Thanks to my gigs I've started smoking....

[WorshipBassist]

I'm one of these easily stressed people who panics at everything.

As you can guess from the username I'm a worship musician. I'm currently doing a lot of performances and so I'm working late, learning a lot of new material and generally under a lot of pressure.

So somehow in all this I have been smoking fairly frequently, sometimes up to 20 a day.

Any ideas what I can do to quit or at least reduce this?? I'm currently using Bach stress remedies as well.

 

[TealTuesday]

bach stress remedies? am a guitarist too & sitting around practicing or listening to takes and involving myself in the music scene does cause stress,smoking helps. to cut back for me means i do other things,not kewl so yup my cigs are a small dividend during my crazy day.
i heard yoga gives you inner strength to quit,am doing yoga but haven't stayed with it!

 

[Kathleen111]

Add some vocals to your instrumentals. I practice voice with my keyboard now that I quit. I practice a lot more to keep my hands busy. Singing keeps my mouth and my breathing busy. I bet you can't sing, play your instrument, and smoke? Try to play soprano trumpet and smoke.

As for stage fright, I wear a pair of sunglasses with the insides painted black to render me blind and my headphones plugged into my keyboard to render me deaf.

Get out of your head is the only way to perform. Any way you can do that will help with stage fright.

Oh yeah, you are not kidding about the number of musician smokers and who are chain smokers. A lot of them have quit since I did because I was the worst chain smoker of them all. I never said if I can do it, anyone can. They came up with that idea just by watching me.

 

[TealTuesday]