Addiction V Habit
by
Russell R Ellis
Years ago I was addicted to tobacco and was also a mean cruel drunk. Most in my family can't even believe the story's, told by people I hurt, of my drinking days, nor can I imagine, it, or even remember it. I haven't been that way for years. First I quit drinking then I quit chewing Tobacco. I quit both cold Turkey, no drugs, no help but what I learned by watching what the old men did when they quit in the old days. The tricks went from chewing on gum, to suckers, to toothpicks. For drinking it was harder, then quitting chewing tobacco, but both were hard, no easy way.
I tried to quit Drinking, by avoiding my drinking friends, bad because they would always be there offering me a drink. Then I realized, this isn't working, I just made enemy's. You see your an outsider to other drinkers or drunks, "I thought I lost an old drinking buddy." Never "I thought I lost an old friend." Those friends were helping the addiction to Booze. So I along tricked my friends into think I still drank whenever I was with them, as my favorite was rum and coke, so I just got a coke and played it for as long as I could. Few offered to by me a drink as though I was one of them. years latter they were all shocked, as they realized or saw shockingly the changes in my behavior, taking place, for the better. So, "first", become a boozer, without booze, enjoy a non alcohol beverage similar to the booze you once drank. It will be a total shock seeing your friends making fools of themselves, but you can still feel a part of being one of them, but also feel good you are not doing what they are, just pretending. Drinking something, no booze isn't the easiest thing to endure alone, because friends what to please you, but buying you a drink isn't a way to help a drunk. But you can't do it without them, just don't say, "no, I don't drink," they will never understand. Just by a non boozy drink, and be happy happy..
One more thing, my friends, and I will get into this when I talk about quitting Tobacco, make quitting a challenge, think about those who have put you down for not being able to quit as your big stick, Like use them for a challenge. Think, it's time to shut there mouths, without saying anything, they will get the message as you give them a sly smile.
I believe the addiction part, is not the biggest part of the problem, we are programed to become victims when we try to quit, because of addiction. But I found it to be the habit itself the biggest problem. I could drink coffee with with a drunk, and he was always as calm, as when he was drinking. Its the habit of having something to drink, when having fun. That's the secret to remember, replace something with the habit.
On the other hand, I think we fail to understand, the power of addiction, because we are not addicted, or at least think we are not addicted, to anything. Lets examine this. Our body is addicted to things that keep us alive, like eating, or hunger pains. Now of course, we would die without eating and the need from hunger pains, keep us eating. So we don't want or need to quit eating. But what causes this feeling?
Now, I am getting into Russell's, wisdom of opinion. Dam! "I know, a lot of speculation." But researchers need a crazy suggestion to check out and I can do that pretty well, so bare with me. I think we are programed by a code, that our body understands, that is understood by the brain, just like the communication between the stomach, brain and pancreas to say "I need insulin, OK ill tell the pancreas, pancreas OK." But to bust this code, it could be used against us. So what can we do? It is known most addiction comes from hormone Dopamine that is a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain's reward and pleasure centers a hormone produced by the hypothalamus. But this needs so much more studying, but I think this is the area to check.
So what causes such powerful urges? The urgent need to feel the cigarette in your mouth, or chew between, your lip and gum, the need for a man, to push his groin, against a woman, the urgent need for a drink. And how can we get others to understand what these people are feeling that is so, in need of a fix.
Try to convince a woman, the needs a man feels when he has an erection, now try to explain how painful it is, with a need to push against a woman, as men have done on buses. this pushing feeling is what leads to ejaculation, some men can be so turned on and push against a woman for just a second, and it happens. Bull, says the unknowing women? Well by now, the man is intimidated, into surrender, or if he could switch places, with her, he would, but, of course he cannot do that. So?
Now there are men and women, out there who are addicted to nicotine, and have that need to feel the cigarette in between the lips and feel that smooth smoke going into there lungs, and they are feeling the same kind of pain a man feels to need a woman to push against. They will do anything legal to get there relief. I chewed tobacco years ago and nothing was as wonderful to me, at that time, as feeling that chew between my lip and gums and taste the flavor. Now the euphoria, was the same as any relief, from reality, except I believe in the sexual experience. In the sexual release the euphoria is quick, not a prolonged wonderful release.
When I had cancer, and came out of surgery, I overheard the doctor as they pushed my gurney down to recovery, saying people who get cancer never quit tobacco. It became a challenge to me, I left may Tobacco cans in the frig, so I could be tempted to make the challenge real, like those cans were the doctor. Every time I saw them and craved that chew, I thought of that doctor, and shut the door and walked off, feeling a sense of victory. Like the old folks I knew, I found ways from them to us things like for me, it was chewing on wintergreen leaves, then nothing, but sucked on candy for a long time, in fact still do, mostly cinnamon candy. The main thing don't do it no matter what, not even once, ever.
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