I’ve already as much as said that you’re an addict several times on this blog, and I wonder if you’ve accepted that yet. Well, don’t take my word for it: take this quick 5-question quiz* and then decide for yourself.
Be honest with yourself when you answer these questions. Notice that there is no “MAYBE” option: Your answer is either “YES” or “NO.”
- Do you usually smoke your first cigarette within a half-hour of waking up?
YES or NO - Do you smoke a pack (20 cigarettes) or more a day, on average?
YES or NO - At times when you aren’t allowed to smoke, or don’t have any cigarettes, do you experience strong cravings for a cigarette?
YES or NO - Is it difficult for you to go for more than a few hours without having a cigarette?
YES or NO - If you’re sick enough to call in to work and stay home in bed, do you still smoke?
YES or NO
If you answered “YES” to two or more of these questions, you can stop wondering whether you’re an addict or not.
You are.
(*I didn’t just make these questions up; this quiz is an aggregate of numerous such quizzes published by authoritative sites across the web — smokefree.gov, nhs.uk, cancer.org, freedomfromsmoking.org, and webmd.com, to name a few — and I would have answered yes to all five questions before I quit for the lat time in 2001.)
More on this as we go on.
(If you're feeling a bit lost, it may be helpful to go back to the first post and follow along in order.)