I guess I'm gonna quit smoking...

[James81]

And since I'm in a sobby mood right now, I think I'm going to type about what I think it is.

FAMILY.

I think moving to the dorm tonight has shown a big, bright light onto the fact that I'm 30 years old, and while I watch many people my age settle with their wife and their kids and live the family life, I lost that. Or rather, I took it for granted. I've been really craving a family life lately (perhaps that's what drove me back to my parents house last year to start with), and it's like I'm not *there* yet.

I swear it feels like I'm living my life out of order. The pervading thought that keeps coming to my head is that I should've done this ten years ago. Hell, my mentor teacher had pictures of him and his wife and his kids,and I remember looking at them last week thinking "You know, if I had made this choice ten years ago, this might be pictures of me and my life."

I am really craving HOME and FAMILY at the moment. And not really the one that I left to come live at the dorm. I think I'm craving what I should have at this point in my life but don't.

Whew, I swear to god nicotine's a helluva drug. LOL.

[Andrew Brunelle]

Cigarette smoking is an addiction as well as a habit. There is a ritual involved. This is probably why some people say they are harder to quit than heroin or some other really hard drug. People obviously get something from smoking cigarettes, and part of it is it relieves stress, but what it really does is numb the brain. Having had brain cancer, I'd never even think to smoke, but I've seen lifelong smokers and how they act and it is a severe dependency. Where I work, almost all the customers say, "I'm going to quit, just after this pack." And the next day they're back buying another pack.

It takes a really strong addiction if someone is smoking a cigarette through a hole in their throat. At least you have accountability on this forum and I think that will help you quit, much like the guy Steve wrote about some years ago who took out a billboard saying if anyone saw him smoking, he'd pay them $100,000 or something like that.

[Lioness]

Originally Posted by James81

I am really craving HOME and FAMILY at the moment. And not really the one that I left to come live at the dorm. I think I'm craving what I should have at this point in my life but don't.

Whew, I swear to god nicotine's a helluva drug. LOL.

Smoking (not just nicotine) is a coping mechanism. Your emotions are coming to the forefront largely because you can't quash them or distract them with a cigarette. And anytime you go through a big change, such as your move onto campus, it is stressful.

It's a good thing to allow yourself to feel sad or anxious without reaching for a pacifier whether it's a smoke, a drink, or some other crutch.

As trite as it sounds, try to enjoy this time of your life. So many would love to be in your position right now and have time to themselves to devote to study in a college atmosphere, away from family distractions. Think gratitude for this opportunity as much as possible. (I'm still wondering how you pulled this off!)

And who's to say that you should have a certain family life right now? Maybe things are unfolding the way they were meant to for you.

[James81]

oh yeah, I am reallygrateful for this experience. I didn't get to do this my first time in college. I hope i'm not coming across as complaining, cause I'm not. I don't thing I'm quite ready for the family thing yet. I am, after all, living in a dorm on a college campus. Lmao

as for how I'm pulling this off, I'm not sure either. I'm at one of those trying times though where I'm not sure what's about to happen it can be stressful at times, that's for sure. But I'm loving it.

Originally Posted by Lioness

Smoking (not just nicotine) is a coping mechanism. Your emotions are coming to the forefront largely because you can't quash them or distract them with a cigarette. And anytime you go through a big change, such as your move onto campus, it is stressful.

It's a good thing to allow yourself to feel sad or anxious without reaching for a pacifier whether it's a smoke, a drink, or some other crutch.

As trite as it sounds, try to enjoy this time of your life. So many would love to be in your position right now and have time to themselves to devote to study in a college atmosphere, away from family distractions. Think gratitude for this opportunity as much as possible. (I'm still wondering how you pulled this off!)

And who's to say that you should have a certain family life right now? Maybe things are unfolding the way they were meant to for you.

[James81]

And, just like that, I'm back to normal. Well, not "normal" because my life has pretty much just officially changed in a big way, but back to normal emotionally. Weird how I had this huge emotional moment yesteray, but today I'm fine.

And, you know, I'm not really missing them all that much. Sure, there's times here and there that I get a craving for one or I miss it, but for the most part it doesn't even enter my mind. This is really cool. I'm starting to see myself as something other than a smoker.

(And, yes, I'm still qualifiying posts like these with "I'm not totally out of the woods yet." But I'm feeling pretty good about it so far.)

[VinceG]

Originally Posted by James81

Weird how I had this huge emotional moment yesteray, but today I'm fine.

That's the nature of release. If you're not attached to your emotions, yet are willing to experience them fully, and deeply, you release them. It's life changing, but hard to appreciate until you've gone through the process a lot.

[LisaDreams]

Originally Posted by James81

I dunno, it's also strange that such a feeling would crop up in conjunction with money.

Money is one way we assign value to things. I've noticed that internal changes often connect to values, which often connect to a changing relationship with money.

Lisa

[James81]

Today is day 7...and this is the 3rd time I've ever made it this far. If I go to bed tonight without smoking and wake up tomorrow, it will be my best attempt to date.

And I am ****ing CRRRANKY today. LOL. And I know why I'm cranky, and it has little to do with not smoking a cigarette (although a cigarette right now would be one way in which I'd help soothe the crankiness).

I suppose I never realized how much emotion cigarettes either cover up or help mask or help you cope with. And I keep searching for internal ways to manage this stuff without reaching for a cig. Mostly doing some breathing type of exercises and perspective shifting stuff on the things that make me cranky.

But there's one thing that I have officially *understood* now. (And it's a very simple, very basic thing). And that is that other people or situations do not cause me to smoke. (I can remember giving in on quit attempts in the past because of certain people causing me to get upset.) And it's a pretty damn basic thing to grasp that it's not the whole entire world's fault (and all the supposed "incompetency" I see in the world) that I smoke. It's my choice. Always. In all ways.

And that's a concept that has been a bit fuzzy to me. I mean, I knew that, but I never fully understood it. I understand now that certain situations and experiences create emotions/reactions that make me want to smoke. And it's easy to give into that because then I can blame someone other than me.

In fact, I can see very clearly lately how I've been leading from the bottom for most of my life. In other words, I can see the ways in which I set up this extreme lack of choice in my life. I never realized that all that lack of choice that I felt I had was created by me. But, wow, I'm seeing it everywhere now. The ways in which I create situations where I don't have a choice and I use that lack of choice as my driving force to get things accomplished. Might be one of my deepest, most elusive patterns.

[sorter]

Originally Posted by James81

Today is day 7...and this is the 3rd time I've ever made it this far. If I go to bed tonight without smoking and wake up tomorrow, it will be my best attempt to date.

And I am ****ing CRRRANKY today. LOL. And I know why I'm cranky, and it has little to do with not smoking a cigarette (although a cigarette right now would be one way in which I'd help soothe the crankiness).

I suppose I never realized how much emotion cigarettes either cover up or help mask or help you cope with. And I keep searching for internal ways to manage this stuff without reaching for a cig. Mostly doing some breathing type of exercises and perspective shifting stuff on the things that make me cranky.

But there's one thing that I have officially *understood* now. (And it's a very simple, very basic thing). And that is that other people or situations do not cause me to smoke. (I can remember giving in on quit attempts in the past because of certain people causing me to get upset.) And it's a pretty damn basic thing to grasp that it's not the whole entire world's fault (and all the supposed "incompetency" I see in the world) that I smoke. It's my choice. Always. In all ways.

And that's a concept that has been a bit fuzzy to me. I mean, I knew that, but I never fully understood it. I understand now that certain situations and experiences create emotions/reactions that make me want to smoke. And it's easy to give into that because then I can blame someone other than me.

In fact, I can see very clearly lately how I've been leading from the bottom for most of my life. In other words, I can see the ways in which I set up this extreme lack of choice in my life. I never realized that all that lack of choice that I felt I had was created by me. But, wow, I'm seeing it everywhere now. The ways in which I create situations where I don't have a choice and I use that lack of choice as my driving force to get things accomplished. Might be one of my deepest, most elusive patterns.

Did you give this
Smoking and the anti-smoking campaign
a serious try?

This
"(although a cigarette right now would be one way in which I'd help soothe the crankiness)"
is a smokers biggest delusion. That's like saying heroin relieves crankiness.
Smoking, more than anything else, is what makes you cranky. That's how addictions work.

"I understand now that certain situations and experiences create emotions/reactions that make me want to smoke"
Nope! The physical craving causes the desire. It's natural to associate whatever else is happening to the craving but the craving is the cause of wanting a cig.
Everything else follows.

You're laboring under the assumption that your emotions and analyses matter.
If they don't, and I'm sure they don't, you're just spinning your wheels.

Cravings are part of your autonomic nervous system.
We were born with raging cravings and before thought, emotion, or habit had a chance to develop.
Nicotine wedges itself into your ANS and your cravings. The only way to reduce the cravings is to detox.
The method I described does that very quickly--much much faster then waiting for your body to do it without assistance.
If your craving for nicotine completely went away you wouldn't bother or need to pontificate about anything.
Unless you'd rather for some other reason.
.

[James81]

Originally Posted by sorter

Did you give this
Smoking and the anti-smoking campaign
a serious try?

This
"(although a cigarette right now would be one way in which I'd help soothe the crankiness)"
is a smokers biggest delusion. That's like saying heroin relieves crankiness.
Smoking, more than anything else, is what makes you cranky. That's how addictions work.

"I understand now that certain situations and experiences create emotions/reactions that make me want to smoke"
Nope! The physical craving causes the desire. It's natural to associate whatever else is happening to the craving but the craving is the cause of wanting a cig.
Everything else follows.

You're laboring under the assumption that your emotions and analyses matter.
If they don't, and I'm sure they don't, you're just spinning your wheels.

Cravings are part of your autonomic nervous system.
We were born with raging cravings and before thought, emotion, or habit had a chance to develop.
Nicotine wedges itself into your ANS and your cravings. The only way to reduce the cravings is to detox.
The method I described does that very quickly--much much faster then waiting for your body to do it without assistance.
If your craving for nicotine completely went away you wouldn't bother or need to pontificate about anything.
Unless you'd rather for some other reason.
.

I clicked on the link, but I did not see your method there. What the hell are you talking about?

[Lioness]

James, congratulations on your success so far. It usually does take a couple of tries before one kicks for good. If you do give in to a craving, it's not a catastrophe. Just take control and get right back on that horse again.

I understand now that certain situations and experiences create emotions/reactions that make me want to smoke.

I recommend this book. Amazon.com: The Heart of Addiction: A New Approach to Understanding and Managing Alcoholism and Other Addictive Behaviors (9780060958039): Lance M. Dodes: Books You may be able to find it at the library. It can really open your eyes to these triggers and how to deal with them.

If your craving for nicotine completely went away you wouldn't bother or need to pontificate about anything.

@Sorter, I didn't see any detox info on the page you linked. Respectfully, I disagree with physical cravings being the key. A lot of cravings are purely psychological, as explained in The Heart of Addiction. That's why someone who's been substance-free for months, or even years, can still relapse.

[James81]

Oh, ok, I scrolled down some more. sorter is the one who talked about smoking American Spirit cigarettes as a way of getting off the cigarettes with all the additives.

I tried that method, got frustrated that it felt like I was smoking air, and quickly started smoking Marlboros again.

As far as giving into a craving, I'd like to see myself go completely smoke free for like a year, but eventually be one of those people who can smoke socially. I know a few friends who used to be heavy smokers and then they quit and now they only smoke when they are out. (I think the secret to that is to never ever buy yourself a pack of cigarettes, but only smoke cigs that you can bum.)

We'll see how it goes though. I figure that once I get rid of the worst of the cravings, I'll probably be likely not to try it again.

I did have another small insight tonight. Another one of those common sense things that didn't really dawn on me with any real depth until tonight.

I keep sitting around waiting for something to *happen* that signifies that I have officially beaten the habit. And you know what I realized tonight? NOTHING is going to happen. Smoking is and always will be a choice. There will never be a moment when I can't pick up a cigarette and start smoking again. And I think that's where it has gotten weird for me to quit in the past. For me, quitting meant that I was NEVER ever going to choose a cigarette ever again once I decided to quit. But that thought was always too intimidating to me. Actually, it was quite overwhelming.

But tonight, when I went into the convenience store to get a coffee (and I have some money now that I could buy cigs with if I wanted), I was very much aware that every time I walk into a store like that, I am making a choice. I choose to buy a coffee...or I choose to buy a donut. In the past, I was choosing to buy cigs. And anything that I don't walk out of there with are all things that I did NOT choose.

For example, I NEVER choose to buy black licorice. Mostly because I hate it. But it's something that is always there, always a valid choice every time I walk into the store. It sits right there on the shelf. And all it takes is for me to pick it up and to buy it.

I believe that every time I walk out of a store without a pack of cigarettes, I am declaring to myself that I am not going to smoke right then. In the same way that I chose to smoke some 20 times a day (a pack a day), I am not choosing not to smoke every time I walk out of a store that sells them without buying a pack. I had to choose to smoke 20 times a day. I only have to choose NOT to smoke, maybe once a day (if that) depending on how often I am in the store.

[sorter]

Originally Posted by James81

I clicked on the link, but I did not see your method there. What the hell are you talking about?

Hmm. The link works for me. Here it is:

If you're looking to quit, this yoga lung clearing technique reduces most of the cravings.

Sit in a chair or cross-legged.
Fully inhale via your mouth, then exhale through your nose as fast as you can.
Do that 15 times.
Then fully inhale and hold it without closing off your throat or putting pressure on your chest.
With the tips of your fingers pound all around your chest
as hard as you can and as long as you can without causing too much pain.
Repeat the above 3 times. For the last time don't pound on your chest.

DO PAUSE if you feel dizzy at all at any point in the process.
Until you're use to it, you can get very dizzy.

Cover your lap and chest with a large towel. An incredible amount of snot
can come out on the exhales especially after the first chest pounding.
.

[sorter]

Originally Posted by Lioness

Respectfully, I disagree with physical cravings being the key. A lot of cravings are purely psychological, as explained in The Heart of Addiction. That's why someone who's been substance-free for months, or even years, can still relapse.

No real craving is psychological. Hunger (real hunger) is not psychological.
Cravings are part of the autonomic nervous system.
The dumbest of animals have hunger, sex drives etc.
These cravings would occur if we had no neocortex, although we wouldn't be aware of them.

The interrelationship between cravings (the autonomic nervous system), emotions, and ideas about cravings, emotions, or other ideas is incredibly complex. (I love that sentence)
Which chicken/egg came first is anyone's guess and a matter for the artist in all of us.
Dr. Dodes has no idea if addictions are fundamentally a physical problem or not.

My experience tells me that if someone is a "master" of their cravings, i.e.
- they fully accept them whether they act on them or not
- they don't try to figure them out as a way to get relief from resisting them
then any craving would be a simple matter of choice.

But I don't know anyone who is a master of their cravings.
If an emotional anxiety becomes overwhelming, the sense memory
that smoking a cigarette could bring some relief could hound your psyche even though
you haven't smoked in years and you have no real physical craving, i.e. a "relapse."

My point, religion, approach that works wonders for me, is to look first at my
bodily autonomic responses instead of chasing my tail with mental masturbation just because it's easier.
.

[James81]

Woot! Day 8! This is the longest I've ever gone without one. Kinda funny that this was just a half ass attempt at first. LOL.

And funnily enough, I haven't even used any kind of crutches. No lollipops, no pretzels, no patches...just cold turkey.

And it's been relatively easy. And I haven't had the foggy brain or any of the usual things I face when I've tried to quit in the past. What has happened is that I get a craving every now and then, I miss the smoking at some point, and then I move on. I've also had to deal with my feeling jittery quite a bit, but I believe that'll eventually taper off.

I sometimes think about how it would feel to smoke a cig, but I also remember how it feels to smoke a cig. What I mean by that is that I think about how soothing it can be to have that crutch, but then I remember how ****** it actually makes me feel. And the two feelings kinda cancel each other out.

[sorter]

Originally Posted by James81

Woot! Day 8! This is the longest I've ever gone without one. Kinda funny that this was just a half ass attempt at first. LOL.

And funnily enough, I haven't even used any kind of crutches. No lollipops, no pretzels, no patches...just cold turkey.

And it's been relatively easy. And I haven't had the foggy brain or any of the usual things I face when I've tried to quit in the past. What has happened is that I get a craving every now and then, I miss the smoking at some point, and then I move on. I've also had to deal with my feeling jittery quite a bit, but I believe that'll eventually taper off.

I sometimes think about how it would feel to smoke a cig, but I also remember how it feels to smoke a cig. What I mean by that is that I think about how soothing it can be to have that crutch, but then I remember how ****** it actually makes me feel. And the two feelings kinda cancel each other out.

What exactly are you looking for in this thread?
It doesn't seem to be help with quitting smoking?
.

[James81]

Originally Posted by sorter

What exactly are you looking for in this thread?
It doesn't seem to be help with quitting smoking?
.

I'm not looking for anything. I've heard it all before, I've gotten all the advice, I know exactly how the mindset is supposed to be. In fact, not only have I heard it all before, I've probably heard it all like 30 times before.

Keeping a bit of a journal about the experience actually helps me.

[awdye]

I found outside accountability to be helpful. It came from the Chantix program. I would get a recorded phone call each evening that asked if I smoked that day.

Press 1 if no.

It helped me enough that I didn't want to press 2.

It amused me that I'd given that sort of power to an automated recording.

Now I'm curious what pressing 2 would do. A strong pulse of concentrated cellular waves maybe?

I'm really glad you posted the thread. It's heightened my awareness of my own quiting struggle. I picked up the cigars again a month or so ago and am feeling a bit of guilty failure...after I smoke one. Of course, I forget about that as soon as a craving hits.

[sorter]

Originally Posted by James81

I'm not looking for anything. I've heard it all before, I've gotten all the advice, I know exactly how the mindset is supposed to be. In fact, not only have I heard it all before, I've probably heard it all like 30 times before.

Heard maybe. Listened to--apparently not.

Originally Posted by James81

Keeping a bit of a journal about the experience actually helps me.

Fine. What do you get out of making it public? It ain't nothing.
Just guessing but I'd say your real issue is loneliness, not smoking.

Ever hear that talking/thinking about your feelings is a great way to avoid them?

And why do I care? Because this type of thing pushes my buttons, i.e. people who talk and talk about their issues with others but don't really want advice.
I'm fascinated by my reactions and I'm looking at them.
I know full well I can lead a horse to water etc ... but I haven't fully accepted that fact
and debate with myself rather or not I should.
.

[VinceG]

Originally Posted by sorter

Ever hear that talking/thinking about your feelings is a great way to avoid them?

I just had a neat insight here. I have, and I know others have, had a lot of growth happen just by putting my actions and experiences online and listening to others' reactions to them. I had a journal thread that I put right here on the forum that I really enjoyed keeping and answering questions about.

I think the key to getting value out of it is to make sure you're actually listening to people when they give you feedback. You might not immediately go out and adopt all their suggestions, but when you share of yourself, you need to make sure you're not mindlessly babbling. Because yeah, a bunch of people can do that thinking that they're doing something about their situation but they really aren't.

Sadly, I think most of the people prone to babble would probably think that they're actually listening to peoples' feedback. Oh well, it sounded good when I had it in my head.

[James81]

Originally Posted by sorter

Heard maybe. Listened to--apparently not.


Fine. What do you get out of making it public? It ain't nothing.
Just guessing but I'd say your real issue is loneliness, not smoking.

Ever hear that talking/thinking about your feelings is a great way to avoid them?

And why do I care? Because this type of thing pushes my buttons, i.e. people who talk and talk about their issues with others but don't really want advice.
I'm fascinated by my reactions and I'm looking at them.
I know full well I can lead a horse to water etc ... but I haven't fully accepted that fact
and debate with myself rather or not I should.
.

It is strange for you to make these statements in a thread where I'm already successfully doing that which you're trying to give me advice on. I think the statement you should be making here is that I'm not listening to YOUR advice, because what I am doing is already working. I do appreciate your input, though.

The reaction you might want to examine is why this is pushing your buttons so much? I won't presume to know why, but you are welcome to explore it in this thread if you want.

[James81]

As for why I do this publicly, mostly because:

1. I enjoy most of the responses I get, and I take them all in -- even if it appears I'm not listening. (For example, I don't particularly care for your posts in this thread, but you DID say one thing that has me thinking and I'm letting it marinate a bit.)

2. I am constantly getting PMs from people who appreciate me sharing my insights. Maybe I really need to start doing this on a blog or something.

[Cochonette]

Originally Posted by sorter

Heard maybe. Listened to--apparently not.


Fine. What do you get out of making it public? It ain't nothing.
Just guessing but I'd say your real issue is loneliness, not smoking.

Ever hear that talking/thinking about your feelings is a great way to avoid them?

And why do I care? Because this type of thing pushes my buttons, i.e. people who talk and talk about their issues with others but don't really want advice.
I'm fascinated by my reactions and I'm looking at them.
I know full well I can lead a horse to water etc ... but I haven't fully accepted that fact
and debate with myself rather or not I should.
.

Advice is often useless. Talking about things can be helpful in a lot of ways.

[LisaDreams]

Originally Posted by James81

As for why I do this publicly, mostly because:

1. I enjoy most of the responses I get, and I take them all in -- even if it appears I'm not listening. (For example, I don't particularly care for your posts in this thread, but you DID say one thing that has me thinking and I'm letting it marinate a bit.)

2. I am constantly getting PMs from people who appreciate me sharing my insights. Maybe I really need to start doing this on a blog or something.

I sent a PM to James just yesterday thanking him for this thread and others that share his exploration of choice.

Lisa

[sorter]

Originally Posted by Cochonette

Advice is often useless.

Especially when it isn't considered or tried.

Originally Posted by Cochonette

Talking about things can be helpful in a lot of ways.

Sure, when the issues involved are mental. If they're base in cravings, the autonomic nervous system, the body--then talking is missing the mark.
.

[sorter]

Originally Posted by James81

It is strange for you to make these statements in a thread where I'm already successfully doing that which you're trying to give me advice on. I think the statement you should be making here is that I'm not listening to YOUR advice, because what I am doing is already working. I do appreciate your input, though.

The vast majority of this thread has little to do with advice, or advice you've taken and how it has affected you (except for going back to your brand after trying American Spirits).
It's mostly your pontificating about your feelings and thoughts around your not smoking.
For those who say that "helps", I say you might want to raise the bar.
You've been trying to quit for how long?

Sure, when I tell you about a method that will mostly obliterate your cravings and you ignore it, it's frustrating.
Although you did mention trying some breathing techniques so maybe you're on the right track.

Originally Posted by James81

The reaction you might want to examine is why this is pushing your buttons so much? I won't presume to know why, but you are welcome to explore it in this thread if you want.

I already said I'm doing just that, I thought.
.

[sorter]

Originally Posted by James81

As for why I do this publicly, mostly because:
1. I enjoy most of the responses I get, and I take them all in -- even if it appears I'm not listening. (For example, I don't particularly care for your posts in this thread, but you DID say one thing that has me thinking and I'm letting it marinate a bit.)

Yeah and that enjoyment is your primary gain and quest here, I suspect.
And that bugs me. It's dishonest. You're posing as someone who cares about
breaking the smoking habit but that's not your primary goal.

On one hand I think I should do my feeling acceptance techniques and resolve my annoyance.

On the other hand, I feel I should challenge people to get off there talking box
and really do something for themselves.
I can't make the horse drink, but maybe I should lead 'em to the water anyway.
.

[James81]

Originally Posted by sorter

Yeah and that enjoyment is your primary gain and quest here, I suspect.
And that bugs me. It's dishonest. You're posing as someone who cares about
breaking the smoking habit but that's not your primary goal.

On one hand I think I should do my feeling acceptance techniques and resolve my annoyance.

On the other hand, I feel I should challenge people to get off there talking box
and really do something for themselves.
I can't make the horse drink, but maybe I should lead 'em to the water anyway.
.

Your responses are amusing to me, because, well, first of all I haven't given any indication that I've smoked yet (and I haven't after 8 days so far), and yet you're talking about it is if I'm *not* already doing something for myself. I think that's what has me so puzzled. You're speaking to me as if I'm someone who is CONSIDERING quitting smoking and NOT ALREADY ACTUALLY DOING IT. So, yes, I'm scratching my head.

In other words, I'm already DRINKING the water. I may not be drinking it the way you think I should be drinking it, but the way I'm drinking it is working for me at the moment.

So, I can assure you, whatever issue you are having with me and my thread, that's all you buddy.

[sorter]

Originally Posted by James81

Your responses are amusing to me, because, well, first of all I haven't given any indication that I've smoked yet (and I haven't after 8 days so far), and yet you're talking about it is if I'm *not* already doing something for myself. I think that's what has me so puzzled. You're speaking to me as if I'm someone who is CONSIDERING quitting smoking and NOT ALREADY ACTUALLY DOING IT. So, yes, I'm scratching my head.

You're still having difficulties on day 8.
I suggest a technique that takes care of the cravings in a day or two and you don't care.
Why is that? Could it be that smoking help is not what you're seeking?
I scratch my head.

Again, you might what to raise the bar on your idea of "working."
Day 8 or day 2. Let's see. Which is better? Hmm.

Originally Posted by James81

So, I can assure you, whatever issue you are having with me and my thread, that's all you buddy.

"Of course, as with your experience", said the existentialist.
.

[Merr]

Congrats on keeping it up for this long. I understand as I also have an addiction but as it's a socially acceptable addiction people encourage me to continue it rather than to quit. Two days is my maximum as after that my mood and jitteriness are such that I feel compelled to resume.

Although I've known many people who have smoked, some who have given up successfully and others who haven't, I've always found it fascinating that it can be addictive. I have tried smoking on a few occasions, just to see what it's like, and I couldn't become addicted to it. Similarly with alcohol, I tried being inebriated a few times just to see what it's like, but it's no addiction. I scarcely touch it despite it being almost socially unacceptable not to.