Featured
Musings and Articles We Love
Do you have some articles from the old or even older Quitnet to share with everyone?
Sam Y Smoking is a lousy coping mechanism 2018
Sam Y Smoking is a lousy coping mechanism 2018
When I started smoking as a young person I was not simply being monumentally stupid. I was coping the best as I could with an extremely difficult time in my life. (I'm old enough now to receive the senior discount at Denny's!) When I started smoking nobody gave it a second thought, it was just something people did.
As an adolescent I felt very self-conscious and awkward, like I didn't belong anywhere. This is an almost universal common recollection expressed by many addicts.
When I smoked, I didn't feel so bad about myself. I felt "cool" for a little while. I could forget my sense of inadequacy and pretend I had it together, at least for a little while.
Smoking didn't create self-esteem. It didn't solve any of the painful problems I was facing. What did was mask much of my feelings and motivation for growth and change. Smoking is such a lousy coping mechanism and one that I'm glad I don't depend on anymore.