Hive Health

I had a conversation with a man who works with us sometimes, Dan. He recently stopped smoking with the help of nicotine replacement therapy. I too have banished the need to smoke. I didn’t do it with NRT though – I tried that a few years ago and fell off the wagon too soon. I have also tried tablets, but misread the label and got the dosing wrong in the first week.

I was kidding myself both times. To tackle an addiction physiologically you need to be 100% committed. That’s tough, especially when you don’t feel all that addicted in the first place. Hence the behavioural support programmes that accompany smoking cessation products.

Maybe you think you enjoy smoking, but know that in the main you are insensibly compelled to do it. The truth is, cigarettes are nice, but so fiendishly addictive that most people develop a mutually abusive relationship with them. That’s when you notice the downsides.

When it’s time to get serious, call on the wise. Attend a reliable support group. NHS, Allen Carr, NRT support plans will help you make your decision.  Of course, simply attending these sessions/ reading the literature will remind you that smoking doesn’t do it for you. Not one cigarette nor a million will make you a better person.

It is a horrible, angry feeling, a ciggie craving. I experienced it for many years. Then I took a closer look. It’s not just a nicotine request. A craving is an unheard demand from childhood. It’s an oral fixation. It’s the left hand feeling left out when the right hand holds a drink. It’s a simple desire to tune out for ten minutes. A habit that shrinks as the weeks go on.

Of course, there are certain benefits to smoking. It gives you Time Out, staves off hunger, is proven to enhance short term memory, etc. Considering the price of being a smoker, I can do without those things. If you can’t, make a plan to compensate. 

Nobody should be surprised that obesity has overtaken smoking as a cause of death. Smoking is not a natural urge. Sleeping or eating is. Babies, rabbits, budgies, will all attack you for food. Light a fag and they scatter.

It’s okay to want to smoke a little bit, here and there. But if you’ve been addicted before, you must avoid forever. Keep reminding yourself of what makes sense, and you’ll be fine.