Quote:
Originally Posted by stomachmonkey
I'm addicted to Nicotine but what I have come to realize it's more than just the addictive properties.
There is a lot f research recently using Nicotine therapy for things like adult ADD and slowing the progression of age related loss of cognitive abilities.
When I started the eciggs they contained a nicotine level close to what I was getting from cigarettes. My plan was to step down the dosage over time and about 3 months ago I had been at the lowest level you could buy. But I was having trouble functioning so I stepped back up one level and my ability to focus improved.
My theory is that those of us who have difficulty quitting smoking are not just experiencing nicotine withdrawal. There is a benefit to us in using nicotine and we've pretty much been self medicating without knowing it. We quit and get past the first week but we are not ourselves and the only thing we know to do is get back on the smokes.
Am I happy about it? No. But right now it's a balance that works for me.
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Bingo. I've just recently self-diagnosed with adult ADD, and among the things I've done to balance myself out (diet, exercise, sleep routine) I have also started to look at nicotine differently. Instead of a vice that I have to eliminate, I see it as something that I've used to self medicate for years, and that it might actually have a useful place in my daily routine as something other than a "crutch"
I like the gum, because it is innocuous and pretty much invisible.
The whole add/nicotine link is a very interesting subject... it was certainly one of those " ah ha " moments for me, and I've been reading about it a lot.