How much can i smoke before I am addicted and my base level of dopamine drops?

[New2Smoking]

I'm new to smoking, period.

I am trying to limit myself to 3 times per week only at work (it helps me at work...that's why i do it).

You guys are more experienced in this than me. How much do you think I can do before becoming addicted to it? AKA...how much do you think i can do before my status quo level of dopamine (dopamine = "happy neuorotransmitter" to keep it simple...and there's more to it than dopamine, but again, lets keep this simple) production drops below normal, so that I then have to have nicotine just to get back to normal level?

 

[Hill]

I would suggest stopping completely and never smoking again but thats just my humble opinion.

Trust me I've been there your on a slippery slope get off before its too late.

 

[khaugust]

I would put it down and never look back

 

[Debra_oh]

ditto what they said. Nobody can tell you how your body will respond to an addictive substance, if concerned-stop now. If you like vaping try some 0 mg nicotine flavors.

 

[Harlen]

If your not there now you will be !!!
Stop now sale or give your kit away
I am so happy with vaping but if I had a choice rather not do it at all.
That's why they make coffee ,to give you a boust
Best wishes

 

[cmdebrecht]

Just stop no2. You'll regret it for the rest of your life if you don't.

That being said, there is no way to answer your question. Even the top neuroscientists in the world would probably not be able to give you an answer. Brain chemistry is full of gazillions of variables and very few constants.

Even if you aren't physiologically addicted to nicotine, you could more easily become psychologically addicted to smoking itself.

I am afraid you've come to the wrong place if you want encouragement to smoke.

 

[CreepyLady]

Put down the nicotine and run away while you can! I do not wish that addiction upon my worst enemy! hill is very correct - you are on a slippery slope and its a crappy place to be. Leave that crap at the bottom of the slope while its still a slight slant and easy to trod back up

 

[MoonLit_Water]

The number one issue with addictive substances is believing You can control Your use of them.

 

[nmackan]

I had just warned my daughter this devil will persuade you in some known cheats in the beginning
- I will not smoke as others do. I am very nervous now and I will just try
- What are these people fuss about addicting? I smoke when I like and not addicted to
- I can quit whenever I want to
- It is even not tasty what do people find in those cigarettes
- I always hated the smell I would not be a cigarette user even if I want to.
- I am astonished the weak personalities how they dont quit what is hard quitting? Now I quit.

All beginners think that way in the beginning. If you dont believe me (I know you think exactly that way) ask others here
Personal advice "If you are flirting and fidling with devil, at least you get an e-cig (Cool too) This way you save yourself very dangerous staff"

 

[bigmaaark]

everyone here who is an ex cig smoker will agree with me when i say if we could all go back and never started we all would. its a terrible thing to get started doing. your health will suffer, you smell like crap, your teeth and fingers will turn yellow, you will start finding little burn holes in your clothes...and it isnt seen as "cool" like they used to portray it. its just really a bad habit to pick up. most of us have turned to vaping because we have a nicotine addiction from smoking, and its just switching one habit for another. granted, you dont get the nasty smell and it doesnt have all the other chemicals that cigs have but its still a habit. STOP WHILE YOU CAN!! but from the sound of it, you may not be physically addicted to nicotine or smoking, but mentally you are. i dont see how smoking can "help" you at work but you believe it does. break the habit now, i wish i never picked it up. and if you dont sop now, i dont want you to be one of the ones saying the same thing i am right now.

 

[Thunderball]

I would suggest stopping completely and never smoking again but thats just my humble opinion.

Trust me I've been there your on a slippery slope get off before its too late.

Thats it. Stop now. Please. You will be hooked within a week or two I suspect, if not already.

 

[Denrock316]

I am going to guess that maybe when you say it helps you at work maybe it's because you go outside for a short refreshing break. I would suggest maybe try vaping 0 nic instead and use this for a short break, and if you need a stimulant/ pick me up have a coffee or energy drink. If your really not addicted to nicotine already I would try to avoid it completely.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

I'm new to smoking, period.

I am trying to limit myself to 3 times per week only at work (it helps me at work...that's why i do it).

You guys are more experienced in this than me. How much do you think I can do before becoming addicted to it? AKA...how much do you think i can do before my status quo level of dopamine (dopamine = "happy neuorotransmitter" to keep it simple...and there's more to it than dopamine, but again, lets keep this simple) production drops below normal, so that I then have to have nicotine just to get back to normal level?

I knew a woman and her daughter that would smoke 2 analogs every day when they got home from work. This went on for many yrs and we lost touch. 6 months ago I ran into her in the mall. She sincerely told me I looked GREAT and what was my secret. We ended up going for coffee and a chat. That 2 analog a day habit had blossomed into a full PAD habit. Needless to say both her and her daughter are now vape converts
We've talked since then and she would tell me the addiction crept up on them ever so slowly- good times calls for an analog...bad times calls for an analog.
I used to counsel addicts and over the yrs I learned that tobacco was one the toughest addictions to kick.
It's your choice but just be aware of how powerful and gripping this addiction can be.
Whatever your choice wishing you the Best of Luck.

 

[Recon Number 54]

To me, it is impressive to note, that here on a vaping forum, almost no one advocates that a non-nicotine user START. Even though a vast majority or at least a high-percentage of members are nicotine users, the common and almost universal recommendation is "don't start".

Now, imagine an coffee aficionado community with a similar population and activity. Can you even imagine any members of that community recommending to a non-coffee drinker "don't start, or if you do, go decaf"?

Like I said, this (to me) is impressive. The overwhelming majority of members here are informed, and whatever their personal nicotine intake is, they are not encouraging non-users to "join the party and ingest the habit forming active ingredient that most of us do".

This community has frequently impressed me with their maturity, knowledge, and how they consistently offer rational and good advice. I am glad and proud to be a part of it.

 

[NoNamesLeft]

I can't believe how nice this community is... Lol

Dude... If your not addicted to nicotine as of now then why the hell would you start?

Why would you go onto a vaping forum and ask about smoking?

For me the answer is simple... ONE... One drag, one analog, one chew that was too much

My advice... Stop immediately or go to 0 nic if your worried about your happy censors
Also hang a punching bag around your work so that way next time your so stressed out, that you think it's a good idea to pick up a habit that tons of people are trying to quit to better their health, you can smash that thing around and I won't judge you for being a _________

Excuse me guys but how many times can play with fire before I get burned?

I know most of you guys played with fire and got burned, but I got this

Just give me some pointers k?


Maybe I'm an _ _ _ but this just stupid

 

[New2Smoking]

Well guys i've been doing this (vaping about 2-3 days per week at work) for 2 months now. Two weeks ago i took a whole week off...I just didn't feel a need for it that week for whatever reason. And there were no big urges for it.

I'm being pretty careful. Even the days that i do it, i do it from 11 AM to 3:30 PM only (I wont do it before 11 AM because a certain family member works with me until 11 AM, and I won't do it after 3:30 PM because i go home at 5 pm and so i wouldn't get to benefit fully from the effects from it before I go home at 5 pm).


Caffeine doesn't help me at work in the same way nicotine does. The only thing that does is adderall. And I don't have ADHD, so dabbling in that is worse for me in my opinion than nicotine.

Thanks for your concerns and warnings though, they will make me proceed with even more caution.

 

[Shreck]

I think everyone here is assuming you you were smoking cigarettes. You are actually vaping. Vaping still has its downside since you have never done it before, and as careful as you are, the addiction will set in , no matter what you think you are doing to avoid it. only way to avoid nicotine addiction is to not use it..

 

[Fulgurant]

I'm being pretty careful. Even the days that i do it, i do it from 11 AM to 3:30 PM only (I wont do it before 11 AM because a certain family member works with me until 11 AM, and I won't do it after 3:30 PM because i go home at 5 pm and so i wouldn't get to benefit fully from the effects from it before I go home at 5 pm).

Caffeine doesn't help me at work in the same way nicotine does. The only thing that does is adderall. And I don't have ADHD, so dabbling in that is worse for me in my opinion than nicotine.

And one day, you'll find that you need the nicotine just to feel normal. It could be tomorrow; it could be a year from now, but the day will come eventually if you keep indulging. No one can tell you exactly when. If you came here looking for some sort of reassurance or approval, you came to maybe the worst possible place.

Like Shreck, I'm relieved that you're just vaping; the phrasing in your first post suggested cigarettes. Still, vaping nicotine juices when you aren't already addicted is probably a very bad idea. Best to find something else to get you through your days. Or nothing at all, frankly.

 

[Rachy_B]

From the moment you start taking nicotine, whether that's smoking or vaping, it is PERMANENTLY changing your brain chemistry and you are getting more and more hooked. You should still be able to stop now and I would strongly encourage that. You know how they say 'once an addict, always an addict' even when you've been clean for how ever long? That's why.

I started smoking when I was 15 and smoked for the best part of 11 years. I reckon I spent over £15,000 on cigarettes and tobacco. I got addicted quickly and however helpful vaping has been, quitting the stinkies still requires determination and self-belief (at least for me!). Don't think that it will be easy to put an addiction to rest once its firmly taken hold.x

 

[StarDose]

I quit analogs once before and decided I'd only smoke when I was having a few beers and would control it that way. Well after awhile I was drinking everyday after work so that failed miserably XD.

You may think you can control it by only vaping a certain times but after awhile those certain times will become habit. Addiction can be beaten but add habit to it and its almost unbreakable.

Best to just stop now or test fate and end up like the rest of us wonderful people.