Love at First Drag....

Why do smokers smoke?  Why is it so hard to quit?  Non-smokers often wonder this and can't understand why something like smoking can be so addictive and at the same time bring pleasure to so many.

For me, the first time I "lit-up" and smoked it was like the flood-gates had opened and for the first time in my life I knew I had become what I always wanted and desired to be..... a smoker.  As a study at the University of Michigan shows (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/04/980402074910.htm) some of us are "wired" to smoke.  Our bodies and minds are "tuned" to the pleasures of smoking more than others and it creates a satisfaction that others find hard to understand.  For that reason, the "anti-smoking" message is really a foul message that is full of inaccuracies, half-truths, and overwhelming propaganda that is aimed at "snuffing-out," what is for many, a lifestyle of pleasure, happiness, and benefits that often outweigh the physical negatives. 

The Smoker Really Loves to Smoke

It is true that the physical addiction to smoking isn't really something that is so strong that the smoker can't break free from.  This misunderstanding of smoking comes from the idea that many smokers hate smoking and can't give it up and it's a terrible addiction they wish they didn't start.  That is almost totally driven by the "guilt" component that is put on smokers by society, the "anti" message, friends, family, and all other sources that "pound" on smokers that they are doing something so bad it's some kind of tragedy.  For me, this was what kept me from smoking so long in my life.  For many smokers that get caught in this "web" of guilt, this can do far more harm than any good.  As a late starter, I can say that "peer pressure" or "fitting in" played no part in me becoming a smoker.  Once I "embraced" my desire to smoke and abandoned the guilt, I could finally enjoy what I had always wanted to do.  That is the secret to smoking and why the smoker has a hard time quitting.  They don't really want to.  It's the desire and pleasure of smoking that drives the smoker to enjoy his or her habit.  The addiction, while 1 part physical and 1 part mental, is really the "love" of smoking.  It feels good.  It's enjoyable.  It's relaxing.  It's wonderful with other smokers around.  It's very sexy and appealing.  The truth is you don't want to quit for all these reasons and as I've covered in my piece "Embracing Smoking" you really shouldn't.  The "love" for smoking just enhances any physical and mental discomfort of quitting.  It's much worse for you emotionally, mentally, and even physically to quit what you really love and enjoy especially if your motivation is simply "guilt." 

The addiction is simply "love" and enjoyment

Many smokers quit for long periods of time and then come back to smoking and endulge in it even more than before.  It isn't any physical or mental addiction that causes this.  The nicotine is out of your system.  The physical habit is long since gone.  What drives them back?  The "love" of smoking.  They miss it.  They miss how it feels, what it does, and the pleasure they get from it.  Usually, the guilt that drove them to quit the first time does not come back with them and this really allows the smoker to come back and enjoy what they missed so much. 

I've personally witnessed ex-smokers who hadn't smoked in years say "I really want a cigarette."  For these folks, they still love it.  Honestly, they need it.  That's nothing for them to be ashamed of.  They are better off to enjoy what they really want than to keep fighting it.  The only reason you should quit is if you really want to for good reasons of a personal nature.  You should never let guilt dictate your decision.  Most importantly, peer-pressure is seen as a bad reason to start smoking.  It's just as bad a reason to stop.  It's your body, your pleasure, your enjoyment, and your decision. 

While it's hard to explain what really makes a smoker "wired" to smoke, it's very much related to the reason certain people love certain hobbies or connect romantically.  It really comes down to "love."  More accurately, "Love at first site."    It's just what you prefer, like, are attracted to, and makes you feel complete.  To the smoker, it is pure bliss wrapped in fun, pleasure, and happiness.  Smoking did that for me and it really was "love at first drag." 



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