
Smoking Addiction & Recovery Support Group
The CDC claims that nicotine is a "very addictive drug" that can be "as addictive as heroin or cocaine." Nicotine is typically eliminated from the body within 2 to 3 days, however, physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms may last for much longer depending on the individual. If you are trying to kick the habit, this community is dedicated to giving smokers the...
everyone is mad at me, but i like cigarettes!

deleted_user
I am in college, and only a couple of my friends smoke. Everyone else is always yelling at me, telling me its dangerous, and I feel like people I don't know are judging me. but i like cigarettes! I know they are bad for you, I feel like its not getting into my head. Its like I'm at a point in my life where I just don't care. I don't want to quit, but I feel like I should. this is so frustrating.
today in one of my classes we spent the entire time talking about the consequences of smoking, how it is one of the leading causes of death. and the entire time all i wanted to do was smoke a cigarette!
I want to quit "eventually", but I feel like that is a bad way of thinking. what if I never quit. once and a while I panic thinking about the future, and how I might regret what I am doing now. But I am really depressed and don't feel strong enough to quit. I've tried a couple times and it was so stressful, granted I was going cold turkey. maybe i should try the patch. blahh
today in one of my classes we spent the entire time talking about the consequences of smoking, how it is one of the leading causes of death. and the entire time all i wanted to do was smoke a cigarette!
I want to quit "eventually", but I feel like that is a bad way of thinking. what if I never quit. once and a while I panic thinking about the future, and how I might regret what I am doing now. But I am really depressed and don't feel strong enough to quit. I've tried a couple times and it was so stressful, granted I was going cold turkey. maybe i should try the patch. blahh
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First, nicotine is the most addictive drug there is and you're hooked on it. Nicotine has hijacked your brain's pleasure/reward centers and that is where the addiction is formed.
Second, many tobacco users are depressed to some extent and are self-medicating with nicotine. Since nicotine gives an artificial boost to the pleasure/reward centers, the user gets a bit of a high that does not occur naturally because of the depression. This tends to make it quite challenging to quit.
Third, I believe that people are not judging you nearly as severely as you are judging yourself. Anyone "yelling" at you for your smoking is likely doing it because they care for you and do not enjoy seeing you harm yourself with cigarettes.
Fourth, quitting cold turkey only appears stressful. What is stressful is the withdrawal symptoms caused by nicotine deprivation. It is the very beginnings of these symptoms that make you reach for a cigarette. You get them, I'm guessing, at least every 60 minutes, but they don't become actually noticeable because you go ahead and get your fix before they do.
Finally, don't worry about if you can quit or not. There will come a day when you will. Of that, there is no doubt. If you simply wait until that day comes, the questions are "When?" and "How?". If you do not chose for yourself when you quit, the answer to the "How?" may be "Slow, lingering, and painful."
You don't seem to like the idea of the patch. Perhaps, given your depression, an antidepressant such as Zyban (Wellbtrin/bupropion) would be in order. You should have a chat with your doctor.
Quitting is possible and there's a lot of proof of that "out there". You simply have to have the desire to quit be stronger than the desire to smoke. You are thinking about quitting and somewhere in you is the knowledge that it is in your highest and best interest to do so. That is the first step, Jules, and a big one.
Strength, wisdom, peace, and blessings to you, Jules.
Shevie
Quit May, 2005
Listen, I know exactly where you are at. Yes, it is bad for you, you know that and you don't need other people telling you that. Are smokers demonized in this society? Yes. You ARE being judged, but as shevie said, probably not as harshly as you think. You know you need to quit, but don't feel you can and don't really want to. So I am going to say this, don't. You will not be able to quit until you want to. And trust me, you will know when you want to.
My suggestion is to hang out here, read posts and journals, make friends and ask questions, it may get you thinking about it more, the fact you are here is a good step.
Good luck, I'm glad you came here!
I noticed that when I changed the criteria to "smokers only" the list got REALLY small and the guys looked ten or twenty years older than they were.
And, guypaul is right, too. . .from a vanity standpoint, smokers look a LOT older than non-smokers.
Sometimes you won't see the effects of smoking for 30 or 40 years, and then it hits you--sometimes REAL fast.
You are lucky to be in a position to have a choice to stop some of those things from happening.
But, it is a CHOICE.