I’ve never been addicted to cigarettes, though I’ve smoked many at varying frequencies throughout my adult life. I’m not sure why, but even when I would chain-smoke for weeks to get through finals, I had no problem stopping and no cravings afterward.
I do struggle with drinking, but I come from a family with a lot of alcoholism so I knew before I started that it was something to watch out for, and that vigilance has helped me keep it in check (mostly). Weed has been similar, though it’s a lot less worrying as an addiction.
My worst addictions are fortunately fairly benign: TV, video games, internet trash. They’re limiting, but they’re also fairly socially acceptable. But as cravings they feel the same way booze feels: the need, the tug, the surge of blessed dopamine, the “just one more”. And the prospect of quitting feels like breaking up, like losing a friend or family member, a part of my identity.
Thankfully, they won’t kill me, they just stunt my personal and professional development.
I think I was unclear when I answered the question. I would not say that I smoke. I’ve never smoked regularly for more than a couple months at a stretch, and usually much less; a few packs to get me through the late nights churning out final papers, but that would only last a week, maybe two, then I’d go another semester without buying a pack. I bum cigarettes when I’m hanging out with smokers, which is rare, maybe a few times a year.
I did vape consistently for a few months this year, but I stopped when my daughter was born without any problem. Vapes are significantly preferable to cigarettes, but I enjoy both and crave neither.
Yes, Amen, yet “Though it’s a lot less worrying as an addiction?” An addiction nonetheless right? Yet I’ve never seen marijuana as lethal myself… Ever.
I feel as though it’s a more lenient addiction than any other smoke drug.
5 - 8 dollars for 20 cigarettes (resp.: 25 - 40 cents for 1 cigarette) - that is quite expensive, especially if one compares that price with the price of the past.