There are significant differences between tobacco addiction and drug addiction. Nicotine is a drug without a high. Unlike alcohol or hashish, nicotine does not cause intoxication. When smoking cigarettes, I could not escape reality, forget problems, or experience hallucinations like I did when I was high on drugs. Nicotine is a dangerous drug that causes addiction very quickly. The cigarette, which gives the brain a feeling of happiness, is one of the strongest addictive substances there are. Nicotine only needs seven seconds to reach the brain—faster than the drug heroin, which takes about fourteen seconds. Just as quickly as nicotine enters the body, it is also broken down quickly. However, I did not expect nicotine withdrawal to be so unpleasant. Still, it cannot be compared to alcohol or drug withdrawal. During nicotine withdrawal, I did not suffer from severe physical pain. I had no headaches, body aches, muscle cramps, or sweating attacks, nor did I have to vomit like I did during drug withdrawal. It was more of an extreme feeling of restlessness, an emptiness inside me, and a sense that something was missing. Above all, I was impatient and irritable. Especially in the first few days of nicotine withdrawal, it was hard not to reach for a cigarette. Additionally, I had trouble sleeping because I kept thinking about cigarettes. When I took a cigarette again, all those unpleasant feelings disappeared. The physical dependence was less severe than the psychological one. The physical withdrawal symptoms faded after a few days, and I could sleep peacefully again. But the psychological symptoms lasted for many months.
Nicotine addiction is more widespread than alcohol, medication, and drug addiction. It is the most common and socially accepted addictive substance in our society. New smokers usually do not experience enjoyment or relaxation with their first cigarette. The first cigarette often tastes terrible. But once they become addicted, they don’t realize the trap they have fallen into. It neither produces enjoyment nor relaxation. Have you ever seen a child or a non-smoker ask for a cigarette to relax better or enjoy themselves more? Non-smokers do not need cigarettes to relax. Why smokers feel differently is simple to explain: The calming sensation a smoker experiences when smoking is the effect of nicotine. As soon as the body no longer receives nicotine, withdrawal symptoms quickly begin, and the desire for a cigarette grows stronger. When the next cigarette provides nicotine to the body again, the withdrawal symptoms disappear, which is why nicotine seems relaxing to them. Smokers are prisoners of this addictive substance. Once the “nicotine spirit” has settled in a person’s body, it is very difficult to get rid of it. Observe how smokers react when they don’t have cigarettes. They become restless and impatient, complaining quietly to themselves. Smokers in such moments appear anything but relaxed. In reality, their ability to concentrate is ruined by cigarettes, and without cigarettes, withdrawal symptoms start. Every smoker at some point wonders why they smoke, but most avoid thinking about it because these thoughts are unpleasant. People who start smoking often are unaware of the dangers and risks. Nicotine has such a grip on many smokers that quitting can sometimes seem nearly impossible. Many manage to quit without help only with difficulty, some not at all, and others require superhuman willpower. But to succeed in becoming a non-smoker, behavior must be consciously changed, and these fears need to be overcome. This only happens if one is willing to accept change. It does not happen overnight; it takes time and a lot of patience. I can deeply understand smokers who want to quit but find it hard not to light another cigarette. Breaking away from something you have been used to for years or decades is not easy. Smokers are simply afraid of losing something—afraid that certain situations won’t feel as pleasant without a cigarette, afraid that their body and mind will rebel from nicotine withdrawal. Today, I am immensely proud to be a non-smoker. I have accomplished something I never thought possible. It is a wonderful feeling to realize that life without nicotine is simply more pleasant and enjoyable. This transformation has enormously strengthened my self-confidence. I recognize my true desires much more clearly and participate more consciously in life. I feel safer and more self-assured. I can better handle the tensions and conflicts of everyday life and have even become more focused.
With this book, I want to reach as many smokers as possible so that they can become non-smokers again. Above all, I want to address young people and encourage them never to start smoking. Anyone who picks up and reads this personal account should be inspired to become a non-smoker without fear. My goal is to make tobacco addicts rethink their habits and convince them that life without nicotine is better and freer. I want to encourage them to try quitting smoking in order to truly experience the enjoyment of life. My message promotes health and well-being. The reader should experience firsthand what I felt and went through during my smoking years and in the years after my last cigarette. My concern is to counter nicotine addiction and raise awareness of the health risks of smoking. I want to open smokers’ eyes to what could happen if they do not give up their addiction. I am fully convinced that this book can help many nicotine addicts. With this contribution, I want to give all smokers hope that there are ways to break free from long-term nicotine addiction and return to a cigarette-free life. I see it as my duty and responsibility to share my life experience. The valuable tips I provide can be very helpful to any smoker trying to overcome their cigarette addiction. But don’t expect any magic formulas from me—that would be too simple. Motivation, personal willpower, and working on oneself are always prerequisites for allowing change. No doctor or psychologist can help you if you are not willing to change yourself. But always keep this in mind: You learned to smoke, and you can unlearn it..
Unfortunately, the start of smoking often happens within a peer group. Many young people initially want to attract attention with their smoking behavior, gain a sense of belonging in their clique, and appear strong and grown-up. Later on, these behaviors no longer influence them once they have become addicted to nicotine. They then reach for a cigarette to avoid experiencing the unpleasant side of withdrawal symptoms. In my lectures, I constantly appeal to young people never to start smoking. I inform them about the consequences of smoking. But which teenager really thinks about what will happen to their body in 20 or 30 years? In my talks, I always try to stay credible and avoid exaggeration. I try to make clear to young people that smoking is not a sign of freedom but of dependence. The majority of young smokers far too often underestimate the addictive power of nicotine.