auditor0007
Gold Member
I know someone who quit many years ago. She is in a situation where she is alone for part of every week and has started smoking during those days. She then does not smoke for about 4-5 days a week. She says she feels nothing during the days she is not smoking. Further, she believes its very possible that the actual addiction is not nearly what we've all been told, both by cigarette makers and supposedly unbiased researchers. Frankly, I think she will soon be smoking full time but she says she's been doing this for quite some time.
We all know people who, one day, decided not to smoke anymore and were able to quit cold turkey. We also know of those who struggled to quit for a long time before being able to actually quit or gave up and just kept on smoking.
So, what are the chances that cigs are not as addictive as we've been told?
I smoked for 30 years. I quit cold turkey a little over three years ago. Quitting was not easy, but it wasn't the most difficult thing I have ever had to do either. Nicotine is addictive, but it is important to understand what nicotine does to the body that makes it addictive. Nicotine raises dopamine levels, which in turn help give us a feeling of well being, or a high. Once these dopamine levels have been heightened for an extended period of time, the body wants to keep them there. When a smoker then removes nicotine, those dopamine levels fall and the body reacts in a negative way. This creates an urge for the smoker to smoke another cigarette, and because nicotine does not stay in the smokers system for very long, he/she feels the need for another cigarette very quickly. This is why most smokers smoke about one cigarette per hour or more.
The thing is that withdrawal from nicotine is actually just a lowering of dopamine levels back to normal. Once those dopamine levels reach a normal level and the body adjusts to that new level, than all physical cravings cease. This normally takes two weeks from the time a smoker quits smoking. So, is nicotine all that addictive? Yes and no. It is easy to become addicted because it doesn't take long for those dopamine levels to become elevated for a long period of time. One month, and most people are addicted. But is it so addictive that it makes it that hard to quit? Not really. In fact, I think cigarette companies encourage the idea that it is so addictive that you can't quit easily, even while they say the exact opposite. They don't want people quitting, so allowing this idea to perpetuate makes sense. Truthfully, the mental side of smoking addiction is probably just as bad as the physical addiction. I think that is what makes it more difficult for people to quit.
BTW, I rarely think about smoking anymore. I did take a much bigger interest in my physical well being after quitting. I eat healthy and exercise regularly, and I'm in the best shape of my life since my high school days. I lost weight after quitting, and I now run about 25 miles per week. So for my final answer, I would say that while nicotine is addictive, it is not nearly as addictive as people make it out to be. Smokers who want to quit just need to realize that they will have a couple uncomfortable weeks while quitting.