Home     Contact Us    
Main Board Job Seeker's Board Job Wanted Board Resume Bank Company Board Word Help Medquist New MTs Classifieds Offshore Concerns VR/Speech Recognition Tech Help Coding/Medical Billing
Gab Board Politics Comedy Stop Health Issues
ADVERTISEMENT




Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

cig smoking is EXACTLY like heroin addiction.....

Posted By: smoker here.....have not bought...sm on 2007-02-16
In Reply to: All I can say is stay on her butt as long - Sharmz

filters cut off for more strength....to answer your question.


I wish someone had stopped me - folks gave permission at a young age....because they were smokers.....I have never quit except in pregnancy....but I quit buying over 3-1/2 months ago, still smoke but ask others for one....and I cut back smoking by 75 percent and THAT's something because I no longer even cough the way I used to, my house smells GREAT (smoking outside only).....and I sound better (because I really am better - health-wise).


It is MOST definitely a drug addiction, as bad as any of them, as addicting as any of them........so the post was right on about *hearing it is as strong as a heroin addiction* - I tell kids today, that's exactly what it is...........................because it is.


My only suggestion is to show her pictures (found online even, just Google the subject/topic/question) of what lungs look like in smokers versus nonsmokre, and then find some head and neck surgical oncology site and start showing her pictures there (I worked in a surgical oncology HEAD AND NECK dept for a few years and what I saw was definitely sickening and yet, I too, still smoke *slaps self*)


My children (due to the fact I used above tactics) - NEVER smoked (thank goodness!!!!).


Best of luck to her and you!!! 





Complete Discussion Below: marks the location of current message within thread

The messages you are viewing are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select the boards given in left menu


Other related messages found in our database

I agree-cigs worse addiction than pot, like heroin!
.
So is it sex addiction, or porn addiction? (sm)
Seems like there is a difference. How would one become a therapist for the stars with sex addiction? LOL.
Maybe she's back on heroin? lol
x
How about that guy on crack and heroin that won 27 million and blew it all
or should I say snorted/shot it all. That story was so unbelievable it was almost like it was set up as an experiment. Yikes.
Addiction
Ex sister-in-law was addicted to cocaine, and she did incredibly stupid/dangerous things all the time. I am not surprised LL did not get a driver, judgment is totally impaired when you are addicted to coke. That is why she is my EX-sister-in-law
Electronics addiction
It is real, and my DH has a bad case.

I've been married 20 years. For the first 10 years, with each purchase I always thought he finally had everything and he'd stop trading up. No - it never ends. He does take some things back (and yet always forgets to safe-keep the receipt). He tries to tell me my cheap OTC makeup and $20-clothes are the same thing, but electronics are so expensive and unnecessary to me that it does get annoying that he has such an expensive hobby. It's as if THAT's the reason I'm working - to support his addiction. Sigh.
It's never the end.
HBO series on addiction sm
HBO had an excellent series on addiction.It may be available on the Net someplace. They have what is called the *go* factor in the brain, etc. which stimulates the need for alcohol or drugs. I have attended many different lectures on this and it is very confusing. All I know is that it happens in the very best of families, drugs, alcohol, any feel good addiction can happen to anyone. I have a hard time dealing with it myself since some of my nearest and dearest have problems. All one can do is take good care of themselves and lead by example. This time of year seems to bring it all out - I used to dread Christmas and the loose lips that sink ships, one too many drinkers can ruin a holiday! It's funny in the movies but not in real life, it is a disaster. No one needs to apologize, glad the subject came up, it's a good *remember when* for me. I stopped buying booze several years ago and it is surprising how my guest list has shortened, thank goodness! I feel my life has improved for the better since alcohol is not on my holiday menu. You have to start someplace, why now with your own home sweet home? No more booze served here. A lot of us have walked that walk, it's a tough one.
computer addiction
see below.
to irritated/porn addiction?

Wow, you sure are trusting after seeing such a big change in behavior.  I hope you don't get what I got:  the greatest guy I could've wanted (good, prominent family, $, respect, the works).   I won't fill in all the frills I got, but they were plenty, and I thought I was set. for life.  And yes, he did love me dearly.


The thing I came to learn was that he had a porn addiction.  It's something I've never experienced, and really hadn't typed about, either.  I'm no fool, and had been with plenty of men before him, as we got married later than most, but this was a first for me.  In the end it ruined our marriage.   My point is that when you see strange things happen, don't poo-poo it.  Only you know if something is amiss, and I believe you do.  I hope I'm wrong, and I certainly hope you don't have to face what I did.  It sickens me to think about the details of all that chapter, but now that we're no longer "one," I know that I can't fix him, and as long as he doesn't acknowledge his problem, he won't, either.  Ironically, even now I'd be as supportive as possible if he were to shed the demons that are eroding him to his core, but he'll be the first to tell the world that there's nothing wrong with him.


Just something to think about.  I hope you don't end up the way I did.  I'm just glad I don't have all that anxiety anymore, and we're actually friends (or something like that).


Good luck.


Yes - he checked himself in rehab for sex addiction
nm
I was simply stating what my sweet addiction is and what
my not sweet addiction is.
My husband is an alcoholic currently in rehab for his addiction.

Our marriage has suffered terribly because of his addiction.  Actually, I should say my love for him has suffered terribly because of his alcoholism.  He is totally dependent on me and I have come to feel more like his mother than his wife.  I make the money, pay the bills, take care of our children, basically run the house.  He's either always looking for a job or working as a self-employed used engine and transmission salesman/mechanic barely making any money at all.


Recently, I told him I didn't love him anymore and that I was tired of taking care of him.  So he entered rehab as a way to win me back and prove his love for me.  He calls me at least 20 times a day from rehab.  If I don't answer, he will call repeatedly every two minutes or so until someone answers or he has to go back to group or class or whatever. 


He will get out of rehab at the end of this month and fully expects to come back home and provie that he is changing.  My problem is this, I don't want him to come home.  I have enjoyed the peace I've had with him gone (save for the constant phone calls).  However, I fear that if I am honest with him and tell him over the phone that I don't want him back, this will affect his sobriety and basically he will see no reason to finish rehab and remain sober.  He tells me repeatedly that he is doing this for me.  I've told him he should be doing it for himself or at the very least, his kids and he will just agree with me and change the subject.


He's not a bad person.  He just has his problems and I'm tired of feeling like I have this anchor around my neck all of the time.  While he's been gone I've enjoyed spending time with my kids.  I've gotten together with my girlfriends for dinner and movies and just had girls' night out.  I've spent time visiting my mom and sister and helping my niece plan her upcoming wedding.  Without my husband around, I've just feel free to have fun and do stuff for me.


How can I tell him that I want a divorce without feeling responsible for affecting his rehabilitation?  How would you handle it?


Ancestry.Com Needs a Surgeon General's Addiction Warning Box
Is to get one of those Ancestry charts online where you put in each person in a family tree. You can then click on 2 people's names and see exactly how they're related to each other.
Look down on smoking...you said it!
I feel like such a loser sometimes, when I am with others and I'm the only one who has to go find a place where I can have a cigarette. You cannot even smoke outside anymore at certain places, hospital grounds etc., unless you go to the dreaded designated *loser* smoking spot which is usually 1/2 mile away and very obvious (one had a smoking gazebo) :) Happy for you. I'm going to try Chantix too.
smoking
Stick with it!! Believe me you will feel better in the long run! I quit about 8 yrs ago now.
smoking
Did you ask your doc for the new pill that just came out. I can remember exactly what it is called but I have a girlfriend on them and it is working great. Give it a shot!!
Smoking sm

I can only tell you a true story. My younger sister smoked (I never did) and she would try to stop but each time a stressful situation would occur, she would pick up again. At a young age, she was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer, never even had a cough and she looked great! She lived exactly 17 months, the charts said 18. By the 2nd month of DX the young docs told her, "nursing home or Hospice, you can't lay around here." This was when she had a high fever and reaction to chemo. She lost her hair, gained about 30 pounds, etc.from chemo reaction. She died penniless and heartbroken. She was only a year retired early from a great job and had the rest of her life to look forward to, yet cigarettes robbed her of her family, her dignity, her retirement fund, and now she's in the cold, cold ground, all because she "needed" a cigarette. She wanted to retire early and enjoy her 401K retirement plan and her kids. Her daughter just had a beautiful baby and no mother to share the news. Her grandchildren have no grandmother and I have no sister anymore. She just had to have that cigarettte and would listen to no one. Her oncologist told her, "Go ahead and smoke, what difference does it make now?" Is this what you want for yourself? It's the bare naked truth, please, I would rather you cut off your fingers than smoke, at least you would still be alive. Cigarettes STINK and they KILL. Don't let it happen one more day.


I


So that's a yes on the smoking, then.

Of course it has everything to do with it.


smoking
That's a difficult situation. Legally you can do nothing against her, that's bad. I hope the smoke detectors are well maintained? You can try to talk some sense into her, but I doubt it will help.
The only solution would be that you move into a building where the owner forbids smoking. There are some sensible landlords out there who want to keep their houses smokefree.
But, as you said, that's difficult for you.
Try to convince her to stop smoking or cut down by telling her how bad it is for her health.
There should be 'houses for smokers', stinkers, and 'houses for nonsmokers', nonstinkers.
I have the same problem. I am a nonsmoker and live on the 1st floor, under and on above me both are smokers and I tell you, it stinks!
Smoking outside stores
I don't like people smoking outside stores either. They stand right by the door so you have to hold your breath and go through the smoke cloud. Unlike the other things mentioned, that does invade my personal space with secondhand smoke exposure.
No smoking pills?
Has anyone taken the drug Chantix for smoking? My son has been taking this and he and his wife haven't slept in a week. She says he is not acting like himself...I don't smoke so I don't have a clue what its like.

The smoking might have to be done outside if the laws there say
s
15 yo smoking question
I found a pack of cigarettes in my 15-yo son's back pack.  He said he was holding them for a neighbor.  I kind of believe him but regardless he is under 18 and should not be in possession of them.  What kind of consequences do you think are appropriate?
Trying to stop smoking
I haven't smoked today! I am trying to quit. Have tried several times before, but this time I have to do it!
There's a little difference with smoking, though.
Your second-hand smoke is harmful to others and the environment.

Alcohol kills more people than just those who ingest it.

Obesity only kills the person suffering from it.

Rude to comment on it? Maybe. Then again, everyone who has to put up with the butts on the ground, the second-hand smoke, the nicotine stains and the stench of it clinging to you as you walk into the building -- well, I guess they do have a right to comment.
Today is my second day not smoking
You may want to give it another try.  It make cigarettes taste terrible.  I think that it only takes 3 days for the physical withdrawal to be over and then it is the emotional part and the habit you need to kick.  I decided to quit because I saw the show Intervention and this kid got hooked on heroine after his mother died of cancer and that really hit me and I realized that my life is not only mine, but that of my family's as well.  It was funny because yesterday it seemed that whenever I had the urge for a smoke, I would get a note of someone who had lung cancer.  Good luck to you. I defintely feel your pain.  People who have never smoked just don't get it.  Give it another try with Chantix.  I have to say that the only problem with it is that I can't sleep at night, but I took a Xanax last night and slept better, not well, but better.  It will be worth it in the end when I am a nonsmoker and don't have the threat of lung cancer looming over me.  Good luck.
While I don't proport smoking, I'm not sure

asking this information on an insurance form should be allowed.  We already deny many Americans affordable health coverage because of obesity and other medical problems.  What's next?  Asking how many foods we microwave or how long we talk on a cell phone (supposedly these cause cancer, too)? We already ask the obvious questions - smoking, drinking, exercise.  They have you weigh in and ask every question imaginable about your family medical history.


How are we supposed to obtain coverage if we're not in perfect health, and let's face it, how many Americans are in perfect health?  I was watching Celebrity Fit Club on TV and I looked at some of the people on there and thought what's wrong with them, only to find out their body fat percentage was 2 points over norm.  Come on America -- this is just another way to keep us from having healthcare coverage.  No, I'm not a smoker, just a concerned American wondering about the future of my health insurance. 


Smoking at school
My high school had an area called the "smoke hole" where, if you had a "smoking permit", you could go during lunch or breaks and smoke! I think about that now and it just amazes me that kids were allowed to smoke at school.  We called the people that went there the "smokeholians"...too weird now!
quitting smoking
You are correct to be afraid. Quitting smoking is excruciatingly painful. You have to re-train your brain to do every single daily activity without smoking. And the cravings never go away.

Skullcap, Gingseng, and Valerian are extremely useful, so you don't have to suffer if you don't want to.

The sore throat alone from the first week of quitting will scare you to death.

You will need to eat and exercise to get the energy you get from cigarettes, and it will take awhile to learn how to take better care of yourself.

Why is it worth it? You aren't a slave anymore, you can go anywhere, colors you see are more intense, all foods taste different, smells are different and more intense, (and sex is more intense also).

You can quit anything if you can stand the pain. Don't be a wimp, you are worth it.
Quitting Smoking Again
I was wondering if any of you have any tips for quitting smoking without gaining weight. That is my biggest fear as I am already overweight. Thanks in advance!
quitting smoking
I gained 10 pounds I never lost, but not more than that. I used to skip meals when I smoked so I think that is self-explanatory.

Apples and fruit for snacks and quick energy.

I bought an espresso machine, but the mocha grandes I was drinking made my eyes vibrate....not kidding.

Siberian Gingseng to remove fogged brain, depression, and fatigue.

Skullcap for mild irritation.

Skullcap combined with Valerian for psychotic irritation.

Gas-X to combate the effects of constant gum chewing.

Long walks, deep breathing and YOGA. Yoga is amazing....

Smoking either boosts you up or calms you down. Figure out which it is and you can substitute for that need without eating.
Assume the smoking outside will not last. sm
I've lived with smokers. They all say they'll only do it outside. They ALL eventually revert to doing it inside. Especially when you are the only non-smoker. Consider how this will affect you. They may be awesome, but they're awesome smokers.
I took it to quit smoking...
and can't say that I noticed any effects whatsoever, except that it did help me quit smoking.
congrats on the no smoking!!!!
I am not that broke, but next paycheck I need $800 for the car payment and window and door loan. Also need about 200 for food for the following 2 weeks until the next payday... so bout a grand, but the check will only be 700.  HMMM, Live without food and will still owe 100 to someone.  Thank God I do not have to put gas in the car.
That is a little overboard. Smoking is not
illegal. I would think CPS would tell her to stop wasting their time.
DS smoking pot last night.

Last night, he and his friend smoked in his room and blew the smoke out the window, trying to be sneaky, not realizing that it would waft up and come in the upper deck screen door! We calmly confronted them, they admitted it, DS handed over his paraphanalia, a homemade bong out of a soda can, the rest of his stash (just a couple buds), and we called the other kids parents, who promptly came over and we had a group discussion around the kitchen table, after which the other kid and his parents went home .


DS is grounded from his phone, computer, house phone, all friends and activities until further notice. When he does have an activity, he will be highly monitored and supervised. His freedoms are greatly curtailed. He also will be doing more work on the retaining wall we are building in the back yard. We're not sure yet what else will be a consequence, but I have a friend who is a rehab nurse in a chem dependancy unit, so we may chat with her.


Besides making bad choices and stupid decisions, what REALLY makes me angry is that he was using his SIXTY DOLLAR trumpet mouthpieces for bowls. What a bonehead.


My 16-year-old daughter smoking

I have known for about a year that my daughter has been smoking from time to time.  I made it very clear to her that this was very unacceptable and absolutely would not be tolerated. 


Apparently she has done a very good job at hiding it.  Tonight when I was putting socks into her sock drawer, for some reason I decided to push aside her socks and, of course, I found a cigarette, but the filter had been cut off.  I also saw several filters that had been cut off in her drawer.  I asked her about it a little bit ago and naturally she stormed upstairs and wouldn't discuss it with me.  This may sound incredibly naive, but I really don't know why the filters were cut off?  Maybe to make the cigarette stronger?  This thought makes me sick to my stomach. 


I am at a loss here.  She is a pretty good girl, an honor roll student, has lots of friends, but still loves to spend time with her family.  I have grounded her in the past for this, but apparently that didn't get my point across.  I would love to hear from parents with teenagers who have been through this before and have suggestions on how to deal with this.  Also, I'm almost afraid to ask, but any ideas why the filters were cut off the cigarettes? 


 


Georgia has a no public smoking law...sm
and it's great going to restaurants, stores, etc without smelling cigarettes. Restaurants can only allow smokers if they don't admit anyone under age 18 and they have to have a ventilation system that meets a certain strict criteria with the state.
So you're quitting smoking?
Since nicotine is a drug, and you are giving up a habit that involves deep breathing, it actually makes perfect sense if you are starting to have anxiety. I'll bet if you took up exercising like yoga or pilates or some sort of martial arts, you'd get a similar calming effect.
Using the patch for smoking cessation SM
I do not smoke, but just wanted to tell you that my hairstylist has tried to quit smoking twice with no success. She just told me on Tuesday evening that she is on a nicotine patch and she is just thrilled. She said she cannot believe how it has helped. She said it is expensive, but well worth it. She has not smoked now for over 3 weeks and says that she is not even missing it She just seems so much happier now, and she has taken such a positive step that her boyfriend is also on the patch and doing great. Can't speak for myself, but please, please for your health and the health of those around you, give it a try. You are worth it!
Talking to me about my smoking may lead
to burn marks on your forehead as I put out my cigarette. Oh, was that your head?
I miss smoking pot, tho would never go back.
Miss cigarettes, too.
Funny, my HS had a smoking area too- sm
though they got rid of it when I was a senior, not that I cared, and only seniors were allowed to use it....one of the senior perks like driving and we also had a senior lounge. I don't remember calling the smokers anything except stupid for smoking, though one of my BFs smoked. There were the burnouts though....the ones who smoked pot, were stoned all the time, etc.
Scared to quit smoking - sm

I have another friend who quit smoking 3 years ago and now has lung cancer.  I know (and have heard of) many people who quit (ACS can tell you how your lungs supposedly improve and risk of lung cancer death diminishes compared to the general population) smoking only to be diagnosed with lung cancer after several years.  This IS NOT a mental excuse for me not to quit.  It really does frighten me.  Been a smoker for 30 years.  Seems worthless to fight to quit and die, or just keep smoking and die.  Anyone have any thoughts?  I have no one affected by my second-hand smoke.


Smoking in Grocery Store
I remember my mom pushing me in the grocery cart, I must have been 3 or 4, and she would be smoking away. When the cigarette was gone, she would throw it on the ground and step on it. Classy lady, I know, but really, that was the norm back in the 60's.
You call smoking cigarettes...
'One of the few little pleasures I have in life..'???
Eeewwwww, yak, yak!!!

I wonder how your breath tastes or smells? Like an ashtray? Eeewww!


I'm surprised your building even allows smoking -(s/m)
indoors. Most DON'T, these days. Not only a potential health (or lawsuit, perhaps?) issue for any non-smoker, asthmatic or not, because of the secondhand smoke, but also the FIRE potential. Seems to me if smoking indoors were banned, their insurance might be a lot less. Maybe that would be something to mention to the LL.

In the meantime, why not look for a single-story unit, such as maybe a duplex? And if that's not available, just be sure the next apt. building is a no-smoking building. Where I live, you aren't even allowed to smoke outside the units, out by the pool, or in the alley. Smokers are required to walk clear out to the curb. Have you checked your lease? What does it say about smoking?

As a nonsmoker, I think you definitely have some rights, here, but you'd have to investigate it a little further. Still, it might be easier to move than to try to force the landlords to change their policy.
I wound up in the hospital due to excessive smoking
and spent 2 weeks there, gained 26 lbs on the steroids I had to be put on, not a good thing as far as that; however they put me on Theophylline, horrible stuff, IV at first and it sped me up, was up for 2 days and 2 nights, sweating like everything, my hair, the bedsheets, could not get myself sweet swelling and I swore if I could just get off of this horrible medicine I would never smoke again. That was in 1998 and never again. When I went home to work in ྘ easier to smoke and was "eating" about 3-4 packs per day. After the hospital I still picked up and lit those "nonexisting" cigarettes for some time was so used to them. I would never ever tell another person what to do about their own habits but for me so glad - PS- remarried in 2000 and this hubby is so antismoking so has worked out really well.
I need advice. I think my16y son is smoking weed...

He downloaded some pictures on MY computer for his MySpace page.   Anyway, there is a picture of a bag of weed (I was young once, I know what it looks like so he cant try to convince me it was oregano) and a picture of his friend holding the bag of weed. By the way, the bag was on my table so he can't try to convince me that it was from a magazine either.


I really don't know what to do.  A long time ago I found a pipe in his room.  I honestly thought it was over with after that. (guess I can be niave).  Between his dad, my husband and I we dealt with it in a mature and appropriate way.  But I always stayed cautious after that so I was always "watching."  I hadn't seen bloodshot eyes, excessive munchies, extra tired or sleeping more than usual, etc.  Haven't seen any of the tell tale signs nor found anything in his room or pants pockets. 


 Anyways, my problem is what to do now.  I really do not want to tell his dad because he will be soooo angry.  See, dad was really p**sed the first time and told my son that if he ever finds out he's done it again he will kick him out of the house (we share the kids) and he will not be allowed back.  I know that sounds harsh, but I know his dad, he will kick him out but only for a little while just to make him think. Tough Love, he calls it.  I think he may have even threatened him with a beatin'.  (That is just a scare tactic.  He's a big guy with a big mouth but he would never lay a hand on him).  I thought that by me telling his dad the first time he'd know that I was serious and that he wouldn't be able to get away with it with me.


See, my problem is that my son idolizes his dad.  He's second to God. and it would kill him to hear his dad say get out and don't come back.  I can almost feel his pain already.  I feel like he'd become depressed. I'm the extreme passive parent.  He knows it too.  I hate it and I've tried and tried to change.  I know some of you are thinking well he should've thought of that beforehand.  But remember when we were 16.  We didn't think about consequences a whole lot until after the fact.  That's the age when a lot of us started drinking, sex, sneaking out, etc.  So I have understanding, I just can't let that interfere with tolerance.


So what do I do?  I haven't confronted him yet.  I know one thing I have to do is forbid him from hanging out with this friend anymore.  Which is another issue....Do I tell this boy's parents??  A part of me wants doesn't want to bother with it. He's not my kid.  It's already too much for me as it is but the bigger part of me wants to protect this boy's future also and as a parent, I'd want another parent to do the same for me. 


Oh, and I haven't told my husband yet either.  He'll literally ground him for life and take away every gadget, electronic, magazines,  anything my son likes. He wouldn't step foot out of his bedroom for a really long time. He tends to overdo the punishments.  Then there's the issue of rebelion.  What if he sneaks out?  What if he tries to be....what's the word???...um, like just rebel and walk out anyway or worse, what if he runs away?


I know what a lot of you are probably thinking right now.  I KNOW I'm too soft.  I KNOW I'm a pushover, a doormat, etc. I'm over protective.  I hate it.  I've tried to change.  I really cannot help it.  However, this is a very serious issue to me and I want to find the right thing to do.  I don't want to go overboard, I was 16 once too, and I wasn't exactly an angel either (but he doesn't know that)  Yet I don't want to let him off too easily either.  He has to learn.  This is not acceptable.  Not even to me.  If I let it go who knows what the future will hold for him. 


So any reasonable suggestions out there that a doormat like myself can put to use?  I really appreciate any help.  I'm so stressed out my stomach hurts. 


Quit Smoking and Don't Play The Lottery!!!
//
Gotta agree with the point about smoking! (sm)
I hated it when I was a kid and everywhere you went was smoke-filled. I am so glad that there are rules about it now, although I do think some places go a little overboard with things like no smoking on the premises at all, etc.