What's your trigger?

[SandeeN]

Through the years, I've heard so many stories about why people start smoking and, when they do, what their triggers are. I have a few...but my biggest seems to be severe anger or some major road block in my life...like the day my husband and I discovered that we LOST the keys to our Lexus. We were over 6 hours away from home...2 whole states and the car was locked. We were looking at having to rent a car to get home, pay around $2,000 that we didn't have to replace the computer and key, and some how drive back to get the car back. I remember sitting on the sidewalk at a gas station, crying, and smoking the strongest cigarette they sold. Money is a big thing for us...the Lexus is very USED (didn't buy it new), hubby is in the military, and I'm a teacher. We were once in debt to the tune of $135,000.

These days, my smaller but just as strong triggers are at work. Many of my students are very disrespectful...some are potentially dangerous.

Anway, just venting and wondering what your triggers are.

SandeeN

 

[beckah54]

I don't really have any triggers any more. I retired recently, so I don't have the stress that goes along with a job. I've been vaping almost 6 months and don't crave analogs anymore. I still remember them with fondness though. I loved them.

Just take a day at a time and see what happens. You might be suprised at how easy it is to forget to buy cigarettes now.

 

[Shortstuff116]

First, thank you to your husband for what he does.

We could all probably list thousands of triggers that might have caused any one of us to light up and of course stress would definitely be high on the list. If you have shown the ability to cut down on smoking analogs (regular cigs) or even quit using your new found e-cig, then you have more control over yourself and your emotions/feelings than you may give yourself credit for.

Life is too short to get too bent out of shape over too many things. Most of the time I just smile when something goes haywire because I can smile. The next time you get flustered with something, just take a deep breath and smile and you'll find that 9 times out of 10, the outcome is going to be the same as if you flipped out over it.

Being a retired Marine and having been married for more than 33 years I can tell you that it takes a special woman to be the wife of a man in the military - and that says a lot about your own personal character in a good way!

 

[jj2]

Right on. Stress was the biggie. Another, the act of celebrating when I got finished doing something.

 

[cassavetes]

Stress and drinking. Especially getting together with friends. Then the two combine into some sort of giant cluster**** cloud of alcohol soaked stress.

 

[angjen0816]

yeah stress and drinking are the worst

 

[olderthandirt]

Mainly stress from unexpected change or anger.

Now instead of a smoke the really big stressors are dealt with by several drops of 48mg!

Or a fresh snus. Or a few good pinches of snuff.

Or as was the case today when informed all my top teeth have to come out, all 3 were put into play to avoid the smoke! 8-o

 

[optsmk]

There are two things that are a trigger for me. One of them is stress and the other one is the smell of someone smoking. I should have known when I was very young that I would grow up to love smoking. I can remember being as young as 5 or 6 years old smelling someone smoking a cigarette, pipe or cigar and just loving the smell. Back when I was a child, smoking was still allowed in restaurants, and I can remember loving the smell in the bars while waiting to get a table.

 

[Tristar4]

Hands down, stress #1. And in no particular order: coffee, good meal, good conversation and definitely alcohol.

 

[Kent C]

The body's need for nicotine.

 

[angelique510]

All of those listed are triggers for me. For all of us, I think. But it is not the nicotine for stress relief trigger that is the hardest thing for me. I have four kids - three teenagers - I have stress 24/7 LOL

I have what I guesss would be called a psycholgical link to cigarettes and nicotine withdrawal. A Pavlovian association would be the technical term, I guess.

To me, lack of cigarettes equals poverty and privation.

I spent the first decade of my adult life very poor - welfare, foodstamps, government housing, etc. I had a husband who not only didn't give a rat's a** about bettering us, but did everything possible to hamper my attempts to do so. I still managed to buy enough ciggarettes to keep up the addiction most of the time. But that caused fights with him, and guilt in myself for spending the little money we had on them. It was a constant thing, always trying to scrape up enough change to buy a pack, and then the money fights. But I never quit smoking because I figured I was at least worth $1 or $2 a day, right? And cigarettes were one of the few pleasures I could get. And so it continued for a very long time.

Well, I finally got smart and threw the bum out. I started a new life, got a wonderful new husband, and moved to a new state. We're not rich, but we have no more money problems than the average family. But even now, sitting in the nice new house on the cul-du-sak, with food in the kitchen and all the utilities on, a couple thousand dollars in the bank, and a couple hundred in my purse - if I run out of cigarettes, even though I just forgot to buy some and can whenever I want, I feel that cold desperate panic of poverty creep in on me.

Now that I am buying these fancy, expensive, new-fangled electronic cigarettes, I am hoping the cigarette = money thing fades away. I still make sure to keep a pack around so that I don't get that feeling again. I don't hesitiate to have an analog when it starts to creep up. Eventually I am sure it will go away forever, but not yet, and I am not rushing it.

Thanks for letting me share. They say it helps.

Be well,
~A

 

[Madame Psychosis]

Fire performance.
I've always smoked a cig after my fire breathing/spinning gigs and routines. There's something very ritualistic about playing with huge amounts of flame and then settling down to your own little torch. And if I'm going to be all dangerous and rebellious in one way, why not in another way? Plus, a lot of my friends in that scene smoke.

Long walks. Late night walking+smoking has long been a ritual for me.

It's also hard on long drives, as I call cigarettes my "thinking sticks" and they help the miles pass while I think about stuff and play loud music. But I think that will be much easier to replace with vaping with the right equipment.

These are all really interesting responses, too.

 

[CSI]

I agree about the driving thing. I seemed to pace myself by having a cig per so many miles. Seemed to help pass the time on long drives.
I also find taking that smoke break in the middle of my work schedule gives me something to look forward to...that little bit of time all by myself where I can just relax.
These new e-cigs have really helped out since I am not so confined to WHERE I can use them. I am finding all sorts of 'new places' to have a smoke....so nice not to always have to run off somewhere.
Ken

 

[mills41403]

I think my biggest trigger is stress, and then unexpected change, drinking, a good meal and sometimes just the need to get away (I never smoked in my house, I always went outside).