Addiction

[Abby]

Addiction will be something to be cautious of for life . I have come to that realization for me anyway . 

 

I'm an addict and can easily go back smoking by choice and by spontaneity. If I don't choose smoking , I'll choose food and if I don't choose food it may be yo yo diets . Thank goodness alcohol has not been a consideration , nor has drugs but I can see I could easily rationalize another substance and justify it .

 

So I have ten years quit .  I do not struggle with my quit unless by choice or reaction  . 

 

It would be nice to talk to a tobacco cessation specialist . I still after ten years quit have a lot of questions . 

I have only one brother who smoked and once he quit that was it .

Does he ever think of smoking ?  Never he says and it's been thirty years maybe more than that since he's smoked .  

 

I often wonder does how long we smoke attribute at all to how successful a quit might be ?  Is it easier to quit if you've smoked casually or only a few years compared to a two packer and many years ? I know people who have smoked fifty years who quit no problem and others who just can't seem to get there . How much of our quits is attitude ?

My brother quit in his late twenties started at 19 but was up to two packs a day . 

 

Just thoughts this morning . I guess I will just continue on focusing on making sure I never go back to it . 

I can say this . I had two Quits . One eight year quit was a cinch .. easy peasy . I gave it away . This ten year quit (after several more years of smoking ) was very hard but I learned a lot of lessons this quit that I didn't with the first . 

 

No no matter what , smoking is not my go to .. 

Have a good day everyone.

Off for my walk , a new addiction . Healthier and free . 

Edited July 23, 2021 by Abby
As usual should edit before not after , funny how you see your mistakes better after you post lol .

[Kris]

Great post Abby! I do believe that some of us just have addictive genes. If not one thing is could be another. I did not know this was a thing when I was young.  I have learned thru therapy some of us are naturally inclined to have depression, anxiety and addictive behaviors. If you've got it don't be ashamed just deal best you can and learn as much as you can.  Will not go away but you will find ways to cope.

K

[Katgirl]

Nicotine’s more addictive than heroin. Therefore addictive personality doesn’t’ reallly cone into play. One might start smoking in High School, to be cool or fit in. Before you know it, you are addicted to nicotine. It is then that you become an addict. No one plans to be an addict, but once you are, then the addict personality develops. Attitudes towards smoking change. It becomes a need, not just a means to socialize , or to fit in with a certain group. Anyone can become an addict, given the right, or perhaps ,more aptly, wrong circumstances. Once you are addicted to a substance, is it easier to become addicted to something else?  Perhaps you become more likely to try something new, like you were open to trying cigarettes. Can you then become addicted to another drug, or food, or gambling, or whatever?  Sure. But is there an inherently addictive personality? I don’t think so. The vice causes. addiction, not the personality of the smoker, drinker, gambler, etc.

[Doreensfree]

We have had people here who are just addicted to a couple of cigerette,s ,as someone who smoke 60 a day .

Thier struggle was just the same....

Same as a person who had only smoked for a couple of years ..to that of a person like me who smoked 

52 years .....

It's the nature of Nicotine  ...and what is added to it ...to make us stay hooked ....

I never took to another substance ....I had control of everything else in my life ...

 

Edited July 23, 2021 by Doreensfree

[NADA]

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Edited September 14, 2021 by BKP

[Doreensfree]

Your spot on BKP ...

I'm here everyday helping others others quit ...talking about smoking nearly all day of every day ...

I don't think about going back to smoking at all.

Even when I went through the loss of my hubby....lighting up a cig ,never even entered my head ...

I didn't think of it at all...

 For our Quests watching ....you can have a smoke free life where you completely forget about them 

 

 

 

Edited July 23, 2021 by Doreensfree

[Katgirl]

For me, sometimes seeing a  butt on the ground, especially a long one, triggers a desire to light up. But, it is a fleeting thought, dissipating quickly, like a puff of smoke….

[Kris]

 Will stay by what I have said.  For me only I stand by this.  I do believe in addictive personality. As humans we are always looking for things to find that make us feel better in our own minds. If we started smoking in our teen years it was to fit in and feel accepted by our peers. Yes then we became addicted to a drug (nicotine).  For me this was the case and I now understand this. I think for me it helps to know this and helps me in my quit.  As we get older we can see our life in a different way. We do not have to see ourselves thru others eyes, we realize we have to be who we are.  I am not a smoker, but my genetics led me to become a smoker to fit in. My sister never smoked but is addicted to being perfect when she goes out, dressed to the nines, full makeup and hair. I on other hand save that behavior for special occasions.  I don't see the need to try to impress anyone I might see at Walmart. As Abby says her new addiction is going for a walk, that is what we need to do, replace a bad or harmful behavior to a healthful one. I don't think anyone is wasting their time trying to quit smoking, even if they have to try multiple times before they get it done. As BKP said it is worth the effort and struggle. Doreen you replaced what was bad by helping others thru the struggle.

 As Katgirl said we can all be come addicts by choices we made. The choice we make now is that we are not smokers and will not fall victim to this again!

K

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Abby]

Thanks everyone for your responses . They are all great and I appreciate everyone's very thought filled responses and even points not mentioned . Awesome . 

 

I love discussions . They also spark curiosity in me to do research and I did ... I hope others will as well .

 

I would post links but I always like to encourage others to do their own little investigation . It can even be fun . 

It's very helpful and educational for sure if this subject interests you .

It also helpful for your quit , to do research .

 

This post involves what you will often hear here , and it involves the four five or six Ds which are ....

 

Distraction which hopefully this helped distract you from a crave 

 

Delaying , cause you've had an interested in what others thought . Delaying even a short amount of time can see you over the hump of a crave . 

 

Discussing as we can see here there are lots of thoughts on the topic . All are valid and well thought out responses by each individual .  Thank you .

 

Deep breathing , well not sure bout that one. I'm just glad we are alive and breathing .

 

Drink  water .. always good have to water handy when you are quitting .. I am guilty here not drinking enough .I hate water lol . 

 

And most importantly

Don't smoke while reading this or at any time from the day you say "  I quit " . It's the short cut to success . 

 

 

So ,  I walked , I got groceries , having tea now and soon out for another walk because I enjoy walking in the summer . I feel good when I do .  The breeze is just right , the smoke has dissipated and the temps just right .

 

I hope everyone has learned a bit from each other here as well . I know I have . 

 

[Katgirl]

The addict brain comes about as a result of his or her addiction. The addiction, itself, causes chemical changes in the brain. Those changes result in addictive behaviors. Put simply, habitual use of an addictive substance, causes one’s personality to change. It is the addiction that causes the addictive personality, not the other way around.  There is a lot of literature on this subject. I have studied this subject, intensely, and even treated addicts during my professional career. 

Edited July 23, 2021 by Katgirl

[jillar]

9 hours ago, Abby said:

 

It would be nice to talk to a tobacco cessation specialist

 

Abby, Joel Spitzer is a smoking cessation educator. We have a whole forum of videos he's made on this addiction Here.

[Abby]

Yes I know Jillar thank you . Perhaps he has a video on this , well I'm sure he likely does. Thanks for pointing it out . Great resource as well . 

[Abby]

@BKP thanks for your response . Wonderfully put .

 

I do want to clarify my quit is not at risk , it's solid , ten years solid .

 

I have to be vigelent tho because of a lesson I learned the hard way .  Here at the least we have two people who have given away long term quits because addiction found an open door . I know two 14 year quitters who gave away theirs. How often an occurrence this is , I don't know . More research lol but I've always said I will be open about quitting and my experience so there are no surprises .

I also know one lady who got addicted to the internet when she quit smoking . 

 

This may worry newbies or it may be helpful with all of you members sharing in this discussion . It opens the door I hope for them to research as well reputable addiction sites for more info and is a distraction while they get over a rough spot or crave . I'm hoping . Quitting was scary for most of us at first as well  .  We all have different thoughts and experiences I've noticed so what won't help one may help another . 

Do I have to think about smoking every day ?  No . Do I have to work at this every day No . Just my writing ability lol .  Not even every year do I get a circumstance that I may think of smoking but I gave away an eight year quit when I thought my quit was solid  .  I learned from that lesson to appreciate the peace I have but you never know addictions cunning ways. 

 

I only think of smoking everyday because I've journaled my experience quitting almost every day in that ten years and  I also chose  to stay on a quit site to help others while maintaining mine . 

 

My brother never thought about smoking after he quit , no support groups , nothing , put them down never talked about them again and moved on . To me it's I think it's quite a rarity in thirty years not to think once of smoking but perhaps not . 

 

His and my lifestyles are very very different . His stress level is very different from mine . He is male , I am female , are Quits different for makes and females or higher stress levels hmmmm more research , awareness and education .

 

Thanks BKP for your addition to this post. I'm glad you added that , because after I posted I thought down the road in this post I have to be sure folks don't think there is never an end to smoking  . Therecis , and it doesn't take long . I wouldn't trade this peace and freedom for the world . 

 

I am in however more stress now than I've ever been in my lifetime and you bet addiction took its chance .... for a second !  Lesson learned ... I don't have to listen past that second and it's become as natural as a flick of the bic lighter to turn it off . 

It's not a command . I can cope , newcomers can cope . We can all cope without them .  Smoking may be an option , it may be an addiction but its a choice we can all have to smoke or take it off the table . 

Edited July 25, 2021 by Abby