Bipolar and Successful, Quit Smoking

I read that something like 70 percent of people with Bipolar Disorder and 90 percent of people with Schizophrenia smoke, whereas smokers in the general population are closer to 20 percent. Smoking is ridiculously expensive and it's slowly killing you. Cigarettes kill more people than all other drugs combined.

Everyone has their own reasons for smoking. I always said, "I enjoy it too much to quit." I didn't only enjoy it, I loved it. I had to go back to Behavior Therapy 101, "What's Rewarding the Behavior?" I realized that my primary motivation for smoking was to feel relaxed. I enjoyed sitting down, taking a break, and deep breathing.

When I did decide to quit, I felt physically ill. I was nauseous, got terrible headaches, was irritable, and my anxiety skyrocketed. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I was terribly addicted to cigarettes. The physical symptoms only lasted a few days; the psychological urges lasted much longer.
Something that really helped me at first was to take fake cigarette breaks. I'd go hide out and "pretend smoke" for five minutes. My pretend smoke break involved me taking a break, sitting down, and deep breathing for five minutes.

To stay quit long term, I started spending my smoking money on travel because that's something I really love. My husband and I were spending about $300 per month on cigarettes, and we both quit at the same time. I was having a much harder time staying quit than he did, so he finally suggested that we take the money we would spend on cigarettes every money and spend it on travel. It was money up in smoke anyways. Weekend at the beach or cigarette? I learned to love our romantic getaways and it still keeps me motivated. It's a tradition that we have kept.

On my journey, I found a website that not only convinced me to quit, but also had every possible solution to quitting - http://whyquit.com . Trust me, it's an awesome website if you think you might want to quit. No advice I can give you will compare to the advice and support you will find on that website.

Has anyone else with bipolar quit smoking? What helped you?

Bipolar and Successful, Remember Your Value

As a person with bipolar disorder, I often sabotage excellent opportunities. Most bothersome to me is that I quit good jobs. I've made some terrible choices, and my behavior hasn't always been reputable. The mistakes I've made sometimes lead me to feel worthless.

On my better days, I think about how much I have accomplished. I think about the skills I have that give me an edge. I have a bachelors degree, an active teaching certificate, and now a computer programmers certificate. My husband and I own a thriving small business, and he says he couldn't do it without me. Life is good. My friends who are not bipolar are jealous because most of them hate their jobs, and I love what I do.

If it were not for my bipolar disorder, I would still be teaching. I'm sure I would have gotten comfortable in a secure job and stayed there until retirement. I'm much happier owning a business than I ever was teaching, but it wasn't my original life plan.

It has been one heck of a bumpy ride. There have been times I've been dirt poor because of the choices I've made, but despite the glitches, my true value as a person can never be destroyed. I've had many jobs, and from every opportunity, I've taken something with me. I've learned something valuable from every job. The experience and skills transfer to current and future opportunities.

I suggest that you keep a list of everything about you that is wonderful because I guarantee you will forget those things the next time you get depressed. Add to that list whenever you can, and share it with the people you love and trust the most. Tell them that when you get depressed, you often forget your self-worth.

Also, if you have a good job, put some sort of disaster plan in place in case you get sick. You might. I quit my first professional job because I fell into a major depression and simply couldn't function. It was my first major depression, and nobody knew what to do. A good option for me at that time would have been taking a Family Medical Leave, but when it's mental illness nobody tells you.

It was difficult professionally to recover after I left that teaching position some 15 years ago, but I did it and over the years I've had some really awesome jobs. The journey has been bittersweet.

What do you do to prevent yourself from feeling worthless in hard times or when depressed?