Save from Heart Attack/ Stroke

Hey there! I would suggest going to a doctor and getting an ecg and some other tests. This might give you some reassurance. If you’re stressed and anxious about your heart it will make quitting more difficult.

Hi Manu and welcome. Stress is a vicious cycle just like nicotine addiction. You are worried about your heart which causes even more stress. We take nicotine which needs to be fed to allieviate the stress we feel when we try not to feed it.

You do not come up as being from Australia. Where are you from? I really do hesitate to suggest that given your fear of heart attack and if that is really how bad you are, then vaping (choke) might be a stepping stone to rid yourself of this vile addiction/habit. I only suggest this if all else fails and if your life is in jeopardy.

First read all the posts about beating nicotine, the mindset and being free. You can skip posts from last night to save time.(they deal with vaping, and may be of interest to you later) I am hoping that you will follow a couple of suggestions first.

1.) Read Allen Carr. To do this, click on my name and find the title. It is FREE and a quick easy read that will spare you alot of grief later.

2.) Perhaps you can smoke when you have to in such a manner as to come to resent the time spent smoking. Make it uncomfortable, just you and it. No radio, no nothing, stand and just think about what you are doing. Realize how it takes your time, your health, your wealth, makes you stink and makes a mess everywhere. Taste the poisons by rolling the smoke in your mouth. You can taste them when you are aware.

The objective is to change your way of thinking. Know that a craving is just a thought and that you can learn to make them positive thoughts rather than negative. Feel happy that you can be free rather than fearing that you will miss it. Smoking leaves a void. Fill it with a positive habit like exercise or deep breathing. Take up a hobby or instrument. Learning raises the dopamine and keeps us happier.

Please try these things and keep an open mind. Quitting smoking is very possible. Many here have and you can to.

Quit smoking and stop nicotine from controlling you. Be truly free.

Congratulations on 5 days Manu, its more debilitating when you worry too much about your heart rate. Your heart rate can fluctuate with any other action other than not smoking and anxiety. Perhaps now is the time, to practice more deep breathing and more meditation if this concerns you. For me this was normal until I deep breathed my way through the first week or so. Of course check in with your doctor regarding your anxiety if it continues to be a problem for you.

Thanks for help and concern. I am from India. All tests related to heart are quite fine (ECG, ECHO,Lipid Profile). However I am still concerned because my dad and my 4 paternal uncles died of cardiac arrest / heart attack so trying to quit.

Heart rate is my way of telling myself the benefits of quitting.

So sorry to hear about you Dad and Uncles. That would be scary to me too. Genetics do play a part in things, but so do life style and overall health. It is amazing how much our body can heal from the effects of smoking . Some changes like blood pressure you can feel immediately, some like taste and smell take a little longer to notice. Even our breathing gets better in a few days. Stress is very bad for your health, so please try to find ways to let go of that stress...perhaps quigong or meditation would help. Of course, smoking never did anything to lessen stress but caused it. Usually it can cause the stress because of the cost and ill health associated with smoking. It causes stress when we try to quit smoking . That is why accepting the journey to being a non-smoker is so helpful.

Read the book i suggested, our posts, and try to grasp the mindset. It really can make a difference in the ease of your journey.

You are doing great at Day 6. Keep up positive thoughts and believe that it is possible. You really can do this.

Day 47!!

Day 81 !!!