Nov 22 2008
Nicotine: My second treatment for bipolar disorder?
I have only one vice in life - smoking. I started smoking when I was 14 so I have been a smoker for 20 years now. While I realize it is terrible habit, it has become a crutch for me which makes it even harder to kick the habit.
Whenever I am stressed, nervous, anxious, or angry I reach for a cigarette. If I am having an off day, you can usually tell by how much I am smoking. This has allowed me to de-stress, unwind, and calm down for so many years that it is more a mental addiction than physical. I proved this to myself two years ago when I quit for eight months and then started back during a stressful period in my life. For me, a mental addiction is much harder to kick than a physical one. It is this that makes my next quest a difficult one.
Months ago, I started noticing that I was out of breath quite a bit of the time. We hike quite a bit and also travel and walk many miles in a day’s time when out sightseeing. At first, I attributed it to getting older. It started becoming more troublesome when I found myself out of breath just walking around the house. I finally gave in and went to see my doctor. He sent me for a PFT (Pulmonary Function Test) and about a week later I received the results.
At this point, I have lost 33% of the lung function of my small airways. This is not something that will improve but it will certainly get worse if I continue to smoke. So, I have to quit smoking or I will lose even more of my lung function. Of course, the solution is obvious and I assumed it would be easy knowing that there is a medical reason why I need to quit. It’s not any easier. The only thing I can think of is my stress levels going through the roof and thus I am led to ponder - physical health or mental health? I can quit smoking and stop the physical problem from progressing but I will need to find a new way to manage part of my mental health woes.
Right now, I am trying to find ways to alleviate stress once I am able to quit. I want to have everything planned out for when I do quit so I don’t set myself up for failure. (Yes, I am a control freak.) I want to have a plan of action for those times when I want to light up because I am stressed out. I know it will happen and I don’t want that to be my failure.
I can’t do the chewing gum thing because I have TMJ. The patch is only good for the physical side and I can handle that part on my own. Everything I read deals with the physical addictions of smoking. Is there nothing for the mental addiction? I’m not looking for a magic pill; I just need a replacement for the way smoking soothes me mentally.
Ideas? Suggestions?
You may want to try many different things to find what works for you. Look up coping mentally with stress, talk to a psychologist experienced in assisting with coping. Find tools that help YOU cope with different types of situations.
I had to learn to get out of the house and take walks or just go some where, so I could deal with my down times… I had to learn to crochet when I was feeling anxious. There are many different ways to cope. You will find yours’ if you are willing to chance a few things… Good Luck and God Bless You. Lisa
Crocheting is good, but it’s not something you can do out in public. Also, if you’re at all like me, it works as an addiction all on its own. Part of what you need is something to occupy your hands, since that’s one of the functions of cigarettes. One thing I tried in an attempt to stop chewing my cuticles was to make a bracelet of different shaped beads. Just feeling the various shapes and textures as you go from one to another can be a good distraction. I think a necklace would be ideal. Enough beads to keep you really busy, and normal enough for people not to notice the fidgeting too much. I used glass and stone beads since they warm up with handling and then cool off again, making an additional point of interest.
And I highly recommend Yoga stretches as a destressor.
I really wish you the best of luck. You’re still young enough to regain your lung capacity if you can get through the withdrawal and make it permanent.
Thanks, Lisa and Catana.
I actually do crochet but I have learned a long time ago how to smoke and crochet at the same time. I tried learning to knit because it requires both hands but I have not been able to do it very well and I have not been able to find anyone I know that can knit to teach me.
I do like the idea of the bead necklace and I am definitely going to try that. I can see how that would help with keeping my hands busy. I fidget with the zipper pull on my jacket when I get nervous or am in a place where I can’t smoke.
The way I was explained was that the small airways are like a rubber band and once they lose their elasticity it can not be fixed. However, in quitting I can stop that from getting any worse. I have only 64% diffusion right now, which is where oxygen mixes, and that will indeed improve over time after quiting.
I carry an inhaler now and have to go back to repeat the PFT test in 4 months. My goal is to quit before the next test. I still am trying to decide on a quit date. Trying during the holidays will be rough, but if I keep putting it off it is going to make it harder for me to commit.