4 ms·

I've reluctantly come to a similar conclusion. I moved to California from the UK in 2001 thinking that the anti-smoking laws in bars, etc were oppressive 'nanny

I've reluctantly come to a similar conclusion. I moved to California from the UK in 2001 thinking that the anti-smoking laws in bars, etc were oppressive 'nanny-state' measures. I was finally able to give up smoking though, and it really helped that it was socially unacceptable to light up a cigarette in most situations. It also helped that I left behind my smoking friends and hung out with people who didn't smoke, so it wasn't just the laws, but it made me reconsider my previous position on paternalistic regulations.

jamesbritt 16y ago
When I was quitting smoking I noticed that there were many places I could not smoke, and that when there I did no have quite the same impulse to smoke as when I was, say, home. Basically, so long as I knew I had the option to smoke I was way more inclined to want to do so, and found it harder to resist. This was sort of encouraging, because it suggested that a lot of the urge was psychological, which seemed better than a relentless chemistry-driven compulsion I might never beat. That's not to deny the physical addiction part, but to note that appreciating that it's not all physical addiction makes it seem less impossible to beat. (I also noticed that the urge to smoke in the morning was greater after I had that first one. I then started throwing any remaining cigs down the toilet before going to sleep. That took will power. :) Sure, I would buy smokes on the way to work, or at lunch time, but it helped me cut down. I must say, addiction sucks.)