Am I addicted?

[a7mado]

Don't worry, its not what you think. Or maybe it is, I don't know, whatever...

So, I've been smoking for the better part of about 20 years, maybe longer, I don't know. All I remember is that I was pretty young and standing underneath a tree, when my friend made me take my first puff, it was Marlboro red's and I remember absolutely hating it. I still hate red's, they leave an awful aftertaste, similar to gold leaf or any other cheap cigarette. However, I still somehow caught on to the habit.

Anyways, fast forward to today, I still don't know if I'm addicted to it, or not. I mean I can go weeks (In one instance, 3 months) without having the urge to smoke, in fact I have never had an urge to smoke. Last year, during a 3 week lockdown, I had zero urges. But as soon as things started to open up, I went straight to my local grocery store and got myself a pack, took the first puff, and felt nothing. Yet it felt right having a pack on me, for some reason. The only time I truly actually enjoy a cigarette is when its paired with a venti classic iced shaken from Starbucks, an unbeatable combo, imho.

I am not a heavy smoker. A pack will easily last me 3 to 4 days. Also, I smoke ultralights, 4/0.3/4 (smokers know what I'm talking about), and I think if the entire world decided to ban cigarettes all of a sudden, I would be fine with it.

Most all of my friends smoke, so naturally I smoke with them, is it peer pressure? I'm not at all phased by the imagery of people who have contracted various types of cancer due to long-term smoking, and I certainly didn't inherit this habit from any of my family members, as my father has been adamantly anti-smoking for as long as I can remember. Mind you, my family is completely unaware of the fact that I smoke, they have no idea.

I play sports/workout 6 days a week, 2 hours a day, all while smoking. I've been told that smoking affects stamina, but I've never noticed.

Someone recommended that I take up ahem "Maryjane", claiming it reduces the urge to smoke tobacco, but intoxicants is where I draw the line, I will never give in to drugs. Nothing to do with religion, I just don't fancy losing my mind or "going places without actually going places".

At this point, I don't know if I even want to stop. I think I do, so that must mean I'm addicted, right?

I know that by posting this, I am opening myself to ridicule, but someone who has never smoked a day in their life will not know what it is like. So, kindly keep the judging to a bare minimum.

Lastly, any smokers here that successfully quit? What made you? More importantly, how did you?

[Bobby1]

I smoked for 20 years and quit the day Safy was born, my wife showed me stats that if I smoke, my kids will also. Of course this is an addiction. I have seen many people die of lung cancer. You are a smart man, you know what smoking does.

You need to find a strong enough reason to quit. I don’t like the way Cannabis makes me feel, although on special occasions I do the droppers

You can try the quitting aides and will need to stay away from smokers

addictions are no reason to ridicule anyone.

[a7mado]

@""Bobby1""

I smoked for 20 years and quit the day Safy was born, my wife showed me stats that if I smoke, my kids will also. Of course this is an addiction. I have seen many people die of lung cancer. You are a smart man, you know what smoking does.

You need to find a strong enough reason to quit. I don’t like the way Cannabis makes me feel, although on special occasions I do the droppers

You can try the quitting aides and will need to stay away from smokers

addictions are no reason to ridicule anyone.

As I mentioned earlier, stats don’t phase me at all. We have really graphic smoking warnings on packs sold here, still not phased by it.

You quit cold turkey?

[Bobby1]

@""a7mado""

As I mentioned earlier, stats don’t phase me at all. We have really graphic smoking warnings on packs sold here, still not phased by it.

You quit cold turkey?

Yes I did, cigarettes companies are exploiting eastern countries, campaigns here have made smoking a big stigma and hardly anyone I know smokes here but almost everyone is doing weed. I understand if stats don’t bother you, I do stuff that is bad for me and I still chose to do it. Once we have families the decisions we make effect others.

[a7mado]

@""Bobby1""

Yes I did, cigarettes companies are exploiting eastern countries, campaigns here have made smoking a big stigma and hardly anyone I know smokes here but almost everyone is doing weed. I understand if stats don’t bother you, I do stuff that is bad for me and I still chose to do it. Once we have families the decisions we make effect others.

Kudos on quitting so easily.

Well cigarette advertising is completely banned in the G.C.C., also you can’t sell to anyone under 21. Its just a cultural thing I guess, smoking sheesha (hookah) is almost a rite of passage for young adults Arabs, and is encouraged. As a result, despite having anti-smoking laws in effect, such as no-smoking in public spaces, heavy fines and designated areas where people can smoke in social gatherings, still hasn’t discouraged smokers.

Starting next year, the government is introducing a 100% VAT on tobacco products, meaning we can expect paying upwards of $10 for pack of cigarettes, I doubt it will discourage people from smoking. Maybe amongst the low income earners, but that’s about it.

[Bobby1]

@""a7mado""

Kudos on quitting so easily.

Well cigarette advertising is completely banned in the G.C.C., also you can’t sell to anyone under 21. Its just a cultural thing I guess, smoking sheesha (hookah) is almost a rite of passage for young adults Arabs, and is encouraged. As a result, despite having anti-smoking laws in effect, such as no-smoking in public spaces, heavy fines and designated areas where people can smoke in social gatherings, still hasn’t discouraged smokers.

Starting next year, the government is introducing a 100% VAT on tobacco products, meaning we can expect paying upwards of $10 for pack of cigarettes, I doubt it will discourage people from smoking. Maybe amongst the low income earners, but that’s about it.

Social is the keyword! West did not only discourage but waged an all out war on smoking and made it a stigma and changed perceptions, most quality women would not date smokers, you won’t get promotions, they mage huge issues with second hand smoking.
I guess sheesha is what bars are here. Although west has its own issues like processed meats, alcohol, drugs, loneliness etc.

Having lost a few friends to smoking does put things in perspective. Having to pay higher life insurance is a clear sign. I don’t believe in religion so I have to rely on science and stats

[a7mado]

@""Bobby1""

Social is the keyword! West did not only discourage but waged an all out war on smoking and made it a stigma and changed perceptions, most quality women would not date smokers, you won’t get promotions, they mage huge issues with second hand smoking.
I guess sheesha is what bars are here. Although west has its own issues like processed meats, alcohol, drugs, loneliness etc.

Having lost a few friends to smoking does put things in perspective. Having to pay higher life insurance is a clear sign. I don’t believe in religion so I have to rely on science and stats

Okay, that’s a little hyperbolic, don’t you think?

[Bobby1]

@""a7mado""

Okay, that’s a little hyperbolic, don’t you think?

Absolutely not, I normally don’t see smokers in upper management positions and are considered lacking in skills to lead by example. Mostly the low income people smoke here. I don’t agree with that but here image and perceptions are everything

[a7mado]

@""Bobby1""

Absolutely not, I normally don’t see smokers in upper management positions and are considered lacking in skills to lead by example. Mostly the low income people smoke here. I don’t agree with that but here image and perceptions are everything

Well, my client in New York was an avid cigar smoker, in fact he had a room for his cigars, in his office. In the US I’ve seen smoking associated as much with successful people, as it is to low income earners, i.e. cohiba’s for the rich & successful, and camel hard’s for everyone else. Mind you, my experience is only limited to Manhattan, NY & Waco, TX, but I’m assuming its across the board.

[Bobby1]

@""a7mado""

Well, my client in New York was an avid cigar smoker, in fact he had a room for his cigars, in his office. In the US I’ve seen smoking associated as much with successful people, as it is to low income earners, i.e. cohiba’s for the rich & successful, and camel hard’s for everyone else. Mind you, my experience is only limited to Manhattan, NY & Waco, TX, but I’m assuming its across the board.

Cubans are a different story as long as they are not a habit, I just looked up stats I can post later and now 75 percent smokers are lower income and experts cite lack of education, similarly here it is opposite and low income people are more overweight

[decentGuy]

@a7mado

I’m one of those who never smoked and always felt smoking creates an invisible social wall b/w smokers and non-smokers. Health effects are least of my concerns as well, religious concerns though kept me away. Most of my friends and elders smoke. I judge all of them based on if they feel bad about it or not. Regardless, I do not argue because I know why people can’t quit. I know I could not have been able to quit. Some people around me tried to quit but it hit them hard so they restarted, and some quit for a few years but got back into the habit due to peer pressure. Nicotine is only second to Heroin in addiction, so willpower alone is not enough.

Sooner or later, smoking tobacco alone becomes ineffective. That is the stage that scares me. And in my limited observation, light smokers are more likely to take that plunge given the opportunity. Perhaps because they are so reassured in their ability to control things.

[aqua70]

I am gonna venture out and say your family *knows *you smoke. Your breath, your clothes, your hair, and even your car seat which absorbs the smoke through your clothes, all will smell like smoke after you have taken a few puffs of your cigarette.

With anything, you need a reason that surpasses your desire to smoke. One day in middle school, I had the opportunity to see and touch a smoker's lung and a healthy human lung. The smoker's lung was tough, brittle, and charred. Whereas the healthy lung was more rubbery, elastic, and pink. I will never forget the difference in touch, maybe you need something like that in order to quit. Honestly just reminiscing about the smoker's lung is making me want to grit my teeth.

[a7mado]

@""Bobby1""

Health Effects

Cigarette smoking disproportionately affects the health of people with low SES. Lower income cigarette smokers suffer more from diseases caused by smoking than do smokers with higher incomes.[SUP]5[/SUP]

• Populations in the most socioeconomically deprived groups have higher lung cancer risk than those in the most affluent groups.[SUP]6[/SUP]
• People with less than a high school education have higher lung cancer incidence than those with a college education.[SUP]5,7[/SUP]
• People with family incomes of less than $12,500 have higher lung cancer incidence than those with family incomes of $50,000 or more.[SUP]7[/SUP]
• People living in rural, deprived areas have 18–20% higher rates of lung cancer than people living in urban areas.[SUP]6[/SUP]
• Lower-income populations have less access to health care, making it more likely that they are diagnosed at later stages of diseases and conditions.[SUP]5[/SUP]

Patterns of Cigarette Smoking

People with low SES tend to smoke cigarettes more heavily.

• People living in poverty smoke cigarettes for a duration of nearly twice as many years as people with a family income of three times the poverty rate.[SUP]8[/SUP]
• People with a high school education smoke cigarettes for a duration of more than twice as many years as people with at least a bachelor’s degree.[SUP]8[/SUP]
• Blue-collar workers are more likely to start smoking cigarettes at a younger age and to smoke more heavily than white-collar workers.[SUP]9[/SUP]

Secondhand Smoke Exposure

Secondhand smoke exposure is higher among people living below the poverty level and those with less education.[SUP]10[/SUP]

• Low SES populations are more likely to suffer the harmful health consequences of exposure to secondhand smoke.[SUP]10[/SUP]
• Blue-collar workers are more likely to be exposed to secondhand smoke at work than white-collar workers.[SUP]9[/SUP]
• Service workers, especially bartenders and wait staff, report the lowest rates of workplace smoke-free policies than other occupation categories.[SUP]11[/SUP]

What I’ve been able to gather from this is that as a smoker you’ll be significantly better-off if you’re financially sound.

[a7mado]

@""decentGuy""

@a7mado

I’m one of those who never smoked and always felt smoking creates an invisible social wall b/w smokers and non-smokers. Health effects are least of my concerns as well, religious concerns though kept me away. Most of my friends and elders smoke. I judge all of them based on if they feel bad about it or not. Regardless, I do not argue because I know why people can’t quit. I know I could not have been able to quit. Some people around me tried to quit but it hit them hard so they restarted, and some quit for a few years but got back into the habit due to peer pressure. Nicotine is only second to Heroin in addiction, so willpower alone is not enough.

Sooner or later, smoking tobacco alone becomes ineffective. That is the stage that scares me. And in my limited observation, light smokers are more likely to take that plunge given the opportunity. Perhaps because they are so reassured in their ability to control things.

Could you expand on what is it that you mean by judging someone on whether they feel bad about smoking or not?

I’ve been a light smoker for as long as I can remember. I cannot smoke more than 3 to 4 a day, as it leaves me feeling dehydrated.

[a7mado]

@""aqua70""

I am gonna venture out and say your family *knows *you smoke. Your breath, your clothes, your hair, and even your car seat which absorbs the smoke through your clothes, all will smell like smoke after you have taken a few puffs of your cigarette.

Reason’s why I believe my family doesn’t know that I smoke:

• I’m outside for 10 to 12 hours a day.
• Whenever I get home, I take a shower first and then do anything else.
• I brush my teeth thrice a day, once in the morning, once when I get home, once before bed.
• I always keep breath mints on me.
• I douse myself in cologne every time I leave my car.
• And lastly, I don’t smoke in my car.

So you can see, I take all the necessary precautions the ensure that I never get caught.

Also, smoking 3 maybe 4 cigarettes during a span of 10 to 12 hours hardly leaves behind any smell.

@""aqua70""

With anything, you need a reason that surpasses your desire to smoke. One day in middle school, I had the opportunity to see and touch a smoker’s lung and a healthy human lung. The smoker’s lung was tough, brittle, and charred. Whereas the healthy lung was more rubbery, elastic, and pink. I will never forget the difference in touch, maybe you need something like that in order to quit. Honestly just reminiscing about the smoker’s lung is making me want to grit my teeth.

I’ve done that myself, and it was in middle school as well. Truth be told, I do think about my lungs from time to time, but then I tell myself it can’t be that bad, I mean I smoke in a day, what most people smoke in an hour, so I must be good. Which is not true.

Hopefully, I can quit sometime in the near future. I’ve been told that people quit by the time their first-born arrives. I’m hoping I can be one of the lucky few that do.

[aqua70]

@""a7mado""

Reason’s why I believe my family doesn’t know that I smoke:

• I’m outside for 10 to 12 hours a day.
• Whenever I get home, I take a shower first and then do anything else.
• I brush my teeth thrice a day, once in the morning, once when I get home, once before bed.
• I always keep breath mints on me.
• I douse myself in cologne every time I leave my car.
• And lastly, I don’t smoke in my car.

So you can see, I take all the necessary precautions the ensure that I never get caught.

Also, smoking 3 maybe 4 cigarettes during a span of 10 to 12 hours hardly leaves behind any smell.

Hmmm idk, my dad also did not smoke in the car. And same like you, he had only a few cigs a day yet despite him quitting many yrs ago, now that his old car is mine, I can still sometimes smell distinct cigarette smell when I enter the car. But then again, he did not douse himself in cologne everyday.

@""a7mado""

I’ve done that myself, and it was in middle school as well. Truth be told, I do think about my lungs from time to time, but then I tell myself it can’t be that bad, I mean I smoke in a day, what most people smoke in an hour, so I must be good. Which is not true.

Hopefully, I can quit sometime in the near future. I’ve been told that people quit by the time their first-born arrives. I’m hoping I can be one of the lucky few that do.

Oh I thought you already had a couple of kids. Well then iA Khair, I hope you do quit for the little one!

[a7mado]

@""aqua70""

Hmmm idk, my dad also did not smoke in the car. And same like you, he had only a few cigs a day yet despite him quitting many yrs ago, now that his old car is mine, I can still sometimes smell distinct cigarette smell when I enter the car. But then again, he did not douse himself in cologne everyday.

Yeah, its a middle eastern thing, we have colognes for everything here, and I really do mean everything, lol. All those Persian’s/Dior Sauvage jokes that you’ve heard over the years, are true . You can smell these people coming from a mile away.

@""aqua70""

Oh I thought you already had a couple of kids. Well then iA Khair, I hope you do quit for the little one!

Nope, not yet. I’m hoping someday though. But if things don’t workout, there’s always the option to adopt.

[aqua70]

@""a7mado""

Yeah, its a middle eastern thing, we have colognes for everything here, and I really do mean everything, lol. All those Persian’s/Dior Sauvage jokes that you’ve heard over the years, are true . You can smell these people coming from a mile away.

Whenever you decide to move to US, that is one habit you most likely will have to leave behind lol. It reminds me of my roommate in college, she was not middle eastern but Eritrean. Her class used to start a few hrs before mine in the morning and if her alarm going off every 15 mins for 2 hrs before she woke up was not bad enough, she also dumped what seemed like half a bottle of perfume on her before she left for university. It was so bad that I had trouble breathing despite opening all windows and turning on a fan. So much for sleeping in… It is not only me though, it is an unspoken rule here to not have your perfume/cologne assault anyone’s senses.

@""a7mado""

Nope, not yet. I’m hoping someday though. But if things don’t workout, there’s always the option to adopt.

I like that mentality. InshaAllah khair it will all work out for you!

[a7mado]

@""aqua70""

Whenever you decide to move to US, that is one habit you most likely will have to leave behind lol. It reminds me of my roommate in college, she was not middle eastern but Eritrean. Her class used to start a few hrs before mine in the morning and if her alarm going off every 15 mins for 2 hrs before she woke up was not bad enough, she also dumped what seemed like half a bottle of perfume on her before she left for university. It was so bad that I had trouble breathing despite opening all windows and turning on a fan. So much for sleeping in… It is not only me though, it is an unspoken rule here to not have your perfume/cologne assault anyone’s senses.

So I’ve been told!.

@""aqua70""

I like that mentality. InshaAllah khair it will all work out for you!

In Shaa Allah.

[Bobby1]

The mandate here is zero smells, no bad/good smells no cleaners smell. laundry detergent fragrances etc. Hospitals and gyms have signs for no perfumes. People have sensitivities. We get used to our own smells and dont really notice it. For kids I think adopting is a really amazing thing and regardless of having ones biological kids or not we should consider adopting. I feel in the west people are not so hung up on biological kids, many make amazing step parents also. It is very hard to adopt here and takes years and 10s 0f thousands of dollars so I would encourage to adopt before you come here.

Perfume Patricia at the gym had called staff on my wife, turned out that lingering scent wasnt my wifes. I made a huge metoo fuss and staff was running for cover.

I havent researched Vaping. Could that be an option?

And InShaAllah with all successes in life. A few of my friends adopted and they have the most amazing kids. My step daughters are nicer to me than my biological kids.