Hi everyone,
I'm new here, but thought this seemed a place for smart, sensible ladies (which I what I need to be, but can't right now). Apologies for the rant that's to follow.
I'm a smoker, have been for 8 years or so. About 2 years ago, I tried to quit. And ever since then, smoking has turned into an obsession for me. I feel crap when I smoke, but worse when I don't. I cut down about a year and a half ago, and ended up on citalopram. I didn't try to stop again, as I was too scared, but cut down to 5 a day and none at weekends (doing a stressful PhD, so I thought it made sense) and was getting by pretty well. More recently, I started to feel hideous feelings of anxiety again, and am now smoking more than ever, and now at weekends. I only smoke to calm that hideous anxiety - it takes away those feelings of madness and nausea, just for a couple of minutes. My GP says the problem is obsessive thinking, and has changed my meds to sertraline and referred me to a psychiatrist. I feel non-stop anxious or tearful every day and it's hurting my fiance so much. He hates me smoking, because he has seen how happy I could be in the past without it.
I've just read the Allen Carr book, agreed with everything he said, but the massive anxiety is still there and I can't stop smoking. I desperately want to be a non-smoker, to not be hooked, and building my whole day around it, but I can't. Me and my fiance have just bought a house and we're getting married in October. I don't know why I can't just be better and appreciate these lovely things. I feel like the scum of the earth.
I've never met anyone else with this obsessive attitude to smoking and would just love to hear any words of advice, about quitting smoking, dealing with anxiety...anything.
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Mental health
Smoking and anxiety
11 replies
mentalcontinental · 25/07/2012 18:08
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