.

We all know now that smoking is not good for our health. Cigarettes are full of toxins and lighting them up and inhaling the smoke is damaging to our lungs. They raise our blood pressure, and wrinkle our skin. There are no advantages to cigarette smoking whatsoever. Cigarette smoke is a poison to our bodies, that we've been conditioned to desire since a young age. We fell into the trap, did our time being controlled by them, and have gotten the 'satisfying pleasure' out of our systems, now we've matured, and it's time to think about our health, finances and future before we lose any or all of it.

The time is now to respect your lungs, and care for yourself. If you don't already have any physical conditions or diseases from smoking, consider it a blessing. It's never too late to give up the poison that has so much power over your daily life. Don't think of quitting as a negative thing, you're not denying yourself anything, but the inhalation of a destructive poison directly into your body.

The only reason we think that having a cigarette is so relaxing, is because we've been trained to think that way. It seems relaxing at times, because we're wanting one and thinking about having one so badly, that it appears to relax us when we do. Maybe robbing your body and brain of oxygen is not the best way to relax.

Keep in mind that the main side effects of quitting are mental. If you look at it realistically, you'll acknowledge that you're willingly poisoning your body and you absolutely have the power to stop. Don't wait until a special day, like New Year's to do it, think about it, it doesn't make any sense to put off something that will give you so many benefits. Switch out smoking with healthy habits, like walking in the outdoors to clear your lungs, preferably in a natural setting.

Freedom feels great! Having no desire for the poison is logical. Move forward and make the best of the rest of your life. Quit your smoking habit using mature common sense. Enjoy the health, stop the abuse! Look how hard your lungs have worked to keep you alive all of your life, you're intelligence and maturity makes the reality clear, take advantage of it!

Photos source:http://www.quitsmokingsupport.com/lungphotos.htm
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Smoking was difficult to give up, I just decided to quit cold turkey. Not happy with the extra 30 lbs that came with it. Didn't do it to prolong life, just to make the quality better, now I'm trying to take off the extra 30 I've gained over the past 4 years since quitting. Right after, I became addicted to saltines, about a box a day, most days, I don't do that anymore, just sometimes I still will od on crackers on my worst days.
 
:lol: I was the same when giving up alcohol but I considered the health hazard due to extra weight was less than the problem of liver disease/cancer. Brain rot was not appealing either. Fight one addiction at a time if possible.
 
Smoking was the longest lasting habit, so it gets the "most difficult" trophy. However, once I finally decided that it was time to quit, I did so with no fanfare...just quit it.
The same thing happened when I quit drinking, when I got it through my head that it was contributing to my demise, stopping was instant and drop-dead easy.

Eating fat, salt and sugar: a more delicate situation(eating is legal and not frowned upon like smoking). If I could get my wife "on-board" with the idea of eating healthier, it would be a simple matter. I cook most of the meals we have together(she still works) and try to make healthier cuisine, but I do make concessions, just so she doesn't turn away.
 
Yes...smoking. I quit in May after 55 years. I managed 6 months two years ago as well but that crumpled behind a shaky resolve and poor planning. I'm totally committed this go-around and my time is structured for success. The change has been remarkable. My wind has increased dramatically...no more coughing. I have $200.00 more spending money each month.

Patches irritated my skin. Gum made me nauseous. Chantix scared the hell out of me. I learned to eat cold turkey.
 
I gained around ten pounds after I quit smoking. The only reason I didn't gain more, is because I immediately replaced it with jogging and Jazzercise, that helped keep the gain under control...but it didn't eliminate it. Worth the trade off, IMO.
 
I have never smoked, drunk alcohol to excess, or ever been in the vicinity of anyone using an illegal drug.
 
Smoking. I've also written this before here on the forum, but it deserves repeating; Nicotine is the most addictive drug in America. It is more addictive than Cocaine or Heroin. I have quit for over 25 years. I went cold turkey and I think it took me two weeks to be comfortable with not lighting up. Not saying I didn't want a smoke after a meal or first thing out of bed, but I didn't have the panic that I felt right when I quit that I had to have a cigarette or I was going to go insane.

I understand the feelings of those that just can't quit, although as they have told me, "I've tried everything."
 
The smell of cigarette and cigar smoke is still enjoyable in the fall air but I don't feel the urge to go back to smoking any more...
 
Most restaurants here in the U.S. are now smoke-free, but when I smell a freshly lit cigarette right after a meal, I think back at how enjoyable that cigarette was, but as Ralphy1 has stated, I do not have the desire to light up.
 
I made myself a promise that the week that I retired from my job, I would quit smoking...and I did, cold turkey. I think my motivation was that I told myself that I couldn't afford to smoke on our new fixed income....and it worked.

The hardest part was the morning coffee and cigarette combo. Had been doing it over 45 years. Even though I do have COPD, I'm so glad I got that monkey off my back. And, I don't use much alcohol...a glass of wine at times.
 
Smoking and now artificial sweeteners.. Also hubby and I got into the habit of having wine with dinner... and sometimes (most times) after dinner. We have stopped that also.
 
Definitely smoking! I smoked from age 15 - 40. 1 to 1 1/2 packs a day. I quit once for about 6 months when someone was nagging me to quit. Didn't work. Then a few years later I found it harder and harder to breathe. It was becoming work and I was out of breath frequently. I knew if I didn't quit I would get emphysema, if I wasn't getting it already. I would have been dead by age 45, I was sure of it.

I chose a date to quit. I was moving to a new apartment so figured that would be a good time, since I didn't associate smoking with the new environment. I prepared myself for being a totally miserable bitch for several months, got the patches, gum, lollipops, plastic straws, and I quit. That was 21 years ago.
 
Gave up smoking 13 years ago. Got a chest infection and didn't feel like smoking. As I was getting over the infection I decided it might be a good at time as any to try and carry on with the no smoking. Only really had one bad night where I craved a cigarette but wasn't prepared to go out at midnight to find somewhere open to buy any!
 
Sweets. Can't keep cookies or candy around the house because I'm always grabbing one. Doing a better job of just buying grapes and other fruit for my sweet tooth.
 
Bullie76 said:
... Can't keep cookies or candy around the house because I'm always grabbing one.
Click to expand...

Bullie76, I'm with you on that one. Not just sweets, either.

The latest habit is clenching my teeth at night. Didn't even know I was doing it until the dentist pointed it out last visit. It has caused chips off of teeth and bridges, a couple of worn down teeth, and probably the reason for several root canals. I've been wearing this little rubber gadget in my mouth at night, hoping to break the habit, and now I'm used to it, but I think I clench on that thing even worse.
 
I `ve talked about this before but for me it was definitely smoking. On Nov.17th it will be 25 years ago that I gave up my 5 pack a day habit cold turkey. Like the rest of you who have quit,I don`t like the weight that came with it but I know I would be dead right now if I hadn`t have quit.
 
The worst habit I vanquished was believing a cheating husband..and getting rid of him..:D
 

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