DEPRESSED AMD SMOKE ADDICTION

@hevin54x

I get it.  I smoked from 11 years old till I was 36.  To give you an idea about my age, that was 40 years ago.  There were a couple of factors that influenced me at the time.  For one thing, I attended a smoking cessation meeting and was told I was doomed to failure unless I paid them to help me quit.  

Sheesh!!  Tell me I can't do something and I'll prove them wrong out of sheer bull headedness.  Another thought was, "if I can quit, it'll be evidence that I have a respectable amount of willpower, and that will greatly impact my level of confidence."  

Smoking, as you probably well know becomes integrated in most if not all activities.  Eat a meal, need a cigarette after.  I set mini-goals at work, then rewarded myself with a smoke.  TV watching called for two smokes per 30 minutes.  Beer drinking (I no longer drink) required almost constant smoking.  Anyway, you get the idea.  I smoked 2+ packs a day, either Camels or Pall Malls.  

It's hard to quit something that's been an intimate part of life for years.  Also, dropping a  habit leaves a void. a nagging feeling that "something's missing."  That's a pretty big deal after smoking for 25 years.  I was convinced that I didn't stand a chance of quitting unless I had some activity to do in place of smoking.  I decided on cross country skiing.  The strain on my lungs was reminiscent of smoking.  I did a LOT of skiing.  

I left an open pack of cigarettes on a table next to my favorite chair for 3 months.  I reasoned that if I threw them away, I couldn't be sure that I wasn't smoking just because they weren't around.  It also prevented that feeling of desperation because they were missing.  

It took about 3 months till I knew I didn't have to worry about starting back smoking.  It wasn't like the temptation was gone, it was just that I knew I could manage it.  

That was my process, but yours may be far different, if you decide to quit.  There are a lot more options available to help you quit.  

Please consider the difference between saying "can't stop" and saying "I haven't been able to stop yet."  

The only true barrier to quitting is the belief that you can't quit.