Cigarette smoking question

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ThatIrishGuy

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I’m trying to abstain from sinful behavior/ attachments to worldly things. I’m abstaining from taking meds (zoloft), been trying to stay chaste and abstaining from video games and the computer most of the day. I’m trying to quit caffeine, nicotine and alcohol. Should I just try to moderate the coffee to two cups of coffee a day, two glasses of soda and about 7 cigarettes a day to start?
 
While these are certainly commendable goals, don’t burn yourself out with trying to eliminate everything at once.

Prioritize which habits you want to break (perhaps in order of most serious or detrimental to your physical and spiritual health)

I would emphasize chastity and then flow from there.

God bless.
 
I agree with Cthompson’s advice. Don’t try to fight all the battles at once. Choose one or two, win them and move on to the next.
 
Given the health issues involved, I’d go with quitting cigarettes as the first goal. People who try too much at once tend to give up on all of it.
 
ThatIrishGuy said:
I’m abstaining from taking meds (zoloft
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Talk to your doctor before suddenly stopping a medication, with some drugs that can cause seizures. Taper off on coffee, cold turkey on coffee is hard on your body. You quit all this stuff at one time and we will be reading about you on the news.
 
True, abstaining from zoloft is bad, but I don’t know if I should start the zoloft up again since it’s already out of my system… I don’t like the side effects of them they cause me memory problems, trouble concentrating, weakness and trouble breathing (breathing problems a lot less when off zoloft) . That’s why I rely on the coffee and cigarettes to concentrate, I’m studying to get my G.E.D so I’m trying to stay focused.

What about the cigarettes though?
 
Tobacco use is only a sin when done excessively and not in moderation. If you feel you must use nicotine, switch to E-Cigarettes. They are at least 95% safer and are much cheaper.

Caffeine use is not a sin. It is good to quit video games: they are a huge waste of precious time that could be spent honoring the LORD. Soda tastes great, but only drink it occasionally.

Don’t abstain from your medications. God provided the meds for you so you can get better.
 
Yea,one at a time,can quit cigarettes…
Romans 12:1,2 I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world,but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.

1 Corinthians 3:17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that
 
I quit smoking after 11 years for about 8 months, except for bumming one here and there when I was super stressed after moving abroad and seeing smoking in almost every public place imaginable, but a few days before I moved back I bought some because they’re really cheap there and I regret it now because I’ve been smoking on and off (mostly on) ever since I got back, but I’m setting a new quit day for tomorrow. It’s not easy once those cravings start back up. I don’t bother with expensive nicotine patches or gum or crazy expensive e-cigarettes or vaping. It’s hard when you have to live with someone that smokes but I gotta start thinking more optimistically about it. I went to the dentist and they couldn’t even fill a cavity because they said my gums were so bad, and I think smoking is probably the main culprit. 😦

Since you don’t smoke that many cutting down may not be that hard, but don’t be hard on yourself or make too many demands at once on yourself, from experience I know it can make it a lot worse, especially coming off of a psychotropic drug. Also, try not to go overboard on denying yourself things that won’t harm you in moderation. 🙂
 
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Stopping a medication like Zoloft is not a good thing. Meds are not sinful, only if used to get high are they such, but meds for anxiety and depression are a cure not a sin.

Nor is smoking a sin, really, as a lot of saints did smoke themselves, but only to relax and not as an end in itself.

But if you are pursuing penance, I commend you! But keep the meds! Sure you’ll probably be doing more harm than good without the Zoloft. Remember to take care of yourself as well!
 
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Personally, I like to have an occasional cigar or cigarillo. I also have a genuine Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cob Pipe! I also found Grinds Coffee Pouches. They are delicious and quite invigorating 🧐
 
I managed to get myself down 7 cigarettes a day. I was smoking a pack a day, last week.

And when I was making my own cigarettes I was smoking 30 a day. ( This was over a year ago now.)
 
I did start taking half amount of the zoloft I was prescribed today again. I’m going to talk to him about a plan to getting off of it as well.
 
Ask about Citalopram. It’s an SSRI too but is better tolerated than Zoloft.
 
Ask your doctor about Citalopram, Trintillex, and Vibryd if the Zoloft is causing you issues. I quit smoking purely for monetary reasons, but I’ve heard it’s not a sin. There’s a famous picture of St. John XXIII (quite awkwardly) holding a cigarette, so I doubt that it’s a pure detriment to salvation.

The video games are an interesting one. It is kind of a waste of time, but it seems like when I cut down on them, I find myself with nothing to do. I don’t just laze around, but I find myself sitting places saying, “I’ve got everything done, now what?”

If you want my advice, don’t do all at once. Let your doctor help you with your meds. Moderate your alcohol and tobacco down into nothing if you want to quit. Limit yourself to an hour (give or take) of electronics per day. None of the things that you mentioned are sins by definition; but moderation is good. If you want to quit any or all of them, choose which one negatively affects your life the most, and work on it first. Then when you make some progress in that one, start on the next one.

Thoughts?
 
Thanks, I’ll ask my doctor about Citalopram, Trintillex and Vibryd. The difficultly concentrating because of the meds while studying for my G.E.D. is driving me through the roof.

I’ve noticed it helps build my temperance when I cut down on smoking and coffee helps alot, I agree with you. I’ll also moderate the drinking as well.

I will start moderating the video games to an hour a day.

Thanks for giving me a starting point. 🙂
 
ThatIrishGuy said:
I’m trying to abstain from sinful behavior/ attachments to worldly things. I’m abstaining from taking meds (zoloft), been trying to stay chaste and abstaining from video games and the computer most of the day. I’m trying to quit caffeine, nicotine and alcohol. Should I just try to moderate the coffee to two cups of coffee a day, two glasses of soda and about 7 cigarettes a day to start?
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I understand…wonderful! About the zoloft i would check with your doctor.

Anything we do detach ourselves from the disordered flesh and lower faculties helps us to gain virtues.

When i quit smoking i did it cold turkey just to get thru it and realized it was an emotional crutch and worked on those problems with a spiritual solution.

Watching what u do with your free time…is great also.

I still drink caffeine even though i shouldnt with my heart issues.

Whatever helps u reach these goals please share with us how youre doing it.

God bless!❤️
 
Can I just ask everybody on this thread to pray for him getting his GED? PM me your name if you want me to add you to my prayer journal. I’ll be praying regardless.
 
AH! YOU’RE DOING YOUR G.E.D.!

Praying for you! You’ve got this, and if you don’t, the Blessed Virgin will ‘get it’ for you!
 
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