I'm addicted, ummmm.... whatever addicted means! It is habit forming? Can't really say I have a habit of vaping, that just doesn't even sound right to me, to me, that's just me though. Ask me if I'm addicted to nicotine and I will gladly answer, Yes I most certainly am and I love it. Can I live without it? yeah, unfortunately. And I have and could do so again. God forbid that ever happens again though because I sure did miss my addiction. I have read another thread much like this one and I feel like I keep missing the point. Is saying I'm addicted to nicotine a bad thing? Is the word nicotine a four letter word? Or is "addicted" the four letter word? So what if I say it's addictive or that I'm addicted to it? Is this harming anyone? Am I making vaping out to be a lesser of evils? I just don't understand what any of this matters. Help me understand the purpose of this thread please. I'm pretty good at being an opened minded feller. So can you give me a good reason why this thing against the use of the word addiction matters? (note) I'm not trying to be combative I just want to understand so please don't lash out at me. I am friend not foe.
No worries, since we're talking about nicotine &
not cakes (ref your avatar
)...
You, me and every other smoker have had a relationship with nicotine - and in terms of casual, day-to-day application of the word, we pretty much describe it as an addiction.
And the word, in our collective vaper / (ex-)smoker's world is pretty much run-of-mill type of descriptor.
As to quitting, or breaking our 'addiction' to nicotine, for the
majority of smoking, and now vaping folks, it seems the
consensus is very much like you describe, we can live without it, and we sure would miss it. No one really expects we'd be hospitalized or suffer debilitating withdrawals, and really beyond a few weeks, just hold on to a pressing longing for the soft assurance of nicotine's touch...
)
But, as others have pointed out along this thread, outside of the world of smokers, the word has strong connotations of ugliness - hard drug users, gambling, alcoholism, etc.
There is a strong
emotional charge that goes with the word - out 'there'.
In here, I use the same phraseology you and many others have expressed.
But when I'm talking with someone who never smoked, never had experiences of true hard-core addictions, I don't use it because of the
risk of conjuring a lot of negative associations in their mind.
And that's because there is
no universal, black & white definition of what an addiction is (which is the entire point of Carl's blog post I referenced, and what made the ensuing exchanges in the comments to his blog
fascinating (at least in my mind))
So in order to properly place or establish my addiction/dependence/habit or great fondness for nicotine, for that listener, in that moment - I choose the then appropriate words.
For example, my most frequently used phrase is that
I love my nicotine much as I love my coffee / caffeine, and to be honest, maybe a little bit more
That establishes a hopefully
familiar reference point that most people can relate to. If they don't drink coffee, they might then relate to common experiences maybe with tea, Mountain Dew, or nowadays with the youngsters the energy drinks.(or if you work for NCIS,
CaffPow!
This avoids the
potential baggage and associated negativity that could go with hearing the word 'addiction'
This is primarily because there is not a single, universally accepted definition or standard for what an addiction is.
Words mean things, and in this case, you can't know what the word will mean to that listener.
So choose words that are more likely to be heard and properly understood by the listener.
Tangent - as a professional talker, I have developed a philosophy: I feel that everyone who ever talks to anyone else, has a
responsibility to choose the words, and express them in a way that the listener can comprehend your intended meaning.
Know your audience, and tailor your communications to maximize the odds of their Successfully knowing/understanding what you intend to convey.
And on the reverse, avoid words that leave open to interpretation in the listener's mind and their experience, something that you personally may not expect.
Along the same lines as we adapt our methods of communicating with a person as they move through the stages of life - home from the hospital -> rug-rat -> terrible 2's -> teenagehood (not a real word but will suffice for the moment) -> adulthood
/tangent
Btw...
Would / could I walk away from nicotine - yup, been there done that.
Would / could I walk away from coffee - yup, never really totally cut off, but close.
Got cranky as hell in both scenarios, but I got along 'okay'.
That's not an addiction in my personal interpretation of a very vague & indeterminate word.
But hey, that could just be the nicotine talking!!