Oriphiel

Sure, some people benefit from that mentality. But for the vast majority of addicts, giving them advice along the lines of "Just commit and do it" is like a slap to their face. It's completely useless (do you really think they're not trying?) and only serves to dishearten them. In fact, giving people advice like that often causes them to fall further into addiction, as they truly start to believe that it's completely their fault for not immediately seeing results, and that they lack the strength to get out of it. In reality, beating an addiction is much more complicated than this advice makes light of, and it shouldn't be reduced to a "get over it" mentality.

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DwnWthVwls

Exactly. Half the people who say "Oh boy I really want to quit smoking" just say it because they know they probably should but really enjoy it and have no desire to actually do so. Also, I've never met an addict who's over come their struggle without a full on commitment, they may slip and fall but they still get up and try again. It's hard as f*ck and the only way you beat it is just doing it. The "O just one little hit" addicts may get less worse but they never recover.

And for the record, I started smoking when I was 14, never reached a pack a day, but I still kill about a pack a month. I enjoy it, and will probably never quit but I try to moderate it.

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I don't got a god complex, you got a simple god...

Frownland

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Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth.

Neapolitan

Well, I guess what Vwls meant was that person has to be totally resolute never to return to smoking before quitting, if someone goes about saying they will but knowing in the back of their mind they probably have a smoke, well that's more like temporary quitting. I don't think he is underscoring people who return to smoking. I think he is more pointing out how much it is a battle of the will to quit.

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DwnWthVwls

Yeh! Nea and Christian got me back. Thanks fellas!

When Nea agrees I know I'm right.

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yungtomselleck

I quit cold turkey and it worked okay for me. Only reason I wanted to smoke was because boredom but i got over the urges. Smoked heavily for 7 years

Oriphiel

When you say something like "a smoker has to be totally resolute never to return to smoking before quitting", you're making a mistake. You're assuming that these smokers are thinking and behaving in a rational way that is completely within their control. However, the entire premise of an addiction is that you don't have control anymore, and your dependancy on substances overpowers your mental functions. The fact is, no matter what someones' circumstances are (if they are dead serious about quitting, if they have a loving family, if continuing with their habit is showing signs of killing them, etc.), chances are that they will fail to quit on their first try (anywhere from 60-80 percent will return to smoking). And once someone fails to quit on their first try (which is the most likely outcome), people saying things like "it's because you weren't serious/strong enough to quit" makes them feel like hopeless human garbage, which is one of the main reasons for why someone becomes far less likely to quit if they can't break the habit on their first attempt.

Time and again in behavioral studies, positive/empathetic reinforcement (Ex: "I believe in you", "you can do this", "just ask if you need any help") does wonders for boosting someone's self-esteem and improves their ability to accomplish difficult goals, even when they're going through something as erratic and unpredictable as an addiction. On the other hand, negative/apathetic reinforcement (Ex: "It's your fault", "Get over it", "I don't care") either does nothing, or actually makes it less likely for the recipient to achieve their goals. I understand DwnWthVwls intentions, but he's giving the type of advice that hurts more people than it will ever help.

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Chula Vista

I'm actually kinda shocked by how many of the younger folks around here smoke considering how much it costs and the well known health issues.

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Plankton

I smoked for over 30 years and quit using the tried and true Vowels method. I lost track of how many days it's been, but it's been about 6 weeks or so. I'm 48 and I need to start taking better care of myself, and breathing became difficult at times. Riding became almost impossible to do for any length of time. It was getting serious, so I decided it was time. Smoking is pointless anyway, and I've always understood that it is, but as a teen I wanted to fit in with the cool kids, so smoking was one way to look cool without actually having to be cool, and thus the habit formed. I know addiction. I know it very well. I won't go into details here on a public forum, but I wouldn't wish some of what I've been through on my worst enemy. Quitting smoking was easy compared to some of it.

...and people that think they've quit because they vape now are just mind fucking themselves. I have a few friends that swear they don't smoke anymore. Sure, THATS true, but you're still a slave to nicotine.

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DwnWthVwls

You like to take words and twist them to suit your argument. Your still not getting the intention behind my words. You should try asking questions instead of inserting your own interpretation of peoples words on them.

Lemme ask you this. How much experience do you actually have with addicts? You look young, I assume not much.

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