Smoking failing and back to square one

[rhythmofthecosmos]

I was raw for 2 months and I had this voice (not really but kidda feeling like i did) saying u have to quit smoking..

So last tuesday I just burst into tears and was disgusted with myself.. i think it was the raw food talking so anyway smoking had to go.. around 4 days into it I had to start eating junk again just to deal with the withdrawal.. it didnt bother me much as long as I kept not smoking I knew that i could get back on raw..

Then I went to a student party where I smoked erkk then another then another.. so now the smoking is back the junk is back and am back to square one..

am not beating myself up about it cause there is no point really I just have to get back on form..

So am looking into a juice feast am planning on 10 days but am going to see how far I can take it if I can get to 92 days I would be very happy...

I was just wondering after reading this by david wolfe if the same can apply for smoking cigs?


The alkaloids in the marijuana smoke neutralize the acid condition, relax the body, and tune into a resonant consciousness. But smoking marijuana actually perpetuates the same biochemistry that created the desire for alkalinity. Because smoking marijuana interferes with the ability of the blood to carry sugar. The more one smokes, the more sugar the body desires. Also, the higher one gets the more acid-forming foods the body asks for to come down. This cycle can be broken by eating significantly more green-leafy vegetables and wild herbs which alkalize the body, loosen the tissues, and open the mind.

Would it be easier to quit smoking while doing the juice feast?

thanks

[oceanee]

I don't know about your question but here is what I do know.

Try not to beat yourself, many of us have been there in some fashion. Addictions are difficult to beat and sometimes it seems easy to rationalize giving up one and taking back another. I know, because I have done the same thing. I don't smoke now but did off and on years back. I remember playing the same mental game with myself as I struggled to beat either the nicotine or the food addiction. I ate "healthy" for the most part except when I might battle depression and slide into the sweet crap which never lasted long as I would at least realize I was actually self inducing another problem. I have had to and am still working on the whys . For me, working on being 100% raw does some serious emotional detox and cleansing and I have found when it gets too much and/or I am seriously stressed I fall back to my old, unhealthy patterns. Each time I am reaffirmed that I am a food addict, that I need to journal, plan "meals" ahead, always have my kitchen full of fruits and veggies,stay tuned into this raw site and use the word no. No to , I just can't...but that is me. I also try to learn, each time to be gentler on myself and my misgivings.

I don't know if I have said anything to help just stop being upset with yourself and take what you can learn and move forward. Every small step gets us closer to freedom. This is how I rationalize now as I am determined to overcome my food addiction.

Take care and look at the positive. You are fighting and you are searching. We all need each other especially those of us with dependency issues.

Oceanee

[rhythmofthecosmos]

am not beating myself up.. I know theres no point I guess it could come down to impatience.. I keep forgetting its a learning curve..

thanks for the reply though :)

[pamparred]

Back several years ago I read that people trying to quit smoking used sunflower seeds, not the kind in their shell, just plain sunflower seeds. There is something in them that is supposed to help curb the craving for cigarettes. Probably a fast would help. I too am looking at the 92 day juice feast and am planning on starting the 1st of April.

[rhythmofthecosmos]

yeah someone told me about the sunflower seeds as well.. I forgot to buy some though. might have another go :)

[FloridaPatty]

First of all two difference plants. Tobacco is highly toxic. It's used as a pesticide on plants. If you took the smoke you created from one cigarette, put it into liquid for and injected directly into your blood system you would drop over dead instantly. It coats the lungs with tar reducing your ability to get oxygen into your body. Smoking only helps the tobacco industry and the people that collect taxes. It does nothing good for the body.

[EZ rider]

I found that for me bad habits traveled in a pack. The rat pack. I use the past tense "traveled" because I no have any of the rat pack problems. I booted them all and when I see one trying to get back into my life I am very prompt and firm about slamming the door in its ugly face and then watching out for the rat pack traveling companions like, smoking, drinking, recreational drugs, junk food eating, caffeine, etc. and slam the door in their face too. The rat pack travels together to rob you of health and leave you with empty pockets and addictive habits on your back.

[Florina]

Hi rhythmofthecosmos,

I just stumbled upon this article, and remembered your post here.
Definately worth reading.

Among other things, this might be of particular interest to you:

"To counter the cravings, he recommends lobelia, a botanical that is chemically similar to nicotine but is not addictive. Tyrosine, a naturally occurring amino acid, is used to address irritability.

The theanine in green tea can stimulate dopamine release. Ginkgo and pycnogenol can keep dopamine from being reabsorbed. All of them help subdue the urge to light up."

and

"On the first day, cut a soda straw in half and suck air through it; then chew on celery and carrot sticks or chew gum."

Full article:
http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/1115sr-smoke1115insideZ8.html

You not be able to find these things in raw form, but I'm sure even raw fanatics will find it ok for the purpose of quitting smokes ;)

/Florina

[rhythmofthecosmos]

woaah thank you so much :)

[Bananna]

The addicton is largely psychological. Withdrawal symptoms are pretty much mute if you are in the right frame of mind.

I quit smoking several times before I finally did for good. I think the trick is to learn your pitfalls from all your previous attempts and make sure you have a plan in place to counter them the next time you quit. Although the next time you may find some other pitfall, which you will learn from for the time after that that you quit. Just remember, so long as you keep trying, you will eventually get it. So just never quit trying.

For example, what are you going to do to combat the next time you quit and go to a student party? The answer might be don't go untill you're sure your a non-smoker. That would be the easiest probably?

Some things that Really helped me quit:
Setting an official quit date, a few weeks in advance. In between that time and now DO NOT try and quit or cutback, I even smoke a little extra, sometimes till I'd feel truly sick. BUT, the whole time, THINK a lot about why you want to quit, (you like breathing, its gross, expensive, toxic, cancer, emphysema, stupid, you lived perfectly happy before smoking, environmentally unfriendly, etc etc...) ....I call this method the 'slingshot method' because what you're doing is effective to pulling back a slingshot on the psychological warfare. NON of the psychological momentum you are creating is being diffused by cutting back on actual, futile smoking attempts. So many times people try and change and they just haven't built up their minds enough....then they try. Then they fail. Then they repeat the cycle.

Also, do many of the tips you can find online. Canada has a great government website with tips...telling you after 24 hrs, you've improved this, 1 week you've decreased that, 1 year....yadda yadda. Lots of tips, the chewing gum, the water, avoiding tempting situations, support systems, all that stuff, employ as much of all that stuff as you can.

When I quit the slingshot way I get NO nicfits. NONE, ok well maybe a few very TINY ones that are gone with a tall glass of water.

Have you ever stood in a door frame with the back of your hands pushing against it, arms straight, just pushing and pushing with all your might for 3 mintues or so and then step out from the door way and your arms will literally float? It's effortless? That's kind of what you're doing this way.

Sorry this is SO long...

[stacyface]

i quit smoking 2 months ago. did really well, except of course when i drank a few times, which wasn't frequent since i quit that too. recently i've binged on crap food and i was so disappointed in myself i said, screw it, might as well smoke too. i'm such a black or white, all or nothing thinker, it's awful. i'm trying to get back on track with it all. perhaps we can support each other. i have no support when it comes to eating raw, or abstinence from cigarettes, alcohol, or practicing my eating disorder. mostly b/c i don't ask. sigh...new therapist tomorrow. i'm 23, and i really thought i would have grown up by now. foy years i've known that one day i will be this raw foodist, medatating, happy, glowing woman...sometimes i start to shimmer a little, then the light goes out and i go sit in the dark by myself. that's where i am right now...literally and figuratively, lol. you can do it...think of what you really want...

[rhythmofthecosmos]

thanks for the reply rasiaca.. some very useful tips there.. I will give them ago


yeah am in the same boat stacy when I dont smoke I eat crap then I crack and feel really shitty..

its never ending.. am so depressed at the mo at sick of feeling like someone withdrawing from heroin..

I have until july too find the balance until I go on my meditation course where no smoking is allowed.. fingers crossed I will do it :)

thanks again for all your help guys :)

[beckx]

something that helped me was looking at what assumptions were holding me back: "it's going to be hard, i'm not going to feel well" "hanging out with my partner is going to be hard because he's a smoker" etc. really examine those thoughts and break them down.

re: the juice feast, i definitely think it would help. depending on how much you smoke though, i would worry that the tobacco will be doing more damage to your body because there's no real buffer of other impurities... like drinking alcohol on an empty stomach. but over time on the feast the bad effects of smoking are going to hit you REALLY hard and especially with lots of greens i'd imagine cigarettes are going to start looking pretty unappealing.

good luck and congrats on deciding to quit.

[the~new~me]

I also smoked for years and quit "cold Turkey" eight years ago.One thing is for certain. You must be ready to do it. You must commit to the promise you won't EVER EVER even have one little hit off of a cigarette EVER again going into it. You must stand strong it that commitment.
Also, we smoke because we enjoy it. So you must do your best to turn that around. One thing that I did was to keep a dirty stinky ashtray. Whenever I felt like giving in to the temptation I would smell the yucky thing and tell myself "that is just so disgusting!" (aversion therapy)
Whenever you see someone smoking think thoughts to yourself about how it is going to wrinkle up their mouth to look like a prune when they are older. Or how they will look with a trach hole in their neck having to suction out the crap every day and aren't you lucky that you won't have that! Anything you can tell yourself that will gross you out on it.
Always remember that the cravings will get fewer and weaker as time goes by. Try not to trade your smoking habit for another bad habit. Realize that there are at least 2 aspects to smoking addiction .
1. Physical: Strong at first but will lighten up fast
2. Behavioral: Those triggers like starting the car and reaching for the cigs or right after eating when you automatically reach for one> Keep a green smoothie or water with a straw handy(the hand to mouth and inhaling throught the straw will help mimic that action you crave)(this was harder than the physical addiction for me... be ready for it)
Write positive affirmations on your bathroom mirror about how strong you are to tackle this and how much you love yourself and are taking care of yourself . Best of luck to you!! You CAN do it! NAMASTE!