• JoeBigelow@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    Hi from the depths of a nicotine addiction and struggling to quit. Its a worthless chemical that gets more expensive everyday and my brain SCREAMS at me for a fix if I try to go more than even a few hours. At least heroin gets you high.

    • HikingVet@lemmy.sdf.org
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      1 year ago

      And even when you break free for the most part the chemical which is classified as a poison will make you crave it years later.

    • MisterFrog@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Stay strong on your recovery friend 💪

      Thank you for your comment, this is always my biggest beef with those defending nicotine (smoking/vaping).

      It’s like, WHAT DO YOU EVEN GAIN FROM IT?

      • abraxas@sh.itjust.works
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        1 year ago

        WHAT DO YOU EVEN GAIN FROM IT

        Smokers/vapers report a balanced pick-me-up with reduced stress and a sense of calm. If you ignore the massive health hazard and addictiveness and just pay attention to the effects, it seems like the best possible non-intoxicant. There’s a reason why indigenous people used it regularly and it was almost immediately an export crop when discovered.

        Positive Effects

        Nicotine createsTrusted Source a temporary feeling of well-being and relaxation, and increases heart rate and the amount of oxygen the heart uses. As nicotine enters the body, it causes a surge of endorphins, which are chemicals that help to relieve stress and pain and improve mood… Nicotine may also temporarily improve concentration and memory

        Honestly, a wonder-drug. Minus the whole “highly addictive and smokers die a horrible and painful death” part.

        Honestly, if it weren’t addictive, I’d probably consider vaping. But I have enough addiction with caffeine in my life.

      • random65837@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Google is your friend, lot of positives with Nictotine, Nicotine and Cigarettes aren’t locked together.

    • random65837@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Far from a “Worthless chemical”, mainly because it literally isn’t, it’s a naturally occurring plant substance. That has a lot of benefits behind it when not abused, there are Altzheimers drugs being developed based on Nicotine because of it’s Nootropic ability and can keep people lucid.

      You’re doing what most do and conflating Nicotine with Smoking. They’re not the same thing. Nicotine promotes alertness, relaxation, helps indirectly with weight loss from appetite suppression, athletic performance etc. The laundry list of negative from cigarettes don’t negate that.

      • JoeBigelow@lemmy.ca
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        1 year ago

        I’m still very addicted to nicotine cessation products, despite a large drop in strength. I quit smoking months ago. Thanks

    • I Cast Fist@programming.dev
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      1 year ago

      I suspect your struggle comes mostly from the habits, rather than the chemicals involved? I’ve known a number of cigar addicts that managed to quit, they often said that the hardest part was avoiding it after an activity, like a cigar after a cup of coffe, a cigar after a meal, etc. Being allowed cigar breaks during work also encourages use, since it’s a “free pause”

      • JoeBigelow@lemmy.ca
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        1 year ago

        You don’t have any fucking idea what your talking about. I stopped smoking cigarettes 2 months ago and switched to tobacco free pouches. I have been tapering down from 6 mg to 4 to now 2. And here’s a good tip, especially when talking about addiction. You don’t get a say in anyone else’s experience amd diminishing another persons struggle makes you look like a real jackass, especially considering you have no experience of your own. I can tell because if you did you wouldn’t be spouting this bullshit

      • abraxas@sh.itjust.works
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        1 year ago

        That’s really not the case. Nicotine is highly physically addictive. “Habits” are involved in the way the mind links itself to the addictive substances and the effect of consuming them. My wife quit smoking 15 years ago, and walking in the woods still gives her near-uncontrollable urges to light a cigarette. Because she and I camped a couple time the first year of our relationship and she smoked a cigarette on a hiking trail. That’s not habit-related. Having a cigarette was a more formative and powerful influencing memory to her than basically anything else in her life.

        Being allowed cigar breaks during work also encourages use, since it’s a “free pause”

        That’s just anti-smoker bullshit. Honestly, if you work at a job where you need to smoke to get a break, you should be finding another job anyway. Let’s just stick to hating the drug instead of the smokers.