Apparently Jason has been a non-smoker for large portions of time. And... a smoker for large portions of time, clearly. But his current smoking is more complicated, and he'd be the first to tell you he knows there's an addiction portion to it, but also a huge mental component and that's what he's been struggling with (stress and all, etc.)
Anyway, this is not to go on about Jason smoking or me being with someone who smokes when I hate it and blah blah blah, this is about my fascination with the social-psychological aspect of giving up smoking.
Jason has already noticed, just after a couple of days an improvement in his lungs, and his roommates said they even noticed he's coughing less. This fascinates me! That stopping inhaling the smoke of cigarettes (even though he's still having a few here and there) has made that significant of a difference to his lungs that people are noticing.
What he's struggling with, though, is really really wanting a cigarette. He's not sure why, because it's not about the nicotine, so it's about something mental.
Which frustrates him, and fascinates me.
Is it the routine? The habit? I do this and while I'm doing it I have a smoke? I smoke when I feel this? Think this? Is it the ritual? The flavour? What is it that he's having such a hard time with?
He said he hadn't planned on quitting real cigarettes cold turkey with this vaporizor thing vaperizor? vaporizer? (spell check likes that last one the best, so let's go with that) but to wean off. I wonder if he'll ever be at a point where he won't want an actual cigarette here or there socially. I have no idea.
But it's been interesting to watch him struggle with really, really, REALLY wanting a cigarette and knowing it's not a nicotine issue.
We humans are super interesting. And super weird.
2 comments:
I suspect its every thing you listed. Routine and habit are a big part of it. It's also a ritual (watch what happens when something disrupts the normal way someone lights a cigarette). There's community, too - you belong to a group ("smokers") that now seems more unique than non-smokers. There's also a good portion of denial ("I'm not addicted to the nicotine." Oh, then why are you using nicotine gum, nicotine vapor, etc.) about the addiction, and the societal belief that it's all just about willpower. To be fair, I've never heard anyone say it's the taste, but I have heard folks talk about the smell (particularly for cigars).
After growing up with parents who were heavy smokers, and being around smokers most of my life, I've concluded that no one quits smoking. They just take breaks. Some folks take breaks that last a very long time. Some folks take breaks that last 20 minutes. But they never stop, on some level, wanting another drag.
In any case, we are a very weird species.
Fair enough.
And yes....we're so weird! ;)
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