It's been 34 days and is tougher than a *****. I quit one time in 2009 to 2014 and started back like a dumb a**. I started smoking around 1974. It's the toughest thing I've ever tried to do. I got to the point where I was coughing non-stop and decided I couldn't go on like that anymore. Hell, after a few days of quitting smoking I quit coughing and that told me it was killing me. I feel that at 63 this is my last chance to live a longer life. For the record I've smoked anything from CIgs, to pipe, to cigars and back again. I would bet that this is harder to kick than most other drugs. This time, after getting the urge I remind myself how much I was coughing and sweating in the morning after these coughing fits. That has so far kept me from smoking. Jesus, we are weak humans for the most part. I will never ever tell anyone that I've quit smoking. I will only tell them I haven't smoked since September 4th 2022. No longer do I feel I have total power over that.
smoking is what causes the health problems related to smoking not the nicotine. So you could always just switch to dip which is as safe as it gets or even vape. The thing is you might slide back in the future, and you're better of just switching to a safer alternative that provides all the benefits of nicotine without the downsides of smoking. At the end of the day, you can ease your transition rather than go all or nothing...set yourself up for success.
I believe that the physical addiction is over in 5 days once you don't put any nicotine in your body. Whether that is through patches or any other method. The real issue is overcoming the mental addiction. I believe smoking addiction is 20% physical and 80% mental, so until you overcome what makes you want to smoke from a mental perspective, you will never beat it. I know that is true because I quit for 5 years. Only now I'm 63 and suffering like I never did when I quit for those 5 years, so I have to quit now. If that is not motive enough then I'm dooY
It's been 34 days and is tougher than a *****. I quit one time in 2009 to 2014 and started back like a dumb a**. I started smoking around 1974. It's the toughest thing I've ever tried to do. I got to the point where I was coughing non-stop and decided I couldn't go on like that anymore. Hell, after a few days of quitting smoking I quit coughing and that told me it was killing me. I feel that at 63 this is my last chance to live a longer life. For the record I've smoked anything from CIgs, to pipe, to cigars and back again. I would bet that this is harder to kick than most other drugs. This time, after getting the urge I remind myself how much I was coughing and sweating in the morning after these coughing fits. That has so far kept me from smoking. Jesus, we are weak humans for the most part. I will never ever tell anyone that I've quit smoking. I will only tell them I haven't smoked since September 4th 2022. No longer do I feel I have total power over that.
smoking is what causes the health problems related to smoking not the nicotine. So you could always just switch to dip which is as safe as it gets or even vape. The thing is you might slide back in the future, and you're better of just switching to a safer alternative that provides all the benefits of nicotine without the downsides of smoking. At the end of the day, you can ease your transition rather than go all or nothing...set yourself up for success.
I believe that the physical addiction is over in 5 days once you don't put any nicotine in your body. Whether that is through patches or any other method. The real issue is overcoming the mental addiction. I believe smoking addiction is 20% physical and 80% mental, so until you overcome what makes you want to smoke from a mental perspective, you will never beat it. I know that is true because I quit for 5 years. Only now I'm 63 and suffering like I never did when I quit for those 5 years, so I have to quit now. If that is not motive enough then I'm doomed.
You're right but here's the thing. Our current model of addiction is extremely flawed. It's based on a puritan ideal which is in opposition to reality. We do what we do for a reason. The substances, be it uppers, downers or hallucinogens not only mimick what our bodies naturally produce, but they also provide us with insight into our basic needs that are not being met. Uppers provide us with energy, downers/anxiolytics take the edge off and help us escape from the world/not feel so scared to engage with the world and lastly hallucinogens provide perspective (Forest vs trees).
This is an oversimplification but the concept is what is important. Uppers/stimulants: is essentially anything, be it a substance or activity (mental or physical) that results in an increase in energy. Ex: nicotine, caffeine, exercise, stimulating conversation, dark chocolate. They are all short acting. For some of us, when we are stimulated it actually calms us down while for others stimulation makes them more anxious and their substance of choice will be a downer (THC, alcohol, opiates, food...).
We wouldn't keep doing something if it didn't provide us with something we were missing...be it biological (ex: more or less adrenaline) or psychological (expanding our minds, safety or even self harm)
So how do you make sense of the fact that nicotine is out of your system and your mind and body still craves a stimulant? The habit argument like the gateway theory does not hold in the real world. Especially when a vast majority of nicotine users don't crave nicotine or even stop to think about it when they are busy/distracted doing something that is stimulating.
A car needs fuel to run. Starving the car of fuel or even substituting it with vegetable oil just quite won't leave you with much of a car. Find yourself a safer alternative to cigarettes for your nicotine intake..behavioural stimulation or through other means. Cause you and your car are not addicted just because you run on fuel.
Does that make sense?