5 ms·

I wish young people, under 25 or so, could live a couple of days in your shoes or my moms shoes. She was an alcoholic with a pack a day habit for 20+ years. She

I wish young people, under 25 or so, could live a couple of days in your shoes or my moms shoes. She was an alcoholic with a pack a day habit for 20+ years. She isn’t 60 yet and she has a litany of health issues: degenerative disk disease, hardened arteries (can barely walk), heart disease, chronic nerve pain, many secondary issues from there. No exercise and a poor diet, depression, etc. it seems so innocent like you have forever ahead of you. Then 5, 10, 20 years roll by and your body is fucked. It’s so hard to think just one cigarette, one drink, or one hit of a drug can ruin you, but for some people that is all it takes. Young minds just don’t have the tools to weigh the opportunity cost. I am not saying it should be illegal or anything (the opposite), but it really sucks and there are plenty of regrettable stories like yours and my mothers.

nicoburns 7y ago
> It’s so hard to think just one cigarette, one drink, or one hit of a drug can ruin you, but for some people that is all it takes. I was taught this growing up, but I don't really believe it anymore. Nobody is addicted to drugs or alcohol or cigarettes just from one use. The people who become addicted are the ones who are using it to escape their lives, and continue to use the drug for the same reason they used it in the first place. After a while of this continued use, then they might become addicted. But the significant factor is their environment and mental state, not that they decided to try something once.
- athenot 7y ago
  This is true. But most of us are not fully aware of the vulnerabilities in our own mental state. Nearly everyone is walking through life with some issue, hurt, scar, and many have trauma that is not fully understood. In that context, certain things that may seem benign to try can easily progress into a stronger habit, then a dependency and pave the way to a real addiction.
- Retric 7y ago
  I have had less than 1 pack of cigarettes in my life, none in the past decade, and yet I still get cravings. By comparison 3 heavily medicated days in the hospital plus 1 week on heavy Opiods and 2 weeks light Opiods and that’s a vastly lesser craving. So, no addiction is not really just about long term exposure. PS: Addiction is also not simply a habit, though habits make addiction harder to deal with.
- ehnto 7y ago
  It's more like that one cigarette represents opening the door to the addiction within the context of your day to day life. Almost everyone I know who smokes does it first in a certain context and then it eventually persists through the rest of life due to the cravings. They started smoking when working at the mines, on boats, or when they worked hospitality, or when they hang out with a certain friendship group. Saying yes that first time, allows it to begin and develop. Because you're often in that context due to work/life you will come up against that decision point again and again, quickly becoming addicted through repetition. But what keeps you there for life is the craving for nicotine. So abstinence is a worthwhile goal still, and especially if the opportunity to smoke comes up at somewhere you'll be regularly.
  - n0rbwah 7y ago
    Starting smoking while in an environment with smokers helps you socialize and be part of an ingroup. When you leave that context, all you've got left is a costly habit that's a pain to quit. But, not saying yes at that point might have cost you some chances to socialize and create some bonds with other smokers. And you can still find places where being a smoker will help you socialize. Ex: in places where smoking is banned in bars, going out for a smoke is a pretty good way to start up a conversation with a perfect stranger.
    - dghughes 7y ago
      > Starting smoking while in an environment with smokers helps you socialize and be part of an ingroup. Some coworkers at my old work quit smoking and also had to give up coffee. The connection was so strong they couldn't have one without the other. And the socializing out back in the smoking area was also a big part of it. It also can cause friction at work. I've worked with smokers who are practically bouncing with energy. But they were crabby and combative when their nicotine levels were low. Then ten minutes later back to bouncy and cheery, it was exhausting to be around. I also estimated the 10 or 15 minute smoke breaks meant that my coworker made $5/hour more than me when were actually paid the same rate. He was adamant they were not breaks it was just a "quick smoke" but he was gone for 10 or 15 minutes every hour.
- Dumblydorr 7y ago
  Nicotine is different, it's arguably the most addictive drug and is incredibly hard to kick. No one should ever try nicotine, even if plenty of people, myself included, have tried and gotten out unscathed. The fact is trying nicotine is a really bad risk, if you do get hooked it's a massive burden. Alcohol or weed or caffeine, some of the other most common drugs, are all less deadly and less addictive
  - kristofferR 7y ago
    That's incredibly wrong. You don't see people ruining their lives from nicotine consumption through snus, chewing gum and non-adulterated vaping (smoking≠nicotine consumption), but plenty of people ruin their lives and the lives around them due to alcohol. Nicotine can be just as harmless as caffeine. Personally I don't find nicotine very addictive at all, but even if it were super addictive it's all about how you consume it. [1] Nobody cares about how many people are addicted to caffeine, because the main consumption method of caffeine is pretty safe (coffee). Caffeine is actually mixed with meth in ya ba (popular in Thailand) [2], but that doesn't mean that caffeine ruins lives. When you say that nicotine is deadly you're conflating the drug with something completely separate. It's sort of like saying that air is deadly, because it could kill you if you inject a lot of it into your veins. [1] https://www.gwern.net/Nicotine https://www.gwern.net/Nicotine [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ya_ba https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ya_ba
    - rwmurrayVT 7y ago
      I'm so thankful I quit smoking and switched to snus. The health risks are substantially more tolerable for me. I could smoke an entire pack of cigarettes in a single day for a cost of $6. I use maybe half of a package of snus every day and it costs me $3. At this point I'm just happy I can breathe properly.
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]
  - sunnytimes 7y ago
    I quit smoking 20 years ago and i still get nic fits when people light up around me. its crazy addictive and takes will-power to quit. my friend is trying to quit and i hope he does , his health is sub-par.
krageon 7y ago
> It’s so hard to think just one cigarette, one drink, or one hit of a drug can ruin you This sort of drug education is actively harmful for exactly the reason that you mention: For most people it does not work that way and when people encounter things that they thought are true and that turned out to be lies, trust in whatever else you told them is going to evaporate.

nicoburns 7y ago

> It’s so hard to think just one cigarette, one drink, or one hit of a drug can ruin you, but for some people that is all it takes. I was taught this growing up, but I don't really believe it anymore. Nobody is addicted to drugs or alcohol or cigarettes just from one use. The people who become addicted are the ones who are using it to escape their lives, and continue to use the drug for the same reason they used it in the first place. After a while of this continued use, then they might become addicted. But the significant factor is their environment and mental state, not that they decided to try something once.

athenot 7y ago
This is true. But most of us are not fully aware of the vulnerabilities in our own mental state. Nearly everyone is walking through life with some issue, hurt, scar, and many have trauma that is not fully understood. In that context, certain things that may seem benign to try can easily progress into a stronger habit, then a dependency and pave the way to a real addiction.
Retric 7y ago
I have had less than 1 pack of cigarettes in my life, none in the past decade, and yet I still get cravings. By comparison 3 heavily medicated days in the hospital plus 1 week on heavy Opiods and 2 weeks light Opiods and that’s a vastly lesser craving. So, no addiction is not really just about long term exposure. PS: Addiction is also not simply a habit, though habits make addiction harder to deal with.
ehnto 7y ago
It's more like that one cigarette represents opening the door to the addiction within the context of your day to day life. Almost everyone I know who smokes does it first in a certain context and then it eventually persists through the rest of life due to the cravings. They started smoking when working at the mines, on boats, or when they worked hospitality, or when they hang out with a certain friendship group. Saying yes that first time, allows it to begin and develop. Because you're often in that context due to work/life you will come up against that decision point again and again, quickly becoming addicted through repetition. But what keeps you there for life is the craving for nicotine. So abstinence is a worthwhile goal still, and especially if the opportunity to smoke comes up at somewhere you'll be regularly.
- n0rbwah 7y ago
  Starting smoking while in an environment with smokers helps you socialize and be part of an ingroup. When you leave that context, all you've got left is a costly habit that's a pain to quit. But, not saying yes at that point might have cost you some chances to socialize and create some bonds with other smokers. And you can still find places where being a smoker will help you socialize. Ex: in places where smoking is banned in bars, going out for a smoke is a pretty good way to start up a conversation with a perfect stranger.
  - dghughes 7y ago
    > Starting smoking while in an environment with smokers helps you socialize and be part of an ingroup. Some coworkers at my old work quit smoking and also had to give up coffee. The connection was so strong they couldn't have one without the other. And the socializing out back in the smoking area was also a big part of it. It also can cause friction at work. I've worked with smokers who are practically bouncing with energy. But they were crabby and combative when their nicotine levels were low. Then ten minutes later back to bouncy and cheery, it was exhausting to be around. I also estimated the 10 or 15 minute smoke breaks meant that my coworker made $5/hour more than me when were actually paid the same rate. He was adamant they were not breaks it was just a "quick smoke" but he was gone for 10 or 15 minutes every hour.
Dumblydorr 7y ago
Nicotine is different, it's arguably the most addictive drug and is incredibly hard to kick. No one should ever try nicotine, even if plenty of people, myself included, have tried and gotten out unscathed. The fact is trying nicotine is a really bad risk, if you do get hooked it's a massive burden. Alcohol or weed or caffeine, some of the other most common drugs, are all less deadly and less addictive
- kristofferR 7y ago
  That's incredibly wrong. You don't see people ruining their lives from nicotine consumption through snus, chewing gum and non-adulterated vaping (smoking≠nicotine consumption), but plenty of people ruin their lives and the lives around them due to alcohol. Nicotine can be just as harmless as caffeine. Personally I don't find nicotine very addictive at all, but even if it were super addictive it's all about how you consume it. [1] Nobody cares about how many people are addicted to caffeine, because the main consumption method of caffeine is pretty safe (coffee). Caffeine is actually mixed with meth in ya ba (popular in Thailand) [2], but that doesn't mean that caffeine ruins lives. When you say that nicotine is deadly you're conflating the drug with something completely separate. It's sort of like saying that air is deadly, because it could kill you if you inject a lot of it into your veins. [1] https://www.gwern.net/Nicotine https://www.gwern.net/Nicotine [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ya_ba https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ya_ba
  - rwmurrayVT 7y ago
    I'm so thankful I quit smoking and switched to snus. The health risks are substantially more tolerable for me. I could smoke an entire pack of cigarettes in a single day for a cost of $6. I use maybe half of a package of snus every day and it costs me $3. At this point I'm just happy I can breathe properly.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
- sunnytimes 7y ago
  I quit smoking 20 years ago and i still get nic fits when people light up around me. its crazy addictive and takes will-power to quit. my friend is trying to quit and i hope he does , his health is sub-par.

krageon 7y ago

> It’s so hard to think just one cigarette, one drink, or one hit of a drug can ruin you This sort of drug education is actively harmful for exactly the reason that you mention: For most people it does not work that way and when people encounter things that they thought are true and that turned out to be lies, trust in whatever else you told them is going to evaporate.