Let's talk addiction.

[Denamic]

Tip: Stop smoking.
Problem solved.

Holy crap you're right! How could nobody have figured this out before?

Beats me.
It's an extremely simple problem with an extremely simple solution.

 

[SweetShark]

Tip: Stop smoking.
Problem solved.

Holy crap you're right! How could nobody have figured this out before?

Indeed, you have right my friend.
I think the reason, for my, why I didn't thought of that, is the giant amounts of cocaine I sniff while I writing my post!!!!
I really should stop smoking now.
But first I must finish my cocaine I had left to my cat's corpse.

*SSSNNNNNNNNNNIIIIIIIIIIIIFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF*

 

[anthony87]

Tip: Stop smoking.
Problem solved.

Holy crap you're right! How could nobody have figured this out before?

Beats me.
It's an extremely simple problem with an extremely simple solution.

Yeah. Almost as simple as your understanding of addiction.

 

[krazykidd]

I'm addicted to videogames . I'm serious . I cannot for the life of me go a whole day without playing SOMETHING. ANYTHING . Iv'e tried to before and i start feeling bored , sad and easily irratated . Even if i have to play a stupid iphone game i NEED to play a game . Iv'e been using games as a means of escapism so long that my mind doesn't know how to cope with real life . I spend the majority of day either playing games ( if i'm not working ) , reading about games (like here on the escapist ) or thinking about games ( if i can't be playing a game at for any reason ). Iv'e actually lost a couple of girlfriends to gaming . Now i could probably quit gaming if i really tried , but i enjoy gaming , yes i am addicted but i enjoy it, so i never actually put an effort to quit it .

As for OP. Good fucking luck . Seriously . Apparently smoking is the hardest addiction to quit. The withdrawl effects are suppose to be horrendous . So here is my advice . Man the fuck up , summon all your will power , and don't smoke . I helps that you cannot for a week . My next suggestion is to continue after the week is over , do not start again . Just tough it out . Try to replace it with something. Anything . Get some tictacs and start poping them in your mouth when you got a craving . Also keep your hands busy . Find something to keep on your a all times to play with . Just so you hands have somethig to do .

Good luck.

Just curious... did you self diagnose that? Careful man... you may well be addicted, but it's also possible you have a severe underlying problem that you aren't addressing.

In my case, my parents brought up concerns about addiction. At this point I was aware something was wrong with me so I went ahead with inquiries and consultations.

After 2 years of hoping around an answer finally arrived. I am prone to deep depression and suffer from crippling anxiety. This isn't "I feel sad" and "I'm shy"... I was slowly shutting down and shutting myself off from others. Video games were my escapism, but not my affliction. In turn I likely did become obsessed over them, but once the core of my issue was recognised I was able to take measures to break away from it. I still play games, but I don't have that compulsion and I'm no longer as irritable when I do play.

Just a few things that should be noted. If you are withdrawing from social circles (few friends, getting fewer) have very weak motivations (to the point of not being able to get up some mornings) and are abandoning goals (college courses you actualy want to do) or self destructing (gaining weight, drinking excessively) then you might want to reassess your issues.

Depression and Anxiety are deceptive problems, since we still live in an age where people think "cheer up" and "man up" are enough to tear someone out of it. You may be aware of problems I mentioned, but even then your brain might refute it as being paranoid or something. It took me months after diagnosis to actually comprehend the problem.

I know what you mean. When i said i was addicted i meant it as : I Cannot not play videogames , if i do " x,y,z" happens . It's most likely what i do to escape from other problems . But i haven't gone to a specialist to find out if i have any issues .

 

[BlueberryMUNCH]

Gonna have to spoiler these replies haha.

Spoiler: M K Ultra

Yeah routine is definitely a massive part of why I still smoke, actually. Interesting.

Things that I have found helpful in stopping

1. Any kind of aerobic exercise. Pain is very helpful in reminding me that lungs aren't east to replace.

2. Listening old smokers cough & hack up phlem. My neighbor has smoked for years & just hearing her laugh turn into a mucous-y splattery coughing fit is enough turn any smoker into a nonsmoker. Seriously find an old smoker that hasn't died yet & just listen to them.

3. Getting sick. When I'd get a cold or flu smoking was one of the last things I'd want to do. Smoke feels like sandpaper on dried out sinuses.

Yeah cheers for those tips. Seeing old smokers is scary.

Spoiler: fapper plain

As someone who smokes between half a pack and a pack of cigarettes a day, I feel your pain.

I try to quit temporarily every couple of months, simply because I don't like being owned by cigarettes. This is what I've found helps.

1) Make your last cigs before you attempt to quit the shittiest, nastiest, most throat-burning cancer sticks you can find. I recommend American Spirits or Marlboro Reds. This should cut down the craving a bit, because your last encounter with cigs was decidedly unpleasant.

2) Drink lots of water. This will help you deal with the oral fixation, and I've heard that it flushes the nicotine out of your body quicker (not sure if that's true, though).

3) Have a project or goal that you'll be focusing on while quitting. Distractions are important.

4) Go running. Make it a habit. You'll be able to feel it getting easier as your body recovers from the smoke. On the flip side, if you start smoking again and keep up running, you'll feel it. Oh god, will you feel it.

5) Don't drink alcohol for the two or so weeks after quitting. It lowers your inhibitions, and cigarettes taste really, really good when you've been drinking.

6) Don't get discouraged. Quitting is hard, whether you cut down your intake over time or go cold turkey. If you relapse, it happens. Junk the pack and try again.

Marlboro Reds. Fuck. Even the thought of them kinda put me off haha. Good news is, I didn't really enjoy one of my cigarettes today. Kinda seemed like a chore. So that's good.
Water's a good shout too. Thanks.
Distraction helps too. Problem is for me, I always smoke when walking somewhere/waiting for a bus or something. Hmm.
Running's also a good idea but I've damaged my legs quite badly playing football a few months ago, so that's still not an option. But if I can't quit after Christmas, that's an option too.
You're right about the alcohol. Think I'll do that then for sure.
and as for 6)...yeah, thanks. Being rough on oneself only makes it worse I guess, eh.
Thanks a lot.

Spoiler: Mr.Cynic88

I smoked a pack of Newport 100's a day for five years, quit for two months, smoked for another nine, then quit again, so I understand the psychology of cigarette addiction.

It's really not about the nicotine for most people. Nicotine is devilish because - like other types of speed - it works fast and ends fast, leaving a craving in its wake. But because it leaves your system so quickly, your body quickly realizes it doesn't need it.

The problem is, the body gets over cigarettes way quicker than the brain. It becomes an anxiety trigger, because once your brain associates smoking with a quick pleasurable fix, everything seems wrong until you smoke one.

The good and bad news is: it's all in your head. Unlike, say, alcohol, which can be dangerous to quit cold turkey, the body doesn't crave cigarettes. Nicotine replacement therapies like the gum or patch work because of the "replacement" factor. Every cigarette you smoke is a conscious decision by your brain, so instead, you have to make the conscious decision not to be a smoker, and/or make the gum take the place of cigarettes in your head.

When I decided to quit smoking, I would wake up each day knowing I would not be inhaling a cigarette. With that my mindset, each cigarette I avoided smoking was as mentally pleasurable to me as they used to be when I smoked. Knowing I had no intention of smoking made it fine to be around fellow smokers, and I still love participating in smoking circle discussions, albeit without a cigarette in my hand.

It sucks to hear that there is no trick other than stopping, but that's the truth. It's also the beauty of it, since you know smoking is bad but your mind will keep tricking yourself into smoking one, whereas by being honest with yourself and your intentions you can exercise the willpower to make yourself quit.

My biggest advice: don't guilt yourself. It accomplishes nothing. If you're smoking, smoke proudly and don't be all "I'm only going to smoke 5 today," because that never works and only makes the cigarettes you're killing yourself with less pleasurable. On the same token, once you've quit, you've quit. Make it a black-and-white issue for yourself: just like theists unquestioningly accept that there is a god, when you're ready, you can have the faith that you're done smoking.

Having quit other drugs as well, smoking is not the hardest to quit, the problem is like others have mentioned, cigarettes are super accessible. That's why you have to make the decision to be done, and not waver. After a week you'll feel less tired and your chest will hurt less, and that should be all the physical encouragement you need.

All of that actually kinda touched me in a weird kind of way haha. I'll definitely remember what you've said, thanks so much.

Spoiler: SmashLovesTitanQuest

Well, I quit weed after smoking everyday for years. It wasn't that hard actually, for some reason I just lost all craving to smoke it slowly until I didn't really feel like smoking any at all. Went through some minor problems sleeping initially and that was about it.

Now, cigs are a different story altogether. I want to stop smoking around Christmas and the prospect is already pissing me off. I need 3 cigs every morning to function. Without them I'm some kind of half asleep, really pissed off guy who's in a permenant bad mode. Good thing I'm going to quit smoking in the holidays, I think if I got on a bus in the morning while going through "withdrawals" I might lash out at some random kid who looks at me funny. They already piss me off, I dare not imagine how badly they would if I was going through the trauma of not being able to smoke.

And if this post made no fucking sense, it's because I haven't smoked in like an hour. So with that I will bid you farewell and good luck. Now excuse my, I have a pack of Gauloises to buy.

Thanks a lot, and good luck to you too. Can definitely relate to all that ugh.

Spoiler: Strazdas

The best way to quit smoking is to realize how much it costs to be a smoker. well unless you are stupid since fool and his money is soon parted anyway.

The only addiction (that im aware of) that i had was to this game called Tibia way back when i was young. i would intentionally get ill just to stay home and play it. (kinda helps that i completely hated school and everyone in it).
But then i discovered the rest of the world via a local torrent site. being obsessive that i am i wanted the rest of the internet too and then i realized just how freaking big life is and that this Tibia was such a small part of it. From then on i gradually lost my drive for Tibia and i dont play it anymore. Gaming is a hobby for me now, but im not going to loose some sleep (or work) over some loses in an online game or anything like that. You could say that torrents saved my life. Obviously i dont use torrents anymore (i kinda have to point this out, yay escapist censorship), but at that particular time, 7 years ago, they changed my world around.

Yep, it costs a hideous amount. But with buying cigarettes, it's as natural for smokers as buying food; you could say that's expensive. You just tend not to really think about it. It's hard to explain, but the cost really isn't really the main factor that would cause me to stop. That doesn't make me and other smokers 'stupid' or 'fools'. Glad you got out of your Obsession with Tibia.

Spoiler: Colour-Scientist

If it's only been a few months, it's probably just the action of smoking a cigarette you're addicted to.

Find something to chew or suck on when you have a craving. Even having water to sip on helps.
At this stage I seriously doubt it's a nicotine dependence so patches wouldn't do much.

Edit: i've been a smoker since I was 14 and in the past six months I've cut down to 0-3 a day and I'll have a few more if I'm out drinking.

Also, telling people they're stupid for smoking never entices them to quit, you just sound like a smug asshole.

Yeah I'm thinking I might just grab some chewing gum and use it as a substitute. Hmm. Also, word to that last sentence. Seems like the people that do that haven't smoked themselves.

Spoiler: Best of the 3

Although I've never smoked I'm learning about smoking addiction (addictive behaviour in general) in my A2 psychology for a second time (redoing my A2 year), so I can understand what you're going through.

I can't think of anything that I'm addicted to. Video games maybe, but not enough that I won't stop for long periods if I have to. If I was in your situation however, if getting the urge to take a cigarette, is to fill that addictive urge with something else. For example, every time you feel an urge, go out for a walk/job. Do some push ups, whatever. Something you'd not normally do. I find replacing the action with something else helps me with forgetting about what it was I wanted in the first place.

EDIT: wait, maybe carrot cake. I will always eat a whole carrot cake given the chance. Too tasty to resist.

Mmh yeah you're right. Problem is, I don't like, go out to smoke. I only smoke when I'm like, walking somewhere or waiting for something...so that's not an option. As I said in a reply before though, I might just have some gum when I'd usually smoke...and make a habit of that? Hmm. Also, carrot cake. Oh my god><;; haha.

Spoiler: zumbledum

well i started to smoke tobacco because i was smoking weed in my youth , after i gave up weed which wasnt hard inh te lest when the time came, i continued to smoke tobacco for about 10 years, then i decided it was silly expensive and pointless so just stopped cold turkey, the physical stuff fades after a couple of days. then you just have the habit stuff like a smoke with a pint or after a round of a high stress game etc which is no big thing.

i am aware from watching other people quit i seemed to have an amazingly easy time of it, other than rediscovering food had taste and putting some weight on it was a breeze for me.

the only thing i have noticed helping is you have to want to quit, if your doing it because you think you should or know its bad your doomed from the start. if you say ill stop after this pack or on a date your pretty much doomed, its as yoda said do or do not there is no try.

Yeah, I guess you're right. Guess I just have to tough it out. Gaaaah. Glad you've managed to quit though:]

Spoiler: Shymer

Good luck giving up smoking. I'm really rooting for you. Get your family and friends involved - get them to help, rather than hinder - get every cigarette out of the house. Identify the times/locations and activities where you will be most tempted and have a plan - even if it means stopping going out for a bit. If you slip up, make a note of the cirumstances, regroup and move on. Give yourself a treat from the money you've saved from not buying cigarettes - take a trip abroad. Give your hands something to do when you're at a loose end - carrot sticks and humous - go for a run - get a punch bag. You will be able to cope without ciagarettes. You can do this. You may not know how just yet - but walking the path is easier than the anticipation of the difficulties.

Yeah thank you so much, like seriously. Like your sort of reward idea, too. But a thousand thanks; means the world you seem to care so much:].

 

[Denamic]

Yeah. Almost as simple as your understanding of addiction.

I spent my late teens, 16 through 19, smoking away pretty much every single coin I had. Then I quit cold turkey. Believe me, I know what withdrawal is like. I never said it was easy. I said it's simple, and it is. Just endure, and the withdrawal eventually goes away. There's nothing complicated about it.

So let's not be condescending with baseless assumptions.

 

[StarStruckStrumpets]

My friend is massively addicted to cigarettes, so we made him a bet.

If he smokes between now and Christmas (something incredibly difficult for him NOT to do), he has to get a nipple piercing.

Hasn't touched one since.

 

[theswordsmn]

I hear you OP. And of course you can see that you are not alone in the world. That is the most important thing for you to know is that you always have a backing of people here that will help you through a problem. The nicotine thing is a horrible situation to be in. I cite my father as a reference. He has been using chew since his own dad TRICKED him into taking a pinch when he was 15. He went through almost 2 cans a week. Spit bottles would be all over our house it was disgusting. After a neck surgery he had had resulted in almost paralyzing him, the doctor told him that his ultra nicotine use had weakened his bones to the point where bone screws would just pop out if they tried to fix the damage. He was told he had to quit at THAT moment in the doctors office. I reached for his can and poured the contents into the bin. The next few weeks were not pleasant for anyone in the house. Not only was he in pain from MAJOR NECK SURGERY, he was cold-turkey coming down from 32 years of nicotine abuse. The only thing that kept him sane, was when I suggested he buy jerky chew as a substitute. He tried it and of course hated the whole idea, but after a while he just had to accept the substitute. It's been 7 months since then and now the jerky chew has literally just replaced the old addiction, but you know what it's one thing I don't mind driving to the store to get him. I can only hope it's a matter of time until the cravings completely pass.

On a more personal note, OP. I too can sooo feel where you are coming from. I can't say what because I don't wish for people who know me by this name to know what it is, but please trust me when I say the "thing" that has had me hooked for 5 years is right up there with methamphetamine and heroin in the "I'm screwed" spectrum. (It's not either of those, but yeah. Not fun.)

 

[capper42]

nicotine

eh i am in the cigarettes are far more dangerous than mary jane catagory

I agree somewhat, but when I spoke about weed I was merely giving information about myself I deemed relevant to the topic. There are far far more different harmful chemicals in cigarettes than marijuana. I heard somewhere that mj is much more carcinogenic though, but I've never looked into that myself.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

I'm addicted to video games. I'm addicted to reading. I'm addicted to staying up too late. I'm addicted to potato chips and popcorn.

[sub][sub][sub]I'm especially addicted to romance... <.<[/sub][/sub][/sub]

I know I have a bit of an addictive streak in me. I'm sure that explains why I am such a prolific poster here. That's why I'm very careful with my drinking and I will NEVER use recreational drugs.

Sorry to hear that you started smoking OP. Can't say I agree with you starting and I hope that you'll find a way to stop before it damages you too badly. That said, it is your body. Make your own mind about how you want to handle it.

 

[Beryl77]

I'm not really addicted to anything. I drink sometimes with friends but only occasionally on weekends when we go out. I used to get quickly addicted to good books, tv series, games, etc. I think when I read the first Harry Potter book as a kid, I stayed up very late for the first time in my life because I couldn't stop. Nowadays, that's not really a problem. I don't seem to get addicted to those things so easily and find it easier to stop when I have other things to do. It's rather the opposite now but I don't really like it.

I've tried cigarettes twice in my life I think but I never started smoking myself, however most friends and family members smoke. Some more, some less but my father was a really heavy smoker before I was born. He'd smoke 3 or 4 packs a day, maybe even more.
My mother told me that he tried to quit cold turkey once, it didn't work out at all. They went out that day and the whole evening he just couldn't stand or sit still and would move his hands around the whole time, touching his pockets and not knowing what to do with them. He would get easily irritated and yell at her for no reason. When they got back home, he lit a cigarette and didn't try to stop again for a while.
It was pretty bad but he hasn't smoked a cigarette for over two decades now but I'm afraid the story of how he stopped won't be helpful for you. He said that he got sick really badly one day and was bedridden for over a week. It was so bad that he didn't smoke at all during that time and when he got better, the urge to smoke wasn't so strong anymore. So he simply never lit a cigarette again after that but he told me that if he ever smoked one again, it would be like he never stopped.

 

[Lionsfan]

I smoked daily for about 2 years, couldn't estimate how much, but bare minimum a pack a week.

Eventually I just stopped.

Which is my advice to you OP, the only way to really quit is going full cold-turkey

 

[lechat]

this is gonna sound like an advert since it's my first post but if you want to quit smoking try champix. in australia it's government subsidized so you can pick up a prescription for the cost of 2 packs of cigs so well worth a try

the good thing about champix is you continue smoking for 2 weeks after starting the pills so it's a good way to start quitting when you have no intention of actually quitting and by the time the 2 week mark rolls around your desire for a smoke is greatly reduced so all you need is the motivation to break the mental addiction

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

I've never had a cigarette in my life and I don't plan to. So I guess there's gum, patches, and maybe counseling if cravings get a little out of control.

In terms of addiction, I was once addicted to potato chips. Not sure if it was due to being a child who could climb to the highest shelf and get them or it was a serious addiction. The next thing I new I was in 6th grade and being bullied and ridiculed by my weight (I got larger vertically, not horizontally). After getting on a diet, exercising daily, and staying away from potato chips, I rarely even think about them, let alone eat them.

 

[IndomitableSam]

Edit: Yay... sucked into a necro'd thread. Go me.

This is going to get a ton of people acting like dicks, but:

I'm addicted to food. Have been since childhood. Sad? Eat. Happy? Eat. Bored? Eat. Any emotion means eating. If I'm not doing anything, I must be eating.

I've gotten better over the years - right now I usually eat a small breakfast (usually oatmeal at work), have a snack at work (usually an apple, bran muffin or granola bar), then lunch. Except lunch is leftovers from dinner, and usually a very large portion. Then at dinner, I eat a BIG meal. It's well-rounded, usually a very large serving of veggies, a regular portion-size of meat... but I usually eat double the carbs needed.

I could also judge the clock in the evening based on my stomach. At 7pm almost on the dot (I eat dinner between 5-6:30) my stomach will send the "I'm empty" signals. And it will continue to send them until just after 8. I don't usually eat during this time as logically I know my stomach is full, but it's a battle. Usually I'll have something small around 8-8:30, but that's still probably a couple hundred calories or more. I could eat dinner later, but I"m at work by 8am and I've been eating around 5:30 all my life. Very hard to change.

I gave up pop and chips a few years ago, stopped buying them other than special occassions (this means maybe 3-4 cans of pop a month and maybe one bag a month), and I've mostly gotten past the withdrawl of that. That was hard.

However, I constantly crave carbs. Which is really hard to deal with. My doctor has tested us (my sister and I) many times for all sorts of health issues and we're always fine. But I always want carbs. Especially starchy carbs like pasta.

Honestly, I know people will call bullshit on this. That's fine. It's a real addiction though, and it's a struggle every day. My fridge? Literally all it has is condiments, soy milk, and various veggies. Pantry? All things you have to work to prepare, other than tortilla chips, stale pretzels and some nuts. Mostly just dried pasta, soups, and spices/canned items. Freezer? Mostly full of meat and fozen veggies. And frozen bran/oatmeal muffins.

Snark away, but when you were raised on KD, hot dogs, chips and pizza, trying to change your lifestyle and diet as an adult is near impossible. I've changed my diet, but I now eat larger portions of healthier food, so it negates itself. It's a very hard battle.

 

[Devetta]

It's all about the three day hell. If you manage to do three days without giving in then you're set.
I find that three days is always the clincher with changing anything, including sleeping habits, you just have to stick to it and it gets easier. Don't give in.

 

[snyperal]

A banned user hit the smoking nail on the head, go running. it works unbelievably well, massive cardio makes you wheeze like a 90 year old and realise just what you've been missing out.

I went from running 100yds before dying to running a steady 6 miles. The fags are by far the worst addiction ive ever had to deal with.

Second to that was caffiene, and its annoying migraine withdrawel side effects. not fun, but then thats why its an addiction.

Also I find gaming addictive, but easier to deal with, and reading, man if i pick up a good book, then i look myself away until ive finished it!

 

[Techno Squidgy]

So, I started smoking cigarettes a few months ago. I'm addicted.
I know it's stupid and I know it's bad for you, but I still do it. I tried to quit last week but I just couldn't and...it's scary, actually.
Thing is, I'll be (pretty much) physically unable to smoke from next week onwards...and I don't know how I'm gonna cope.

SO, Escapist, first of all: do you have any tips for overcoming the addiction of smoking?
(patches and gum are also not an option).

Secondly, I want to hear your addiction stories. What were/are you addicted to? Have you overcome it? ...and anything else you'd like to share.

So yeah, I leave the floor to you guys.
Let's talk addiction.

Edit: I'm trying to reply as much as I can but...it's tough haha. But know that I read and appreciate every post<3.

Hoo boy. I might not be the best person to talk to as I tried and failed, but I can share what I did learn.

Cold Turkey works, but you HAVE to be dedicated. Willpower doesn't describe it, it'll take focus. Hopefully you'll have an easier time than me as you haven't been smoking that long.

The way I coped was down to 3 things.
1) Writing down the time and what was going on when I wanted a cigarette. This helped me figure out patterns in my cravings and triggers. Helped me to avoid the shops when I was craving.
2) Lollipops. Seriously. Lollipops are the shit. Something to do with your hands, something to do with your mouth, it's perfect.
3) Standing upwind of smokers. Knowing where to stand will make your life much easier. Though I guess this one depends on if you hang out with other smokers.

I cracked because I went to a flat party where the kitchen was essentially hotboxed with cigarette smoke. Try and avoid that.

Good luck to you!

P.S. Try not to stare at other people's cigarettes. Sometimes they get the wrong idea. A guy thought I was gay I spent so long starring at the rollie hanging out of his mouth. Rather surreal conversation to have on the street.