Do you think your actually addicted to smoking?

Raging_Bulls":3o9wyehr said:

Isaac_AG":3o9wyehr said:

AS? sorry for my obtuseness,but what is that?

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Aperger Syndrome

videojetman":3o9wyehr said:

i hate seeing someone throw their life away for the sake of a cigarette.

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Yet you walk around in cities, surround yourself with toxic materials, use cellphones despite all the radiation, etc etc.

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There has yet to be any real proof that mobile phones have any negative properties, all old evidence has been shown to be false.

Smoking has been proven to kill, just like asbestos, I'm concentrating on whether smoking is really addictive or habitual. I have grown up with learning disabilities I failed at school in a way you couldn't believe, when i was a teen I was doing word association to read, I was incapable of social interaction, I took everything at face value and could not see a joke, just thought they meant it literally, even now I can't spell without checking every word, I still cannot make friends because I am socially inadequate, I am insular because I don't know how to interact and am afraid of being in social situations. Yet smoking still was just a means to in health and was not something that caused a true addiction.

I'm not trying to say anything against your AS but I don't thing that having a socially restricted condition causes a problem with giving up smoking.

Alison

The one thing that I might add, that addiction is physiological and as such is easy to get through, very tough if you are an alcoholic or a drug user, but relatively short lived, a matter of weeks. The habit of drinking , smoking and drug taking is the hardest to crack, although for some like me, a matter of weeks with a fake ciggy, but years for some, in the end it's just a habit that your breaking not an addiction.

Alison

Isaac_AG":3lrup4ry said:

The one thing that I might add, that addiction is physiological and as such is easy to get through, very tough if you are an alcoholic or a drug user, but relatively short lived, a matter of weeks. The habit of drinking , smoking and drug taking is the hardest to crack, although for some like me, a matter of weeks with a fake ciggy, but years for some, in the end it's just a habit that your breaking not an addiction.

Alison

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i do see where you are coming from with your views,
but having a brother who went from being dependant upon smack, coke etc to being dependant upon methodone, and spending many years stealing pain killers from our arthritic ridden mother, seeing her suffer daily, and decimating my record collection etc.
i think some people are just too weak willed to be arsed changing, even at the expense of the ones they love.

videojetman":g0muru7y said:

Isaac_AG":g0muru7y said:

The one thing that I might add, that addiction is physiological and as such is easy to get through, very tough if you are an alcoholic or a drug user, but relatively short lived, a matter of weeks. The habit of drinking , smoking and drug taking is the hardest to crack, although for some like me, a matter of weeks with a fake ciggy, but years for some, in the end it's just a habit that your breaking not an addiction.

Alison

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i do see where you are coming from with your views,
but having a brother who went from being dependant upon smack, coke etc to being dependant upon methodone, and spending many years stealing pain killers from our arthritic ridden mother, seeing her suffer daily, and decimating my record collection etc.
i think some people are just too weak willed to be arsed changing, even at the expense of the ones they love.

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That is so sad, I'm sorry anyone has to go through that, least of all your mum, Your family is really struggling right now and you ave my sympathy. My mum ran a home for the homeless and some sorry drug related cases came through her door, they even tried closing the only roof they had available to them.

Alison

Toxic materials ... let's start with most types of plastics, which tend to contain acrylonitrile. Not so much a problem most of the time, but highly toxic when it comes into contact with flames. We had a bit of that go up in flames last week during a train wreck. The exposure will most likely cause several dozen deaths in the next ten years due to its carcinogenic nature.
Not much of a risk, you'd think. However a lot of plastic is burnt in and near cities all the time. Long-term exposure to minimal amounts is still a potential killer.

Sticking with plastics, how about Bisphenol A ? Used in food packaging, water bottles, baby bottles etc for ages. Lately they're starting to ban it because it turns out to be toxic and there are too many concerns about illness due to long-term exposure.

More plastics : Phthalates are now being phased out of soft plastics (water bottles on your bikes anyone?) because as plastic ages it releases so much phthalate that the hormone levels can be disturbed, potentially causing birth defects.

Another nice one is MDF, a wood-based material often used indoors to create false ceilings, walls, etc etc. It contains plenty of formaldehyde, which is known to be a carcinogenic.
Not only is it highly dangerous while working on it because of the fine dust, the offgassing will pollute the air inside your home for years to come. People suggest painting it to prevent this, but paint isn't a sealant and you can never cover every side of it perfectly.

I could go on a while longer, but I think you get the idea. Just about everything around you is bad for your health in some way and to some degree. Every single thing poses little risk, but combine them and it's a cocktail that kills millions every year.

As for mobile phones, it's still open for debate. Some studies suggest that there's no danger, others still link it to the increasing amount of brain tumors (both benign and cancerous).

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Alison,

There's a little more to it than just a social restriction. However this post is long enough already. It's almost 3 o'clock here.

life is dangerous..the alternative is death, also dangerous!

well i work in the plastics industry and deal with some nasty chemicals.
i believe a healthy diet & exercise regime will offset the minimal effects of most plastics.
plus i have worked with plastics most of my working life.
i have no worries at all with plastics.
life is a risk we all take.
if i spent time worrying about the effects whats in the environments i'd never get out or have a life.
i happen to live in a highly polluted area of the north west of england.
very common for all sorts of health issues.
one of the most basic things for good well being is the humble bicycle.
i believe in the last 5 years my health has been greatly improved due to the use of my bike.
plus living without alcohol & habit forming substances.
although i have a tendency to over indulge with cakes.

I ran out of baccy one night and just decided to stop smoking.

alan carr's book makes you realise just how gullible and stupid you are.

helped me loads

i am still stupid though

To expand on my comment about Alan's book it explains that nicotine is one of the most physically addictive substances on the planet (more so than Crack or Heroin) but it's withdrawal only last a number of hours, in fact while you are asleep you have gone through the worst 90% of it. So with that in mind it show you that NRT (which is also still a big earner for the gov in VAT) is actually a waste of time and money and a big scam by the pharmaceutical companies as it sells for similar prices to Cigs but isn't any more expensive to produce and isn't taxed as heavily. The psychological addiction or habit (hand to mouth for 3 or 4 minutes periodically) is the thing that is harder to break and is missed and is not helped by NRT (apart from e-cigs).
When I gave up I had tried several ways including, cutting down, the NRT route (which made me feel ill) and the book (which helped and set me up for the final successful attempt). In the end I psyched myself up for about 6 months telling myself I was going to get seriously ill soon and then just stopped (15 a day rollies to nothing). I haven't touched one since, it was pretty easy really and the smell now turns my stomach.

Carl.