What Nonsmokers don't know about Smoking

         Nonsmokers, those who have never smoked, really cannot appreciate the hell it actually is to be a smoker. Sure, many people say they like smoking, but indeed they prefer it to the withdrawal pains of not smoking. (And I know there are those who've quit cold turkey with no withdrawal symptoms, but I think they are the exception rather than the norm.) Smokers aren't only driven to put a tube of poison into their mouths and inhale the toxic fumes by physical and emotional needs, but they really do live their lives around cigarettes.

         Whether they consciously think of it or not, smokers are making a thousand little decisions a day because of their addiction. A smoker's mind is always keeping track of how long it's been since the last cigarette, how long until the next one, whether or not there are cigarettes handy (and lighters/matches/a gas stove), if there's enough money to get more and, if not, who can be counted on to help out in a pinch. Smokers know who smokes, who doesn't and who bitches about it. They also know why the people who don't like smoking don't like it. Their brains keep track of stuff like that:  who has allergies, who has asthma, who had a relative that died of lung cancer, etc. Smokers know where the designated smoking areas are, where the ashtrays are and where to find a mostly empty soda can, if there are no ashtrays. They have probably lost count of how many times they have accidentally burned themselves or someone else, but they can name more than a few items they've damaged. Smokers can even indicate wind direction, since they often have to shield from it, when applying fire to a cigarette.

         Smokers have rituals they honestly feel goes with smoking. They have certain ways they hold their cigarettes in their mouths and in their hands. They usually have a preference of lights: whether by matches or a Zippo™ lighter or the cheapest, they can find. They often inhale and exhale in the same manner, but don't mind switching it up if they are hurried, taking longer, deeper drags than they normally do. Even the ways smokers extinguish their cigarettes are handled by routines, whether the butts are tossed casually away or ground out in a specific manner in a specific area of an ashtray. Cigarettes are normally carried and stored in areas designed specifically for them, whether it's a shirt pocket, an inside pocket of a lady's purse or a cabinet or bedside table.

         Cigarettes are their own entity and must be tended to at all times. For many smokers, cigarettes are the most constant thing in their lives, lasting long after relationships, schools and jobs have ended. Most people think of quitting smoking as "giving up" smoking, because to them, that's what it feels like: they are sacrificing something that made them feel good. (Addictive products do make you feel good, if only because they end the pain/discomfort of withdrawals.) It's not the same as, say, choosing to never eat apples, again. Apples don't make you feel a certain way, nor do you feel badly when you don't eat them. Not smoking can make a smoker feel horrible, and it's all because of the way nicotine has rewired their brains. That "willpower" smokers need? It's not about not lighting a cigarette. It's about putting themselves through some pretty awful withdrawal symptoms that affect them physically and emotionally.

         I'm always amazed when someone is able to quit cold turkey, without any kinds of aids. I've tried and not liked the way I've felt, at all. I don't think there's anything wrong with continuing to use nicotine while breaking the smoking habit. Nicotine isn't "bad." It is toxins and carcinogens in cigarettes that are bad. Nicotine is, however, extremely addictive...and the nicotine in tobacco gives the user the most nicotine at once.

         Did you know there is nicotine in tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants and green peppers? Nicotine enhances learning, concentration and memory and pleasure and arousal, and it reduces anxiety, hunger and pain.

         I guess there is much smokers don't appreciate about smoking, too.