Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 23 replies, 24 voices, and was last updated 20 years, 2 months ago by
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For one thing, cigarettes are physically addictive. But what really makes it difficult is that they are psychologically addictive. They fulfill many functions: They are a timing device (one more cigarette, then I have to hang up or go walk the dog); they give you a social barrier -something to do with your hands in awkward situations; they become wired up with other things – a cup of coffee, a beer, after a meal, getting into a car, etc. So these things come to feel incomplete without the cigarette; they can also become wired up with activities, such as writing or thinking. They function as a bonding device with other smokers. Most important, they take the edge off strong feelings like anger or stress, and going without them puts such feelings into an uncomfortably high focus, which is why even that puff or two can help. Thus, they become woven deeply into the fabric of one’s life. I’ve heard it said many times that quitting heroin is easier. Many also claim the urge never completely goes away. I was once talking with a man who’d quit for 10 years, and in the course of the conversation, he quite unconsciously picked up someone else’s cigarette from the ashtray and started smoking it without even being aware of what he was doing. People restart because for many, the urge never completely goes away.
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Name : Lynne22521, Gender : F, Age : 60, City : Hartford, State : CT, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I’ve smoked since I was 15 (I’m now 28) and quit more than a year ago. To answer your first question: for me, not smoking for a period of time made me extremely irritable. I could not concentrate, because the only thing on my mind was how to get the next smoke. Once done, I knew that I had about an hour before the urges started again. Which is why, even when there is limited time to smoke, I would light up and immediately crush it out. When I didn’t get to have one for a while, the first thing I noticed was a taste in my mouth that would not go away. I still have that taste today and can only describe it as a ‘clean’ taste. When I quit, it was difficult but not impossible. The hardest thing was trying not to think about it. I would fidget and pace until the urge went away, but that taste always remained. I learned to live with it. I have not restarted, because now cigarette smoke disgusts me. I get very nauseous, and my chest closes up. It seems like I have become very sensitive to it, and have a hard time going to clubs with friends. Other ex-smokers have relayed the same thing. The most adamant anti-smokers probably smoked at one point in their life and understand.
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Name : Ryan-M, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 28, City : Dallas, State : TX, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Being addicted to smoking is a powerful personal nightmare. Most all smokers want to quit but their bodies are truly physically needing the nicotine it provides and their minds need the comfort that the habit satisfies. Smokers believe the pack they are on will be their last, that they can quit anytime they want , but it’s always the next pack or the next week that will provide the perfect conditions for quitting. But when that time comes it is too scary and they smoke believing that the next time will be the perfect time and so on and so on. Anyone can quit, if they can get through a few days by prayer or determination without smoking . Support groups are extremely helpful. Key to staying quit is the certainty that you will never be able to risk one more cigarrette.
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Name : Bob-S, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 52, City : Kansas City, State : KS, Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,You love them, but hate what they do to you. When I have not had one for awhile, I get agitated. My body feels almost detached from my consciousness. It is a strange feeling. I tend to get depressed when I don’t have the nicotine and then lash out at people around me, which further fuels my depression. As I am currently in the process of quitting, I can tell you that it is more than one factor involved. The first is of course the nicotine itself. It is highly addictive in approx. 80% of people. It was rated in one stufy I read as being as addictive as heroin and cocaine. The reason was because it messes with chemical receptors in the brain. This is the reason Zyban/Welbutrin (sp?) is effective for a lot of people that quit smoking. It also creates changes in the brain. Unfortunatly in my case, it induced a slight mania due to lack of sleep. Other factors include the habit. It becomes ingrained into you. It is a comforting ritual that soothes when you are upset. It is a way to wind down and relax. There have been times recently when I would dream about smoking, even though I am chewing the gum.
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Name : Brooks F., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 35, City : Birmingham, State : AL, Country : United States, Occupation : Network Administrator, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Well, I’m 25 and I’ve been smoking for 9 years (yikes!). It really is hard to be addicted to nicotine, there is a constant pull of being disgusted and pure enjoyment. If I’m working and I can’t have one for awhile I get EXTREMELY grouchy and someone will tell me to go smoke so I will stop being such a bitch (I’m a bartender). That is really hard, other people noticing your dependence on nicotine. Lemme see, I light up even when I can’t have a full smoke because a little is better than nothing, my body is chemically and mentally addicted and it ‘needs’ it in a way, whether alot or alittle. I would equate it to a heroin addict or cocaine addict. Once it is in your body, your body craves it. I guess my advice is to never start, sure wish I hadn’t. Hope that helps.
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Name : Cassandra, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 25, City : Kalamazoo, State : MI, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I was a smoker for 7+ years at 1 pack per day. It took 5 attempts until I quit. It has now been 3 years since my last cigarette. The addiction is like always having a solution to the stresses of the daily grind. The relief is temporary, yet extremely satisfying. When you haven’t had one it causes the stress for which you use them to increase and thus completing the circle with the need for another cigarette. I’m not sure why people light up for a short period of time. I thought it was a waste when I was at college. The difficulty in quiting I believe resided in giving up a stress relief solution only to increase the stress 10 fold during the quiting phases. Every now and then I wake up in the morning having dreampt that I had a cigarette, but relieved that i had not. The greatest temptations are within situations that you have personally related to smoking such as first thing in the morning, with coffee, after dinner or with a a beer. As time passes it only becomes easier to resist. The disappointment I would feel in myself if I were to smoke again is part of the deterant as well as supporting corporate profits from a product that causes so much harm is something I can no longer do. Hope this helps.
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Name : Ray, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Buddhist, Age : 28, City : Oak Park, State : IL, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I have been smoking since I was a teen and I am almost 28.Nobody (my children or husband understands why I can’t quit.When i met my husband he was smoking but he quit just like that.It is an addiction and it is soothing when I am stressed which is quite often.You also get into the habit of lighting up at certain times like first thing in the mornig or after a meal.
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Name : Bobbie Jo, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Baptist, Age : 28, City : Temple, State : GA, Country : United States, Occupation : Housewife, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class,I have a rather unusual situation: I have never lit or puffed a cigarette in my whole life, but I got addicted to them anyway. How? My friends smoked, and hanging around with them, I got comfortable with the smoke. I never realized that even after I changed schools and made new friends, I would start having the inexplicable urge to light up whenever I felt especially stressed. Not only do I crave the smell of the smoke, but I also long to feel the cigarette in my hand or mouth. Whatever causes cigarettes to be addictive must be pretty strong stuff; even if the answeres here don’t satisfy you, don’t start smoking just to see what it feels like! You may never escape it. I know I haven’t.
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Name : J-French21282, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 24, City : Houston, State : TX, Country : United States, Occupation : unemployed, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower class,it is a myth that smoking is addictive it is a choice I make everyday sometimes I smoke othertimes I don’t however some people let it become a habit and like any habit it is difficult to break
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Name : Jeremy30478, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : Human, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 30, City : Huntington, State : WV, Country : United States, Occupation : Dishwasher, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Lower class,
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