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I always wonder about the heroin comparison. I just doesn't check out for me. Feels inappropriate. Heroin has pretty pronounced withdrawal symptoms, which ar

by lynx97 1y ago

I always wonder about the heroin comparison. I just doesn't check out for me. Feels inappropriate. Heroin has pretty pronounced withdrawal symptoms, which are (AIUI) mostly physical withdrawal. At least from personal experience, nicotine withdrawal doesn't do anything to me. I just recently spent a day in an ICU, and had no craving at all. Same for longer smoking breaks, like a week or two. No craving. However, I sometimes miss the socialisation / being occupied thing, which is plain mental addiction. Maybe I am special in this regard, but I doubt it. Most "nervious" smokers I met were, IMO, "protesting" against the fact that they are currently not free to do what they wanted. You can hype yourself up a lot without actual physical reasons.

esseph 1y ago
There are certain genetic markers that can make it extremely hard to quit - nothing like you experienced.
AlecSchueler 1y ago
> You can hype yourself up a lot It's likely that you're doing this to yourself by underselling your cravings. Presumably you came out of your ICU visit and began smoking again but you've lied to yourself about the reasons why. The physical aspect of nicotine addiction is extremely well documented.
sfn42 1y ago
I agree. I've never done heroin but I understand the withdrawal is absolutely horrible. I stopped using nicotine this month. I've been using snus which is a Nordic product similar to chewing tobacco. You put it under your upper lip, the type I've been using has significantly more nicotine per dose than a cigarette. Like 2-4 times as much, 25mg per dose. It was fine. The first day was pretty hard for me, I was sitting next to a lady who kept her snus box on her desk and I really wanted to bum one but didn't. Day two was a bit easier, day three easier still and after that I felt like I was done. I'm on day 16 now and hardly think about it any more. It's strange because I've been using nicotine for almost two decades and I've been wanting to drop it for most of that time, even did drop it once but blundered and started again a year or so later. I've tried and failed to quit so many times, but the times that it's actually worked have always just felt like a state of mind difference. Like I didn't really want to quit the other times. When I really decide and all doubt is gone it's quite easy to quit. It's just hard to get to that state of mind and keep it.
- StopDisinfo910 1y ago
  My experience is that using a method allowing me to gradually lower the amount of nicotine I consume made stopping completely manageable and mostly painless. Cravings come back when I'm under stress but it's fine. I know I will just stop again the same way I did before. It's made the whole thing guilt free for me which strangely makes cravings much more manageable than when I was beating myself trying to not restart.
  - sfn42 1y ago
    Yeah that was my plan B, and I kind of did wean myself off using Oliver Twist chewing tobacco for a couple days. It has about 5mg per dose so much less than the snus I'd been using. Used that for 2 days then cold turkey. The plan if I failed was to use nicotine patches of decreasing potency. I think you can get those in a sort of kit but I haven't actually found the kit as a product. Anyway the plan now is to just keep it up. I'll avoid alcohol for a while as it makes it more difficult.
- jjgreen 1y ago
  I've never done heroin It is delicious, a real delight. I'd happily become an addict if I could get a reliable reasonably-priced pharmaceutical-quality supply; but of course you can't, bloody puritans.
  - sfn42 1y ago
    They do that in the UK - addicts for whom other options like methadone are ineffective can get heroin prescribed and I think it's free too.
deafpolygon 1y ago
A huge part of nicotine addiction is psychological compounded by physical symptoms.

by lynx97 1y ago

esseph 1y ago

There are certain genetic markers that can make it extremely hard to quit - nothing like you experienced.

AlecSchueler 1y ago

> You can hype yourself up a lot It's likely that you're doing this to yourself by underselling your cravings. Presumably you came out of your ICU visit and began smoking again but you've lied to yourself about the reasons why. The physical aspect of nicotine addiction is extremely well documented.

sfn42 1y ago

I agree. I've never done heroin but I understand the withdrawal is absolutely horrible. I stopped using nicotine this month. I've been using snus which is a Nordic product similar to chewing tobacco. You put it under your upper lip, the type I've been using has significantly more nicotine per dose than a cigarette. Like 2-4 times as much, 25mg per dose. It was fine. The first day was pretty hard for me, I was sitting next to a lady who kept her snus box on her desk and I really wanted to bum one but didn't. Day two was a bit easier, day three easier still and after that I felt like I was done. I'm on day 16 now and hardly think about it any more. It's strange because I've been using nicotine for almost two decades and I've been wanting to drop it for most of that time, even did drop it once but blundered and started again a year or so later. I've tried and failed to quit so many times, but the times that it's actually worked have always just felt like a state of mind difference. Like I didn't really want to quit the other times. When I really decide and all doubt is gone it's quite easy to quit. It's just hard to get to that state of mind and keep it.

StopDisinfo910 1y ago
My experience is that using a method allowing me to gradually lower the amount of nicotine I consume made stopping completely manageable and mostly painless. Cravings come back when I'm under stress but it's fine. I know I will just stop again the same way I did before. It's made the whole thing guilt free for me which strangely makes cravings much more manageable than when I was beating myself trying to not restart.
- sfn42 1y ago
  Yeah that was my plan B, and I kind of did wean myself off using Oliver Twist chewing tobacco for a couple days. It has about 5mg per dose so much less than the snus I'd been using. Used that for 2 days then cold turkey. The plan if I failed was to use nicotine patches of decreasing potency. I think you can get those in a sort of kit but I haven't actually found the kit as a product. Anyway the plan now is to just keep it up. I'll avoid alcohol for a while as it makes it more difficult.
jjgreen 1y ago
I've never done heroin It is delicious, a real delight. I'd happily become an addict if I could get a reliable reasonably-priced pharmaceutical-quality supply; but of course you can't, bloody puritans.
- sfn42 1y ago
  They do that in the UK - addicts for whom other options like methadone are ineffective can get heroin prescribed and I think it's free too.

deafpolygon 1y ago

A huge part of nicotine addiction is psychological compounded by physical symptoms.