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Comment by lujim | Hacker News Reader

Sorry I'm not a mental health professional or a physician and had to google "reciditivism" which appears to be a reversion into criminal behavior which is maybe a fancy word for relapse I guess. You are saying that medicine used to treat psychological or behavior deficiencies is of little or no value? Don't you think the shared knowledge of acquaintances is kind of anecdotal? If we are using anecdotes then I would add that I used chantix to quit smoking years ago and never looked back. It flicked an instance switch in my brain that gave me enough distance from that negative behavioral feedback loop to quit for good. Then I quit chantix and never took either again. For me it was (probably literally) a life saver.

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I didn'y say pharmaceuticals are of little or no value, I said recidivist rates for alcohol & opium addiction are upwards of 90%. If a chemical imbalance causes harmful behaviors, then yes, pharmacology can be a lifesaver. My experience is admittedly anecdotal and should not be taken any other way. People who deal with addicts regularly(doctors, LEOs, therapists and family members) will have their own anecdotes, and together they form a pattern which, IMO, is swapping one drug for another isn't the panacea drug makers and their lobbyists would have us believe. There was a long discussion about an Asian weed the DEA made schdule 1 recently despite it not meeting any of the criteria. It is the opinion of many professionals that it IS a good instance of swapping one drug for another in opiate addicts, much like Chantix worked for your nic habit.

Good for you on quitting the cigs. If I may inquire, how long did you take it? Did it work the 1st time? Any disturbing imagery or dreams? I am genuinely curious, as I am a nicotine junky myself.

Ahh gotcha. Yes alcohol and opium are tough to keep people away from. Chantix worked the first time and within just a day or two made smoking a cigarette completely devoid of any pleasure. Zero problems with dreams.

The biggest epiphany you get from quitting smoking is realizing that cigarettes aren't inherently pleasurable, smoking one just removes the symptoms from nicotine withdrawal in a way that other nicotine replacements can't. While everyone seems conceptually know this, it's surprisingly hard to really get it to sink into your own brain. Truly understanding/believing that combined to a round of Chantix took care of things for good.

Awesome. I would very much like to quit and will give that a go. It's not the quitting I dread, it's the deep, perilous dread I feel when withdrawl begins, only an hour or two after the last. I know rationally I can do it, I go 6-8 hours a night nic-free while sleeping and am not jonesing when I wake up.

If chantix doesn't work for you my grandma used bupropion to quit. It was a wonder drug for her.

Obviously talk to your doctor.

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