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 isn’t. In my experience it’s less addictive than caffeine.
Here’s 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 I’m 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 haven’t had any nicotine this week and don’t plan on having any next week either.
People and substances are not a one size fits all.
Thank you.
I smoked for a decade, 1-2 packs a day. Met my wife; she didn’t smoke, so I quit cold turkey. That was 20 years ago; I’ve 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 that’s purely genetics, because I have 0 willpower. I am simply not prone to addiction, and thank goodness, because I’d probably already be dead by now otherwise. But I hit the genetic jackpot on that one; many (most?) people haven’t.
The moral of your story is: don’t 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 I’m 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 addiction…
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 I’m legitimately terrified of hard drugs or I’d probably have been down that path at some point… I seldom do something halfway hehe. Having the right people around and working on that general mental health also helps…
Its the best lolol. And that fear is understandable. However some really cool research is coming where they use specific drugs as a therapy aid. The results are pretty promising. Though the keyword is therapy aid there. Right people and mental health goes such a long way. That’s just something we all should be more actively doing.
There are also drugs available that help curb the urge for some drugs; Naltrexone and Ozempic, for instance. Both make you nauseous pretty quickly if you drink alcohol, and Naltrexone blocks opioid receptors in the bargain. Ozempic has a better mechanism, in that it’s an injection once a week; Naltrexone you have to take daily, which makes it easier for opioid addicts to skip of they’re feeling urges. I don’t know of any that block nicotine.
I know about these because both of those have secondary uses; low-dose Naltrexone is used to treat auto-immune diseases, and Ozempic is a highly effective diet drug.
Better living through chemistry!
Interestingly enough, Ozempic was first and foremost a diabetes drug.
Yup! Weight loss is a secondary (off-label) use.
Wild… Fucking wild. Like this stuff is amazing how when used responsibly it can drastically change a persons life for the better.
Ozempic is insane. Its touted as this miracle drug… And I worry if its gonna be the new oxy cause of how its being I guess seemingly over prescribed. I do hope I’m wrong in that regard.
I just wish the need for number line go up was split from the need to address these issues we have as a species. That way I don’t have to be skeptical about these advancements.
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.
Everyone’s body chemistry is different… So its very possible something isn’t working for you.
Thank you for sharing. I totally agree with your moral.