What are you looking for?
Featured Topics
Select a topic to start reading.
"Some people are like nicotine, you know they aren't good for you; but you want them anyway." — Anonymous
As a person who smokes cigarettes (now occasionally), I find it very relatable. My addiction started when I was in high school, my parents always beat my ass whenever I got caught, but it didn’t stop there. I would still smoke secretly. I smoked while preparing for SAT, I would smoke whenever I got frustrated, I could smoke up to 4 packs a week. I knew it was wrong and I always felt guilty. I have tried to quit, I have, however the effects were too unbearable… I became an unhappy, aggressive, unsatisfied, all-things-bad person. I wish I was addicted to something else, chocolate maybe? Heh, at least the damage would not have been so bad.
This isn’t about it though. It’s about my other addiction. You see, when we fall in love, our brain releases dopamine; it makes us feel happy, contented, and everything good. It is the same hormone that is released when we smoke.
Nicotine triggers the dopamine, which is responsible for producing the feelings of pleasure. Nicotine also elevates our moods and heart rates. Nicotine is addictive because it disrupts the relationship between the neurotransmitter and the receptors. The ‘shape’ of nicotine is similar with acetylcholine (ACh), making them able to fit in the same receptors. The more nicotine you take, the more ACh replaced by it.
This imbalance situation in the brain causes it to think that there is too much ACh which causes to the less release of acetylcholine. It makes the brain needs another dose of nicotine to function normally. The smoker would feel something abnormal when they are not using nicotine. In order to feel ‘normal’ again, they have to supply more nicotine into their body. This is the reason why nicotine is so addictive.
Enough science already! Lol. Based on the quote in the first line, we can say that there are people in our lives which works like nicotine, they replace something in our hearts. Making us so addictive, possessive, and maybe aggressive, because when they’re not there, it would cause abnormality in our hearts. The “only” cure is their presence. Note that it doesn't always have to be "Bad people", just people you need to let go because of some reasons.
Is there any cure other than their presence? Yes, there is. But it takes time. Just like an addict who wants to quit because they realize that smoking is bad. They simply can’t stop at once, they need time and process.
Our brains need time to finally realized they don’t need more nicotine and start producing more ACh. Just like our hearts which need time to finally realize that they don’t need that person anymore.
We want nicotine because our brains need it. We need someone our hearts want it.
How long until we finally let go? We won’t know for sure because it takes time.
But when are we going to realize that it is bad? How long are we going to keep that stuff destroying us from the inside? Now, tonight, tomorrow, six other days, five more weeks, or nine months later? We have to decide this because this is the thing that matters. The realization does matter. The courage to finally let those bad things go does matter. Trust the process.
Comments have been disabled by the author
More Posts
-
Feeling lost on the path of life
Let me start by saying that I usually don't do this sort of thing. I mostly keep my stories and experiences to myself. I find it very hard to trust people. Even...
-
Am I Wrong?
Am I wrong that I want to break up with my boyfriend? We had good times together, we texted all the time. He'd wake up in the middle of the night and spam, &q...