Smoking

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I started smoking when I was around 16, and gave up when I was 29. I used to use smoking and to a lesser extent drinking as a social crutch. I gave up drinking around the same time I stopped smoking. The thing is I really enjoyed smoking - yes, I know, it is a disgusting habbit. However I found nicotine really helped with concentration and more importantly it reduced anxiety.

Since then I have come up with other comping mechanisms, which work, but to be fair are quite tiring. I have been tempted recently by e-ciggerettes - the idea of nicotine and simple water vapour without any of the other cancergens and fiflth, no nasty smell, not exposing other people to passive smoke ect are quite appealing.

I was just wondering about other peoples views on the subject - I know the percentage of smokers among people with ASD's is significanttly higher then the general population - do many of you smoke? Do you find it beneficial in terms of stress reduction and the general negative aspie symptoms? Have you tried e-cigarretes (aka Vaping)?

Oh. That's related to Autism? Yes, I've been a smoker since conception (A doctor told my mom to try smoking to help with stress, and she smoked wile pregnant; they didn't know back then.) So, 18 years as a passive, 2nd-hand smoker and smoker in my own right beginning 3-4 weeks after moving out.

I believe(d, until a moment ago) that I smoked for these reasons:
1) My job is stressful. Smoking gives me five minutes to be alone with my thoughts, organize them, and double-check that I'm on track for the day's goals
2) I enjoy it (I've always doubted this, though. It's likely just addiction.)
3) I typically pace while I smoke, and I think better when pacing
4) I've never tried e-cigarettes because... it's just what I do; smoke cigarettes.

In the context of what I now know about myself & why I think the way I do, the fact is I think better while stimming; I'd just never thought about it in context of my smoking/pacing.

Being set in my ways (I've also historically referred to this as OCD, stubbornness, and 'because it's logically the best way'). In context of smoking, this would have fallen under the "I lack the willpower to quit." This is just a euphamism for "I'm stubborn I'm just set in my ways."

I really do NOT know why I haven't switched to e-cigarettes. I know they're less harmful, yet I don't do it. I'll put this on my list of things to consciously think-through.

I did quit for one year, but picked it back up exactly one year later, during a period of extreme stress with my work.

Smoking for me is an unrequited love, so I avoid it. So, I'm a snuff user, both oral and nasal. Interestingly, the research says that, unlike smoking, snuff causes few, if any health problems.

Despite its extremely habit-forming nature, nicotine is actually good for the nervous system. Nicotine is the only drug known to man that both calms and makes its users more sober. It also greatly lessens the incidence and severity of a number of neurological diseases, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. It also greatly improves my concentration, which is important considering I have a lot of responsibilities.

While I enjoy smoking far more than snuff, I can use snuff without guilt, and do so.

I switched to an E-Cigarette five years ago and only occasionally smoke a real one anymore. Though I prefer real tobacco, the E-Cig is much cheaper (and less likely to damage HD television and monitor screens).

The Electronic Cigarette is the only tobacco alternative I've ever found that satisfies the habit, because I never smoked for the nicotine, I smoked cigarettes as a nervous habit and need the 'fiddlestick' in my fingers and the sensation of feeling the smoke as I pull it into my lungs and blow it out again. The E-Cig satisfies that just fine.

You can buy the liquid that makes the vapor in varying levels of nicotine strength, from strong down to none, so those trying to quit can wean themselves off by gradually reducing the nicotine level until they're just 'smoking' water vapor.

OTOH, I also have an extensive collection of pipes and when I want to smoke for the genuine pleasure of real tobacco, pipe tobaccos are as varied and subtle as fine wines.

I have never smoked a cig in my life and I never will.
This despite coming from a family where 3 of the 4 people with most influence on me are smokers.

I smoke for mood control. Before I started smoking, I was rather volatile and quick-tempered. Smoking calms me down and increases my concentration levels. And, yeah, I know I'm addicted, so some of that is a self-fulfilling prophecy. I have thought about switching to e-cigs, after I tried one out and it cut my smoking right down, but haven't yet go round to taking one up full time.

I have a smoking fetish. I like to see to guys ( and to a lesser extent girls) smoking cigarettes (or even better cigars). I know this is unhealthy, but I don't care, I just find it such a turn-on. I get massively turned on by a bloke or a women smoking. I like to imagine having sex while smoking, or to smoke while in public and breathing smoke in and out. I like to get off on smoking together while naked, and having sex while smoking.

I recently quit. I don't want nicotine in my body again. I am tired of being controlled by it. I have quit several times only to pick back up again and be paranoid about the health consequences. I feel much calmer without the nicotine. I am focusing on meditation to deal with anxiety right now. It has wonderful results.

I'm another smoker from conception.
I think one of the biggest dangers of smoking while pregnant, is that if that kid ever tries cigarettes they will be much more likely to become a heavy addict. When I started smoking at 11, it was like being reunited with a long lost friend. 32 years later I am so hopelessly in the grips of this addiction that I doubt I will ever be able to stop, it rules my life.

I kinda think that smoking is my primary "stim".

20 year smoker. recently quit again. a cigarette gives you a chance to calm down (mentally), and it gives you a dopamine fix after you do it (nice). addiction is now considered to be a disease. it fakes your brain into believing you are doing something good for yourself, and physically, your really not. nicotine in its purest form is actually extremely toxic, and deadly. small daily doses is no good for you in the long run. I feel healthier, and my nose works better now. OMG.... the withdrawals sometimes. especially after I eat, or have some ritual about doing it.

Tobacco has been a miracle drug for me.

• It alleviates my chronic pain better than anything else I've tried besides opioids. My hand was quickly becoming useless before I started smoking and it was greatly affecting my daily life. Now I've gotten back to my initial functioning and pain levels.
• It helps slightly with concentration.
• It helps with my sleep issues. I can prevent myself from falling back to sleep with it, and it snaps me out of the delirious haze I'm in for a few hours after waking up (when trying to maintain a 24 hour day).
• It helps me lose weight.
• A calming stimulant is very pleasant.


I do use e-cigarettes. They weren't enough on their own for me. When I first got it I paced around and puffed through an entire 3ml clearo with 1.6% nicotine in 30 minutes. As Hank Hill put it, "WHEN'S THIS THING SUPPOSED TO KICK IN, IT'S NOT WORKIN', IT'S BROKEN!" All it did was make me sick. Nicotine alone is only mildly rewarding. In animal studies potentiation by an MAOI (as found in tobacco) is necessary to produce self-administration.

Now I use primarily snus, along with an e-cig and nasal snuff.

Smoked since age 13, but I was always very moderate. So from age 13-15 the amoutn enhances from 1 package of cigarettes/month to 1 package of cigarettes/week, but then stayed at that level constantly for about 18 years. (1 cigarette in the morning, 1 after lunch, 1 in the evening. ^^) Many coworkers were surprised when seeing me with the smokers at christmas company dinners, because I smoked my lunch cigarette always outside, because I cant stand being in a closed room with smoke in it. Because of that, even as a smoker, I was rather happy, when smoking finally was banned in inside public places, in my country. Finally going to restaurants, coffee bars, ... without getting red eyes. ^^

Stopped smoking half a year ago, when my partner and I were starting with trying to conceive a child. You should do a bit before, but according to statistic, we should have needed to wait about 18 months, before becoming pregnant, because we are both already beyond 30. It worked now already after four month, but when I asked my doctor about it, and answered him about the amount of cigarettes I smoked before, he meant that actually he got patients, that are conceiving and working on reducing from 2 packs of cigarettes daily to 1 pack daily. So "has smoked 1 pack of cigarettes a week and stopped doing so 4 months ago", was not that big concern for him. ^^

Yes, I smoke cigarettes. I gain from it all of the positive nicotine effects previously posted.

My pattern has been to smoke for 3-5 years, then quit for 3-5 years, then repeat. I am currently smoking, though in the process of converting to e-cigs. My doctor told me that cigarettes have like 40+ bad things in them, so I figure with e-cigs I get the nicotine while avoiding some or most of the bad stuff in cigarettes.

I have tried other replacements, such as patches and gum. When I want to totally quit the patches work well for me; the gum, not so much.

One of the tricks for me with e-cigs was finding the best dose. When I started I figured I was a manly man, so I began with the strongest e-cig cartridges. Whoa.... two puffs and I felt sick; they were way too strong! I am now on the lowest strength and doing ok.

At first I had trouble with forgetting where I put my e-cig(s). So I have rigged a neck chain to which I attach my e-cig. Now whenever I want a drag it is always around my neck, like dogtags. (Or... like a baby's pacifier. I prefer the dogtag analogy

I am glad that the economics has shifted so that, where I live, e-cigs are cheaper than cigarettes.

Thanks guys, some interesting responses.

I just want to make it clear quickly - I'm not encouraging anybody to take up smoking, it's a very unhealthy habit. What I am interested in are the effects of nicotine in and of itself.

When I gave up smoking, it was actually for health issues - I have Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and my Doctor told me quite rightly that my smoking, specifically inhaling hot smoke was making my stomach worse. I quit straight away.

As I mentioned in the opening post, I smoking for me served several purposes, stress control, anxiety relief, a concentration aid and a "social lubricant" as someone else mentioned. I'm from the UK and here smoking is becoming increasingly socially unacceptable (not to mention financially ruinous - I noticed recently my old brand now cost £7 for a pack of 20, that's around $11.50 us). However the symptomatic relief provided by smoking kind of balanced itself out for me.

In the six years since I must admit I really have found my stress an anxiety levels more difficult to control, and have struggled often with concentration. So I made the descission to order an electronic cigarette, with 6mg nicotine fluid to see how I get on with it. I must admit, I am conflicted about it, but I have felt I need to do something to address this situation for both work and personal reasons, as I find myself completely drained a lot of the time at the moment.

There is an interesting, if somewhat academic paper on the subject here:

http://www.nature.com/npp/journal/v28/n ... 0032a.html

Vaping is sure better than smoking health-wise. The problem with vaping--meaning why all smokers haven't jumped at it--is the fact that natural tobacco contains some MAO inhibiting mood stabilizers in it. I have read that this (I don't recall the specific name) is what draws people to tobacco as much as the nicotine--and keeps them coming back for more. Again, I would encourage you to consider Swedish snus, or your own domestic English nasal snuff, which I'm very fond of, and is very cheap, as it has no taxes on it.

I would strongly encourage you to look at Toque products. Their Spanish Jewel snuff is a delight; it has a hit similar to a cigarette with a taste similar to honey graham crackers. And nobody has ever been known to die from nasal snuff.

I really wish I had never started. Smoking had ruled more than 3/4 of my life.
And who knows how many potential romances never happened because of these dang cigarettes. I have seen women checking me out in the past, and watched their faces totally change to disappointment when I light up.

But like I said before, nicotine has it's hooks so deep in me that I really don't think I will ever quit. I smoke 3 packs a day, 4 if I'm really stressed out.
I would need some kind of intensive, long term inpatient rehab. I definitely couldn't quit on my own.