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Who here besides me has one? Mine is rather intense (aren’t they all!).
I grew up in an all-smoking family (including both parents and all three older siblings), and by the time I was 8, I assumed that I too would smoke one day. I finally got the nerve to try it when I was 12; my sister was an excellent coach. After being a second-hand smoker since I was born, “smoking my own” agreed with me immediately. I never imagined when I was growing up that I would adopt smoking in my teens as a permanent part of my lifestyle. I tried it simply out of curiosity, certainly not intending or planning on becoming a regular and habitual smoker. And I am not above admitting that I not only liked it far more than I thought I would, but also that I very much underestimated the addiction which would soon follow. Having lost both of my parents to smoking related ailments, and my older sister now being diagnosed with Stage 1 COPD, I am certainly aware of the health risks of smoking. I’ll even admit that I’m an addict — using the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence on Cigarettes, I score an 8 (on a scale of 1 to 10).
So why do so many of us continue smoking when most of us are intelligent, well-informed, and certainly aware of the long term risks of smoking? Perhaps leading the multitude of answers is because it feels good to smoke. I can vouch for that; damn good! In less than ten seconds upon the first inhalation, nicotine passes into the bloodstream, crosses the blood brain barrier and begins acting on the brain cells. The nicotine just ingested will begin to mimic one of the most important neurotransmitters, Acelytcholine. This action provokes the body’s excitation chemicals that include adrenaline and noradrenaline, which causes an immediate rush of stimulation by increasing the blood flow to the brain. This leaves smokers feels energized and alert. Within 20 to 30 minutes after the last cigarette, however, a smoker’s energy level becomes sharply reduced. That “charged up” feeling the smoker had minutes before begins fading away and the craving for nicotine quickly returns. Psychological dependence is a major factor that can prohibit a well-intentioned person from quitting smoking because nicotine has such amazingly powerful, reinforcing qualities.
Other reasons why many of us continue to smoke is that we find it easier to manage stress even though we know that smoking is risky and dangerous. Many of us in this day and age juggle family and work responsibilities, and lighting up a cigarette is a welcome substitute to wind down their day regardless of the repercussions involved. Many more of us, myself included, find that smoking helps to keep off those unwanted pounds, and there may be some truth to that notion. Nicotine speeds up the physiological functions, especially the rate at which the body metabolizes food. When smoking stops, metabolism slows down, food is burned more slowly, and the pounds start adding. That reason alone is strong incentive for many of us to continue smoking.
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I started smoking at age 19 because my friend wanted us to try it. I thought I looked cool and sophisticated, naturally. The first time I tried to smoke a cigarette I thought I was going to die coughing. It took practice to be able to inhale smoothly. So at first, I couldn’t do it very often because I had to hide it from my mother. Then I decided I didn’t care what she said and began smoking around her. Then I got addicted. A few months back I decided to take a doctor’s help. I connected via Urgent care Ongo Care in my city California. The doctor did many successful sessions by giving some advice on how to get out of this addiction. Now I am under my doctor’s supervision and somewhat finished this addiction.
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Cigarette addiction? I have one of those!
(Actually, I prefer the term “cigarette habit”; “cigarette addiction” and “cigarette vice” have a bit of a negative stigma.)
Almost all smokers pick up the habit in their teens, as I did, when they’re not yet mature enough to understand the consequences, as well as the powerful addiction that would come with. I grew up being infatuated with my mother’s smoking. She was (and still is) a non-repentant and regular smoker; I was always exposed to it when I was growing up. I got the nerve one day, when I was 8, to ask her why she smoked. Her answer was that smoking was something that many adults choose to do, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. At that moment, I just knew I too would be a smoker one day. That day came on my 12th birthday, when I asked to try it. It agreed with me immediately! The taste wasn’t the best at first, but I quickly became accustomed to it. The big difference was that stray cigarette smoke no longer bothered me. Not only did it feel so good to actually smoke, but it felt so ADULT!!! I’d stand in front of the mirror, and watch myself smoke. I looked forward to going out to dinner with Mom, so I could smoke in public. I had to deal with the addiction when I started back to school; I couldn’t smoke at school, it would be two years before I was in high school and they had student smoking areas. But I got through it. Since that 1987 summer, smoking has become a permanent part of my life, as well as who and what I am.
Being a smoker is a chain of cycles, that I go through about 20 times a day. About 45 minutes after my last cigarette, the urge hits me to light up again. After an hour, the urge turns into cravings. If I ignore those cravings, and I’m not wearing a nicotine patch, after three or four hours, then come the withdrawal symptoms kick in. These symptoms include anxiety, irritability, and nervousness. And these symptoms are quite intense and unforgiving. BUT, once I have that cigarette, everything’s pure bliss. For another hour or so, anyway.
I must confess that I enjoy being a smoker! The one time I regret it is when I have to abstain from smoking for prolonged periods, and cravings shift into withdrawal symptoms. It’s the most satisfying thing I do. I do worry about the health risks, and hope that my 35 years of being a smoker don’t catch up with me in a bad way. But I accept those risks, and try to live as healthy a lifestyle as otherwise possible. Another note, I’m 5’3″ in flats, I weigh only 120#, and I’m quite certain that my pack-a-day Misty 120’s habit has a lot to do with that.
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Most smokers use tobacco regularly because they are addicted to nicotine. Addiction is characterised by compulsive drug seeking and use, even in the face of adverse health consequences. Most smokers would like to stop smoking each year. About half try to quit permanently. Therefore, Non-smokers… die every day. …
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Nicotine is the key ingredient in cigarettes that keeps us hooked, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. Another key additive are the ammonia compounds additives, which are added during the manufacturing process in order to mask the harshness of tobacco, or so we are told. Because it creates a smoother feeling when we inhale. But they also create a chemical reaction with nicotine, creating free-based nicotine. Free-based nicotine is delivered to the brain at a much faster rate than normal nicotine, resulting in a more immediate and more intense reaction, which intensifies the addiction.
Big tobacco also adds sugars into cigarettes to make them taste better, removing the bitter flavor of cigarette smoke. Adding sugar also reduces the pH of cigarette smoke, which makes the smoke less harsh and less irritating and makes smoking more appealing, especially to those who are new to smoking. However, when these added sugars burn after one light up a cigarette, they create additional toxic compounds called aldehydes, which increase the potency of nicotine, making cigarettes more addictive, because the brain is more receptive to nicotine, so it absorbs nicotine at a much faster rate.
Menthol is another biggie. It’s added to some cigarettes to give a cooling sensation when a smoker inhales. Since menthol makes cigarette smoke feel less irritating in the throat, it’s logically believed that big tobacco uses this additive to attract younger people to pick up the habit. Now that our nieces have picked up the habit, all 12 of us in our combined families are smokers. My daughter is the sole menthol smoker. As a Newport 100’s smoker (a very strong brand), she is obviously the most hooked of all of us.
Levulnic acid is another additive, an organic salt that also masks the harsh quality of smoking, and prevents the smoker’s throat from feeling irritated while smoking. It desensitizes the upper respiratory tract, allowing cigarette smoke to be inhaled more deeply. It also makes the brain more receptive to nicotine, increasing addiction.
Girls and younger women who are contemplating smoking should understand, they’re not deciding to just smoke, they’re deciding to become smokers, a lifetime decision and commitment.
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