In previous posts, I have touched on the importance of giving up alcohol and smoking, so that our Charcot Foot can have a fighting chance at healing, as well as improving our overall health. Since both alcohol and smoking can have damaging effects to our existing peripheral neuropathy, it’s crucial that we don’t impair our healing, or set our feet up for further damage down the road. If you do either, or both, it comes down to a habit that we need to train ourselves not to want anymore. And as you can imagine, it is not easy! But it is definitely do-able and the rewards are many, though they may seem hard to outwardly notice… inwardly your body will be so thankful to you!
So where to start? Some will say that quitting smoking is ten times harder than giving up alcohol. And there are those who think the other way around. I had given up smoking once before, just before my nephew was born and enjoyed 6 full years cigarette free. Though it wasn’t an easy quit, I never cheated once. The habit did make it’s way back into my life, but as I said in an earlier posting, I only had 2-3 a day. Still, once I was diagnosed with Charcot Foot, I never had another cigarette. Did I yearn for one…..oh hell yeah, and bitterly so, on occasion. My bitterness had everything to do with not being allowed to have one, as opposed to yearning for nicotine, but overall, I’d say 90% of the time I never even give smoking a thought. It comes down to your reason for wanting to quit being so compelling that it over-rides your desire to satisfy the urges. Mind over matter.
As most of us know, smoking cigarettes and consuming alcohol regularly, are habits that we form. A lot of our association with the habit is related to the ritualistic nature of it. For instance, for a smoker, there is the ritual of how we take the cigarette out of the package , our style of lighting the cigarette, the way we hold it in our hand, and gesticulate while holding it…the action of blowing out the smoke…you see where I am going. It is the same with alcohol. We enjoy the sound of the cork coming out of the wine bottle, the sound of ice falling into your glass…the way we hold our wine glass, and how you jiggle your ice in your gin and tonic, etc. etc. The key factor that really helps to rid yourself of these habits, it’s to actually continue the habit, but most importantly, with a pseudo, imitation that represents the habit! That’s right, you are going to use your imagination to help you over the hump of cravings.
Below are some pointers on how to fake / replicate, your bad habits:
- For cigarette replacement, try to find something about the same size and shape as a cigarette and use this to hold in your hand when you crave a cigarette. Even bring it up to your lips and pretend to inhale, and then exhale the imagined smoke. Crazy as this seems, I found it helped me enormously, and actually satisfied me till the craving passed. (just ignore the odd glances you might get!)
- It is the same technique for alcohol. If you normally drink wine out of an elegant goblet, have some grape juice in the same goblet. At restaurants. if your friends are all having wine, don’t be shy to ask your waiter/waitress to serve you some soda in a wine glass, if she eyes you oddly, explain your are training yourself out of a bad habit.
- If you usually drink mixed drinks in a lowball with ice, use the same glass with ice and a soda or ice tea. Jiggle your ice around like you do with alcohol, and let the psuedo-ness ease your craving.
- When having a cigarette craving, try eating peanuts in the shell…it is a kind of chore, to work at getting the peanuts out and it helps by keeping your hands busy and your mind slightly occupied with the task.
- If you used to step outside after meals for a cigarette, still step outside. Enjoy the fresh air and even go for a small stroll around the block. By the time you get back your craving will have actually subsided.
- Have a friend or family member be your go-to support when you are feeling you might give in to your craving. Usually after 10 minutes of conversation, the temptation fades away.
Though certainly difficult to do, giving up bad habits is not impossible. Keeping our feet safe from potential danger has to now be one of our top priorities in life. So stay positive, fellow Charcoters and have a healthy 2015!
-Cassandra, Charcotchacha copyright 2015