Addiction is a disorder of the brain that causes a compulsive engagement of a stimulus or substance. Addiction has a spectrum that goes from a benign addiction to coffee, to a life-crushing addiction to alcohol or narcotic drugs. The problem with addiction is it is inconspicuous, stealthy, and sly. Addiction never starts as a negative experience. An alcoholic may well have started drinking as an effective way to relax after a hard day at work. That relief will later drive the individual to reach for a drink multiple times a day. Addiction almost always starts out as a pleasant experience for a long time before its negative traits begin to show. It's not something you can detect or see coming, it creeps up on you. In this paper, I will begin …show more content…
She started smoking cigarettes when she was about 21 years old while she was working as an Instructor for Southwestern Bell. During her career, she was expected to do presentations in front of large groups. Public speaking made her very anxious and stressed so she turned to smoking cigarettes to relax. Before she went on stage to give her speech, she always went on the back patio of the building to take a smoke break and gather her thoughts on what she was presenting. She never really thought smoking would bother her until she started noticing that she was smoking after she got off work and out in her garage to smoke before she went to bed. After three years with this addiction, she met a gentleman that later became her husband. After one of their dates, the man told her, “I don’t quite enjoy kissing an ashtray.” Ever since that moment, she never touched a pack of cigarettes again. She expressed that there were times where she was tempted to smoke because she would see people smoking during their lunch breaks or see people smoking while driving. It was especially difficult for her when she was experiencing stress from her job or after having an argument with her husband. However, she stayed strong and never looked back. She is now retired and living a happy life with her family and has been nicotine free for over 40 years. However, I found it interesting how still to this day, on rare occasions, she still has the cravings to have a cigarette. It truly amazed me about how strong a person can be so attached to nicotine after staying away from it for so