CIGARETTES AND THE NICOTINE MYTH

 

A Different Approach To Quitting

 

 

Before getting started, a short note on what is not covered in this message.

 

There is no rehash of how cigarettes can destroy your health, shorten your life, kill you.  Also, no laying on of guilt by suggesting that if you will not quit for yourself then quit for the family, the kids, the loved ones, etc.  And, there is no reminder that the tobacco companies have a contract out on your life and it is you who is paying the hit man. (I am sure you are aware of these things.)

 

What is covered is presented in two sections.

 

In the first, a few things important to know and understand about yourself and your cigarettes are examined.  The thought here being, an understanding of both can provide a better chance of conquering the latter. 

 

This is followed with a section covering an approach to quitting and the mechanics involved.  What is presented totally contradicts what is generally accepted as the authoritative approach to quitting.

 

 

YOU AND YOUR CIGARETTE

 

To begin, it is important to understand you are an addict.  You are addicted.  You will always be addicted.

 

It does not matter how much time passes without lighting up.  Buried in your brain resides the desire to smoke cigarettes.  This desire will always reside there.  You are an addict, and will be for life.

 

To understand any addiction it is necessary to know the “what, how and why” of the addiction.  What is astonishing is that, with respect to cigarettes, we know none of these things!  So, to better understand what we do not understand, we will start with the little we do know.

 

We know cigarettes contain nicotine and nicotine is addictive.  Therefore, it might make sense to find another source of nicotine and kick cigarettes in the process.  To this end, drug companies come to the aid of smokers by supplying a number of alternative nicotine delivery systems.  These are used as a replacement for cigarette nicotine.  But the truth is, as an aid to the cessation of smoking, these alternatives provide little if any success!

 

To better understand this substitution of delivery systems an examination of hard drugs can be useful.  At the same time, we can look at what occurs following assimilation

 

Cocaine is a good example in that it can be delivered in a number of ways.  The user might:

 

1.      Shoot up.

2.      Snort a line.

3.      Smoke a rock.

 

Regardless of the method of delivery employed, the result is a happy user!  Euphoria is achieved!  The user is temporarily satisfied.

 

That is cocaine.  What about nicotine?  In addition to cigarettes, drug companies provide a number of ways of delivering nicotine. The user can:

 

1.      Smoke a cigarette.

2.      Wear a patch.

3.      Chew gum.

4.      Squirt a nasal spray.

5.      Suck a lozenge.

6.      Inhale through a “puffer”.

 

And regardless of the delivery method employed, the result is a happy user!  Not quite!  The one smoking the cigarette is temporarily satisfied.  No euphoria…. but satisfied.  And what of those other users – those that received their nicotine in a different manner?  They are still in need of a cigarette!

 

How can this be?  We have seen from the cocaine example that the means of assimilation has no effect on final satisfaction.  Why should the means of delivering nicotine make any difference?  Why should satisfaction only be achieved through a cigarette?  Could it possibly be that the satisfaction sought by a smoker goes beyond nicotine???

 

Many, many smokers have been there, done that, and failed.  They have used nicotine patches or nicotine gum when trying to quit and still failed.  Even with nicotine being continually assimilated by the body, the need for a cigarette remains. 

 

In fact, a smoker might wear a nicotine patch for the rest of their life, and for the rest of their life would still want a cigarette.  They could cover their body with nicotine patches (which would kill them of course), and they would die still wanting a cigarette.  Could it possibly be that cigarette addiction goes somewhere beyond nicotine???

 

The Nicotine Myth is that it is said to be the major drug involved in cigarette addiction. Once again, if that were true, chewing a piece of nicotine gum would eliminate all desire for cigarettes. As discussed earlier, this does not happen. The use of substitute nicotine delivery systems is a postponement of the inevitable, though it keeps the drug companies happy (and wealthy). But sooner or later (sooner being better), the nicotine addiction has to be put behind the user and the major problem faced.

 

It is true that we cannot totally forget the nicotine.  However, there is more to cigarette addiction than just nicotine.  And, relatively speaking, kicking nicotine is the easy part.

 

In general, nicotine withdrawal symptoms usually set in about 24 hours after quitting.  And the next 24 hours are usually the hardest.  Then it is downhill from there.  In most cases nicotine withdrawal symptoms will probably last a few days at best.  After that you are home free.  Well, almost.  At this point, you can forget the nicotine.  All that is left is a life long addiction to cigarettes!

 

So, what is the problem here?  If nicotine is not the major culprit, then what is?

 

As it turns out, cigarette addiction is a very special addiction.  No one really knows what in particular causes this addiction.  In general, a smoker is addicted to something contained in the cigarette smoke - something other than nicotine.  Some speculation has been made as to what might be involved and how it might be involved - but the world of science has no definitive answer.

 

4,000 plus chemicals have been identified in cigarette smoke.  Taking this into consideration it is more easily understood why the cause of cigarette addiction is so elusive.

 

Besides the tobacco and paper utilized in the manufacture of cigarettes, the FDA also permits an additional 500 plus additives.  (The additives are not all used in a single cigarette but are selectively included in various brands produced by the manufacturers.)  These are the components that make up a cigarette - tobacco, paper, and additives.  They are assembled and then set on fire.  The result is smoke consisting of a multitude of chemicals.  And somewhere in that smoke resides cigarette addiction.

 

And not knowing what causes addiction is just part of the story.  The other parts are the how and why.  Without knowing the what we certainly cannot know the how.  But there still remains the why.  Why does one smoke?

 

Well, this too presents a problem.  And here again we will take a look at the hard drug user to attempt to get a handle on the why of cigarette smoking.

Those addicted to the hard stuff know why they use.  It messes with their heads - they trip out, get spacey, experience euphoria!

 

And scientists pretty much know what goes on with the hard drugs.  They pretty much know which molecules mess around with which receptors in which part of the brain.  And they pretty much know what goes on from there with dopamine, receptors, the pleasure centers of the brain, and whatever else is involved.  And through the process, the much-sought euphoric state of mind is achieved!

 

But what happens when a smoker lights up?  What is the smoker seeking?

 

There certainly is not the euphoria as experienced by the cocaine user.  In fact, cigarettes really do not seem to mess with the mind in a manner one might notice. 

 

A cigarette is a good condiment on occasion.  It goes well with a cocktail, or cold beer, or with a cup of coffee following dinner.  It does seem to complement these things (or is it the other way around?).  However, that is not where addiction lies.

 

How about the physical sensation of smoke entering the lungs?

 

It is true a person’s very first puff of their very first cigarette is not a pleasant experience.  The body immediately incorporates steps to expel the intrusive smoke from the lungs.  But finally, with a lot of perseverance on the part of the “smoker in training”, the body gives up its fight and accepts the insult to the lungs without apparent argument.

 

Eventually, that first drag of that first cigarette of the day is looked forward to.  It is inhaled deeply and the hit to the lungs is good.  Physically, there is something there.  Is this where the addiction resides – in the sensation of smoke messing with the lung tissue?  If that was all there was to it, the same thing could be achieved by sitting around a smoky campfire on a breezy night.

 

The physical sensations associated with the delivery of addictive chemicals have nothing to do with the addiction.  Returning once again to the cocaine addict who shoots, snorts, or smokes the stuff; there certainly is a physical sensation of the dope being delivered.  But that is not what the addict is seeking.  What is sought is what results when the body assimilates the drug.

 

So what is the cigarette addict seeking?  No one knows!

 

What we do know is that nicotine by itself, without cigarettes, does not relieve the craving for cigarettes.  About the only thing that is definitive is nicotine is not the major culprit - we can forget the nicotine.

 

Summing up, we simply do not understand all we know about it.  In the end, we do not know what we are addicted to, how we are addicted, or why we are addicted.  Welcome to the “Mother Of All Addictions”!

 

 

THE MECHANICS OF QUITTING

 

So, how do we quit?  What is the best approach to dumping this addiction when we know absolutely nothing about it?  To start, we can look at what does not work.

 

There is a lot of information out there on quitting.  A Google search on “stop smoking” brought up millions of hits. 

 

As mentioned at the top of this dissertation, the approach presented here totally contradicts all authoritative approaches.  It disagrees with all the expertise presented by various government agencies, health organizations, and even the tobacco manufacturers.  (Yes, they too will tell you how to quit smoking.)

 

Statistically, the accepted approach to quitting has a high rate of failure.  The percentage of those succeeding is measured in single digits, and success is usually achieved only after multiple attempts.

 

With the chaff stripped away, the standard approach to quitting boils down to three basic steps:

 

(1) Set A Quit Date, (2) Gather A Support Group, - and when the quit date arrives - (3) Flush The Cigarettes.

 

(1) Wrong!  You do not set a date.

(2) Wrong!  You do not seek support.

(3) Wrong!  You do not toss your cigarettes.

 

Here is a loose scenario of what might go down if one were to follow the authoritative approach.

 

You start by setting a date and gathering a support group - family, neighbors, coworkers, etc.  You tell them when you are going to quit and how their support will be greatly appreciated.

 

As the quit-day approaches, the feeling sets in this may not be the perfect time to quit - you are just not ready - some time later, but not now.  There could not be a worst time than now.  But you are committed.  You have told just about everyone in the whole world you are counting on them for help.  You have no choice.  You have to quit, NOW!

 

So, you toss the cigarettes, throw out the ashtrays and cigarette lighters, and go for it!  But it does not last long.  The time eventually arrives where you can handle it no longer.  Panic sets in.  You have to have a cigarette!  But you have disposed of them!  But you have to have a cigarette – Right Now!  But you have no cigarettes!  So you hop in the car, drive to the nearest store, buy a pack…. and light up!

 

Now, what do you tell all your supporters?  What do you say to the spouse and kids, neighbors and coworkers?  Those that have never smoked will not understand your failure.  Those that have never been there can never understand.

 

And what about those that have been there – the smokers that have successfully quit - the righteous “reformed smokers”?  Expect little or no understanding from them.  Many, maybe most, are prima donnas who delight in expressing their indignation when someone lights up a block away and fouls their air.  Many, if not most, delight in feeling ‘holier than thou” when you fail.

 

So, What Went Wrong?  For starters, a quit date was set.  The date came around and you really were not ready.  It sounded like a good idea at the time.  But later, when that special day rolled around, it did not seem like the best idea in the world.  But there was no backing out.

 

A public commitment was made with no graceful means of backing out.  You told everyone their support was needed.  But it’s not their battle – it is yours.  The battle is between you and the tobacco companies.  A pat on the back and a couple of “Atta-Boys” from well doers is not going beat this thing.  You must do it alone with no obligations to others.  It is your battle.

 

And then, you threw your cigarettes away – your security blanket.  When panic set in, when you had to have a cigarette, there were none around.  If a pack had been within reach, there would have been no need for panic, no need for a trip to the store.  Immediately lighting up can be postponed because there is no panic.  And with the passage of time, lighting up can be forgotten.

 

 

A DIFFERENT APPROACH

 

A different approach would be - Prepare yourself mentally for quitting. Think about quitting.  Get angry, not with yourself but with the tobacco companies.  Hate them, not yourself.  Get tough!

 

A different approach would be - Get up in the morning and then decide if this might be the day to go for it.  There is no pressure.  It is your decision.  If you have not lit up since the previous night, you already have an eight-hour start at being cigarette free!

 

A different approach would be - Tell no one.  Quitting is something you do on your own.  It is your addiction.  If people notice you have not been smoking, and ask if you have quit, tell them you are working on it.  No need for a definitive answer.  Things may change.

 

A different approach would be - Hang onto those cigarettes.  They make a good security blanket - and there is nothing wrong with a security blanket!

 

Keep a pack in your pocket or purse.  If the urge sets in to fire up, no need for panic.  A cigarette is right there within reach.  Without panic, there is no reason you must light up at that particular moment!  It can be postponed, put off for a while.  You can always light up later if it is absolutely necessary.  Instead, wait a while.  Get angry.  Think tough.  Feel tough.  After a while, you will be tough.  You have to be tough!  You will find feeling tough feels good.  Beating the tobacco companies feels good.

 

When you are beginning to feel secure in your endeavor, you can forego carrying cigarettes on your person.  Instead, keep a pack in your car.  Keep one in your desk at work.  At home, you will still have part of that carton you had not smoked when you decided to quit.

 

There is no need to ever get rid of the “security blankets”.  If it feels better to have them around, hang on to them.  If the time comes that you prefer dumping them, then do so.  It is your call.

 

 

OVER THE HUMP

 

So how long does it take to get there, over the hump - where it is “all down hill from here”?  Being an addict for life, there is never a “down hill” mode, but there is a sign that indicates when you have achieved a level playing field.

 

At the start of the quitting process, it seems not a second goes by without the thought of having a cigarette.  Then those seconds become minutes and minutes become hours.  Then suddenly, one day, it occurs to you - a whole day has passed without a single thought of cigarettes.  A day has passed without a thought or urge to fire up!  Now the field is level.

 

Thoughts of smoking will continue to pop into your mind but the frequency of their occurrence will lessen with time.  Days will pass without a smoking image.  The hard part is now behind you.  You may continue to miss smoking but smoking will no longer be a necessity.

 

As time continues the thought of smoking will diminish, but will never be totally absent.  Sometime in the future, after months or even years without the thought of lighting up, it will happen.  The desire to smoke will pop into your head!  It will come out of nowhere - no stimulus required.  It will happen.  For no obvious reason a strong desire for a cigarette will occur – out of nowhere!

 

On first thought, it seems there is no obvious reason for this, until it is remembered you are an addict.  You are addicted.  Once addicted, always addicted.  Residing in the brain lies the hidden desire to smoke.  Now and then, this desire makes its way to the surface and displays itself.  It is an oddity the way it can appear without any prompting.  It is a reminder of your addiction.  Even after years of being cigarette free, it can happen occasionally.

 

Always keep in mind how difficult it was to win the hard fought battle for a “level playing field”.  It can be lost with one cigarette.

 

 

SUMMING UP

 

Below, a brief listing is presented of what has been covered.  Then a final bit of advice.

 

You And Cigarettes

 

• You are an addict - you are an addict for life.
• Nicotine is not the major source of addiction – forget the nicotine.
• You are addicted to something other than nicotine - no one knows what.

 

Quitting

 

• Do not set a date – just let it happen.
• Do not seek support – no apologies are necessary if things go wrong.
• Hang on to your cigarettes – no need for panic.

 

 

A Final Thought

Do not avoid those that smoke.  If you find yourself among a gathering of friends who do smoke, do not run and hide or have them do so. The world is full of cigarettes – always will be.  Be tough and accept that fact.  And do not become one of those non-smoking prima donnas!

 

You may find it interesting to observe, while among your nonsmoking friends, the fact they take no notice of you not smoking.  Do not tell them.  There is something good about keeping your secret as long as you can.  It is neat to be tough even when others do not notice.