MarylandQuitter

No videos but these may help... http://ffn.yuku.com/topic/11305/Addiction-Dopamine-The-Salience-Theory http://ffn.yuku.com/topic/11725 http://ffn.yuku.com/reply/239182/Some-new-findings-on-Nicotine-Addiction#reply-239182 Joel's response on FFN Board. I remember in my early days of learning about other drug addictions, it became very obvious to me why crack cocaine was so addictive and why cocaine addicts would go through such great lengths and seemingly sacrifice everything in order to get the drug. It was capable of releasing so much dopamine that it was depleting the body's normal supply. Then when a person would do anything that would normally bring pleasure--with the minimal amount of dopamine left, normal activities that used to bring about pleasure seemed to become empty or meaningless. This is why people using cocaine found themselves losing interest in other things that should have been important--in a real sense--they were losing their ability to get pleasure out of pleasurable things. It seems that this parallels to a degree what happens to smokers. Not only is nicotine releasing the same neurotransmitter, but it is impairing the mechanism to shut down the action of dopamine. Again, the end result is things that should be pleasurable will become a bit diminished by this chronic action. The cost of such chronic pleasure is the minimizing of real life. That is what the real toll of smoking is--and the real benefit of quitting. Once again you can feel good from accomplishments. I think that is why people take greater pride in things after they quit. I always joke with spouses who call me up saying they don't know what they can do to make their husband or wife quit smoking. They often ask me if they should threaten to leave the spouse if he or she doesn't quit. I always warn them to be careful when making such a threat. Giving a smoker a choice between take me or your cigarettes, you'd be surprised at how often "me" is going to be left behind. Again, here you can see why. The normal pleasures brought about by a relationship are minimized if dopamine is in fact impaired--the smoker is in a sense incapable of feeling as good from a relationship or any other activity. But the smoker needs to understand that to ever be able to fully appreciate life itself, they need to stop taking drugs that interfere with normal life pleasures. The answer is not to find a drug that works better. As this article so eloquently points out at the end, "It would be hard to design a drug that acts on the reward center that would be more effective than nicotine." I suspect it could be done though--but the end result would just be another drug that is robbing the user of the ability to feel pleasure from pleasurable things. This in itself is robbing the user of the ability of a quality life. Yes nicotine being delivered in a cigarette form is addictive and deadly. But even without the other chemicals additional health consequences--nicotine itself is robbing the individual of really experiences little life's pleasures--and this is a travesty in itself. Again, the solution is not another drug that is even better--the solution is to let your body get back to normal and never be thrown so off track again by knowing to never take another puff! Joel

Just to clear up an innocent misconception, Joel doesn't use "Nicodemon" for the reasons shown below. From Joel's Board The in-depth view of why we don't embrace the term of "Nicodemon." Nicodemon seems to give the impression of an evil persona associated with the chemical nicotine. Nicotine is no more evil than arsenic or carbon monoxide or hydrogen cyanide--all chemicals found in tobacco smoke. Although nicotine is unique among the thousands of other chemicals that comprise tobacco smoke because it is the addictive chemical in tobacco. Even so, the idea that nicotine is somehow calling to a smoker who is off smoking for weeks or months is quite inaccurate. It is the person himself or herself whose own mind is creating the desire from triggers that he or she is experiencing. Those triggers are also not evil, they are just life events being experienced for the first time. I think the problems I have with the terms is they make nicotine seem to have more power than it actually does. The personification given to it can make an individual feel that nicotine has the potential of tricking him or her into smoking. An inanimate object such as a chemical has no such power. As John has said often nicotine has an IQ of zero. People do not overcome the grip of chemical addictions by being stronger than the drug but rather by being smarter than the drug. Lets not give nicotine more credit than it is due. Lets not make it some cute and cuddly or evil and plotting entity--it is a chemical that alters brain chemistry. It is no different than heroin, cocaine or alcohol. These drugs don't have cute names given to them either and giving them to nicotine can start to make it seem different than these other substance--more trivial or less serious in a way. Nicotine is not more trivial than other drugs of addiction and in fact kills more people than all other drugs of addiction combined. I think the only place where I think I have ever appreciated the term "Nicodemon" is in this one string. Because in this one post the lies that people make up in order to secure their continued use of a deadly drug are all dispelled in one quick swoop. It has a short, simple and catchy title that seems to fit the logic used in this piece very well--Nicodemon Lies. But anyone reading this whole article and the associated links quickly will realize that these are not the lies of a demon, these are the lies made up by an addict rationalizing, legitimizing, defending and protecting his or her drug use. They are the lies that people make up and tell themselves to defend the otherwise un-defendable. People cannot rationalize the reason that they smoke with truths; they can only do it with lies. More important for people here though is that a person cannot secure his or her quit by telling himself or herself lies either, but he or she can secure his or her quit by telling himself or herself the truth. The truth is that the only way to keep yourself smoke free is to simply accept the truth that to stay smoke free you must never take another puff! Joel

lol I love that video.

Cigarettes served as a fake friend that promised to be there when we're alone, sad, happy and vowed to never leave our side. Cigarettes are often seen as a friend. When you look at it on that level, it really drives home that we're drug addicts just as any other. Perhaps not strung out living on the streets but addicts just the same and our drug of choice kills more people than all other drugs combined. Have you ever read "My Cigarette, My Friend"? How do you feel about a friend who has to go everywhere with you? Not only does he tag along all the time, but since he is so offensive and vulgar, you become unwelcome when with him. He has a peculiar odor that sticks to you wherever you go. Others think both of you stink. He controls you totally. When he says jump, you jump. Sometimes in the middle of a blizzard or storm, he wants you to come to the store and pick him up. You would give your spouse hell if he or she did that to you all the time, but you can't argue with your friend. Sometimes, when you are out at a movie or play he says he wants you to go stand in the lobby with him and miss important scenes. Since he calls all the shots in your life, you go. Your friend doesn't like your choice of clothing either. Instead of politely telling you that you have lousy taste, he burns little holes in these items so you will want to throw them out. Sometimes, he tires of the furniture and gets rid of it too. Occasionally, he gets really nasty and decides the whole house must go. He gets pretty expensive to support. Not only is his knack of property destruction costly, but you must pay to keep him with you. In fact, he will cost you thousands of dollars over your lifetime. And you can count on one thing, he will never pay you a penny in return. Often at picnics you watch others playing vigorous activities and having lots of fun doing them. But your friend won't let you. He doesn't believe in physical activity. In his opinion, you are too old to have that kind of fun. So he kind of sits on your chest and makes it difficult for you to breathe. Now you don't want to go off and play with other people when you can't breathe, do you? Your friend does not believe in being healthy. He is really repulsed by the thought of you living a long and productive life. So every chance he gets he makes you sick. He helps you catch colds and flu. Not just by running out in the middle of the lousy weather to pick him up at the store. He is more creative than that. He carries thousands of poisons with him which he constantly blows in your face. When you inhale some of them, they wipe out cilia in your lungs which would have helped you prevent these diseases. But colds and flu are just his form of child's play. He especially likes diseases that slowly cripple you - like emphysema. He considers this disease great. Once he gets you to have this, you will give up all your other friends, family, career goals, activities - everything. You will just sit home and caress him, telling him what a great friend he is while you desperately gasp for air. But eventually your friend tires of you. He decides he no longer wishes to have your company. Instead of letting you go your separate ways, he decides to kill you. He has a wonderful arsenal of weapons behind him. In fact, he has been plotting your death since the day you met him. He picked all the top killers in society and did everything in his power to ensure you would get one of them. He overworked your heart and lungs. He clogged up the arteries to your heart, brain, and every other part of your body. In case you were too strong to succumb to this, he constantly exposed you to cancer causing agents. He knew he would get you sooner or later. Well, this is the story of your "friend," your cigarette. No real friend would do all this to you. Cigarettes are the worst possible enemies you ever had. They are expensive, addictive, socially unacceptable, and deadly. Consider all this and NEVER TAKE ANOTHER PUFF! Joel

I'll join ya! NOPE! Congrats one year year. Well done. :dirol:

This morning you'll wake up feeling more confident because you're outsmarting the addiction. Great job on handling this! Like others have said, we all went through it and it's normal. Are You Stronger Than Your Cigarettes? This video discusses the importance of understanding that you won't be able to quit smoking and stay free by becoming stronger than cigarettes but rather by becoming smarter than nicotine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxLxDuTOCT0

There's no doubt that quitting cold turkey is the method most used, but it's not the method that I used. My doctor put me on Wellbutrin XL to see if it would work and trust me, it did. After about a week on the stuff I couldn't get past 2 or 3 puffs without feeling nauseous and so I quit. After about 3 weeks on the meds I stopped taking them because they were really screwing with my moods. I couldn't stand to be around myself! I got a glimpse into what others felt around me all these years. :) Anyway, the goal with any NRT is to use it as a tool to quit nicotine completely. That should be the goal because this is the drug that we're addicted to and must rid ourselves of it. But yes, of course you're in the right place. Some videos regarding this issue. Just some food for thought. The Law Of Addiction "Administration of a drug to an addict will cause re-establishment of chemical dependence upon the addictive substance." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2I0NQVAg4I Nicotine Is Nicotine Is Nicotine Video discusses how nicotine delivered by any source via any route of administration has the full potential of causing relapse to any former smoker or user of any nicotine product. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KViTfIfHUv0

Life As A Smoker Is A Balancing Act While quitting may result in a person feeling some discomfort for a few days, smokers face discomfort on a daily basis from having to maintain a constant and comfortable nicotine level. Maintaining this level is a constant balancing act. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfiH2iX_aIU

Life As A Smoker Is A Balancing Act While quitting may result in a person feeling some discomfort for a few days, smokers face discomfort on a daily basis from having to maintain a constant and comfortable nicotine level. Maintaining this level is a constant balancing act. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfiH2iX_aIU

She back.

I didn't experience any kind of fatigue I'm certain others have. You're well past the physical drug withdrawal so perhaps it's just a coincidence? All kinds of strange things can happen as our bodies adjust to not being poisoned every twenty minutes. Check this video out. I just watched it again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUKBBcZ26BQ&app=desktop

John Frusciante from RHCP Live https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZzSvDNIG_o Studio Version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjgdMa-eCrw

Breaking Bad is awesome! I've watched the entire series twice on Netflix. Very, very well written and developed. You seem to be doing quite well! Keep on keeping on. :)

Quitting Is More Doable Than Most People Think The idea that quitting smoking is close to impossible is often perpetuated at Internet quit sites. This video hits home the point that this is a dangerous misconception. Quitting is in fact more doable than most people think. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gtXGwu3uC4&list=PLCDB8BA311D538113&index=6 The Terrible 3's This video discusses why people "may" have problems at three day and three month marks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTIr3UEez1w&list=PL4F05C03D0F9B86DB&index=11

I Want One! Video discusses how to stop the internal debate that often occurs after quitting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHvi6dwLanA Good Reasons To Take A Puff On A Cigarette After Having Quit Smoking For people who think that there are no good reasons to take a puff on a cigarette after quitting, and more importantly, for people who think that there might actually be good reasons. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvHl-zwUdBo

If you ever do, pledge to come here first and we'll get it all sorted it out. Got it? I don't like to think much about the past but the present, that's a different story. It's all we've got right now, Tiffany. We're always here and there is no reason why this time next year we're not celebrating your one year anniversary. No reason at all. :)

When you first quit smoking sometimes you wonder if it ever gets easier and if you'll ever stop thinking about wanting to smoke. It doesn't only get easier but eventually "the want" will slowly go away when you think about smoking. You'll never forget that you were a smoker (at least you better not!) because as like with other drug addictions, we must remember that we cannot ever have a single puff from a cigarette ever again. The day you let your guard down forget this is the day you could very well end up finding yourself starting over with a new quit or worse, fighting to quit. Every day I remember that I used to be a smoker but I have no desire at all to light one up. Did I at the beginning? You bet I did. With time, education and support the thoughts about smoking subside and eventually vanish. Remembering that you were a smoker and wanting to smoke are completely different but early on the two naturally coexist as you learn to live life without the constant need to feed the addiction. I'm curious. Do you currently have any doubts if you'll be able to hang onto this quit? If so, what are they? Let's smooth out the speed bumps before they become road blocks. :)

Do you currently have any doubts if you'll be able to hang onto this quit? If so, what are they? Let's smooth out the speed bumps before they become road blocks. Please click the following link to enter the discussion. http://www.quittrain.com/topic/4721-for-those-who-are-new-in-their-quits-please-enter/

I'd Rather Be A Little Overweight & Not Smoking Than Underweight & Dead! Video discusses the importance of not letting the chance of gaining weight being used as an excuse for not quitting smoking or for relapsing after having quit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I3fv5EqTBU

Yes, completely numb nearly every night since around 1998. Even wakes me up from my slumber. The more I use my hands laboriously, the worse it gets not to mention the pain. Sometimes in the middle of the night it will wake me up. When I'm driving and my hand is in the 12 o'clock position, numb. Have to switch back and forth. Then there's my elbow with inflamed tendons. A shot of cortisone helped that, thank God because it was shooting to my wrist and up to my shoulder. Could barely sleep longer than 20 minutes at a time before it woke me up. Went to the doctor, got a shot, months of resting it and voila! Every now and then I can feel the pain in my elbow and I know to quit. If I hit my elbow on the something look out!!!!! The pain almost knocks me down. If I want, I can get one more shot of the juice and if that doesn't work, they have to cut out all of the inflamed tendons and then reattach to my elbow. I think around 2 months of recovery from that one. I'll stick to resting it as I need to because most of the time it's fine and I can live with that. But back to the carpal tunnel, my right hand is going numb now just from typing this and I type close to 100 WPM. Now, I put my arm straight down, let the numbness subside, snap my elbow for good measure and I'll be ready for another thread. :)

Well Meaning Offers For Cigarettes Suggestion on how to deal with individuals who offer you a cigarette after you quit who actually believe they are doing you a favor. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b72mmwgRvQc Related videos: Offers for cigarettes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvlAP... "No thank you, I can't have a cigarette" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD25Z... "I'm trying to quit smoking" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUOmE... The fear of success https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHhWS... Smoking does not help you overcome stress https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buyqv... Why do smokers smoke? https://youtu.be/S9AmZiI3rNI I am climbing the walls because I quit smoking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUUsA... I'll be a nervous wreck forever if I quit smoking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJBu7... Smoking does not solve stress https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C5eT... Quitting smoking can make you calmer, happier and healthier https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7K038... I will quit when... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZEiU... How would you deal with the following situations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw4ac... There are no legitimate reasons to relapse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCm_5... Good reasons to take a puff after having quit smoking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvHl-... Life goes on without smoking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8nBj... Can you help a person who really doesn't want to quit? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEE_R... Helping others quit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40Xvx...

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