Cigarettes as a trigger

[Steve C]

During my DD sessions, I smoke a lot while pacing. It's also a trigger. I never noticed the full effect until recently, but if I'm at work on my smoke break I pace up and down the sidewalk, in a less vivid DD as not to cause much attention. I smoke a pack a day, and I'll smoke about 4 or 5 out of the 20 in the pack while not DDing dring the day, and the rest during the sessions. As if limiting DD isn't hard enough by limiting triggers, this particular trigger is one that many normal people say is very hard to overcome and a trial of willpower itself. I'm finding MD requires x10 more mental willpower and exhaustion to try and control. There is no way to stop or limit both of these at the same time. It's a very particular and tightly closed loop of addiction.

[Jenna]

Hm, that's interesting. I've never heard of smoking being a trigger.

[Steve C]

Yeah, I consider it a pretty deadly combo.

I was never able to put the two together until I thought about how destructive my MD is, but it seems like it's coming together now. When I'm on my smoke break at work, I get agitated when people come out to smoke too. They always want to talk to me, but all I want to do is enjoy my small 5-10 minute fix of DD. Typically if someone is talking me during that time, I'll sneak out a half hour later or so to have another cigarette by myself.  It's two addictions happening at once.

[roxanne]

That's very interesting.  I finally gave up smoking, but it was brutal.  I bet it was connected to MD, but I didn't even realize I DD'ed abnormally at the time.  I just knew I was VERY addicted to smoking.

[roxanne]

An addiction specialist I worked with said that cigarettes were the only drug that did whatever you wanted it to do for you, because it modulated the brain some how, I forget.  When you were bored or tired, it perked you up, like an amphetamine; when you were anxious, it calmed you down; sad, it soothed, etc.  Very hard to break.  I thought they would have to lock me up to get me to stop, but I finally did.  Try the e-cigarette.

[Alexander Deprez]

I have the same. Cigarettes are a very strong trigger. I even find that if I'm to busy to daydream I don't need a cigarette. I would say that of all the cigarettes that I smoke alone. That 80% is probably because I want to fantasize. I also hate it when I'm smoking outside at home (not in workplace or bar) and my father of sister comes outside and starts talking to me. I have the same thing with food. I prefer eating alone so I can fantasize, and I will start snacking so I can fantasize. To be exact, cigarettes trigger fantasizing, but the wanting to fantasize also triggers smoking.