Smoking (Nicotine) Addiction Support Group

Did you guys know that by nature human beings and many other mammals (as far as we know) are pleasure seekers, sometimes to our detriment.

There was a lecture on TED about this. Don't know if any of you are familiar with that particular web site. They sometimes have talks about some interesting subjects. At least in my opinion.

Just thought I would share that with the rest of the group. Hope someone finds it helpful. This explains things like eating comfort foods, smoking, doing drugs, etc.

I have two comments to make about that! One, yes, we ARE animals but with a brain that is capable of much higher levels of perception into consequences for our pleasure seeking. Two, along those same lines, when we KNOW that our pleasure seeking has very adverse consequences, the vast majority of us will choose to avoid that pleasure. I grew up sitting on my Mother's knee with a sickerette in her hand. In High School, school assemblies told us that marijuana use would lead to heroin addiction. Well, since we weren't stupid we knew that wasn't true so perhaps, the warnings about the danger of sickerettes was also untrue. Who knew? As time went on the truth became more clear to those who were not addicted but once addicted, your ability to reason has been impaired. Had I had my faculties, there is simply no way that I would have gambled my health for the "pleasure" of a sickerette! My decision was not rational. That little bit of dopamine doesn't begin to be worth it weighed against the dis-ease of COPD! KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!

Knowledge can be power, but not necessarily. Human beings have the ability to rationalize. Even though they say cigarettes cause this and that disease/illness. People get those who have never smoked. Thereby, we are able to rationalize. this is the bad part of our intelligence. There are also many people who would not give up their sickarettes without first being diagnosed with a smoking related illness.

Also, as far as the mentally ill go, they often need to be diagnosed and given the proper medications to help them make the right choices for themselves.

There is always more than one side to an argument. Sorry, I am not really trying to argue, I am just stating facts that may or may not help others know what to do.

Actually I agree with your point of view! As long as it's not used to rationalize - "People who never smoked, never drank, worked out ate right, get Cancer too so I don't really see how quitting is going to guarantee good health!" The truth is there ARE no guarantees but there is personal responsibility and an obligation to do the best we can for ourselves. Even when we're depressed and have suicidal ideations - we know that acting on those thoughts is wrong. Smoking is suicidal also! I honestly don't see that mental illness is a "reason" not to quit smoking! Speaking for myself, I see it as minimizing an already very complicated life. Having mental illness AND Cancer or COPD or Stroke or Heart Failure seems like way too much for a single person to deal with!

I totally agree with everything you just said, with the exception that some mental illnesses are so severe that you can't even think straight. Those people may need some meds to get to where they can think straight and hold onto a different point of view.

Granted and a very good point. I hope these folks will seek professional help. It's sad to see so many dumped on the streets due to government policy. It makes their lives very difficult and endangers their lives and the public as well.

Yes it is unfortunate and it is nasty what they will do for a single puff. Buy even some who are in treatment can suffer psychosis off and on.

I hear you guys about the "throw away" mentally ill!!! It is just so disgraceful that we are a 1st world nation and we don't take proper care of our mentally ill. We are one of the only countries without a good mental health treatment polocy. You just about have to have insurance to get mental health treatment. But I don't know too many people who are that mentally ill that can keep a job.

So it is funny that this topic comes up. I was talking to the Doc today and he said that cigs are engineered to cause addiction. He said also many foods are now engineered to cause addiction. No foods in nature have as much flavor, salt, sugar, fat and all the like that you used to have to work hard for for survival. He said candy was the worst! He said if we were cavemen, then we would be expending huge amounts of energy to seek out cigs alchol, and candy, and it would have killed us all! lol And of course when you go down the ceral isle of many stores, there is the candy nearby!!!

Heck alot of the cereals are basically candy.

Yea you are right! lol the doc suggested that after I can eat, when I have a sweet craving try some cereal that I can eat. It gives you some vitimines and fills you up so you don't binge eat. I am allergic to wheat, so I can eat like 5 cereals out there! lol He said he has always been anti cereal for breakfast, unless it is like the raw oats or cream of wheat or that kind.