What to Expect at a Nicotine Anonymous Meeting

Nicotine is one of the most highly addictive and legal substances on the market today. It is available in cigars, pipes, cigarettes and chewing tobacco. It is extremely difficult to stop using nicotine without support. Nicotine Anonymous (NicA) is one of the best programs that helps users live nicotine-free.

The majority of nicotine users smoke cigarettes as their chosen nicotine-delivery method. Smoking is the primary cause of preventable death in the United States. Tobacco kills 393,000 people every year, and another estimated 50,000 people die from secondhand smoke. Nicotine is the addictive chemical in cigarettes and approximately 85 percent of all smokers are addicted to the chemical.

How Your Health is Impacted

Smoking causes a number of well-known health hazards including:

• Chronic bronchitis
• Emphysema
• Coronary heart disease
• Stroke
• Cancer

Nicotine provides a series of false positive feelings that include boosting your mood, suppressing anger and enhancing concentration. These feeling are deceptive and short term at best. Nicotine addiction is similar to other addictions, such as heroin addiction and cocaine addiction. As your body becomes addicted to nicotine, it needs more to maintain a normal feeling.

“A nicotine habit not only affects your health, it has a devastating impact on your finances.”A nicotine habit not only affects your health, it has a devastating impact on your finances. Smokers can attest to the fact that they use any means to scrape together enough change to buy a pack of cigarettes. A single pack of cigarettes every day multiplied by 365 days a year can add up to a significant amount of money. Add the cost of medical expenses when you start having medical conditions attributed to smoking and that amount skyrockets.

Withdrawal Symptoms from Quitting

The campaign to encourage people to quit smoking in the United States is widespread. However, nicotine withdrawal can be difficult and the craving for nicotine can be both physical and psychological. Withdrawal symptoms from quitting are not life threatening, but they are very uncomfortable. You may feel irritable and fidgety. After the physical withdrawal symptoms from nicotine, you may still have psychological cravings that last for years. It is extremely difficult to stop using nicotine on your own. If you are ready to quit, contact Nicotine Anonymous and find a support group by emailing them at info@nicotine-anonymous.org

How Nicotine Anonymous Helps People Recover

Nicotine Anonymous is a quit-smoking support group based on the sound principles and practices of Alcoholics Anonymous. They use the 12-step model that provides nicotine users with a basic approach to living without substance abuse. More importantly, NicA provides nicotine users with a place to go and talk with other people who are going through the same process. No one is really going to understand how you feel except another addict who is going through the same thing. The social support you receive from other members is critical to your success.

You are not required to talk at NicA meetings, although talking is part of the healing process. You will learn just by listening to others tell their stories. Their stories may sound familiar to your own. Members who have stopped for a while may talk about what worked for them. You can then use what you learn in your own recovery program.

You can also ask another member to be your sponsor and help you through the process. Sponsors provide direct support to newcomers and are available when your resolve starts to diminish. When confronted with a stressful situation, your first instinct may be to reach for a cigarette to calm your nerves. If you have a sponsor, you can reach for the phone instead and talk about your problem.

There are hundreds of meetings available around the country. You can also attend online and telephone meetings. To find Nicotine Anonymous meetings, go to their website at this link.