XPost: uk.politics.misc, uk.politics.parliament, uk.politics.electoral   
   XPost: uk.media.newspapers   
   From: banana@REMOVE_THIS.borve.demon.co.uk   
      
   In article <1129548512.627724.65700@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com>,   
   joseph.hutcheon@virgin.net writes   
      
   >banana wrote:   
   >> It is far easier to kick a heroin addiction than you might think. All it   
   >> take is will-power. The bosses WANT people to have low self-esteem, to   
   >> 'present to services', to crawl on the ground; they WANT poor people to   
   >> rob each other; and they WANT the majority of poor people, who DON'T rob   
   >> other poor people, to live in fear of anti-social elements who may break   
   >> the law but who are nonetheless doing the bosses' work for them and   
   >> should be treated accordingly.   
   >   
   >Having never been physically addicted to any substance, I am unable to   
   >comment on how difficult or easy it would be to kick such an addiction(   
   >presumably you have, otherwise how can you tell?).   
      
   I kicked a tobacco habit in the early 1990s. Tobacco is generally   
   considered to be at least as addictive as heroin.   
      
   >But the difficulty   
   >many nicotine addicts have in kicking their habit (despite the known   
   >lethal qualities of nicotine and the historically high price of   
   >cigarettes) suggests that it might not be *that* easy.   
      
   Those who say they want to give up tobacco, but 'can't', aren't trying   
   hard enough. The term 'weak-minded' comes to mind. The best advice is   
   *just do it*.   
      
   Dunno whether you have read Eric Berne's books, such as 'Games People   
   Play'. One of the games that a lot of people play is 'Why Don't You...?   
   Yes, But...'. I have known a lot of tobacco addicts who play this. As   
   in; 'why don't you try cutting down?' 'Well, I tried but it's so   
   difficult after meals'; 'Why don't you try one of those arm-patches?'   
   'Well, my mate tried one and he said it wasn't any good'...and so on.   
      
   Going on this or that 'program', or getting addicted to some other drug   
   such as methadone, is little or no help in getting off heroin. I accept   
   that it may occasionally be a help in allowing someone to live less   
   chaotically (which may involve doing less robbing and burgling), but   
   what they really need most of all is to come off. Whatever helps   
   reinforce someone's identity as a druggie, helps keep them addicted.   
      
   >An analogy might be a phobic reaction to something.  Personally, I'm   
   >not bothered at all by spiders, but if Mrs H sees one she 'freezes' and   
   >no amount of will power would enable her to pick up or even get very   
   >near one, even though she 'knows' intellectually that it will not harm   
   >her.   
      
   I think *sufficient* will-power, targeted in the right direction, would   
   enable her to knock the phobia on the head. But perhaps since the phobia   
   does no-one any harm, it's not considered worth the effort??   
      
   --   
   banana     "The thing I hate about you, Rowntree, is the way you   
               give Coca-Cola to your scum, and your best teddy-bear to   
               Oxfam, and expect us to lick your frigid fingers for the   
               rest of your frigid life." (Mick Travis, 'If...', 1968)   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)