I had never previously thought of myself as an addict or alcoholic but realistically I was for a long time addicted to cigarettes. In 1996, I went to Sheppard Air Force base in Wichita Falls, Texas.
I started smoking that year and continued until 3/6/1990, a total of 24 years. I am so glad that I stopped. It is now 26 years later and I never regretted stopping.
I thought that cigarettes were just something to quiet my nerves but then your story may seem unthreatening also. Most addictions have some emotional connection that confuses the person in to believing that what they are doing is good.
When I left for the service, I was not exactly at a high point in my life. My father had died young after a long torturous struggle with cancer.
He was gone from my life and then my draft number told me that I would be leaving my birthplace one way or the other. I was emotionally ragged, insecure and struggling to understand it all.
As a young man going through personal struggle, I also experienced rage and experimented with substances that were less than helpful. I will not belabor my situation at that point as I have already written ten books about being a Veteran and have given away thousands of books about healing help for veterans and other seekers of emotional peace.