tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3467242994126386706.post7691469445707661877..comments2024-03-17T12:29:06.250+00:00Comments on nickhereandnow: Reckless livesnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10472673041193755894noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3467242994126386706.post-80234755495196777752012-07-20T17:13:06.557+01:002012-07-20T17:13:06.557+01:00Liz - They do tend to. After all, look at Uncle Te...Liz - They do tend to. After all, look at Uncle Ted, smokes like a chimney and still going strong at 93....Nicknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3467242994126386706.post-24306077735420566022012-07-20T14:49:34.468+01:002012-07-20T14:49:34.468+01:00Don't you think that people always think it wo...Don't you think that people always think it won't happen to them?Liz Hindshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04646532093872561703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3467242994126386706.post-16224186910390014222012-07-19T08:23:17.044+01:002012-07-19T08:23:17.044+01:00Paul - That's true, if people get real pleasur...Paul - That's true, if people get real pleasure out of something, they're going to keep doing it even if they know very well it's a serious health risk.Nicknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3467242994126386706.post-65463258869156668352012-07-18T23:46:19.921+01:002012-07-18T23:46:19.921+01:00It's not all about addicts.
A lot of us consci...It's not all about addicts.<br />A lot of us consciously decide to do things that are unwise and unhealthy - people have listed some of the rationalisations above.<br />My own is - Sure, you'll be a long time dead. (So live now.)<br />When the mood takes me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3467242994126386706.post-35146345719668066332012-07-14T19:17:43.187+01:002012-07-14T19:17:43.187+01:00Agent - I think that goes to show that if you have...Agent - I think that goes to show that if you have a strong enough incentive, then you can ditch the habit just like that. After my father had a stroke, he also gave up cigarettes overnight.Nicknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3467242994126386706.post-28988951728527688342012-07-14T18:07:55.357+01:002012-07-14T18:07:55.357+01:00Incidentally, I thought you'd be interested to...Incidentally, I thought you'd be interested to know that my grandmother was a three pack a day smoker from her teens until she was about 75. Even watching her husband die of lung cancer didn't make her quit. But when she started having heavy nosebleed due to smoking and her doctor told her the next one would likely kill her, she quit cold turkey and never smoked another cigarette for the remaining decade of her life. It CAN be done.Secret Agent Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07564690116156754219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3467242994126386706.post-8580601742376213502012-07-14T18:05:22.193+01:002012-07-14T18:05:22.193+01:00Agent - That's what I feel, that if you really...Agent - That's what I feel, that if you really want to kick the addiction, you can do so. Otherwise what are you saying? That you have no control whatever over your personal behaviour.Nicknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3467242994126386706.post-1459894334530862202012-07-14T15:40:35.441+01:002012-07-14T15:40:35.441+01:00That's basically what I'm saying about the...That's basically what I'm saying about the brain changes. But of course personal responsibility palsy a role. A ig role. People may be genetically inclined towards addictive behaviors, but there is no gene that keeps people from doing whatever they need to do to get into recovery.Secret Agent Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07564690116156754219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3467242994126386706.post-76049026150419695102012-07-14T08:00:21.823+01:002012-07-14T08:00:21.823+01:00Agent - I won't pretend I understand all that!...Agent - I won't pretend I understand all that! But I do understand that long-term drug use alters the normal functioning of the brain in a way that makes it hard to revert to the non-using state. I'm glad you think personal responsibility does have a role.Nicknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3467242994126386706.post-46479698809022537972012-07-14T03:08:10.649+01:002012-07-14T03:08:10.649+01:00It's such a complicated subject. Addictions a...It's such a complicated subject. Addictions are mightily resistant to treatment. Part of the problems is the down-regulation of neurotransmitters that occurs with substance use, so that when someone tries to stop using, they are operating at a deficit. Hard, hard to make it past that long stage of recovery. But, personal responsibility does factor in and people have to find a motivation within themselves to get clean and stay clean.Secret Agent Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07564690116156754219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3467242994126386706.post-76590157987695248832012-07-13T22:29:08.717+01:002012-07-13T22:29:08.717+01:00Megan - The comments on this post have been very e...Megan - The comments on this post have been very educational. Obviously as a non-addict there's a lot I didn't know about what it's actually like to be addicted.<br /><br />I take your point about the part of you that wants to stop having to be greater than the other part. And that's a good comparison with sugar. Though personally I haven't seen any of the disdain of sugar-refuseniks you mention.<br /><br />It also makes sense that addictions are rooted somewhere that's beyond logic and any interventions from loved ones.Nicknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3467242994126386706.post-84961660294639847652012-07-13T20:35:02.358+01:002012-07-13T20:35:02.358+01:00Yes, spoken like someone who is not an addict. My ...Yes, spoken like someone who is not an addict. My own addiction to nicotine humbled me. I tried any number of times to give it up. Problem was, i could smoke a pack of cigarettes and still operate heavy machinery. <br /><br />After many, many attempts, i was finally successful. What i came to realize was that the part of me that wanted to stop smoking had to be greater than the part of me that wanted to continue. Even if it was only a hair's breadth more. Logically, i could see the "do it for your loved ones" argument, but it wasn't just a case of logic. There had to be a paradigm change deep within, as if the trimtab in my soul needed to change position, and only then could i be successful.<br /><br />My view is that nearly everyone is addicted to something, just that some addictions are fashionable or not seen as a problem. I know any number of sugar addicts who get downright petulant when I refuse sugary sweets. Why should they care if i don't partake? I think it's because at some level, they know they're addicts. The difference between sugar and heroin is that one is legal, but both are white crystals that can wreak havoc.<br /><br />If the drug were heroin rather than sugar and i told my friends i wasn't partaking, any number of onlookers would cheer me. But if it's sugar, many of those same people would label me a kook.<br /><br />And, there are those people who can ingest a bit of sugar and are okay, much the same way i can take or leave alcohol. A drink now and again is pleasant, but if all the alcohol went away tomorrow, i'd shrug. Not my drug of choice. Even now, i still occasionally have smoking dreams, and i smoked my last cigarette in 1989. go figure.megan blogshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04555646904983619596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3467242994126386706.post-52395228184172032002012-07-13T13:24:15.305+01:002012-07-13T13:24:15.305+01:00Liz - How very sad. But a familiar story that he w...Liz - How very sad. But a familiar story that he wouldn't or couldn't stop despite other people's warnings. But as commenters above have said, a raging compulsion like that is often immune to reason, common sense and the pleadings of loved ones.Nicknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3467242994126386706.post-2166004718789550062012-07-13T08:50:52.707+01:002012-07-13T08:50:52.707+01:00A friend died a couple weeks ago at the age of 39....A friend died a couple weeks ago at the age of 39. Drank himself to death. It's horribly sad but nothing anyone said to him could get him to stop living it up, as he put it. I guess people never think they're going to be the one to keel over so young.Liz Dwyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17794296990587989214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3467242994126386706.post-41775249903678980122012-07-13T07:50:32.061+01:002012-07-13T07:50:32.061+01:00e - I don't know any addiction counsellors but...e - I don't know any addiction counsellors but I know addictions are in many cases incurable as you say. You can manage them but the underlying attraction to whatever it is remains dormant.<br /><br />Technogran - I know, it's Sod's Law, isn't it? Chain smokers who live to 110 and health freaks who drop dead at 50. And look at those ageing rockers like Keith Richards who've ingested everything under the sun and are still going strong.<br /><br />Sorry to hear about your health problems. My father had a pretty healthy lifestyle, but he had a stroke at 55 and then died of lung cancer at 70.Nicknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3467242994126386706.post-79064597270306463562012-07-13T07:17:50.690+01:002012-07-13T07:17:50.690+01:00I tend to agree with everything you say. Its the &...I tend to agree with everything you say. Its the 'It won't happen to me' syndrome, or cocking a snoop at well known wisdom. Trouble is, ironically as someone who gave up smoking 25 years ago, eats all the foods that are recommended, exercises every day (no car) its I who has had a heart attack and now developed cancer, whilst others who continue with their unhealthly life style seem to get away with it. Makes you spit!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03565202952790011951noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3467242994126386706.post-60628244224956427692012-07-13T03:01:55.897+01:002012-07-13T03:01:55.897+01:00Nick, find an addiction counselor and talk with th...Nick, find an addiction counselor and talk with them. Addictions are incurable but can be managed.ehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11376645220662546020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3467242994126386706.post-32078756095336449122012-07-12T17:16:28.733+01:002012-07-12T17:16:28.733+01:00www - Yes, I guess the endless pursuit of more mon...www - Yes, I guess the endless pursuit of more money you don't need is a kind of addiction. And equally hard to give up.Nicknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3467242994126386706.post-52187417458957252132012-07-12T14:58:52.520+01:002012-07-12T14:58:52.520+01:00And it is only when you're up close and person...And it is only when you're up close and personal to addicts, as I've been, and see them lying so peaceful in their caskets that one realizes that they are finally at rest. They could not slay their demons on their own. And no love, mothers or otherwise, could save them.<br />And yes Nick I know money addicts. There is never enough. And the perfect fix is around the corner. Damn the torpedoes.<br />XO<br />WWWWisewebwomanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15281689872840844191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3467242994126386706.post-23550535918877371122012-07-12T09:12:12.613+01:002012-07-12T09:12:12.613+01:00Ursula: Well, of course you don't wake up one ...Ursula: Well, of course you don't wake up one morning and decide to be an addict. Clearly it's something that gradually overwhelms you. And equally clearly, I don't understand from my own experience what it means to be an addict.<br /><br />I take your point (and www's) that addiction has little to do with how much you love your family and friends, that it's something beyond your personal affections.<br /><br />You seemed to be saying that people have no control over their addictions, in which case any attempt at rehab would be pointless. I'm glad you clarified that.Nicknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3467242994126386706.post-36921095006715362042012-07-12T08:58:17.510+01:002012-07-12T08:58:17.510+01:00www: Yes, I had a deluge of spam on this post this...www: Yes, I had a deluge of spam on this post this morning so I've had to restart word check. Very tedious.<br /><br />Interesting definition. Which would cover a lot more than what we normally think of as addictions. Like the recent behaviour of bankers. Or the relentless greediness of the rich.Nicknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3467242994126386706.post-91606814994525964642012-07-12T05:31:12.069+01:002012-07-12T05:31:12.069+01:00Nick, if you feel insulted by what I said I am sor...Nick, if you feel insulted by what I said I am sorry. I just feel that you simplify what is terrible for those afflicted. I fully underwrite Webwisewoman's definition of addiction. Those who are not addicted should not be smug. Some are prone to addiction, others are not. You don't wake up one morning and decide you will become an addict like you decide to either become an accountant or an actor. Slippery slope. Those who are [addicted] fight demons that those who 'here by the grace of god go I' have no idea about.<br /><br />When Amy Winehouse died it broke my heart. I went ballistic. If I had been her mother I might have pulled her back from the brink. Or maybe she'd never got there in the first place. Who knows. Wishful thinking. Yet you, Nick, doubt whether she 'genuinely' valued her family and friends. I am sorry, Nick, but that is so missing the point of addiction. The addict is in a cell, Fort Knox. Sure, some claw their way out of it, with a spoon. <br /><br />How you deduce from what I said that I think that rehab (incidentally the title of one of Amy's songs)has no place I do not understand. Of course it does. But rehab is not a miracle cure. For some it works, for some it works intermittently, and for some it doesn't. And let's not forget: Some addictions are deadlier than others. Which reminds me: Why are Keith Richards and Ozzy Osbourne still around?<br /><br />I dare say that what you call my being addicted to insulting others, and what I call being highly critical of others and myself, is not deadly - unless you knife me. Is it curable? Sure. I could just shut up. Easy.<br /><br />UUrsulahttp://bitchontheblog.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3467242994126386706.post-53279306541090234692012-07-12T01:18:43.761+01:002012-07-12T01:18:43.761+01:00Have you been trolled Nick (see 2 above)?
The bes...Have you been trolled Nick (see 2 above)?<br /><br />The best definition of addiction I ever read was: <br /><br />"An irrestible compulsion to engage in completely irresponsible behaviour."<br /><br />And no one, outside of addicts, understands that.<br /><br />It has nothing to do with one's family, love or whathaveyous. <br /><br />Amy was an addict.<br /><br />And I is one too.<br /><br />XO<br />WWWWisewebwomanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15281689872840844191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3467242994126386706.post-48792498677131784952012-07-11T22:37:41.344+01:002012-07-11T22:37:41.344+01:00I'm struck by how many of you think addictions...I'm struck by how many of you think addictions are basically incurable, and you just have to put up with them as best you can. That seems to me a very defeatist viewpoint.Nicknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3467242994126386706.post-1304396545137478042012-07-11T20:41:02.034+01:002012-07-11T20:41:02.034+01:00Suburbia - I agree, addictions are very hard to re...Suburbia - I agree, addictions are very hard to resist. Yet many people do confront them and overcome the addiction.Nicknoreply@blogger.com