Why, Scientifically, Is It So Hard To Quit Smoking?

Originally posted by I.C. Weiner
reply to post by InertiaZero

 

But if everybody is jumping off the building, why would you not also? C'mon, everybody's doing it.....

I do agree the psychology behind this is crazy, yet it comes down to mind over matter....

Wait...how tall is this building youre talkin about? I mean, I have a bit of a bad knee and...


DARN PEER PRESSURE.

Try the nicotine gum to transition. It's not that hard. I can't even believe that I used to smoke and as much as I did - ugh! It took me about two years before I totally stopped missing it but now I don't think about it at all.

Originally posted by I.C. Weiner
reply to post by InertiaZero

 

But if everybody is jumping off the building, why would you not also? C'mon, everybody's doing it.....

I allways find the above qoute quite out-dated, You do realise they invented parachute's, Surely if you were out for bit of base jumping youd look like a prat if you didnt jump

I was smoking for 30+ years and was up to 2 - 2 1\2 packs a day. Woke up one Saturday morning and decided I was finished. That was right at 4 months ago. I didn't use patches or gum, just cold turkey, I didn't really want to slow down my nicotine intake, rather I wanted to end it. My two year old helped me make it through. Knowing every cigarette I didn't smoke gives me. potentially, more time with her. That and like someone above me said "You have to hate it more than you love it". I was at that point. At times it was tough, my temper would take off, especially driving, depression and even dreams about smoking. That stuff had a strong hold on me. Now, every once in a while, I'll get the urge to go "burn one" and just shove it back down with little or no problem.

Originally posted by jimragan
I was smoking for 30+ years and was up to 2 - 2 1\2 packs a day. Woke up one Saturday morning and decided I was finished. That was right at 4 months ago. I didn't use patches or gum, just cold turkey, I didn't really want to slow down my nicotine intake, rather I wanted to end it. My two year old helped me make it through. Knowing every cigarette I didn't smoke gives me. potentially, more time with her. That and like someone above me said "You have to hate it more than you love it". I was at that point. At times it was tough, my temper would take off, especially driving, depression and even dreams about smoking. That stuff had a strong hold on me. Now, every once in a while, I'll get the urge to go "burn one" and just shove it back down with little or no problem.

Congrats!!

Its funny that a substance that has such a profound effect on our psyche is even legal, though.

I think I shall soon go to the balcony and enjoy my healthy cigarette while it is still legal.

Personally, I think that the attitude is crucial. If you go smoking thinking that it is bad for you and you will eventually die because of it, you draw your death closer by yourself.

Also, placebo -effect has it's part in the play. You know, there's lot of reasearches about how placebo medicine actually are capable of healing some (gullible) people, so are the warning labels "Smoking Will Kill You" actually killing many of these "gullible" people who believe that smoking is bad for their health, and who believe that they are so addicted to it that they cannot quit. It is all about mentality; I say, do what you do, but do it with positive attitude. Enjoy it, and you're far better off.

If you are really thinking that smoking is bad for you, then you should quit before it is too late. On the contrary, I think that smoking has beneficial effect on my health (as long as I don't smoke too much, thus preventing regular oxygen inhalation). Smoking, it releases tension, it lightens the mood and it smells good. Besides all the bacteria and viruses in your lungs should have really rough ride when the purifying cigarette smoke enters

-v

A friend of mine who was going to massage school and looking at various alternative methods of healing, brought up to me that part of the attraction of smoking could be related to paced breathwork. It seemed to make sense to me because I was always one of those closet bedtime smokers - meaning a couple of smokes before bed. Smoking is a kind of breathwork if you think about it - yes with a good jolt of nicotine too.

Breathwork is tremendously powerful - it has been around for thousands of years, studied by Universities, even Harvard with its "Relaxation Response" guru. It is proven to lower BP and produce a calm state. When I looked at it from the perspective I was addicted to that paced breathing and the brain state it brought me - I realized I could practice without smoking.

I was a light smoker - still it took me 3 full years to not want to smoke - I didn't smoke but I wanted too for a long time. Next time you are bored or want a smoke, try a breathing excercise. Squared breathing works to break thought patterns of any kind . . . breathe in for 4, hold 4, breathe out 4, hold 4. Want to really mess your brain up - try and do it while paced with walking! Something to think about anyway - no harm in utilizing this free always available tool for any obsessive thought process. Once you pick a practice and get used to the nice sense of centering calm it brings you ~ you will wonder why they don't teach this to us in our culture more readily. ~ Oh, wait I know . . . its free!

Stopping smoking is harder for more than the reasons given.. if it was only pure tobacco most people wouldn't have a problem stopping. But it is a soup of hundreds of added chemicals which individually poison you causing a need for the body to have more of the poisons that were added. Hence why it is so damn hard to stop these days.

A percentage of your 'tobacco' is fruit pulp that is dyed and dried before being added into the mix of tobacco and chemicals. Think about it, the addiction is not just Nicotine.. it is an addiction to hundreds of added chemicals and by-products. (Fact: Tobacco companies are the largest purchasers of fruit pulp in the world)

If you ever get the chance to smoke pure straight tobacco (called Chop-Chop here) you will notice an amazing difference to what you buy over the counter. It even feels clean and fresh, does not cause coughing, bad taste in the mouth nor adverse nicotine withdrawal effects a few minutes after you finish the smoke.

reply to post by InertiaZero


You should switch to American spirits. The company doesn't add all chemical additives like marlboro or Camel which is really 3/4 the battle. Many people have said that they ended up quitting unintentionally because they switched. Some have even said they felt stronger withdrawal symptoms when making they switch because there are no additives.
It may not taste great at first but I guarantee it will help.

Originally posted by SlyFox_79
reply to post by InertiaZero

 

You should switch to American spirits. The company doesn't add all chemical additives like marlboro or Camel which is really 3/4 the battle. Many people have said that they ended up quitting unintentionally because they switched. Some have even said they felt stronger withdrawal symptoms when making they switch because there are no additives.
It may not taste great at first but I guarantee it will help.

My mom used to smoke those, she switched to SkyDancer, which are similar....

I agree that "real" tobacco is good, but too much is never enough....

hm for me it sounds wonderful ..

you smoke 1 cig a day...together with your fiancee.

with a good glas of wine...

why stop? thats at least a relaxing part of the day

you get alot more dirt in your lungs when you stand on a road waiting for passing it...

enjoy the smoke...if the rest of your day is so healthy...your body will absorb the lil cigarette.



i wish i could smoke just 1 a day :S

reply to post by InertiaZero


If they will legalize marijuana, .. I will quit smoking cigs.

Originally posted by angrydog
hm for me it sounds wonderful ..

you smoke 1 cig a day...together with your fiancee.

with a good glas of wine...

why stop? thats at least a relaxing part of the day

you get alot more dirt in your lungs when you stand on a road waiting for passing it...

enjoy the smoke...if the rest of your day is so healthy...your body will absorb the lil cigarette.



i wish i could smoke just 1 a day :S

edit on 19-12-2010 by angrydog because: (no reason given)

edit on 19-12-2010 by angrydog because: (no reason given)

Yeah, youre right to an extent. I dont think it's that bad. It was an uphill climb to get to that point, though.

Have you ever tried to quit?

Originally posted by alittleironic
reply to post by InertiaZero

 

If they will legalize marijuana, .. I will quit smoking cigs.

You have to wait for them to legalize it to quit?

I recently quit smoking myself (recently as in 3 months ago). I accomplished this with the cold turkey method and no it was not easy. Mood swings, nervousness, gastrointestinal issues, aggression, and more are all detox symptoms I experienced.

I wonder if quitting smoking is more difficult today than it was 30 years ago? I am curious not about additives and such; but about the psychological effect of knowing how addictive nicotine is during the quitting process. Was it easier to quit before we knew just how difficult quitting is?

I was a smoker for the last 2 years or so pretty bad. I didnt get to the pack a day thing until this year. I realized the 4000 chemical addiction is powerfull and kept trying methods to quit. I would stop buying packs and just like a swearing jar ask people for cigs and pay a buck for them to prevent me purchasing packs. I eventually went into purchasing my own packs and felt bad doing so. Couldnt of felt worst as I do try and upkeep my environmental suit to healthy standards. Eventually like 2 weeks ago I smoked more then usual and began to feel/taste the effects within my mucus. Early in the morning I would taste the nicotein and menthol from the previous night ciggz and automatically want another cig to start the day. When I realized how much the set up was being played out of smoking at nite before bed and then craving in the morning. I stoppped last Friday that morning before I could even satisfy that crave. I dont like being pimped and feel cig. companies do just that all the way into the healthcare system when you age or get ill... YOU WOULD THINK THEY HAVE STOCK WITHIN HEALTHCARE PROVIDER CIRCLES.

Anyway for some who may wanna try I wish you the best and FORCE YOUR WILL TO OVERCOME THE ADDICTION....
good luck

Originally posted by Dilligaf28
I recently quit smoking myself (recently as in 3 months ago). I accomplished this with the cold turkey method and no it was not easy. Mood swings, nervousness, gastrointestinal issues, aggression, and more are all detox symptoms I experienced.

I wonder if quitting smoking is more difficult today than it was 30 years ago? I am curious not about additives and such; but about the psychological effect of knowing how addictive nicotine is during the quitting process. Was it easier to quit before we knew just how difficult quitting is?

Good question!!

And it's funny, that 50-60 years ago, it was socially acceptable. I imagine quitting wasnt real on the menu back then. It wasnt until it became a surgeon general issue that people thought of quitting, I imagine.

Originally posted by InertiaZero
Ive had a tough time with this issue.


It's annoying, how tough it is to quit.

Habits I have managed to quit: Biting Nails, Chewing on pens. Chewing on strands of hair. Tapping my feet. twiddling thumbs....etc

It's not a conspiracy, it's right out in the open! These people sell death, and we buy it!

Just some thoughts....

just some thoughts of mine about your thoughts...

those 'nervous' things you do aren't necessarily from nerves or figeting or even OCD


en.wikipedia.org...(disorder)

Pica (pronounced /ˈpaɪkə/ PYE-kə) is a medical disorder characterized
by an appetite for substances largely non-nutritive (e.g. metal [coins, etc.]
, clay, coal, soil, feces, chalk, paper, soap, mucus, ash, gum, etc.)
or an abnormal appetite for some things that may be considered foods,
such as food ingredients (e.g. flour, raw potato, raw rice, starch,
ice cubes, salt).[1] In order for these actions to be considered pica,
they must persist for more than one month at an age where eating such
objects is considered developmentally inappropriate


i think i quit in Y2k on dec 8th my son's birthday, without any fanfare...

I look back and wonder why it was so hard for me to put down smoking,
it was getting to a point where a carton of cigarettes were costing as much
as a share of RJR Stock ($30)...i guess thats the point when i quit.


Also, my primary care Doctor gave me a perscription for a smoking cessation
product that lasts for 90 days...
it turns out that in the literature about the self dosed product that anyone who
had a stroke is warned to not take the medication...
needless to say i had serious reservations about the Doctor...(who was later
forceably retired from his VA position due to either Parkinsons or Alzheimers)

but i gave both 90 day products to a smoker aquaintence (they were expensive)
but she continues to buy $4 a pack smokes to this day.

bottom line...don't go to extremes to quit because cessation might be worse
than the habit...and there is some magical 'moment' when one will just stop
smoking despite one's willfull intention to quit for health, or cost, or whatever


walk in ~peace~

Nicotine makes the dendritic spines of nerve cells grow. Generally speaking, the more spines there are the more positive one feels. Cocaine and amphetamine have the same effect.
This may be the reason why people in recovery from dependency smoke more. MRI brain scans show that people in recovery who are smokers have faster increase in brain volume than non-smokers.

reply to post by InertiaZero


Habit

Humans are habitual creatures, in fact all animals are.

When we repeat actions over and over again, it becomes our nature, that turns in to culture.
Culture drives habits to the next generation.

I'll leave you with this, hope you enjoy it:

Any really funny habits you have?

i push my thumb and my second finger together when im nervous haha
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Laughing at really inappropriate times. It's my nervous habit, I can't help it. Naturally no one else thinks it's funny... I don't even really think it's funny, well the situation isn't but the fact that I laugh is because I really can't stop it, I've tried.
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I masturbate to help me sleep . . .
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I bite the skin around my thumb

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i have to always put my right sock/shoe on first or i feel extremely put off..
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i bite my lips

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