Quitting Tobacco

Smoking tobacco is pleasant. Once addicted, not smoking it is not pleasant. Is quitting smoking tobacco the common-sensical course of action for an addict?

The short and obvious answer is 'yes.' "Based on data collected in the late 1990s, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that adult male smokers lost an average of 13.2 years of life and female smokers lost 14.5 years of life because of smoking," says the American Cancer Society Web site. "And given the diseases that smoking can cause, it can steal your quality of life long before you die."

Now, that answer is too easy. So easy, my addicted mind will not accept it. Not because the conclusion is wrong, but because the path does not include the distress one goes through as a smoker who is not smoking anymore.

Now, let us examine the original question and answer it taking the new factor into account: Is quitting smoking the common-sensical course of action for an addict?

First, we must establish what it means for a person to be an addict:

-addict: noun: a person who is addicted to a particular substance, typically an illegal drug. (Dictionary.com)
-addicted: adjective: physically and mentally dependent on a particular substance, and unable to stop taking it without incurring adverse effects. (Dictionary.com)

Second, we must do a cost-benefit analysis of the adverse effects due to not smoking versus the extended life span and other perks that increase pleasure and therefore the quality of life and continuity of one's genes.

Some of the costs of not smoking are:
-Unfulfilled desire to smoke causes anxiety, thus clouding judgment (decreased chances of survival when reasoning is required)
-Discontinued membership in the smoker's alliance (decreased chances of building relations with others based on a shared interest, and therefore decreased chances of survival when interpersonal effort is required)
-Melancholy for one of the few constants in an ever-changing world (increased chances for depression, and therefore further decreased chances of survival when reasoning is required)
-Not having a valid reason to excuse oneself from uncomfortable situations ("I'm going out for a smoke," is no longer an option)

Some of the benefits of not smoking are:
-Lesser risk of heart or lung disease/medical conditions (increased chances of survival)
-Not being out of breath when jogging for two blocks (increased chance of survival when in physical danger)
-Not making a bad first impression on non-smoking girls (increased chances for reproduction)
-Not spending over $10 per pack (increased chances of survival, as more money usually means better chances of survival)
-If successful, a feeling of accomplishment (which can result in increased chances of survival in instances in which a positive self-image is required)

Now, let us analyze these costs and benefits of not smoking.

1) The anxiety caused by not smoking is real, but if compared with the anxiety of going through a painful heart of lung condition, it is smaller. (I will not factor in the duration of the feelings of anxiety, just the severity, because one can die at any moment of any cause).
2) A conditional membership in the smoker's club can be retained through telling the other members one is trying to quit, and smoking again should this membership be revoked and the particular cost-benefit analysis dictates membership is most beneficial.
3) The constant of "smoking" can be replaced by the constant of "not smoking." After nicotine is removed and the brain chemistry changes, one's mindset should be able to grasp this. If not, nicotine from cigarettes can be replaced by nicotine from patches or chewing gum at a cost similar to that of cigarettes.
4) "I need a cigarette" can be replaced by "I need some fresh air." Failing that, a smoker gained about 14 years of awkward social interactions.
5) All benefits are self-explanatory.

Conclusion: The common-sensical course of action for a smoker/addict is to stop smoking. It is important to have in mind, however, that there is no need to make it unnecessarily tough on oneself, as there is chemical help in the form of patches and chewing gum. Not smoking makes more [common] sense than smoking.