Our Nicotine Dependent Loved Ones

[johnpolito]

Dear Scotland.Com readers with nicotine dependent friends or loved ones. I write offering hope that you might use a bit of the below info to reach out and help save the life of that very very special person.

There are 1.2 billion comfortable ex-smokers alive on earth today and physical strength had absolutely nothing to do with any of them breaking nicotine's grip upon their brain's reward pathways. So what did they finally "learn" out about nicotine that your loved one continues to miss?

What will the next quick fix magic cure that fails to perform as promised "teach" a smoker about their chemical dependency upon nicotine? What did they learn from the nicotine lozenge, the nicotine patch, the nicotine gum, Zyban, Wellbutrin, hypnosis and/or acupuncture? Who will they next hand their hard earned money and after it’s gone - along with yet another of their shrinking windows of opportunity - what learning will have occurred?

What is the chemical relationship between nicotine and caffeine? Why will the caffeine user's blood serum caffeine level skyrocket to 203% of pre-quitting baseline within 24 hours of ending all nicotine use? How does this factor play a destructive role in making quitting seem almost impossible for heavy caffeine users, and how is it easily corrected without giving up caffeine?

What is the relationship between nicotine and adrenaline? Why can many nicotine addicts skip breakfast and lunch for their entire smoking life and yet almost never sense true hunger? How does this interaction result in wild blood-sugar swing symptoms that can make quitting seem almost impossible for those skipping meals, and how do they correct it without adding lots of extra pounds?

Above are just two examples - among hundreds and hundreds -of nicotine dependency/cessation factors that when pieced together can make taking back control of their brain's dopamine reward pathways far easier than they could possibly imagine. But when did they take the time to read the instructions that came with their addiction?

My name is John and I, along with scores of others, help facilitate nicotine cessation at one of the internet's growing array of free education and group support forums. In the lower right corner at WhyQuit.com (or http://WhyQuit.org) you'll see a link to a directory of all the major "free" online quit smoking forums. If any site asks for any money please drop me a line and I'll have their link immediately removed.

Why would any nicotine dependent human worry about SARS, or even wearing seatbelts for that matter, when there is a very high likelihood (greater than 50%) that their chemical dependency will in the end deprive them of roughly 5,000 sunrises, just as it has to over 4,000,000 during the past 12 months. If it does, it did so because they failed to realize or accept that they knew almost nothing about their addiction or the process of chemical and psychological recovery.

You may want to build a skyscraper but if you don't know how it can prove rather challenging! Knowledge is power!

Oh, there's one important thing you need to know in trying to help. We nicotine addicts have a love/hate relationship with our drug and resist "all" offers of help. You see, it's our long held dream to quit for our own reasons, in our own time, on our own terms, in our own way, as our own loving gift to us! You must understand that we cannot quit for you, our doctor or because of fear. It must me for us! The secret to helping us is in not letting us know that you have in fact played a major role. The addict's mind must believe that it has discovered the secret to success all on its own.

So how do you help us see what we're missing without us realizing that you had a big hand in things? It isn't easy. In fact doing so and keeping it secret for life (which you may need to do in order to avoid the risk of "lost dream" relapse) is a tremendous challenge. But, you love us and that love will find a loving way to connect. I wish you well.

Breathe deep, hug hard, live long,

John R. Polito

[Auld-Kelpie]

I am very sure that you want to help & mean well.
Why is it I wonder, that reading what you wrote makes me angry & upset? I quit the habit 12 years ago & I have this awful feeling that if you were my relation or partner I would still be smoking & possibly dead. My children & partner never once made me feel that what I did was wrong. They told me 2 years down the track that they were happy for me; but they would never have intimated that my life choices had anything to do with them. I hope that I show them the same respect.

[psychco]

i have been a nicotine addict for more than 30 years,
i have tried and tried to give up but don't think i have the will power!
patches didn't work,hypnotherapy did't work,whats left i know i am killing myself but cannot do anything about it,
so i just keep on smoking,i have tried lots of things to give up but am unhappy with them all what's left i don't know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
so if anyone has a surefire way to give up can you let me know????????