I started smoking a couple of months ago and now I think I'm addicted, I don't know what to do?

Question

I started smoking a couple of months ago ... at first it was just with friends who smoke and then a little on my own, but not every day. Now, I go out to smoke a couple of cigarettes as soon as I wake up and take smoke breaks every couple of hours. I think I might be addicted, I really don't want to quit, but I don't want to wind up being a life long smoker and getting lung cancer. Would there be much harm in waiting a couple more months to quit? Could I be addicted this soon?

Answer 1

Yes, you are addicted. Cigarettes are highly addictive, rivaled only by cocaine and heroin. Isn't it crazy how you find yourself in this position, seemingly out of nowhere? I just quit smoking 5 days ago, I had been smoking for about 9 months. At this point you can't quit, simply because you don't want to. That is the most important thing, you have to honestly WANT to quit, even though you already know you should. If you are smoking regulars and are thinking of cutting down to lights, I wouldn't recommend it. You'll just smoke twice as many cigarettes to get the same amount of nicotine. I feel cigarettes is something you have to quit cold turkey. Start just thinking about it today. Think about when it will be hard to refrain from smoking, such as when you wake up or driving somewhere (my personal struggle). Also think about and get a plan for what you will do the day you quit. I STRONGLY recommend that you take a one day vacation from as much of life as you can. You shouldn't work this day, or have any pressing issues at hand. On my first day I woke up, drank some water and had a light breakfast (fatty foods or sugar/caffeine will make you crave a smoke more), and watched movies and surfed the net ALL DAY. I kept my mind off everything, and actually made it a point to be as lazy as possible. You will be tired by the end of the first day (even though you've been lazy), and you will have a great night sleep, free of nicotine. The next day will be much easier, and you will feel yourself breaking free. Your sense of smell gets better, your gums stop aching, and man I don't know why but music sounds awesome to me now, so much clearer! Honestly, it's just that first day. You will have cravings here and there, but you will notice almost euphoric feelings here and there as well. That is your brain getting adequate oxygen again!! Your spirits will rise after ther first day, and given that you haven't been smoking that long, you should be able to kill the addiction. Now you just have to want it.

Answer 2

If you don't want to quit, you won't. If you wait for some other day to do what you could do today, that day will never come. It's a simple as making a choice. You seem to be continually choosing to smoke. If you don't want to smoke, make that choice. What do you want people to say or do? You have to make your own choices. If you started smoking a few monthes ago and you are where you are now, where do you think you will be in a few monthes from now? Do you think it will be easier to quit in a few monthes when you'll probably be smoking more than you are now?

edit: I smoked a pack a day for 7-8 years. I tried things like the patch, cutting holes in the filters, gum, etc. The only thing that worked was deciding I didn't want to smoke anymore. A quick comment about the patch, you would not give a heroin addict more heroin to break their heroin addiction. Nicotine is supposedly more addicting than heroin. Why give a nicotine addict more nicotine?

Answer 3

Yes you are already addicted. That's the thing with cigarettes and nicotine, One minute your just messing around having one here or there and the next thing you know you are a full time smoker and you didn't see it coming. When I was younger I was so against smoking and then when I was 24 I started having one or two here and there and now, 18 years later I smoke a pack and a half to two packs a day. It pisses me off to know how I allowed myself to be blindsided by smoking. I want to quit but it is hard. I would suggest finding a way NOW to stop since it is fairly new for you. The years, cigarettes, packs and life tick by fast. Good Luck !!

Answer 4

Yes, you could be addicted this soon. Stop now. The longer you wait to stop the HARDER it will be to quit. My dad passed away from lung cancer at 52 (he was a smoker), my sister in law has inoperable lung cancer (she was a smoker) and was told she had 2 months to 2 years to live (she has two young sons) and a patient came into the hospital where I work and layed her head down on my desk and CRIED because she was just diagnosed with emphysema at 36 years old (yes, she smoked too). I don't know what the youngest age is to get cancer and other smoke related diseases, but I don't think you want to be the next statistic. Do you?

Answer 5

I have been smoking for 10 years. Today I bought the patch and have decided to quit. I'm 31 and really think it is time. The longer you wait the harder it will be to quit. It's a good idea to quit ASAP. It may be hard, but you will appreciate it when you are older. Try the patch or nicotine inhaler, even Welbutrin is suppose to take the edge off. Some doctors will prescribe it so it isn't too expensive. Good luck.

Answer 6

Yes you are addicted, because you don't want to quit. The harm in smoking and continuing to smoke is that you are right now, developing lung problems. Some people, like my brother, develop asthma right away. Some people don't. It's like playing Russan Roulette. You are putting deadly and harmful chemicals into your body. Stop now. The addiction is going to get worse.

Answer 7

You are addicted. Nicotine is harder to quit than heroine. That is a scientfic fact. You were addcited by time to started smoking alone. Go through the cigarettes out now, and have the will power to quit. The first 3 days are the hardest. You may even think about NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therepy). The patch, wellbutrin pill, inhaler etc...

Remember you use to be a non smoker. Find that person again. Good luck

Answer 8

Your addicted. I have smoked for over 20 years. You need to stop. It is not healthy and the longer you smoke the harder it is. You develop physical and chemical additions to smoking. I have been on patches, pills, gum you name it ive tried it and it is almost impossible to stop. I can do it a few days at a time but then I go back. And you don't have to smoke for a long time to get lung cancer and you don't even have to smoke to get lung cancer.

Answer 9

my sister had the exact same problem!!! she was about...um...16 when she started smoking and she was SO addicted!!! i mean we didn't think she would ever stop! but then she got pregnant with my newphew and she just stopped and we were all in shock! but after she had him, it started up again! then i told her to put down that cigarette and start doing things to get smoking off her mind! she started doing more things to keep her mind OFF of smoking like going to movies, going swimming, going shopping even and she was so busy that she just didn't have time for smoking! so just get out there and do stuff and it was hard at first for her but she got through it! she hasn't smoked a cigarette in a whole year! and i know you can do the same!!! hopped i helped you! and good luck!

Answer 10

The longer you wait to quit, the harder it will be to quit. Please take some advice from a smoker, and quit now before you can't. I, too, started smoking as a peer pressure thing, to make myself look cool when I was like 15; now I am 32, and I am having the hardest time quitting. My mother, who also started smoking at age 16 was diagnosed with emphysema about 5 years ago and is on oxygen; it is a painful and slow means to die...but, even as I am watching her die, it has been hard to quit smoking. Gee, and to think I started smoking to "be cool."