Intoxicants - what is, what isn't?

[tomschwarz]

Dear mind the gap from beginningless time ...try Buddhism. I mean the Buddhist practice : ethics meditation and wisdom. You mentioned a bit of the wisdom practice of course the meditation practice is largely non verbal. It is like magic. It will help.

Ethics too. Are there those who depend on your love for their own spiritual/human progress in a positive direction? Then consider the first perfection of generousity a.k.a. loving kindness. Nicotine stands against that perfection. ....because it makes you/ is you being self centered (as well as all the other self absorptions that you mentioned).

I also have smoked.

[tomschwarz]

That pro isn't valid. I can interact nicely with other smokers without smoking myself. At least outdoors, because there I don't have to smoke passively.

I gave up smoking twenty years ago. That was most difficult for me. So, I guess, the real Pro for smoking is:
- "Very difficult to give up. Nikotin is as highly addictive as heroine."

Does that count as a Pro?

It took me 13 or 14 tries over a bunch of years to fully quit smoking. So happy that's done with. For a habit that addictive, you don't get much out of it lol, it's pretty boring.

This is something I never understood about cigarettes. why go through all that work and expense for something that doesn't even get you high or make you smarter or anything? It just makes you smell like an idiot and you have to pay for that.

...if you ever say "I don't understand ", or similar language in the context of rejection / non acceptance then actually your next step on the path to wisdom or conceptual (or non conceptual ) understanding, is to understand.

so to fast forward, nicotine is a mental shield. It takes the edges off of life and the price you pay is greyness. In other words you may have less extreme anxiety but you will also be behind a mental shield which obscures the richness of phenomenal reality. Cigarettes and nicotine addiction make perfect sense (albeit complex sense, add oral fixation, death wish, a host of fears, etc...)

Don't forget you can be absolutely certain, everything makes perfect sense. Including everything you have ever done, every decision you have ever made.