Tobacco companies had to own up to the fact that smoking is harmful in the 1960s when undeniable evidence came out. People struggled to quit because it is somewhat addictive, but mainly because they enjoyed it.
Those companies then encouraged the rhetoric about it being more addictive than heroin. It isnβt. In my experience itβs less addictive than caffeine.
Hereβs my history with nicotine:
- Smoked cigarettes from 15 - 26.
- Quit totally for 14 months
- My friend who smoked moved back to town and I smoked when I was with them.
- Switched to vaping 8 years ago.
- Quit vaping in January this year (2024).
I bought 30 cigars at the start of last month (April 2024) and have smoked 9 of them so far. I normally just have 1 a week if Iβm having a beer at home but I went out drinking 2 nights in a row at the start of this month and smoked 6 over that weekend.
Am I addicted? Maybe, but I havenβt had any nicotine this week and donβt plan on having any next week either.
Thank you.
I smoked for a decade, 1-2 packs a day. Met my wife; she didnβt smoke, so I quit cold turkey. That was 20 years ago; Iβve smoked 4 cigarettes since I quit, 3 of those in one night about a decade ago.
I also drank alcohol - like, normal amounts, not day drinking - and abruptly gave that up a couple of years ago. Now, I have maybe a drink a month.
Quitting this kind of stuff has never been hard for me, but I believe thatβs purely genetics, because I have 0 willpower. I am simply not prone to addiction, and thank goodness, because Iβd probably already be dead by now otherwise. But I hit the genetic jackpot on that one; many (most?) people havenβt.
The moral of your story is: donβt extrapolate onto everyone else based on your own experience.
I love this takeaway. So few people seem to follow this line of thinking.
I was a pack-a-day smoker at my worst, probably a pack every 2-3 days for most of it. I smoked for less than a decade. It took me all my willpower and slowly cutting down on nicotine through vapes over a couple of years, until I couldt kick the habit itself without the physical cravings getting in the way. But Iβm on the opposite side of the spectrum, and I think that what I now know to be my ADHD impulsiveness is making me really prone to addictionβ¦
Its the stimulants your brain craves. It fucking sucks. But now you know where it comes from it at least makes sense why its hard. Addiction is just hard enough with support, and i dont understand why people have a punitive view of rehabilitation. congrats on beating the habit and good luck, that sounded like hell.
That dopamine hit, amirite? Good thing Iβm legitimately terrified of hard drugs or Iβd probably have been down that path at some pointβ¦ I seldom do something halfway hehe. Having the right people around and working on that general mental health also helpsβ¦
I think there could be something to this because I took stimulants like cocaine and amphetamine sulphate when I was younger and never really enjoyed them.
