Just some history - I began developing leukoplakia under my tongue about three years ago and it had turned into a cancerous lesion. At that time the doctor did a biopsy and removed it. Since then it has come back and about 1 month ago I had it removed again and he told me this time that it was also oral cancer. I have been a smoker for over 30 years and over the last 3 years have become a pretty heavy wine drinker. After the surgery the pain was too intense and I couldn't smoke or drink any wine. About a week later and feeling better I justified to myself that I could have a little wine and a cigarette. Now over a month since the surgery I am back to smoking 1 pack of cigarettes and drinking again. I thought I had more common sense than this and over the past two weeks I have been trying to quit but I just can't seem to do it. What will it take, I ask myself. I don't think of myself as a stupid person but continuing with these habits after being diagnosed with oral cancer is just insane behavior. Has anyone else been tormented by these demons since being diagnosed and if so how did you handle them. I really do want to live but just can't seem to stop. I desperately need help.

I'm sorry but I just can't hold back...you say you don't think of yourself as a stupid person; that you thought you had more common sense; that these habits are just insane.....then please listen to yourself!!!!

Chances are very very very great that if you don't stop smoking and drinking immediately as in COLD TURKEY you won't be posting this time next year. I don't remember one person from this site that continued smoking post Tx that made it a year further and BTW the death part is horrible as the cancer eats your face from the inside out. Please take control of your body before you won't have that option.

If you can't comprehend this then please seek professional hands on assistance ASAP.

Read my signature line and see exactly what happened to someone who kept on smoking and drinking through tx and after.

Georgec,

Get yourself to a Professional, ASAP, for help. Your doctor should have recommendations, but do it NOW! Don't screw around with this, you don't have that luxury anymore. There are all kinds of programs to help you beat smoking and drinking addictions. Some insurance plans will even pay for some of them. If you want to have a future, you'll do this.

- Margaret

I would say stupid is the right description you have for yourself Sorry, I cvall them as I see them. I smoked for over 50 years and since this stuff. You couldn't pay me to smoke another cigarette. I quit cold turkey too. I never was a drinker tho and haven't touched any form of booze to speak of for many years except fot a small glass of wine at weddings and that' been over 5 yrs. I know you can't quit, put them on the ground and grind them with your heel and show them who is boss. You did it one time remember?

George, you know the right thing to do. I am a former smoker. I threw mine out the window when I was on the way to get have my port and peg consultation. Ive never smoked again.

Maybe you could try thinking of this a different way. Your recent cancer was your wake up call. Kinda like a warning shot. Its not easy to quit but yoru life does depend on it.

Drinking has been debatable on here. Some say certain drinks are ok. Some say in moderation. Personally, Im not going to tempt fate at all. Its not worth it.

Best of luck with strength to avoid these dangerous items.

George,

As you know, addiction to tobacco is one of the hardest habits to break. The first thing I ask my patients that smoke is "do you want to stop?" If they say no, I tell them to let me know when they do. Well, you say you want to stop, but you can't. So, as others have told you get help and do it now!!!

Alcohol usage in a smoker increases the smokers chances of getting cancer by 50%. The alcohol dries the tissues in the mouth and they become more susceptible to the carcinogens in the smoke.

A couple of things you have written bother me. First of all a biopsy is not done to remove the cancer and if a biopsy reveals cancerous cells, then further surgery with wider margins is needed. You wrote that your cancer was removed by a biopsy. this doesn't sound right to me. My biopsy removed my cancer, too and although no cells were present at the margins of the surgical specimen, I still had about a 2 cm semicircular area of my tongue removed to be sure that clear margins were obtained.

Also, in your profile you wrote that your type and stage of cancer was leukoplakia. Leukoplakia is not cancer. Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) is the most common type of cancer found in the oral cavity.

As David said, death from SCC is not a pretty thing. Get some help to stop smoking and drinking and do it. If your life is worth living, that should be motivation enough.

Good luck.

Jerry

George,
It is possible to stop drinking and stop smoking. I am a recovering alcoholic and have been sober for over 7 years. I had to join AA and work the steps, and do the things that they suggested that I do. And yes it worked for me. 6 months ago I wanted to stop smoking so I went to NicA which is a 12 step program for stop smoking. I once again got a sponsor and worked the steps. Today I am smoke free for 7 months. I really never thought it possible for me to quit either of the addictions, but once I started to do the work that was required of me I found out that I could have a wonderful life. A life that I never thought I would have. If you truly want to quit look into the 12 step groups.
Pat

George,

Please go to this blog site and read it carefully and look at the pictures.

Rich's Plea

This is what happens if you continue to smoke after being diagnosed with oral cancer. It will recur.

Make this your new mantra: "If I smoke, I will DIE!"

Whenever you desire a cigarette, think of Rich, and say this mantra over and over in your head.

"Cold Turkey" is not the only way to go. There are OTC nicotine replacements that help some with nicotine withdrawal. Nicotine is not one of the carcinogens found in cigarettes, but it is the addictive substance that must be dealt with. There are also prescription drugs available through your doctor such as Chantix which may give you the support you need to stop smoking.

BUT...YOU MUST STOP SMOKING! Drinking is a secondary concern.

YOU CAN DO IT!!! Many people here have.

Thanks for the encouragement and understanding. I read Rich's Plea and looked at the pictures. I said to myself, "that could be me." Sometimes quitting seems so overwhelming but I'm sure I can do it. Not much else to say except that I am not giving up.

Atta boy, George.

We KNOW you can do it!!!!


Jerry

[quote=georgec]Thanks for the encouragement and understanding. I read Rich's Plea and looked at the pictures. I said to myself, "that could be me." Sometimes quitting seems so overwhelming but I'm sure I can do it. Not much else to say except that I am not giving up. [/quote]

George, I had an oral cancer scare last fall and fortunately dodged the bullet however I spent a fair amount of time reading other's experiences with oral cancer and that was enough to convince me to quit smoking. I had been a heavy smoker for 40 years or so. I continue to read these forums on a regular basis and that is enough to keep me honest.

Good luck to you.

Not much else to say except that I am not giving up.

I think you meant to say that YOU ARE GIVING UP (smoking and drinking)....RIGHT!!! lol

That's right. Poor choice of words on my part.

I understood it george LOL You got it and will do it.

Hi George

I too, had an oral cancer scare and gave them up. Wasn't easy. But you can do it. If you'll indulge me a moment, you might find what I write next inspiring. Or maybe gross and a little bit interesting.

I have a very close family member who started smoking very young. By the time I got to know him (he married into the family), he was a four pack a day smoker (I kid you not). He was such a heavy smoker that, I suppose like many addictions, it became as much a thing he did as it was an actual part of him -- like an appendage or a tattoo he'd always had. So much so that we all knew he was a heavy smoker but never actively thought about it, because it was always there and it just always was... So much so that while I imagine his wife and kids nagged him to quit, we other family members would never have imagined, or dared, to suggest he quit. Not because we didn't care, but because him not smoking was just to ... unimaginable.

I hope I'm stressing enough just how incredibly prevalent, indelible, etc his smoking was. Let's be brutally frank -- smoking 80 cigarettes a day takes some serious dedication.

He had a heart attack in 1999. Not surprising, really, but it was serious, although ultimately overcomeable, provided he changed things up. I'll be honest - as much as we were all rooting for him to quit (and we were - he is much beloved), none of us really thought he would or could. Given his condition, he was unable to use any aids like gum or a patch, so cold turkey was his only option.

Sure, the first five or six days in the hospital were a piece of cake. He had stents in his artery, he felt like hell and you can't smoke in a hospital room. But he soon returned to a house in which he had smoked for 30 years. A car in which he smoked constantly. His own small business - he owned the building so he smoked in it at will. And a wife and grown children who made a vow not to interfere and not to nag because they believed that part of his recovery was entirely up to him.

George, he's not so much as touched a cigarette since the day he was admitted 10 years ago. Not a single one.

So the end of the story is predictable, right? If he can do it, anyone can. And you can.

Thanks so much for the inspiration. At first I was afraid to be totally honest on the forum but I have found a great amount of support here. I know I can do it also. Not every day has been a success but who knows -- tomorrow may be that day.

George,

Here's hoping that tomorrow is a success.

Make it a little easier on yourself to have a successful day...get rid of all temptation...grind up the cigarettes in the garbage disposal if you have to. Empty the bottles of wine. Wake up to a temptation free home! As you can see, a lot of people care about you and want you to be successful so you can LIVE!

One day...you did it after surgery...you can do it tomorrow...and, the next day...and the next! We believe in you George! :-)

George,

Tomorrow never comes....today is the day to take control of your body and your life. Have you quite yet?

As you can see, George, this subject hits an emotional hot button on this forum. For good reason. From another ex-smoker, KICK BUTT.

Hi, George -
I didn't want to quit, but my husband bought "One Step at a Time" filters that cut the nicotine. By the time I was on the 3rd filter, I had weaned myself from the nicotine & forgot that I didn't want to quit. He went back to smoking but finally quit cold turkey a couple years later. It was the best thing we did.

Quitting is easy; staying off cigarettes is hard. Do whatever works for you and never give up. Oh - you already said that. Good luck!

Marlene