Why is cigarette smoking so widely accepted by AA members

[Theo50]

Why is the deadly habit of cigarette smoking, which contains the mind-altering drug nicotine, so widely accepted by AA members.
Hundreds of thousands of people die every year from the diseases directly caused by smoking cigarettes (and other tobacco products), including those individuals exposed to “second hand” smoking. It is not just an addiction that “only effects the smoker” as so many other lives are also directly affected as a result of this selfish addictive habit. I have personally witnessed the suffering of entire families as a result of the long-term health issues resulting from these completely avoidable selfish actions. Anyone that has witnessed the suffering of an individual dying of a lung disease will know that it is a terrible way to spend the end of their lives among their friends and families. The millions spent on medical facilities to care for these individuals and their lung diseases are only added to the cost society pays as a result of this selfish habit.

Regarding the mind-altering effects of nicotine, I have witnessed many behaviors in addicted cigarette smokers that I can personally identify with the behaviors of my experience with the addiction of alcohol.

I see the same “restless, irritable and discontent” behavior in a cigarette smoker that is “jonesing” for their next cigarette.
I see the same stress relieving, euphoric expressions on cigarette smokers as I had cracking opening a cold beer, when they light up a cigarette. I have never smoked cigarettes and have no idea what psychotropic effect it has on the brain, but it must be good enough to risk the inevitable lung cancer and other emphysema type of health conditions.

I see the same obsession and craving traits in addicted cigarette smokers as I can identify with my obsession and craving traits with alcohol.
I hear justifications from addicted cigarette smokers similar to those that I made for my drinking, justifications I made to myself as well as others. I would defend my drinking to the extreme, no matter how much I knew inside that I was wrong.

I have found that discussions, during my past 4 years of sobriety, regarding cigarette smoking can turn “toxic’ so I am hoping that creating a post in this “If It Doesn't Fit Anywhere Else” forum, that it can be discussed without causing conflicts with other “Newcomer” forums.

[Chelle]

Hi Theo,

I'm not sure why cigarette smoking is so acceptable in AA, but in my area it is becoming less acceptable in "society". At the end of my smoking, I felt embarrassed when I lit up, but still continued to do it. Quitting smoking is very hard. As a never smoker, it would be very hard to comprehend the desire. Quitting smoking was harder (a different kind of hard) than quitting drinking for me. I'm almost 2 years since my last cigarette, and still crave it. Not as hard as the beginning, and it would probably be less hard if I didnt live with a current smoker, but it is still there.

At 6 years sober from alcohol, I have no desire to drink. I had zero desire at 2 years sober to drink. The ramifications of smoking are not evident until its basically too late, whereas the effects of drinking can be immediate. Smoking does not impair the mind the way alcohol does, although it did give me an immediate sense of ease and comfort.

I have watched multiple die an alcoholic death, and it did not deter me from drinking. (Today happens to be one of their birthdays. I also quit smoking on his death date. Not sure that is relevant to your post, but thought I'd add).

People will only quit smoking when it becomes too painful for them to continue. My husband has a lung illness and continues to smoke. It is heartbreaking, but I have no power over what he does. Will it kill him? Yes. Does he care? Yes. Do I accept this? Yes.

By the grace of God go I

Edit to add.. Alcoholics Anonymous is for alcoholics. Nicotine Anonymous is for nicotine addicts. I try to stay in my own lane and not judge.

[Brock]

Chelle said -

Alcoholics Anonymous is for alcoholics. Nicotine Anonymous is for nicotine addicts. I try to stay in my own lane and not judge.

AA history shows what happens when we don’t stay in our own lane. The early founders were members of the oxford movement which is a predecessor of AA. The failure of that movement is primarily linked to them thinking they could assist with other 'bad' habits. AA does not even say people should not drink, for example on page 31 -

If anyone who is showing inability to control his drinking can do the right- about-face and drink like a gentleman, our hats are off to him. Heaven knows, we have tried hard enough and long enough to drink like other people!

To protect the integrity of AA the 12 traditions were adopted, including tradition 5 which states - “Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers,” and goes on to explain the dangers of going outside of that purpose.

And from the leaflet ‘The AA Group.’

The primary purpose of any A.A. group is to carry the A.A. message to alcoholics.  Experience with alcohol is one thing all A.A. members have in common. It is misleading to hint or give the impression that A.A. solves other problems or knows what to do about drug addiction.

As has been said by others, newcomers are encouraged to work on the drink problem first, and many of them after recovering from that do turn their attention to other problems, often using the steps to achieve success. But mainly due to our primary purpose they do not speak about these things in meetings. The governments of most countries also do a good job of discouraging smoking, by way of very disturbing images of the consequences in ads and on cigarette packaging, if that doesn't discourage smoking I doubt anything we might say will.

[Chelle]

Dave and Brock nailed it. I was in AA for about a month when I told my new sponsor that I was going to also quit smoking and start working out! I was aiming very high at changing my life. She grounded me and told me to keep it simple and do one thing at a time. Just like Dave, I quit at 4 years sober. Thank God I waited, I was already nutty as a squirrel, and I would have ended up drunk and smoking.

I've met many, many people in the rooms that quit smoking, and admired every single one. They inspired me to quit.

Nicotine and caffeine were the only drugs I had left, and I abused the heck out of both. Now I'm down to one, and nobody is going to stop me from my coffee.

You know what they say in AA Theo, Pray for em.

[PaigeB]

When I told my sponsor I was thinking of quitting smoking she warned me that IF it became to much to SMOKE and not drink!

[Indianapolis]

I wouldn't have gone to detox if they wouldn't have allowed smoking. No way was I going to do both at the same time.

When I came out of rehab, my sponsor suggested that I should consider quitting SOMEDAY. Not immediately.

I'm now about 2 years sober. I've tried quitting smoking several times, and am presently very close to zero nicotine (a cigar at night on my walk, and that's usually about it). But, quitting nicotine has been brutal. The cravings are awesome, it's available in every gas station, and the fatigue and grumpiness that goes with quitting is pretty intense.

I definitely do not recommend to my sponsees that they work on quitting smoking at the same time they're stopping drinking. That's too much pressure and craving simultaneously. Over time, yeah, it'd be good to get this fully out of my system. But I'm not going to risk my sobriety over a cigarette, pipe, or cigar.

[Indianapolis]

Actually I have one more thought here. Nicotine has helped keep me from relapsing on alcohol. How? Because every time I try to control my nicotine addiction, I remember how powerful the addict brain is.

I don't smoke for a few days, feel good. Decide that I can definitely have a cigar. The next day I'm buying a pack.

I make limits on my nicotine intake, and promptly break those rules again.

I try to switch from cigs to vaper to pipes to cigars -- and always end up right back where I started.

It feels very much like my drinking habits. And that reminds me, over and over, why the first drink would be suicide for me. Because I know this brain, and I know that I'd have one beer and suddenly be buying a bottle. No question. And trying to stop smoking has reinforced that for me over and over again.

[innermost]

It is accepted in AA because the only requirement for membership is a desire to quit drinking.
We have a primary purpose.
There is always Smokers Anonymous or other quit smoking options for those with the desire to stop smoking.
I am sure that many in AA would support a person going to outside resources to quit smoking if a person desired.
Surely you can apply your logic to an endless amount of addictive and habit forming substances and dangerous practices or hobbies.
Tradition 10 (long form) of AA states such matters like this:

Ten—No A.A. group or member should ever, in such a way as to implicate A.A., express any opinion on outside controversial issues—particularly those of politics, alcohol reform, or sectarian religion. The Alcoholics Anonymous groups oppose no one. Concerning such matters they can express no views whatever.

I also love our Mottoes in AA.

We have three little mottoes which are apropos.
Here they are:

First things first
Live and let live
Easy does it

[avaneesh912]

Try changing it. You probably be ostracized. I brought it up with an old-timer when I was about 6 months sober, he had about 10 years then. Oh boy it was an in pleasant exchange.

[PaigeB]

It really is an outside issue...

[Molgzonor]

I have never smoked cigarettes and have no idea what psychotropic effect it has on the brain, but it must be good enough to risk the inevitable lung cancer and other emphysema type of health conditions.

Not so much. A smoker just feels normal smoking, and 'somethings missing' when circumstances deny. Same as I feel if I dont have a half gallon of ice cream to pull out along with a spoon every evening.

And it takes the cumulative damage of a million cigarettes to finally kill you not any single particular one, and being super spiritually fit living 1 cigarette at a time I don't want to hold the single cigarette I'm smoking completely accountable for the sins of the many.

[Theo50]

I appreciate all of the good discussion in this thread and that it hasn't turned into a toxic conversation. I realize that smoking is an "outside" issue, but that is why I posted it in the "If It Doesn't Fit Anywhere Else" forum. I would imagine that most all topics in this forum are "outside" issues.
My main question revolves around the lack of disapproval to this "outside" issue, addictive drug, as opposed to the, in general, unanimous disapproval to other "outside" issue addictive drugs.

[Theo50]

I have never smoked cigarettes and have no idea what psychotropic effect it has on the brain, but it must be good enough to risk the inevitable lung cancer and other emphysema type of health conditions.

Not so much. A smoker just feels normal smoking, and 'somethings missing' when circumstances deny. Same as I feel if I dont have a half gallon of ice cream to pull out along with a spoon every evening.

And it takes the cumulative damage of a million cigarettes to finally kill you not any single particular one, and being super spiritually fit living 1 cigarette at a time I don't want to hold the single cigarette I'm smoking completely accountable for the sins of the many.

As a drinker, I felt "normal" when drinking, and something was definitely "missing" when I wasn't drinking, so again, I can identify my addiction to alcohol with the addiction of cigarette smoking.

[tomsteve]

My main question revolves around the lack of disapproval to this "outside" issue, addictive drug, as opposed to the, in general, unanimous disapproval to other "outside" issue addictive drugs.

the difference between cigarrettes and other outside drugs is quite simple:
how many people beg,cheat,steal for get their next cigarrette? how many people have killed others while on nicotene? how many people are in prison for smuggling cigarrettes across the border?

nicotine has never caused me to do the things alcohol,coke,crack, pills did.

if everyone that smoked stopped smoking, be prepared for a tax increase somewhere else.
12.4 billion yearly

[Molgzonor]

I've apparently got a lifetime of step 10 to deal with all the stuff I grab ahold to fill 'normal', and the trouble it all causes. Remember, when I come in attend a few meetings and begin to work the steps, I am already sober. Makes me think maybe theres more to my alcoholism than just alcohol. Guess if I was honest I never broke up a home or went to jail over cigarettes but I could probably find some inconsideration, dishonesty, fear and maybe- just maybe, a tiny bit of bitterness and resentment associated with the habit. I'll butt out before I ruin someone's day that was perfectly frikking OK before they come read this crap.