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I've once read somewhere that they polled heroin addicts, asking them what they'd rather do first time they wake up in the morning - shoot heroin or smoke a cig

I've once read somewhere that they polled heroin addicts, asking them what they'd rather do first time they wake up in the morning - shoot heroin or smoke a cigarette. Of course the vast majority said they'd smoke a cigarette. I've never been a heroin addict, but I've been a tobacco smoker for many years and I can confirm that smoking a cig was definitely the most important thing I had to do in the morning. Also if I had to spend my last money on food or a pack of cigarettes, obviously and without further consideration, I would choose the cigarettes. So yeah, pretty addictive.

ommunist 10y ago
What kinds of cigarettes were you smoking exactly?
- delegate 10y ago
  I started with Lucky Strike, then smoked Marlboro Lights for about 18 years, then the last two years or so I smoked organic rolling tobacco - Cross Road. I've stopped smoking 18 months ago, but even after 1.5 years, I still get the urge to smoke almost every day.
  - mountaineer22 10y ago
    How old were you when you first smoked? I have anecdotally heard that if one had not smoked by adulthood, chances of addiction are fairly low.
    - ommunist 10y ago
      My own experience confirms this. I am not addicted, I started well after thirty and I only smoke real tobacco. Instead of mental fog on a month without tobacco I am getting the previous default state of mind, and after a pipe, I am getting very cool focus.
  - havetocharge 10y ago
    In my experience the urge went away completely after several years..
  - payamb 10y ago
    I've stopped smoking a week ago and brain fog is killing me, I'm not able to do my job any more, any advice ? I just sit and stare at monitor without my brain working :/
    - phonon 10y ago
      Nicotine gum? The danger is in the smoking, not the addictive substance.
      - kamaal 10y ago
        Smoking breaks are a social activity in many workplaces. Its hard to get rid of those sort of addictions.
      - delegate 10y ago
        > The danger is in the smoking, not the addictive substance. Actually, that's incorrect. Nicotine acts as a stimulant and constricts blood vessels, which causes all kinds of serious circulatory problems in the long term - high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes and so on. Unfortunately there's no easy way around nicotine, you just have to stop ingesting it. The gum/patch can alleviate the withdrawal symptoms, but you'll still have to quit the gum. From http://whyquit.com/pr/082613.html http://whyquit.com/pr/082613.html A 2013 Gallup Poll finds that 92% of successful ex-smokers did not use the nicotine patch, gum, Zyban, Chantix or Champix, that most quit smoking cold turkey.
        phonon 10y ago
        Ehh, sez you.. http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/130/16/1418 http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/130/16/1418 "There are some studies of prolonged nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) in smokers who have quit smoking. In these studies, no adverse effects have been found when nicotine medication was administered for months to several years. Other studies indicate that patients with known cardiovascular disease tolerate NRT well for periods up to 12 weeks. " By far, the danger is in the smoking, not the nicotine in your bloodstream. The Gallup survey http://www.gallup.com/poll/163763/smokers-quit-tried-multiple-times.aspx http://www.gallup.com/poll/163763/smokers-quit-tried-multipl... allowed an open-ended response, so someone "might have decided to quit" or quit because "it was time" but also used an NRT to help them through the cravings and not have mentioned that to the interviewer.
  - ommunist 10y ago
    Cigarettes except your last one roll it yourself real tobacco contained additives that made you neural system very succeptible to nicotine, there is biochemical evidence for your case. Were you using plasters like Nicotinelle to quit, or just took off on a bare will?
dionidium 10y ago
I'll just note that these patterns aren't universal. I have been a smoker for almost 20 years (with some prolonged breaks along the way (one lasting around 3-4 years)). I almost never smoke in the morning (and never did). I currently smoke no more than a pack a week, easily skipping several days at a time. I'd choose the food.

ommunist 10y ago

What kinds of cigarettes were you smoking exactly?

delegate 10y ago
I started with Lucky Strike, then smoked Marlboro Lights for about 18 years, then the last two years or so I smoked organic rolling tobacco - Cross Road. I've stopped smoking 18 months ago, but even after 1.5 years, I still get the urge to smoke almost every day.
- mountaineer22 10y ago
  How old were you when you first smoked? I have anecdotally heard that if one had not smoked by adulthood, chances of addiction are fairly low.
  - ommunist 10y ago
    My own experience confirms this. I am not addicted, I started well after thirty and I only smoke real tobacco. Instead of mental fog on a month without tobacco I am getting the previous default state of mind, and after a pipe, I am getting very cool focus.
- havetocharge 10y ago
  In my experience the urge went away completely after several years..
- payamb 10y ago
  I've stopped smoking a week ago and brain fog is killing me, I'm not able to do my job any more, any advice ? I just sit and stare at monitor without my brain working :/
  - phonon 10y ago
    Nicotine gum? The danger is in the smoking, not the addictive substance.
    - kamaal 10y ago
      Smoking breaks are a social activity in many workplaces. Its hard to get rid of those sort of addictions.
    - delegate 10y ago
      > The danger is in the smoking, not the addictive substance. Actually, that's incorrect. Nicotine acts as a stimulant and constricts blood vessels, which causes all kinds of serious circulatory problems in the long term - high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes and so on. Unfortunately there's no easy way around nicotine, you just have to stop ingesting it. The gum/patch can alleviate the withdrawal symptoms, but you'll still have to quit the gum. From http://whyquit.com/pr/082613.html http://whyquit.com/pr/082613.html A 2013 Gallup Poll finds that 92% of successful ex-smokers did not use the nicotine patch, gum, Zyban, Chantix or Champix, that most quit smoking cold turkey.
      - phonon 10y ago
        Ehh, sez you.. http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/130/16/1418 http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/130/16/1418 "There are some studies of prolonged nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) in smokers who have quit smoking. In these studies, no adverse effects have been found when nicotine medication was administered for months to several years. Other studies indicate that patients with known cardiovascular disease tolerate NRT well for periods up to 12 weeks. " By far, the danger is in the smoking, not the nicotine in your bloodstream. The Gallup survey http://www.gallup.com/poll/163763/smokers-quit-tried-multiple-times.aspx http://www.gallup.com/poll/163763/smokers-quit-tried-multipl... allowed an open-ended response, so someone "might have decided to quit" or quit because "it was time" but also used an NRT to help them through the cravings and not have mentioned that to the interviewer.
- ommunist 10y ago
  Cigarettes except your last one roll it yourself real tobacco contained additives that made you neural system very succeptible to nicotine, there is biochemical evidence for your case. Were you using plasters like Nicotinelle to quit, or just took off on a bare will?

dionidium 10y ago

I'll just note that these patterns aren't universal. I have been a smoker for almost 20 years (with some prolonged breaks along the way (one lasting around 3-4 years)). I almost never smoke in the morning (and never did). I currently smoke no more than a pack a week, easily skipping several days at a time. I'd choose the food.