Closet Smokers

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Comment by Jay on June 7, 2009 at 5:05pm

I am a closet dipper. Hopefully no one in this group minds. To be honest, I didn't think there were many closet smokers out there. I thought us dippers were the only ones. Foolish thought. Apparently I'm not the only person out there trying to maintain that clean cut image. Is this group still active? I see the last comment wast made in April.

Comment by Susan on April 3, 2009 at 9:35pm

I want to share with everyone that I have now been quit for a full 3 months after 30 years of smoking, but as a closet smoker (just my immediate family knew- no one outside my family knew!) and want to tell the world, but they never knew in the first place. Oh, well. I certainly do not miss the hiding and shame. Am looking forward to taking trips (already have been on two) where I don't have to find a place to walk real far from the hotel just so people don't see me. Had a few close calls, but so far (used Chantix for first 7 weeks) I have stayed cig free. I am coming back to this site due to some recent surprising urges. Need to keep connecting to keep my quit strong!

Comment by Sarah on March 28, 2009 at 9:11pm

Hello all, newbie here.
So I am in total shock, I didn't expect to see a forum on closet smokers. Being one myself, I thought I was a loner. I've had problems with being a closet smoker because my smoking addiction began at a young age, 13. No, I didn't come from a broken home or a family of smokers or anything; just tried it and didn't put it down. So I've been smoking for 7 years, with a few breaks in there. I didn't smoke when I was pregnaunt; yet the day I went back to work I did. Now that I have moved from that office/state; no one knows. My family, my friends (a limited few), and even my live-in bf of a year had no idea. I didn't lie, I just didn't tell. Still have the habits I created when I was younger of hiding any scent of my smoke covered hands and clothing; no one was the wiser. Well he found out recently and is just supportive that I told him I want to quit. He's a good voice. Now, I just need to quit. I think I understand my triggers, but medication...not to keen on that idea. Is there anything that is really worth while?

Comment by Daria Dingle on March 24, 2009 at 11:02pm

I see that you tried Chantix. I did also, but I went nuts the second week. I felt as if it was doing nothing to help me. I considered that maybe there was something wrong with it . Maybe the heat of the summer had damaged it. Now I am afraid to try it again. My ex-husband is a neurologist and he would just say that I was one of the people who can never quit. It really set me up to fail. That was a 30 year relationship that caused me to be a true closet smoker. Where I live smoking is like having the plague - no one wants anything to do with smokers. We do not even know who each other are because we are so secret about it.
It is lonely and smoking is ruining my life.

Comment by Opannod on March 22, 2009 at 6:45am

Hi everyone,
This is my first visit to this forum. I'm not sure if I would say I am a closet smoker, but that is because I live alone and the whole house, my car, and anywhere there is no one, can be "My Closet". I started quitting last April (Chantix) I smoked just puffs a day until the end of August then quit( I didn't enjoy them), Events over the winter drove me crazy, and I started again with maybe, 1 cig a day in December, reaching half a pack by the end of February. NOW, I am back on Chantix 3 weeks and only a few drags a day, again hating the taste of even that. However, I need to have people in my life to talk with about it all. I had tried online forums before, I would post and often never get responses, or read similar topics. I found it frustrating. I am hoping this group is good for me.

Donna

Comment by Margaret Miller on March 11, 2009 at 6:15pm

Readiing these comments, it seems like so many of us feel bad about ourselves for smoking and sneaking around. Maybe if we could love ourself as we are now, it would be easier to quit. For me, not likeing myself and the life I was in, was my reason for beginning to smoke after 20 years of being free of tobacco. I think the reason we decide to stop smokeing is because we are loving ourselves more and wanting to take care of our bodies and lives now. Perhaps if we can focus on what we are attempting to do now, be free of tobacco and smoking, the trip will be smoother. Can we stop hateing ourselves for what we have done so far, and start loving ourselves for what we want to become?

Comment by Betty on March 9, 2009 at 7:14am

Muriel - Don't beat yourself up. You really can quit, and survive. That's the really cool thing, you really can enjoy life after you quit smoking. It took me a very long time, and many attempts before I was really ready to be a non-smoker. Think about all of the reason why you don't want to versus why you do and then compare. It's pretty amazing, helped me.

Comment by Muriel Jones on March 9, 2009 at 6:07am

Well I guess this is where I belong. I have joined other groups when I was starting my quit. I quit and withing 3 days I was in a store and found myself buying a couple of packs. "Just to have in case it got really bad" Well with in a few hours of being home I had to have just that 1 puff. Now I hide all around the house smoking, thinking my husband won't know, but he has made snide comments so I know he knows. I blame him alot for my returning to smoking as he really isn't a support. I found my only wonderful support here on this web site. I feel quilty and ashamed. I keep telling myself I really don't enjoy them. I feel so weak. Like others I don't go places where I can't smoke and miss out on many things. Debbie here online was such a support and I feel like I can't face her. I should have called her instead of picking up that first one. I don't understand why I can't be sincere in really wanting to quit. There are so many reasons that I need to and want to. I am really feed up with myself. Here I go for another smoke before my husband gets up. I realize that I can't have any in the house or I will smoke them and yet I keep buying them afraid to have to go through the withdrawls without being able to smoke and not have to go through the withdrawl. I am so weak.

Comment by Patricia Davison on March 4, 2009 at 6:06pm

Joined this group because in quitting I ahve become a closet smoker. I was in the hospital with COPD in JANuary and everyone thinks I quit then. 3 weeks ago I picked it up in secret. I can't tell youi the amount of guilt I feel while smoking and the amount of anxiety about my health. I ahve jsut started on Chantix today so hoefully I Will be able to begin again in a week. Noreen you sound exactly like me. Good luck with the new quit. It sure feels good to be a non smoker.

Comment by Noreen on February 26, 2009 at 6:37am

Ok I have become a closet smoker. First off I quit in January and was going great for a month. Then I found myself begin to bum ciggs and buy singles. I have a new start date which is tomorrow, I quit cold turkey the first time and will start again. I thought I had it under control. I started going outside with smokers thinking I could handle it and it crept back in. The funny thing is that I had refused to buy a pack a ciggs and I'am not half as bad as I was because I don't allow to many people to know I puff here and there. This time I have to get it in my mind that this is a process. I think I got big headed and jumped ahead of myself.

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