what are some habits you cant break?

cats4sky

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for me:

diet soda- ive tried so many times but i swear their is something addictive in it, i actually crave it so bad, i did good for a while, then i made it ok to drink one can a day, then it went to 2 cans a day, and now its back to where i gave up and started buying cans of soda for the house so i can take them to work with me cause i was going broke with the vending machines!

biting the skin around my finger nails- i do it so much that i catch myself doing it when i didnt even realize i was doing it! it makes me very self conscious and i try not to let people see my fingers as much as i can.
 

weldrwomn

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I have to stop at speedway and get a cappucino in the mornings before work. It isn't even a real one, it is out of a premix machine and then I top it off with some coffee. They don't seem to have real espresso stands here, so that is my fix.

My other habit that I can't break is not giving myself enough credit for things. I have a low self-esteem, and I just am convinced that I am a disappointment.
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by cats4sky

for me:
diet soda- ive tried so many times but i swear their is something addictive in it.
It's called caffeine, unless you're buying the caffeine free kind, then it would just be an addiction to having something sweet.


Mine is pepsi - the caffeine specifically. I gave it up completely for two months last year to see if my tachycardia would improve any, unfortunately it didn't make the slightest difference on that - if anything it got worse. Why? Because I have very very low blood pressure and the caffeine is a quick acting vasoconstrictor that I've apparently been using for years to even be able to get up and stay up (gets blood pressure up a tad bit so I don't fall on my face). The lower my BP is, the higher my heart rate is.

My midodrine takes half an hour to take affect and sometimes I need the extra boost of caffeine on top of it to get my BP up to 90/60.


Anyone have a solution to giving that one up?
I have no other problem habits or addictions. I'm overly critical of myself/ a perfectionist, but hey - it's better then doing a poor job at something, so I don't consider that bad.
 

laureen227

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cigarettes [i've quit in the past, & if i get a new job for next year, i'll quit again this summer] & tea - altho i've cut way down on the latter.

oh, & cats!

 

layitdown

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I have the worst habit of leaving cabinet doors open in the kitchen. It really gets on my nerves that I do it. When other people leave cabinets/drawers open it is a huge pet peeve, so I have no idea how I got into that habit myself. Ver annoying though, lol.
 

sparkie

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Biting my nails! I'm not as bad about it as I used to be but I think I've bitten them since I realized I had fingers!

I also used to drink around 6 cups of coffee a day. I'd crash about mid-day. Talk about feeling awful. I've since switched to de-caf completely which has done a world of good (the caffiene was probably leading to the nail biting - so much nervous energy!)
 

ut0pia

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Diet soda for me too!! Weird tho, I don't like Coke Zero, nor diet dr. pepper, nor anything EXCEPT for diet pepsi and diet coke...People think i'm crazy because you would think diet mountain dew or diet sprite or whatever tastes better. Well I do think they taste nice but I am just addicted to diet coke or pepsi (I prefer diet pepsi)..I love that lack of sweetness haha and I drink probably 2 liters per day
I have tried EVERYTHING to break this habit- I tried drinking sugary drinks like juice, even if it makes me gain weight I decided it's a sacrifice worth making because carbonated drinks are just horrible...but nope didn't work, I would still drink diet pepsi before I drink anything...
 

whisky'sdad

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Biting my nails - I will bite them as soon as a HINT of a new nail appears! Sometimes, I'll bite the skin in the corners as long as it is something I can get my teeth around.

Smoking - Regularly from '88 to '03. Here and there now. Just can't seem to kick it.

I tend to talk with my hands alot. I'm noticing it alot more now.

Soda - Here in Prague, it's Coke or Pepsi. Then, they have their brands. So, I drink Zero, which is better than Diet (which they call Light here)
 

zoeysmom

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I'm glad I'm not the only one with the Diet Pepsi habit. I've "quit" a few times as well, but eventually I always get back to the same level of drinking. I don't like milk or water and I don't like drinking my calories (juice), and it's just so easy to grab a can of pop...

I cannot break the habit of staying up later than I should. I try to go to sleep at 10 everynight so that I get a good 8 hours sleep. But, it's almost impossible for me to 1) drop everything and get to bed at that time and 2) get to sleep once I'm in bed. Even if I do get to bed at 10, I'm still tired in the morning. My body is not designed to get up before 7 am.

Which brings me to my other habit - falling asleep with the TV on. I often end up sleeping on the couch because I can't get to sleep without the TV on. I will lie in bed for an hour and not be able to fall asleep...if I put the TV on, I'm out in 5 minutes.
 

cruisermaiden

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When its ‘that timeâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji] or I get super stressed I need chocolate. And not pieces or bars, weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re talking cake or donuts or something equally bad for you, and I canâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t stand the sugar free stuff. Recently I found some ‘dietâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji] fat free chocolate cake cookies I can tolerate, so I try to keep those available and limit myself to one or two when the need arises.

And I love Dr. Pepper, I canâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t stand diet sodas of any variety though Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m getting better with coke zero. If the option is diet or nothing I go with nothing. I can usually avoid the Dr. Pepper though if I just keep it out of the house because it is unavailable at the vending machine at work. But if I go to a restaurant with Dr. Pepper – Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m doomed!
 

snake_lady

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1. Smoking. I quit for over 2yrs once.... then I got into a fight with a co-worker, bummed a smoke thinking I could have just one. Yah right.

I quit for a month once, because my vehicle was crappy and I wanted a new one. The lung cancer society has a contest every year (Canada) http://www.quitsmokingontario.ca/english/home/ where if you quit for the month of March, you're entered to win a car or other prizes. So I did that a couple years ago....didn't win, and a week after the contest ended, I messed up my back... started smoking again.

I have decided that when I have my hand surgery, I am going to try to quit again
I figure when I find the date out, about 2wks prior, I will start cutting back by 1 a day... smoke as little as possible the day before surgery, no smoking the day of surgery and I highly doubt I will want to smoke during the first couple days after surgery. So potentially that will give me 3 days of no smoking (my focus will be elsewhere, which is what I need) and then I bought the lozenges if I do have withdrawl symptoms.

Aside from the 2yrs I quit, I've been smoking since 14....(17yrs now)
My husband and kids would
it.

2. Hiding my feelings. I've worn a mask since I was 10. Haven't been able to take it off much. My insides are an emotional mess, but on the outside, you can't tell.

3. Low self esteem.

4. Lack of self confidence. Which noone believes because of the mask issue. I have alot of confidence when I am in front of someone else... but by myself, not trying to hide for other people, I have little confidence.

For the most part, my bad habits are emotional.
 

denice

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Smoking. Other than when I was pregnant I have been a heavy smoker for 32 years. Each time I was pregnant it made me sick, even the smell of someone else cigarette made me sick. That was good because it was probably the only reason I quit each time. They are going up another dollar a pack so I am going to try to quit again.

The last six months or so I have been getting expensive lattes from Starbucks and Caribou too often. It used to be a once a week treat deal, now I have been getting 3 or 4 a week.
 

capt_jordi

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Originally Posted by LayItDown

I have the worst habit of leaving cabinet doors open in the kitchen. It really gets on my nerves that I do it. When other people leave cabinets/drawers open it is a huge pet peeve, so I have no idea how I got into that habit myself. Ver annoying though, lol.
My roommate does this constantly and it drives me up the wall... I have no idea why it does, but I hate it! In fact now that I look up there is one hanging open.

Originally Posted by zoeysmom

Which brings me to my other habit - falling asleep with the TV on. I often end up sleeping on the couch because I can't get to sleep without the TV on. I will lie in bed for an hour and not be able to fall asleep...if I put the TV on, I'm out in 5 minutes.
I usually sleep with my tv on too. Not so much if my boyfriend stays but if I'm alone then the tv is on. But its more for the light because I always have the volume turned down really low.

I also drink mostly diet sodas. And I am also a snacker. If there is nothing to do i end up snacking on something... I have been trying to at least switch to healthy snacking but I know its still a bad habit.
 

snake_lady

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Originally Posted by Denice

Smoking. Other than when I was pregnant I have been a heavy smoker for 32 years. Each time I was pregnant it made me sick, even the smell of someone else cigarette made me sick. That was good because it was probably the only reason I quit each time. They are going up another dollar a pack so I am going to try to quit again.
I did quit when I was pregnant with my first daughter, and cut down substantially with my second daughter but did not completely quit. ( would smoke 2-5 cig a week).

It is so much easier when there is a reason like nausea, etc. to quit. Then its more quitting without thinking about quitting eh.
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

It is so much easier when there is a reason like nausea, etc. to quit. Then its more quitting without thinking about quitting eh.
You can get medication that can help you quit. I think it depends on the person, some people just stop craving the nicotine and to some a cigarette actually tastes horrible.

Smoking definitely slows down healing time after surgery so if you can quit before and stay off them it could help your recovery time.
 

snake_lady

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Originally Posted by strange_wings

You can get medication that can help you quit. I think it depends on the person, some people just stop craving the nicotine and to some a cigarette actually tastes horrible.

Smoking definitely slows down healing time after surgery so if you can quit before and stay off them it could help your recovery time.
I've tried Zyban.

Alot of it is the want. Honestly, the wanting to quit is not there. However, the wanting to heal faster after surgery so I can get back my life, is
Generally if you don't want to quit, you won't.

When I quit for 2yrs I did not do it out of wanting to. I was hit with some health issues and was stuck inside on my couch for 6mos till we figured out that I was not having heart problems, but I have severe panic disorder. I didn't deliberately think about quitting... I never smoke in the house, and at that time everytime I got up I thought I was having a heart attack.... I didn't even think about smoking. Once I got on some meds that worked, bout 8mos after the initial, I took a drag from someone, coughed, gagged, etc. and didn't smoke again till the fight at work.

The quitting for a month was strictly for the car contest. I really wanted a new, not rusty vehicle. I used the patch for the first 3-4 days, then I was fine. It was the wanting to win the contest that did it for me.


My issue is more the breaking of the habit than of the addiction. I have no probs if I go over to a non-smoking friends house... I can be there all day and not crave a cigarette.

Right now, I smoke alot. I am physically unable to do alot of things, and am generally stuck at home. So I smoke...it passes time, eases some of the pain, etc.

I am putting a plan into place, so that I can successfully quit. I did buy the lozenges to help with any cravings, and my hubby is willing to remove all the outside ashtrays, and all my lighters while I'm in having surgery. I just need to focus more on the wanting to quit.
 

kaylacat

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For me it would be pop and cigarettes. If I don't have my pepsi I get a headache.

I could quit smoking...but honestly I don't want to.
 
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