Why a Tragedy Does Not Justify a Cave

Quitting nicotine is really hard. REALLY HARD! Think about – there is an entire industry out there that is making bank on addiction. Pharma industry is killing it with Chantix which doesn’t even work. E-cigs, gum, patches, etc. – all manufactured from the Tobacco industry and they don’t even work…they keep you hooked on nicotine! Government programs and Employer programs…deals made with Tobacco industry which support NRT, etc. They hit on emotions and people buy it especially the ones who aren’t addicts because they have no idea what it is like to be an addict.

For us…we can all see the addict in each other. As an addict, we will have a gazillion excuses to use or cope with poison. This place is not a ‘pat your back and try again’ place. It just isn’t. Why? Because basically every walk of life has come through these forums. Dad’s dying, spouses dying, pets dying, jobs lost, terminal illness, sentenced to prison, military PTSD, mental illness, etc. I’ll show remorse, sympathy, love, and compassion to the event that occurred. I will purposely separate that event with someone who says “I caved because of X event”. They are not linked and never should be linked. That is the addict mind making an excuse to use and we all freakin know it.

As for quitRick…I sympathize and am sorry for your loss. I truly am and it sucks and it is irreplaceable. It is horrible. Using nicotine is completely separate from that event. They are not linked and never will be. But the addict mind will link them because that is what all of us as addicts will do. We will fight this battle every day (why do you think we come here every freakin day?) because it is a battle and we need to win that battle every day as an addict. The addict mind will want ball coddling and the pat on the back to try again because the addict mind will then use that as an out in the future. Nicotine is the enemy and it is a war each day with it that we wake up and fight until we go to bed at night and then do it again tomorrow.

I will sympathize for quitRick for the loss but as far as an excuse to use nicotine…that is a completely different discussion. They are not linked. The addict mind will link them and then others will say “Hey, back off…he just lost his dad” which yes…when I’m looking at him and sad at his loss, I’m totally there for him on that. But using nicotine? There is no correlation other than what is brewed up in your own mind. That is the fight. Life does not require nicotine to do anything at all. Nicotine is not a requirement for anything that involves LIFE and LIVING. Nicotine is linked to death of that person using…and that is it!

NOTE: This piece written by KillTheCan.org forum member Palpatine