Cravings For Cigarettes: Why?

[khan]

Thanks blossom for the answer.

 

[Blossom]

Thanks blossom for the answer.

You're welcome. I think hypoxia is the main culprit when smoking anything really since carbon monoxide displaces oxygen (generally speaking). I wish it wasn't so. I'm sure that's why nicotine replacement(patch, e-cig) is better than smoking. Now I need to quit nicotine replacement.

 

[Blossom]

In the rainmaking audio Charlie posted Peat talks about caffeine protecting mice from the carcinogens in tobacco smoke. It's a great interview. I started thinking about having a strong cup of coffee and a cigarette after listening but alas I will persevere in my efforts to stay quit. I suppose the take away is that if someone is smoking they can't go wrong keeping their caffeine intake up.

 

[j.]

In the rainmaking audio Charlie posted Peat talks about caffeine protecting mice from the carcinogens in tobacco smoke. It's a great interview. I started thinking about having a strong cup of coffee and a cigarette after listening but alas I will persevere in my efforts to stay quit. I suppose the take away is that if someone is smoking they can't go wrong keeping their caffeine intake up.

He says caffeine in the smoke, or with the smoke, reduced cancer from 95% to 5%. So definitely start inhaling that caffeine!

I don't smoke, if I did, maybe when I did it I would drink a glass of coca cola with 200 mg of added caffeine.

 

[Blossom]

In the rainmaking audio Charlie posted Peat talks about caffeine protecting mice from the carcinogens in tobacco smoke. It's a great interview. I started thinking about having a strong cup of coffee and a cigarette after listening but alas I will persevere in my efforts to stay quit. I suppose the take away is that if someone is smoking they can't go wrong keeping their caffeine intake up.

He says caffeine in the smoke, or with the smoke, reduced cancer from 95% to 5%. So definitely start inhaling that caffeine!

I don't smoke, if I did, maybe when I did it I would drink a glass of coca cola with 200 mg of added caffeine.

Pick me! Just kidding. I thought "dang, I really didn't need to hear that." The addict in me came to the surface and I started thinking about smoking again. I'll get over it.

 

[sladerunner69]

Here's something I ran across today that helps explain the craving for cigarettes and why. "Nicotine from cigarettes affects brain neurochemistry. It activates acetylcholine receptors in the brain and induces the release of dopamine (resulting in a feeling of calm and pleasure). Nicotine is a psychomotor stimulant. Absorption of cigarette smoke from the lungs is rapid and complete-faster than intravenous injection. Nicotine alters fat storage in the body; there is increased lipolysis releasing free fatty acids. It improves cognitive and motor functions and soothes symptoms in people with depressive disorders, schizophrenia, or ADHD." Source: More Than a Habit Epidemiology and Neurocircuitry of Smoking and Smoking Cessation (Facilitator Guide)
Gosh, no wonder it seems hard to quit

I like to smoke 3-4 cigarettes a day. As soon as I take few puffs, I feel tired and get an anxiety. what do you make of that? My parasympathetic nervous system is dominant?

3-4 cigarettes is an unusual way to use tobacco. Nicotine has some rpetty strong neurological affects, not bad necessarily, just has a strong influence. If those cigarettes are spread evenly appart, with 5 or 6 hours in between, your body is certainly on a ride. When people use tobacco therapeutically, they usually smoke, at least half a cigarette every couple of hours. That will help provide a steady, less bouncy type of stimulation that won't through your system for a loop.

I also get bad anxiety if I smoke on an empty stomach or withoutcaffiene.

 

[jyb]

The addict in me came to the surface and I started thinking about smoking again. I'll get over it.

How much cigs would you smoke? When I experimented with tobacco smoke, I did not get any addiction with 3 per day.

I think protection would include caffeine, copper (I supplemented because I find hard to get, I'm not eating liver so often) and other minerals/nutrients (oysters, liver) needed for repair, smoking only pure hand rolled tobacco.

 

[Blossom]

The addict in me came to the surface and I started thinking about smoking again. I'll get over it.

How much cigs would you smoke? When I experimented with tobacco smoke, I did not get any addiction with 3 per day.

I think protection would include caffeine, copper (I supplemented because I find hard to get, I'm not eating liver so often) and other minerals/nutrients (oysters, liver) needed for repair, smoking only pure hand rolled tobacco.

I used to smoke 10-15 cigarettes a day! I smoked a type that was supposed to be additive free 100% tobacco. I miss it but have to admit I no longer have a cough or any type of weird sensations in my lungs. I'm afraid if I tried smoking again I would be back to square one. I didn't follow a Peat inspired approach when I was smoking so I wasn't aware of those protective factors at the time.

 

[Blossom]

I still can not quit smoking, tried many times

How long have you smoked? I'm not sure if it's true but I learned in a class for teaching smoking cessation that it takes an average of 9 times quitting before a person is finally able to stop for good. I think I have quit more than 9 times myself.

 

[Mittir]

I smoke about 12 years and still smoke. I'm quit smoking 5 times, but no result((

Quitting 5 times is a good sign. I think you can try to quit without making any decision.
This preserves the energy wasted on determination. I think addictive mind gets very agitated
when a person decides to quit smoking for life. If you decide that you will smoke whenever you want to, but for now you do not feel like smoking. This way you can keep long gaps between
smokes. I heard from someone that anti-oxidants lowers craving for cigarettes.
RP thinks large dose of anti-oxidant can be problematic.
I think you will lose interest in smoking if you improve your overall health.

 

[Blossom]

I smoke about 12 years and still smoke. I'm quit smoking 5 times, but no result((

I have found this most recent time quitting the easiest and I attribute that to my improved health from Peat Inspired diet/lifestyle changes. I smoked nearly 30 years.

 

[bilazer]

Hi guys. I many years suffer from the fact that I can't quit smoking. If you know some advice how do quit smoking please help me. My wife hates cigarette smoke in the house. Thanks.

 

[Parsifal]

After Peating since 2 month I'm now starting to crave tobacco, the smell of the smoke that I hated so much before smells quite good now and makes me want to smoke it...! that is crazy.

I'm back to an IT school after 5 years of illness and all the guys that are smoking there are almost the only ones without dark circles under the eyes and they have good energy levels and you can see in their eyes that they are more "here" than others, and even their skin quality is better than mine (and others that are almost all full of acne) despite all the "good habits" I have and how guenine I am in being healthy .

I've never been a big tobacco user in the past and smoked some additive free tobacco with weed 5 years ago after stopping it and smoking the weed pure (and then stopping weed 3 or 4 years ago).

I've never really liked the feeling of tobacco (made me a bit dizzy and feel a bit strange) nor I liked coffee (almost same feeling) in the past but I believe now that it is because I was very hypothyroid (I mean, VERY) and not eating what I neeeded, but now I really love coffee and tolerate it well.

Back when I was low carb I tried to chew some nicotine gums and that was the only thing that worked for my very bad constipation (but made me feel cold and increased heart rate), even the coffee+thyroid+cascara that I'm taking right now is not working as much as nicotine did...

http://www.longecity.org/forum/topic/38 ... d-for-you/
There are a lot of people on the web saying that tobacco is actually good and even Hans Seyle said that it was a major antistress. I remember reading a quote by Peat saying that there was a campain for claiming that tobacco is good for health back in the days so I wonder if all they are saying comes from that?
He also said that it was a vasoconstrictor so I'm a bit concerned about this one. He also said that acetylcholine was excitotoxic but seems that people smoking never get alzeihmer or parkinson's disease?

I've read a lot of people on the web that say that tobacco might be antiviral (Matt Stone I believe) and raise good things like DHEA and other hormones, raise dopamin and be a MAOB.
I have to admit that I feel that I need help (dopamine) for my ADD (hyperactivity is really better now) because that is impairing my life at school and social life.
I'm just a bit affraid to smoke and raise NO too much with my propency to tetany crisis and with my bad veis/heart and asthma problems.
I'm considering to try smoking a few additive free tobacco in a glass pipe like pboy or even e-cigs, do you have any caveats?

 

[Makrosky]

post 51087 Hi guys. I many years suffer from the fact that I can't quit smoking. If you know some advice how do quit smoking please help me. My wife hates cigaretteImage smoke in the house. Thanks.

post 108931 After Peating since 2 month I'm now starting to crave tobacco, the smell of the smoke that I hated so much before smells quite good now and makes me want to smoke it...! that is crazy.

I have found cyproheptadine and/or l-theanine very useful extinguishing cigarrette cravings.

post 108931 I'm back to an IT school after 5 years of illness and all the guys that are smoking there are almost the only ones without dark circles under the eyes and they have good energy levels and you can see in their eyes that they are more "here" than others, and even their skin quality is better than mine (and others that are almost all full of acne) despite all the "good habits" I have and how guenine I am in being healthy .

Maybe they are the healthiest to begin with and young so don't give a **** about smoke dangers and just smoke because they like it and it's cool. Having said that, it is true that I think I'm healthier when I smoke except for the lungs. My mind works much better and it helps with stress. I, however, find not worth the risk. I think you could try what I mentioned above or try to interpret the craving. Why is it ? Smoking tobacco is an aromatase inhibitor, besides many other . It sounds a little bit like you're trying to find a justification for smoking. Don't, man. Well, or do it. We're gonna die anyway. But I think it is telling you something about your metabolism not working properly. Maybe serotonin ? I was a heavy smoker during my days of prozac and later 5-htp.

 

[DaveFoster]

I don't smoke tobacco anymore but I do still use nicotine. I can see a lot of benefits for myself personally by not inhaling carbon monoxide at regular intervals throughout the day. I'm sure I will always miss it on a certain level just because I did it so long and it was a coping mechanism for me. I did read that females are more likely to successfully quit during the luteal phase so maybe using Progest-e has helped me stay off cigarettes. Just some thought I wanted to share in case it may be of interest to others.

Hey Blossom, don't you take thyroid as well, so your'e using thyroid + nicotine? Do you find that nicotine provides some benefits thyroid (or coffee) doesn't?

 

[Frankdee20]

I haven’t read people’s input on this thread but will say the only time cigarette cravings have been strong in my life were obviously when doing blow, drinking, or slamming heroin. Seems to be a Dopamine component, other than that, the first one of the day is great, but after, it’s fixation

 

[Frankdee20]

Addiction is funny, life is a b****, and death is her sister, you know Father Time, what a ******* family picture

 

[Frankdee20]

Here's something I ran across today that helps explain the craving for cigarettes and why. "Nicotine from cigarettes affects brain neurochemistry. It activates acetylcholine receptors in the brain and induces the release of dopamine (resulting in a feeling of calm and pleasure). Nicotine is a psychomotor stimulant. Absorption of cigarette smoke from the lungs is rapid and complete-faster than intravenous injection. Nicotine alters fat storage in the body; there is increased lipolysis releasing free fatty acids. It improves cognitive and motor functions and soothes symptoms in people with depressive disorders, schizophrenia, or ADHD." Source: More Than a Habit Epidemiology and Neurocircuitry of Smoking and Smoking Cessation (Facilitator Guide)
Gosh, no wonder it seems hard to quit

This is why the gum just can’t compare to a smoke. Sublingual/cutaneous vs inhaled. It’s why crack is more addictive than snorted cocaine, route of delivery controls speed and intensity

 

[Travis]

Seems to be a Dopamine component, other than that, the first one of the day is great, but after, it’s fixation

I always found that the first one of the day was the worst.

Nicotine's closest biological analogue appears to be acetylcholine, where it binds to the same receptors. I see it as "acetylcholine replacement," or upregulation of nerve transmission. Reaction times and word recall tests always improve under the action of nicotine, even when administered in low doses transdermally.

I have no idea how to explain the addiction aspect. Perhaps that anxiety feeling is a negative potential building-up in the nerves, needing to be drained either by acetylcholine or nicotine. Acetylcholine seems to act as an electron-acceptor at the end of the nerve, and I would expect nicotine to work in nearly the same way.

 

[cyclops]

I was hoping smoking would be a good thing as I seem to enjoy the feeling it gives me. Someone tell me it is? Or give me something to take its place?