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twang

Bluelighter
Joined
May 12, 2012
Messages
105
My experience with AA and NA meetings was that everyone drank coffee and smoked cigarettes like crazy. Seems like everyone used nicotine and caffeine to replace their DOC. Last time I went To a meeting I was neither a tobacco or caffeine user, but I was still on heroin.

I'm off heroin now and after condemning cigarettes my entire life I now smoke a pack a day. I pour one cup of coffee when I wake up and rarely drink the entire thing, caffeine/stimulants were never my thing though. Then again neither was nicotine...although I did used to use chewing tobacco once in awhile because the buzz enhanced the effects of opiates. I don't ever see myself using caffeine beyond my 1/2 - 1 cup of coffee in the morning.

Anyways, I was wondering how many people here started using tobacco AFTER they got clean off their DOC. Or if your tobacco use increased markedly after you got clean. And do you still use it? Same question for coffee? I almost exclusively visit this site on my phone so forgive me if there is a way to start a thread with a poll.
 
It's hard to find meetings now days that don't have smokers, hell some meetings are smoker meetings. I quit smoking a few weeks ago, and still find myself fellow shipping with people that are smoking. who knows where your help might come from ya know? It was hard to quit at first, then I started vaping, and now I don't smoke at all, and when I get the urge I take a few pulls from my vape, pop a camel snus in and I'm good for another hour or so.

i smoked like a freight train when i was coming off of alcohol, and caught myself rolling cigarettes with bible paper then had a moment of clarity and wondered what the fuck was i doing, so quit for a while, then started back up, then quit again.
 
Nice, I think I may have used the Old Testament to try and roll a spliff before ;) 8)

I have noticed my smoking/cravings go way up when I feel like I'm under a lot of pressure. I still/currently am smoking though, so I can't really comment.

I do know quite a few people who no longer smoke who don't mind hanging around smokers. I know quite a few people who get really bothered by it too, so it's a very personal decision.

Do whatever you need to do for yourself OP!

I probably drinking about the same before and now, perhaps a little morbit given grad school and whatnot. Same goes for smoking, although the last couple days I've been able to cut back drastically (but that is because I've been taking care of myself, lol, which is sometimes feels like quite the stuff struggle).

What about a poll?
 
In an inpatient rehab with ~100 people, I was one of just THREE non-smokers. But I've despised smoking since I was little and couldn't escape the stifling 2nd hand smoke.

I did quickly take up coffee and candy, though.
 
Thankfully I've never developed a taste for tobacco.

Interesting timing on the coffee question. I used to drink tons of coffee. Then--I'm not sure why--I stopped drinking it when I quit heroin last year (somehow the taste reminded me of detoxing)...went over to tea in the morning. But last week I bought one of those little aeropress coffee makers and I've been having one cup each morning. I'm really glad I went back to coffee...I forgot how much I love it. But I do need to be careful; too much caffeine will quickly have me crying on the floor of the shower in a panic attack (OK that only happened once ;) )
 
I smoke and drink a ton of coffee daily.

My smoking habit is worse now than when I was drinking and drugging.....

I'm off hard drugs and alcohol but can I actually say I'm sober when I smoke a pack or a pack and a half a day combined with about 8 - 10 cups of coffee...??

Hmm no I would probably be a hypocrite then.

So to answer you my smokes and coffee are my DOC and I am getting to the stage where I am seriously contemplating quitting them both 8(
 
Yes, you are sober in my books if u drink coffee and smoke cigarettes.

They have spenders anonymous meetings out there,and u wonder if they spend $?

There are smoking sensation classes that most health service centers offer and it's good to learn about what smoking does for you health wise.

Now, i think coffee is safer to use then energy drinks, and tbh it really bothers me when i see someone at a meeting drinking a 24oz monster,or rockstar. I look down at my stryofoam cup wondering what id feel like drinking the energy drink,tho ive drank tons of them before,,why do i want one all suddenly so bad?
 
I wouldn't say using nicotine and/or caffeine means you aren't sober. They don't ruin your life the same way hard drugs do, until the tobacco gives you cancer or something equally bad...
I like tea but even if it's super high in caffeine it doesn't tell my body it's time to wake up in the morning like a cup of coffee does. The aroma of coffee alone helps to wake me up, I think if my coffee was switched out with decaf and I didn't know it/couldn't taste the difference, I think the placebo effect would be enough to wake me up just the same as a cup of regular coffee in the morning. I don't add sugar to my coffee, just a dash of cream to make it so i can start drinking it right away without burning my mouth. That strong aroma/flavor alone is enough to wake me up.

Ds, do these smoking sensation classes teach you about what smoking does for you beneficially health wise? Or what the dangers are?
 
Shockingly I smoke less. The reason I started again, after being locked up for 6 and a half mos was being afraid I'd start shooting dope if I quit everything.

I have always been serious about coffee- and am told I make "the best coffee" I grind the beans fresh. I use a coffee maker and a French press. It depends. But it has nothing to do w stopping drug use for me.

But lately I'm noticing sensitivity to caffeine. I'm bummed out about it. Coffee (even coke zero) is making me panicky. I still had 3 cups of coffee today-but should've stuck to 1.

I'm drinking more Lipton Dt Citrus and Berry Green Tea. I know there's caffeine.in it as well but it doesn't seem to make me panicky.

I have found mixed situations w recovering people. I plan to switch to vaping or quit completely. But one thing at a time...
 
Sim- I burst out laughing when I read the last sentence of your post- only because I've done the same thing. But more than once. ;) <3
 
I've always wondered about all the coffee (especially) and cigarettes at AA meetings in particular, because...

I started drinking years ago to curb my anxiety.

Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants, which can cause me anxiety (of course, small amounts of nicotine can be paradoxically relaxing).

Therefore, couldn't consuming stims be counterproductive for somebody trying to quit drinking?

Maybe it's just me though :?

PS - I'm not judging whatsoever. I enjoy a good cuppa joe and a smoke as much as the next guy. I think I'm just remembering how anxious I was even after detoxing (never required a clinic or outpatient treatment, just self-tapering), just adjusting to life sober, and I couldn't even look at a cup of coffee. 8(
 
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D's said:
Yes, you are sober in my books if u drink coffee and smoke cigarettes.

They have spenders anonymous meetings out there,and u wonder if they spend $?

There are smoking sensation classes that most health service centers offer and it's good to learn about what smoking does for you health wise.

Now, i think coffee is safer to use then energy drinks, and tbh it really bothers me when i see someone at a meeting drinking a 24oz monster,or rockstar. I look down at my stryofoam cup wondering what id feel like drinking the energy drink,tho ive drank tons of them before,,why do i want one all suddenly so bad?
Click to expand...

Interesting analogy but nicotine is actually a drug and an addictive one at that so IMO I am not 100% sober but I am off the hard which is something! I used nicotine as a crutch to quit and it worked for me - next step quit coffee then smokes lol
 
dreamflyer said:
I've always wondered about all the coffee (especially) and cigarettes at AA meetings in particular, because...

I started drinking years ago to curb my anxiety.

Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants, which can cause me anxiety (of course, small amounts of nicotine can be paradoxically relaxing).

Therefore, couldn't consuming stims be counterproductive for somebody trying to quit drinking?

Maybe it's just me though :?

PS - I'm not judging whatsoever. I enjoy a good cuppa joe and a smoke as much as the next guy. I think I'm just remembering how anxious I was even after detoxing (never required a clinic or outpatient treatment, just self-tapering), just adjusting to life sober, and I couldn't even look at a cup of coffee. 8(
Click to expand...


Obviously doesn’t work like that for everyone because I’ve never been to a meeting that didn’t have a fresh pot of coffee ready and waiting for everyone there. Generally most of the people at the AA meetings have a good amount of clean time. Maybe if you already have pre existing anxiety then yeah, drinking coffee in general whether your quitting drinking or not is probably not a good idea
 
I quit smoking in 2001 and then picked it back up in 2015 in rehab. I'm just coming off a drinking binge where I didn't smoke so I'm going to try to stay off tobacco.
 
They say people who successfully quite smoking cigs when they also quite their other DOC(s) have the best record of long term recovery (well, at least abstience). There are lots of caveats to that, but also a lot of truth in it.

My take away from this discussion is that how we define our recovery and sobriety is ultimately a very person thing.
 
twang said:
Obviously doesn’t work like that for everyone because I’ve never been to a meeting that didn’t have a fresh pot of coffee ready and waiting for everyone there. Generally most of the people at the AA meetings have a good amount of clean time. Maybe if you already have pre existing anxiety then yeah, drinking coffee in general whether your quitting drinking or not is probably not a good idea
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Yeah, definitely. I've suffered with anxiety my entire life. I take Ativan for it, but I tend to abuse them at times so I need to be really careful. I hardly ever have caffeine anymore, except for an occasional Mountain Dew or something. It normally doesn't bother me in small amounts, but if I'm going through withdrawal then it's definitely a no-no.

Cigarettes are a little trickier because nicotine is sort of a paradox. I've read that it actually goes from being a stimulant to a sedative in higher doses, but I haven't found that to be the case with me. I've tried ridiculous amounts of it in various forms in the past (snuff, chew, patches, etc.) and regretted it every time. I still smoke but very lightly, around 3-5 cigs a day. As the weather gets suckier, I plan on quitting for good in the next few months.

Have a good one!!! :D
Dreamflyer
 
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