Hey I've never smoked before and I've always wondered about the habit. I know it is "an addiction" but could someone please explain what it physically feels like when you want to have a smoke? How does it feel, how do the physical feelings get stronger and what is someone actually experiencing when they run off a plane or out of an office because they're dying for a ciggie? Cheers! I bet if you smoke, then this post will make you want to have one
I stopped smoking on 5th November 2005 and glad I did I remember feeling anxious, heart started to go faster and I would fidget with my hands. I would sometimes get snappy and short tempered - depending on how "stressed" I felt at the time I guess. I can honestly now say that I don't really get "stressed" the way I did before - maybe a lot of it is just in your mind and ritualistic. I stopped without any assistance in the end (no patches/gum/etc). I ended up stopping mostly because I stopped enjoying, started feeling more concious of how I smelt and how I looked and how much money I was spending - then out of the blue my dentist suddenly said he would be happy to deal with the problem I'd been having with my gums. I said...what problem?? He said I was going to wait until you started paying attention to me before telling you you had one... Seriously. £700 later I no longer have a serious problem with my teeth and gums but do still suffer a weakness. A price to pay I guess but better than others.
It's not unlike being hungry, it's starts as a small gnawing feeling and grows from I want a smoke to I WANT A SMOKE! Your hands shake you feel nervous, edgy, dizzy, disoriented, and are unable to focus or concentrate. There's also kind of a queasy feeling like when you do to many consecutive rolling breakfalls. Ever been without food for a while, so bad that the weakness starts to set in, you are feeling like you might die if you don't eat soon. You start to feel the same about cigarettes, even though its not true in either case, there's a feeling of urgency about it.
when i was 13 I smoked 20-30 cigarettes with my mate...afterwards I felt so bad that I never smoked anymore
when you first start, it makes you feel a bit dizzy and sick. Like most drugs, you actually have to work at getting a taste for it (sort of warns you right there ) then after a week or so, thats then the craving begins to really take hold. Its when you first start that you really feel like you want another one within a couple of hours, and when you do, the feeling is nice, chills your head, but keeps you alert as well. But!!! that is just becasue yuo have given the body the nicotine you conditioned it to accept/begin to need by going through the dizzy/sick phase. It isn't doing anything other than alleviating the symptoms of nicotine withdrawl. By about ten years in, you probably won't enjoy cigs at all, but by this stage, you will be smoking by a fully ingrained habit. I'd even say that by this stage it is physical act of smoking which becomes the addiction, more than the nicotine. By 18 years (where i'm at now) you know you need to get on top of it, but... but... but... if you asked this question you must be tempted. If I tell you not to smoke, it will trigger that little rebelious streak which is what drives most of us to smoke in the first place. All I'd say is, before you pick up that first one, light it and put in your mouth, ask yourself this... 'Do I want to lose a chunk of my free will and become enslaved by something i will probably regret?' I get nothing out of them now at all, other my concentration back when the withdrawl kicks in.
Nicotine withdrawls are bad.... It starts out as a "hmm, i think i'll go for a smoke now", to about 30mins later "GOD DAMN IF I DONT SMOKE NOW IM GOING TO SMASH MY HEAD THROUGH A WALL!!". You start twitching just to keep your mind busy, and try and take deep breaths. To me, it felt like nervousness just starting to creep up, you know that feeling when you think something really bad is about to happen. It builds from the pit of your stomach and claws its way around your body. After EVERY concious thought, you think "ok, now thats done time for a smoke". As you try and put it out of your mine, the nervousness and anxiety gets stronger and stronger. You try and go for aslong as you can, but by the end of it, you will grab the nearest smoke and inhale so deeply you can feel it burning your lungs. Then a wave of satisfaction just fills your whole body and you instantly relax. The reaxation continues until its time to smoke again. Its a great feeling for awhile, being able to go from extremly stressed to completly at peace, but it gets very waring. Im so happy I quit smoking. Addiction to anything is never good, especially one so damaging as smoking.
After a year or so it wipes out your cardio conditioning, and it just gets progressively worse. You get winded so easily that keeping up any exercise regimen becomes next to impossible.
i'd not been up long when i made my post above. training last i was trashed in far too short a time. i've been up for 3hrs and just driven into work, a 1hr and a bit commute where i usually suck down two or three roll-ups, on top of the one i normally have with a coffee before i set-off, and then i'd have had another walking to the office from the car, so by this time i'd have usually had 4/5 cigs already. ( I usually smoke 20-30 roll-ups a day ) I was rolling my cigs for the car when i read this thread. Haven't had one yet. Not saying i'm giving up, cos whenever i do that, it never works. But i'll see how the day goes. SO, your line about this thread making me want one seems to have had the opposite effect. Cheers NK: you must be getting near the three month mark, hows it going?
Its going very well mate . After the initial 3 days of hell, it got much much easier. I get a craving every so often still, like when im sitting in the pub with a group of mates all smoking, but its pretty much a thought, not a withdrawl. Try and see how long you can go without one mate, you might find not smoking easier than you think.
Its easier when the doctor tells you that you have an agressive form of mouth and throat cancer caused by smoking, it stopped my brother in his tracks!!! And yes it was the smoking, so if people think "it will never happen to me" then be mistaken, on a brighter note, ho does have critical illness insurance so the house gets paid for!!
Dont worry about what its like ....take the easy route DONT START !!!!!!! to those who are cutting down and giving up.. KEEP AT IT.........IT DOES GET EASIER !!!! Its a vile addiction which affects way too many people . It is not COOL!! reformed smoker rant completed ... :Angel:
nice one, good work its kicking in a bit now, so i'm gonna get stuck into work and take my mind off it. Getting that nervous twitching, with the weird feeling in my lungs... oh that'll be the oxygen getting through, i'd forgotten what that felt like
Tell you what Dan, if you can go the whole day without one you can have one of the duplicate ryu-ha tapes i'm getting rid of, deal?
