7 ms·
If you read a little lower in the article he mentions it being a reward mechanism for stopping smoking. So each year he doesn't smoke, he rewards himself with a
by yobert 5y ago
If you read a little lower in the article he mentions it being a reward mechanism for stopping smoking. So each year he doesn't smoke, he rewards himself with a new laptop. Good strategy!
- bambax 5y agoYeah, this is rationalizing. You don't need to reward yourself every year for something you do once. You quit smoking, you get a reward, end of story. Also, and that's where we differ (and kind of my point): setting up a new computer isn't a reward for me, it's a punishment.
- danso 5y agoI think for some folks, quitting smoking isn’t a simple one-time event, but a lifelong ongoing challenge
- superdisk 5y agoIf it's stupid but it works, it's not stupid.
- eikenberry 5y agoYou don't quit smoking once. You quit smoking every day. I haven't smoked in >10 years and I'm still quitting. Physical dependence on nicotine takes a long time to recover from.
- bambax 5y agoThat's not my experience. I was a heavy smoker for over 15 years (around 2 packs a day); then I quit. It was hard. Extremely hard. In fact I stayed in bed for 2 weeks because I didn't dare stand up and go into the world, and I couldn't think of anything else. But after the withdrawal symptoms receded, that was that. It was over. I can't even remember what it was that I liked about it. Of course that's just me, and experiences differ. But quitting smoking is its own reward, and I don't mean physically or health-wise. You're free! You don't need to spend time thinking about where the nearest tobacco shop is and if you have enough change to buy more cigarettes to get through the night. I would argue that if you need to reward yourself every year for quitting, you didn't actually quit. You stopped putting cigarettes in your mouth, but you're still a "smoker".
- eikenberry 5y agoI thought it was pretty much a fixed medical aspect of quitting smoking that it would take your body years/decades to regain the ability to regulate adrenaline production properly. That you would suffer occasional adrenaline surges during that period. I was beginning to wonder if they'd ever subside. So it's good to know someone doesn't experience it. Though I have become used to them over the years and, in some situations, are not all bad.
- csomar 5y agoNicotine dependence is personal and genetics do play a role in that. Not all people react to nicotine equally. I can cut smoking abruptly and not be too upset about it. The other day, I ran out of vape liquid but didn't feel like driving to the Vape store. I know a friend who if he doesn't smoke when he wakes up, he goes crazy.
- carpo 5y agoFor some people giving up an addiction is an ongoing battle, not a one time and done thing.
- pavlov 5y agoWell, computers used to be more interesting. A 2006 laptop was at least 2x times faster than a 2003 laptop, with lower power consumption and better thermal design, better screen, etc.
- maxerickson 5y agoGuy should have thought more about what you wanted to read when he wrote the article.
- bambax 5y agoYeah, it happens often.
- freedomben 5y agoHave you ever been a smoker?
- bambax 5y agoYep.
- jonnycomputer 5y agoOnce an addict, always an addict. I haven't smoked since 2007, but I'm humble enough to know how easy it would be to pick it up again. In fact, if I lived in Poland again, I very well might have. But in the US being a non-smoker has never been easier.
- RSchaeffer 5y agoQuitting smoking isn't a one-time event. Anyone with an addiction will tell you that it's a lifelong struggle.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]