Coffee and Cig Addictions

[PeachyQ]

I have a coffee and cigarette addiction. It is routine for me to get up early at 6am ( I always wake up very early) and head to Tim Hortons for my first coffee of the day. Mind you, at most, I'll have 3 cups of coffee per day, never any more then that. One in the morning, One at lunch and One on my way home from work. I love the taste. Coffee doesn't keep me awake at night either.

Cigs are also an addiction. I didn't start smoking until AFTER my 2 children were born which was 20 years ago. I smoked lightly for a good 5 years of this 20 year period. I even quit for a few years and then went back and smoked even more when I returned to smoking. I smoke about 1/2 a pack a day.

I want to quit smoking and have tried everything BUT cold turkey. I was wondering if anyone else has quit cold turkey here and if you can give me some information as to how quitting cold turkey was better for you in reaching your goal ( if it was ).

On Day 3 of Induction and I have since only been having 1 cup of caffinated coffee and the other 2 cups of coffee are decaf. I would like to give up the caffinated cup in the next day or two.

As for smoking......I know I need to quit. I need to overcome my fears of living without cigs and have the mindframe right now that if I can loose my weight , keep up my new exercise routine and change those aspects of my life, I'll have a more positive mind set to quit smoking and more self confidence to make it happen.

So, who has quit cold turkey here?

[ValidRouge]

I quit smoking cold turkey over a year and a half ago. I am a firm believer that cold turkey is the ONLY way to quit.

Read www.whyquit.com it helped me so much. My sister had started her quit using Chiantix and got on the site and ended up cold turkey on both the cigs and the chiantix.

[sillygirl]

Hi peachy, I met you over at Spotlight the other day. I think most of us have addictions of some sort. Food and overeating is an addiction just as difficult to get in control as smoking.

The coffee may or may not bother your weight loss so I wouldn't be concerned with that unless you actually want to give up caffiene for some reason.

I think you really need to want to quit smoking. That's first and foremost. Also, you say you've tried everything? Have you tried the pill called Chantix? It works on your brain nicotine receptors and it really, really works. Check it out.

[*Emma*]

I second the chantix, it gave me that boost to give up that i needed, i didnt complete the course but was glad i used them for the first few weeks, just to get the habit part of the addiction outta the way, which i believe is the hardest bit.

[PeachyQ]

Did the Chantix make anyone of you who has tried sick? I have a few family members who tried it and all became very ill on it.

I've had good success with Zyban. I've been on that a few times without any problems other then a dry mouth. I quit for a few years using Zyban before. But like mentioned, I have to really want to quit. I do, but at the same time, I enjoy smoking. Isn't that sad!!

[sillygirl]

Originally Posted by PeachyQ

Did the Chantix make anyone of you who has tried sick? I have a few family members who tried it and all became very ill on it.

I've had good success with Zyban. I've been on that a few times without any problems other then a dry mouth. I quit for a few years using Zyban before. But like mentioned, I have to really want to quit. I do, but at the same time, I enjoy smoking. Isn't that sad!!

Peachy, can I ask how old you are? Don't think of me as just some old lady, but this is my 50th year which freaked me out enough that I quit for my health, first and foremost. I hardly even told anyone. With the help of the Chantix it's almost easy (except under extreme stress). I loved to smoke too, but it is the number one thing we can do to better our health. It''s great that you're even exploring the option to quit.

You're so good and are here on this board giving Atkins a whirl, you must be determined to lose weight? Find that resolve and put it into the smoking as well. I do have a friend who had crazy dreams on the Chantix so he stopped. Personally, no side effects whatsover. I did try Zyban in the past with zero success.

The big perk is my hair and clothes smell nice all the time now! I really love that aspect of it

[PeachyQ]

Sillygirl,

I am 40 years old. And you are so right about thinking about our health, especially at this age. (not to say we shouldn't when we are younger). I'm definatley exploring my options for quitting smoking. I do want to quit and realize this is the number 1 important ingrediant in being successful. I think I was feeling a bit fearful of trying to lose weight, quit coffee and quit smoking and change eating habits all at the same time. I had talked myself into completing Akins ( 25lbs to lose) gain some self confidence and FEEL healthy with the hopes this would feed my desire to quit that much more. Then smoking would be the next tackle field.

From all the reading I'm doing here, I am slowly being convinced that I am wrong and should be doing this all at the "same" time.

As far as Chantix, can this be taken along side the antidepressant Citalopram?. ( Obviously I will ask my doctor about this as well)
As far as Zyban, my doctor has had me take both medications together in a certain dosage. So wondering if Chantix can be taken this way also.

Thanks for the encouragement!

[sillygirl]

I don't really have an answer about Chantix and other drugs. Zyban is the same as Wellbutrin and is an antidepressant as well. Sorry, that all I know!

I think quitting smoking (at least for me) was sort of the same as wanting to lose weight. It just clicks in your head and you move forward.

If you can deal with it, I would do it all at the same time. Withdrawals are withdrawals and you may as well get them all overwith at once!

We didn't discuss why you want to quit caffiene? Is that for weight loss reasons? I'm a coffee hound, it never bothered my weight loss efforts and is high in antioxidents which are good for us old ladies! It's a personal choice either way but I was curious, caffiene is a fairly benign vice, in moderation, I would say! That's just my opinion.

[PeachyQ]

I LOVE COFFEE!!!. I just love my Tim Hortons. When considering quitting coffee, it's with the fact that I know coffee and cigs go together for me. If I continue to drink coffee, I fear the cravings for cigs will be worse and or continue.

Question for you: When on Induction, did you have cream in your coffee? If so how much cream would you put in it and how many per day did you drink?

[lockeshop]

Wow, going off coffee, dieting AND kicking the stogie habit is a very hard thing to do and may make the rest of your family cry along side of you because of the mood swings it might cause.
Unless, coffee 'goes with' cigarette's and they both need to go away together. ..you might want to focus on one step at a time and get through the 1st stages of this WOE first??? Just a thought.