Every time I log onto this site, I look at the intro page where it tells how many people are online. For example, today, right now it says:
There are currently 4 members [url=http://sg.stopsmokingcenter.net/support/loggedin.aspx]logged in[/url] and 18 guests browsing the Support Group.
It's always like that! Way more guests than members are "browsing" at any time of day! Some days there are [i]hundreds[/i] of guests on the site, presumably reading the posts of members who are not so shy.
[size=3]So today, my post is dedicated - and directed - to our esteemed GUESTS.[/size]
One of the main reasons that my quit - THIS quit - stuck this time was that I came to the realization, finally, that tobacco use was not a "habit" that I needed to break. I learned (from this site!) that nicotine IS a drug, a powerfully addictive drug. Until I accepted that my habit wasn't a habit, NO, IT WAS A DRUG ADDICTION, I wasn't ever going to be able to beat it and be free.
I was thinking about this today, and it occurred to me to do a bit of research. If tobacco use is drug use and if the cigarette habit is an addiction, then the addiction to nicotine should be somewhat similar to the addiction to other drugs, right? Having never been addicted to any other substance, I didn't know much about any other kind of addiction or withdrawal. So I looked it up. Here's some of the stuff I found.
Remember as you read that this was written about other drugs (NOT nicotine) - but - keep nicotine addiction in mind as you read. Does it fit?
[i]When talking about withdrawal symptoms, and other problems associated with drug use, it is important to distinguish between dependence and addiction.
[b]Physical dependence[/b] is when a person feels s/he must continue chronic use of a drug in order to avoid withdrawal symptoms. If the drug is no longer supplied, the user suffers from both physical and psychological difficulties.
[b]Psychological dependence[/b] is characterized by becoming dependent on the sensations the drug produces. This is often experienced as the need to use the drug in order to feel and function "normally." Without the drug, the person may feel incapable of self-care and emotional stability. During psychological withdrawal, users feel a constant craving of the drug, are easily disturbed, nervous, and, often, depressed.
When a person is addicted to heroin, cocaine, alcohol � any drug � the characteristics of dependence are present. However, addiction is specifically identified as continued, compulsive use of the drug, [b]despite negative physical, emotional, and social consequences.[/b] Once addicted, a person is usually fixated on getting and using the drug, and will have trouble staying off when attempting to quit. Trouble controlling how much of the drug is used and denial that the use is problematic are also features of addiction. The physical and emotional components of addiction are, in some ways, inextricably linked.
It used to be believed that people became addicted because they were afraid of physical withdrawal symptoms. Evidence has shown, however, that drugs like cocaine, which have very few physical withdrawal symptoms, are still highly addictive. In fact, cocaine is one of the most addictive drugs because it fulfills a need in the brain's reward centers. Cocaine users may also continue injecting, smoking, or snorting the drug in order to avoid the emotional withdrawal symptoms described earlier. [/i]
If you're lurking because you're a new quitter or maybe you're just thinking about quitting, consider this: It is said that the addiction to nicotine is so strong that it's stronger than heroin addiction.
The addiction may be stronger, but the withdrawal is EASIER! Just because you are addicted, DON'T BE AFRAID! The physical withdrawal from nicotine only lasts three days and the symptoms are WAY mild in comparison with heroin withdrawal!
That said, I had to look it up! Here's what heroin withdrawal looks like:
[i]The withdrawal syndrome from heroin may begin starting from within 6 to 24 hours of discontinuation of sustained use of the drug. Symptoms may include: sweating, malaise, anxiety, depression, general feeling of heaviness, cramp-like pains in the limbs, pandiculation and lacrimation, sleep difficulties (insomnia), cold sweats, chills, severe muscle and bone aches not precipitated by any physical trauma; nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, goose bumps, cramps, and fever. Many users also complain of a painful condition, the so-called "itchy blood", which often results in compulsive scratching that causes bruises and sometimes ruptures the skin, leaving scabs. Abrupt termination of heroin use causes muscle spasms in the legs of the user (restless leg syndrome). [/i]
YIKES, even HELL week wasn't THAT bad!
[size=3][color=green]So if you're a "user," then stop making excuses - admit your addiction and SHAKE FREE OF IT FOREVER.[/size][/color]
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B]1/1/2007
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 291
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 8,730
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $873.00
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 30 [B]Hrs:[/B] 0 [B]Mins:[/B] 7 [B]Seconds:[/B] 29
