I recently read a forum post wherein a young lady suggested there is a difference between an addict and someone who is dependant. I rather liked her angle and wanted to share it for readers of this blog to consider.

I totally agree that former smokers (even those of us who have successfully stopped and remain smoke free) should consider ourselves addicts in the sense that we are unable to control our smoking, and need to completely abstain from smoking altogether. Very few people are able to “smoke one every now and then”; most of us end up smoking one right after the other.

However, this young lady made the comment that “there is a difference between an addict and somebody who is dependant”.

Her reasoning was this:

Anyone’s body can become dependant on a substance after prolonged use. But an addict is somebody who will stop at nothing to get their fix, and is not interested in getting help with their condition.

So if you know you have a problem, and are actually putting a strong effort into correcting this issue, you should pat yourself on the back and acknowledge the fact that you are not just giving in and accepting your addiction.

Give it some thought. You can do this!

A friend of mine recently blogged that she was feeling like an addict. She has been off of  nicotine for 9 days and 23 hours, but she’s still struggling with the process.

“Smoking has bothered me for a long time, at least since I got pregnant. I always think about my child and husband and about what I’m doing to myself. Sometimes I feel good, there is no more guilt about what I do to myself. There’s nothing I’d rather be doing than sitting on my front porch smoking and reading. I wanted to quit so that I wouldn’t be tied down to an addiction, but I still feel that I am. I count the days. If you told me I could smoke one now with no consequences, I would in a heart beat.”

This is something that everyone goes through when quitting smoking. One of the definitions of an addict is to occupy (oneself) with or involve (oneself) in something habitually or compulsively.

It is important to understand what you’re up against when quitting and extremly important to seek support while quitting. Afterall, anyone with a true addiction can rarely do it by themselves. Quitting smoking is just as pivotal to your long-term health as quitting a hard drug is to your short-term health.

As an addict, smokers should treat themselves as addicts and seek the help that they need while quitting smoking.

I truly feel myself changing, evolving into a “non-smoker.” I was having dinner with a friend recently and the meal ended with coffee and dessert. I didn’t realize until the dessert was half finished that I wasn’t craving a cigarette at that moment. I felt like jumping up in down in pure glee, but instead I smiled to myself and continued with polite conversation.

Later that evening, I reflected on what a huge accomplishment that evenings dessert was for me. I had reached a new stage in the quitting process where smoking was no longer part of my daily thoughts. The cravings have lessened, even with my slip up a couple of weeks ago.

I know that there may be moments when I am tempted still, but they won’t be the mundane everyday kind of things that will trigger me. The times that I should be more aware of in the future are the times when I am angry, sad or hurt. Those will be the times when I need to be soothed by a cigarette. While this thought is somewhat depressing, I am thankful that I’ve graduated to the next stage of the process.