Alcohol and Smoking Free - Join here

So I have a history with both of those substances but I was only addicted to cigarettes. I started both at an early age, drinking around 14 and smoking at age 15. I stopped drinking excessively at my 16 birthday, which is kinda weird because most people start at that age at least where I live. By now I only drink at birthdays or sometimes when I hang around with friends and I don't drink to get drunk anymore. If you start being sober while the other people around you get wasted you really notice what alcohol does and that really shocked me. I can't stand drunk people anymore. I find them annoying.

Smoking was a hard habit to get rid of. I smoked for almost 4 years and I have quit around my birthday this year, which was half a year ago. The reason for quitting was that I felt what smoking did to me. My chest would hurt all the time, I wouldn't get enough air, I was always out of breath, I spend a lot of money on cigarettes (1 pack a day), I smelled like shit, my room smelled like shit too and my nails would get yellow because of the nicotine. I tried many times till I finally suceeded. I was like "fuck this", threw my last pack away and never looked back since.

Things that helped me:
- Gum
- Getting active, take a walk around the block and feel that you can breath again
- Throw everything away; ligthers, empty packs, whatever
- Avoid friends who smoke in the first two weeks
- Avoid rooms where smoking is allowed
- Avoid alcohol in the first two weeks
- Educate yourself (For example: link , link & link )

 

I've never smoked; never wanted to. I've taken to drink though. I've had a few times where I generally had a good time drinking, but most of the time it's been a disaster. I feel like Dr. Jeckel. every time I drink. Analyzing what I ate, what I did, etc, meanwhile Mr. Hyde shows up most of the time. I could do without it. I wonder why I still buy alcohol from time to time. It's stupidity really.

 

Quit smoking in August 2015. If anyone here ever needs any dental work done - do it now and you might find it helpful in quitting. That's actually how I quit. I had to have two wisdom teeth removed in 2015. I was smoking 1-2 packs a day at the time, quite a heavy habit, and I would smoke constantly throughout the day.

When I got my first wisdom tooth removed by the dentist, she told me I couldn't smoke for the next few days or I risk infection. So, I was forced not to smoke. The thing is, I had a second tooth due for removal a week later, so I figured there's no point starting smoking again for the last few days of the week, only to have to stop again when I go the second time. So I decided to just not smoke the entire week.

Then I had the second tooth removed, again wasn't allowed to smoke for the next 3-4 days. After that though, it had already been close to 2 weeks, and I realised I was doing quite well without smoking. So I decided to just not start again.

After about a month of not smoking, I was having a few drinks and craved a smoke. So I lit one up, but I literally had to stop smoking it because it tasted so disgusting to me now after a break that I didn't enjoy it. So that was my last cigarette, ever.

I haven't ever smoked a cigarette since then, and I don't even get cravings for them or anything anymore when around smokers. In fact the only thing I do get, is a little irritated when I'm getting smoke in my face, as I no longer like the taste/smell, and it makes me cough.

I feel so much better. I used to get winded just walking up and down my stairs, it was ridiculous. Now I think my lungs are actually quite healthy. I don't get out of breath easily. I think doing cardio, and having quit early in life rather than continuing my habit for too long has allowed me to speedily recover from a lot of the damage done.

As for drink, I'm usually pretty responsible with it, but the last time I got drunk back at like the end of August (this year) / start of December I got a little too drunk, into that "behaving like a complete twat" zone. So I decided to take a break until December. 2 months done already, just the rest of November to go until I reach that goal.

We really need more threads like this. I keep saying this: NoFap is a catalyst that in combination with a healthy lifestyle will do wonders for you. If you don't have control over your other habits and lifestyle choices though, then doing NoFap won't get you very far. You need to quit the purely bad habits (like smoking etc), cut down or moderate things like video games, alcohol etc - or quit them entirely. You should make an effort to take care of your diet, sleep, exercise etc. Work on yourself.

 

I've found that drink is pretty much useless. It's not cheap, and your problems are still present when you sober up. Plain tap water tastes better, and doesn't inhibit your judgment.

I always figured I'd try smoke before I die, but so far it's been no go. I've got the zippo's, but so far no smokes. No desire.

 

In all honest
I never like drinking or smoking, I have done it don't get me wrong but that reason I done is become it's seem grow-up to do now I feel stupid when I drink my first beer or smoke my first cigar, it's a waste of time and the worst thing people's force me this stuff like they use the excuse "everyone doing it" I was like "no".

 

Never smoked and don't drink. I've seen how alcohol takes from a person and the tragedies it can cause.

 

I wish I had that mindset in high school because alcohol and smoking completely suck like sucking a really bad lollipop.

 

Yeah pretty much.

 

Thanks man for your support.

 

My problem is with alcohol. At points in my life, I was definitely showing alcoholic tendencies, especially in my first 3 years as an undergrad. Near the end, it drove me into a deep depression, where I started abusing pain meds as well. I think my addiction to PMO had a large impact on me developing this problem, as I was addicted to porn well before I started drinking. Anyways, I have cut alcohol largely out of my life, but whenever I do drink I am far more susceptible to feeling 'blue' and engaging in PMO. This was the case when I relapsed this past weekend. For this reason, I am 100% on the alcohol-free train!