I'm just curious why smokers make excuses for their addiction......?

Question

Nicotine is a harder drug to quit then herion.

Cigarettes cause lung cancer.

Cigarettes make you smell bad.

You can get at the very least irritable and at the worst violent if you don't get your fix.

Cigarettes are harmful to not only yourself but the people around you through 2nd hand smoke. And to clarify for the smokers who seem to not understand this, 2nd hand smoke is the unfiltered smoke that comes from the lit end of the cigarette which is more harmful then what you breathe through the filter.

Cigarette companies were shown to have lied to the public for decades about the effects and addiction that nicotine causes.

You make excuses for your addiction, spending your money on your addiction. Taking the legal aspect of cigarettes aside, what is the difference between cigarettes and an illegal, addictive substance? Please explain how what you do is different then what a crackhead does when justifying it?

Responder 4.....excuses. No answers though.

And to responder 1....I haven't been shoe shopping in a long time.


Oh and quitting cigarettes was just as easy as snapping my fingers. So, as someone who was playing the game....I can ask this question.

Answer 1

I am married to an alcoholic (who used to smoke but gave up fairly easily). He has had a horrible time as an addict, and went into rehab in January. There he was told that if an addict (for drink, or drugs, or gambling, or whatever) gave up their main addiction but was still smoking, they are much more likely to relapse. It seems that giving up smoking is the key to successfully giving up the other addictions.

I have hated my husband's drinking, for the damage it has done to him and our marriage. But I am profoundly grateful that I am not a 'primary' addict....my obsessions are about helping and caretaking, rather than using substances. I think it must be hell to be born with addictive tendencies, to know that the behaviour is so destructive and want to give up and yet be unable to do that.

I used to think addicts were 'bad' people, but now I have a very different attitude to them. I still don't like the behaviour - I hate cigarette smoke and drunks and people on drugs - but I do not hate the person, just the disease.

Most of my life I was rationalising my own behaviour (why I was staying with this hopeless drunk when any normal person would have walked out years ago), so I can understand why smokers make excuses. It's part of the disease.

Good question.

Answer 2

there is no difference thats the whole point. but from your question it seems pretty clear that you think excuses like its more addictive than heroin arent true. they are true, clinically proven. the fact is that cigarette smoking like any addiction is a disease. a disease that changes your brain chemistry. so quitting isnt that easy because physiologically your body wants the substance. then throw in the calming stress relieving aspects of nicotine and you can see why its also hard to quit behaviorally. think about it like this, if you have smoked for 20 years and typically have lit one up everytime you felt stressed out, then smoking becomes permanently associated with stress relief. so when you try to quit you have to battle both the behavioral patterns as well as the chemical addiction.

you make 1 valid point though, cigarettes as an addictive substance are no better than crack cocaine or heroin. the only difference is their legal classification. people treat nicotine differently than those drugs because its legal, but its legality is pretty arbitrary if you think about it and is facilitated by high paid and powerful lobbyists. that is why despite the proven health dangers cigarettes will never be relegated to the schedule of illegal drugs as it should be.

Answer 3

When I started smoking - a long time ago - it was socially acceptable - there were no warnings about cancer - or any helath problems. I gave up about 5 years ago - my biggest fear was, how was I going to manage without having a ciggie, it wasn't easy to give up - but I am very proud of myself that I did. Don't know were u r from - but they r stopping smoking in public places from July 07 over here in UK. Personally cannot wait. Although over here smokers have to pay a lot of money for cigarettes - it all goes into the tax coffers - apparently about £18 million is made in taxes on a DAILY basis.

Answer 4

Why are you questioning the technicalities of such a simple thing as addiction? Its addiction. Whether its nicotine, alcohol, sex, crack - whatever?! Why does it matter so much? My assumption is you are not a smoker. I myself am not a smoker. But why does it matter so much? Addiction is addiction is addiction. And lets say for a moment this all did matter...So what if smokers make excuses for their addiction? They are trying to make themselves feel better because they have obviously identified the flaw in smoking cigarettes! If thats the case, whats wrong with that? The next step would be to try to quit, but they're friggin addicted! Does this all make the smoker such a bad person that he/she doesnt deserve to be alive? Lay off of them man!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addiction

Answer 5

I'm not sure what you mean when you refer to excuses but addiction is a very powerful thing. I am a smoker and I would like to quit. I have tried several times and have not yet been successful. If you have never been addicted to anything, you cannot possibly know what it is like. Yes, I make a conscious decision to light every cigarette I smoke. I can't argue with that. But the addiction makes it immensely harder to make a rational decision. I would explain it like this. Imagine your in the desert and are dying of thirst. Now let's say there's pitchers of water all around you. Imagine trying not to drink any of the water. That's what addiction is like.

Answer 6

I smoked for 30 years,I did try to stop.Many times.
As you have said,it is more addictive then heroin.
On my own I could not,I prayed to stop.
But then one day ,I did.
Its been 5 years now.It is still a daily battle.
I have gained weight,and now people are mean about my weight.
It makes me want to blow smoke in their face.
But then I remember only ,insecure people make fun of others.
I am a beautiful,person inside and out.Now I smell beautiful too.
Don't judge another in the addiction,pray for them.<><

Answer 7

Nicotine is a harder drug to quit then herion.

You wonder why they make excuses? Non-smokers think you can quit just by snapping your fingers. It's very easy to be an expert when you're sitting in the stands.

Answer 8

When we were "Sitting in the stands we learned smoking was bad for you, so we didn't start! Because weak people can't follow directions, like "Don't smoke, its bad for you" everyone has to hear excuses. The smokers think smoking helps them when their having problems, yet when they finish smoking, guess what, problem still exists! That's weak!

Answer 9

I don't.i know i am addicted ,its horrible, i have Even slapped myself, for doing this terrible thing to my body, i take all kinds of herbs and vitamins and eat completely good foods and NO,I do this harm to my own body? why? why do it do this? i am utterly devoid of intelligence,an animal who seeks pleasure, from a plants smoke? weird is what i am. why God? why did i begin smoking. i am stupid, i quit for a year and wanted one all the time, badly so i went back, i am stupid, beyond belief

Answer 10

I can't agree more, alcohol is in the same catagory as cigarettes, Heroine, Marijauna, Crack and Coke!