Smoking is a self-medicator

"Those who inhaled tobacco smoke at least once a month, the researchers reported, were 10 times as likely as less frequent smokers to develop symptoms of nicotine dependence, including a strong desire to smoke, withdrawal symptoms, feeling addicted and having difficulty controlling their smoking." New York Times

The article quoted above talks about how easy it is to get addicted to smoking, and how damn hard it is to quit. They state the obvious: if you never start, you won't have to quit. Duh. But it also says that the longer you smoke, the worse the withdrawl is. It can cause depression, irritability, and more.

"The main exception, perhaps, may be people who suffer from depression, other mental ills, and substance abuse disorders. They are more likely to smoke and much less likely to quit because nicotine acts as a form of self-medication."

Right. It keeps you from being depressed by acting on your nerve receptors and releasing dopamine. Ah, good old self-medication.

I suppose you could apply this article to any type of addiction. It really does change your body chemistry, and the more and more frequently you use it, the harder it is to quit.

So I'm not quite ready to give it up yet. I think I need to get through quitting booze and drugs before I tackle that next addiction. Let's give it 6 months. By Christmas perhaps?