# nicotine withdrawal and anxiety/dp/dr



## brandon is not taken (Mar 29, 2007)

I am 3 days in - cold turkey.

I feel like I am having my first panic attack in a couple months. dp/dr is slightly returning as well.

I only quit smoking because i am battling a bad ear/throat/sinus infection and dont want to prolong my illness. I am thinking about having one anyway cause i am so stressed. I am going stir crazy. I only left my room once in the last 3 days (too sick, not agoraphobic).

Anyone else here have any stories about kicking the habit and its effect on anxiety/dp/dr ?


----------



## Guest (Aug 19, 2007)

I dunno man, I've quit so many times only to start smoking again when i got really stressed out... and that's alot of times.

Are you on any anti-depressants or do you have any benzos on you? I feel it's alot easier to quit cigarettes when you're on these drugs.


----------



## brandon is not taken (Mar 29, 2007)

I'm not on any meds right now (except an anti-biotic for the sickness).

I do have some klonopin left over from when i used to take it. Maybe i will take one.


----------



## brandon is not taken (Mar 29, 2007)

I took a smalll dose of klonopin (0.25 mg)

I have been reading alot on quitting smoking, and i decided i am really going to quit for good. Withdrawal symptoms peak around 72 hours after cessation, and that is where i am at right now. I figure if I already made it this far, I might as well keep going. My 2 packs of cigs next to me are going down the garbage disposal.


----------



## Guest (Aug 19, 2007)

one strategy I use when quitting is I don't wait till the whole pack of cigarettes are done when quitting. I break all the cigarettes in half and throw them in the trash. It does something psychologically, I dunno what but it works.

Once you get past the first 3 days, it's easy except you will always can get back on them especially during a stressful situation. Also if you take up a sport like martial arts, you will want to quit even more because you will realize how badly the cigarettes affect your cardio. I couldn't hang with the guys at my muay thai class because my cardio sucked so bad... I was the first one to gas out and I'm only 20 and have been a good athlete all my life. I thought cigs wouldn't do too much but I was wrong


----------



## brandon is not taken (Mar 29, 2007)

yea i know what you mean. I lift weights pretty often, and after doing a set of squats i feel like i am about to pass out. I dont even try to run anymore because I dont want to know how bad it is. Last year I was running a 9 minute mile, and I am very lean with long strong legs, my lungs just couldnt keep up. And I am 23. I have seen studies that say on average a man reaches his peak level of physical fitness at 23. lol, i hope thats not true for me.


----------



## Hopefull (Dec 1, 2006)

The way I gave up was to hang on to a packet, don't throw them away.
When I through them away I instantly felt like having a cigarette. If you hang on to them it gives you a greater sense of achievement when you do resist, without the anxiety of throwing them all out.


----------



## ihavemessedupdreams (Apr 19, 2007)

smoking does nothing for me i breath it in breath it out no relaxation or anything ive been smoking fot 4 years. i only do it because i like to do it plus i get carton for 20 bux lol


----------



## Hopefull (Dec 1, 2006)

Do you want the psychological reason for why people smoke?


----------



## brandon is not taken (Mar 29, 2007)

Bailee said:


> The way I gave up was to hang on to a packet, don't throw them away.
> When I through them away I instantly felt like having a cigarette. If you hang on to them it gives you a greater sense of achievement when you do resist, without the anxiety of throwing them all out.


Yea i havnt destroyed my cigs yet, although i still think i might. Funny you made this post, because right before I read it, I took a cig out of the pack just to look at it. I wanted to prove to myself i had the willpower to hold it in my hand and not smoke it. I almost put it in my mouth just to "see how it feels" but i thought that was taking it a little to far so i put it away.

I have heard some different psychological reasons for smoking, and have a few of my own theories, but i would like to hear what you think about it.


----------



## brandon is not taken (Mar 29, 2007)

ihavemessedupdreams said:


> smoking does nothing for me i breath it in breath it out no relaxation or anything ive been smoking fot 4 years. i only do it because i like to do it plus i get carton for 20 bux lol


4 years is not that long of a time to be smoking for, but chances are you are addicted anyway. How many do u smoke a day? I have been smoking a pack a day for about 8 years now. Try to quit cold turkey for a few days and see how it feels.


----------



## brandon is not taken (Mar 29, 2007)

Bailee:

How long have you been an ex-smoker for? Did all of your cravings totally go away? If so, how long did that take?

Also, were you able to drink alcohol after you quit? I am worried if I have a few drinks i will start smoking again


----------



## Hopefull (Dec 1, 2006)

Edit


----------



## ihavemessedupdreams (Apr 19, 2007)

@brandon is not taken

how are your teeth doing? lol im about half a pack a day


----------



## Hopefull (Dec 1, 2006)

Brandon I smoked for about 10 years and yes the cravings did go away, in fact the smell of cigarettes makes me feel sick now. It took about 2 months for the cravings to totally go away, fortunately most of my friends don't smoke and smoking in bars is illegal in Australia. 
I thought the same thing about drinking, but I can still enjoy a drink without smoking, even if other people around me are smoking now. 
How good did it feel to hold that cigarette and not smoke it, you can do it.

Psychological reason for smoking: Basically cigarettes are just adult pacifiers, it is the same reason we stick a pen in our mouth or a finger when we get stressed. I takes us back to a time when we were being feed and cared for by our mothers.


----------



## brandon is not taken (Mar 29, 2007)

Here in philadelphia smoking in bars is illegal too. I used to hate the law but now I am glad for it.

My roomate is a heavy smoker, this will be the hardest part. The smell of cigs already makes me feel sick.

Oh and my teeth are doing OK actually. Maybe a little yellow, but I got a decent set of chompers thanks to a good dentist and a good orthodontist when i was younger.

I might whiten them one day, but they really arent that bad now.


----------



## fattmik (Jun 15, 2007)

I quit about a year ago, and I still get cravings. They've diminished, and once you've gone a few weeks, a few months, without smoking your will is certainly stronger. But just last night I found myself teetering on the edge once again.

I found that telling myself I was taking a break rather than definitively quitting helped, especially for those first few weeks. Each day becomes a little triumph...proof that you can overcome it, even if you think you might relapse. Try not to beat yourself up if you slip up. Quitting is worth it.

I drink, and it's definitely more difficult to abstain from smoking, but not impossible.

As for its effect on the DP...it's better in some ways and worse in others. I'm not quite as stressed out, and I can breathe a bit better, but I also miss how it stimulated my thinking. Even coffee doesn't help in that regard. But I still think in the long run it's worth it, and at this point, I feel as if going back would just be stupid, even if the occasional craving hits hard.


----------



## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

I quit smoking for 2 years and i took it up again about a year ago during a dysphoric mania state. It was either get a bottle of whiskey or get a pack of smokes so i chose smokes the lesser of 2 evils for me. I was in self destruct mode so i had to have something.

Anyway ive been free of dp/dr and brain fog for about a year and a half and when i give up smoking it comes back. Especially the brain fog. But it doesent come back nearly as bad and this is probley due to the clonazepam im on. Before when i gave up smoking i got derealization and brain fog so bad that i could hardly function and i would get very disoriented. It only lasts for 3 days or so now as well.

However whenever i give up smoking i get majorly depressed beyond belief even more then usual :lol: . So for me atleast the benifits of smoking outweight the risks.


----------

