Some say addictions are choices. Others say there is a point at which the choice is gone. Then there is rock bottom where one seizes his choice back. I have a recovering alcoholic friend who says the definition of rock bottom is that moment when your circumstances decay faster than your ability to lower your standards. Habits are hard to break. Addictions are even harder.

One of my most innocuous habits was nail biting. I did it my entire childhood. My fingers were always bloody and sore. Nothing my parents did would stop me. One day I decided to carry fingernail clippers in my pocket. I quit cold turkey. To this day 45 years later there is always a clipper within reach.

Another addiction I suffered was nasal spray. I didn't know it when I started, but that stuff is evil. Use it more than three days in a row and you get rebound congestion that can only be resolved quickly by more and more nasal spray. By the time I realized I was hooked, I was using a bottle every three days. When we went somewhere, I had to be sure I had my spray. I had bottles stashed everywhere. I am embarrassed to say I was physically addicted for years. Years! I read online that prolonged use of nasal spray would result in necrosis of the tissue requiring removal and disfigurement! I finally decided that I would quit over the Christmas/New Years holidays one year because it would not matter if I couldn't sleep for having to mouth breathe. I read up on what I could expect for the rebound cycle to ease. It would be 7 days.

Finally the moment came when my nasal passages closed and I didn't spray. When I say closed, I mean vault tight. It was miserable to swallow, eat, drink, sleep, talk, cough, sneeze. I was struck at how much we rely on open nasal passages. Misery did not move my resolve. That night I did not sleep. I quickly learned how dry the mouth gets as a mouth breather. So I drank water. Big mistake. Don't drink. Sip. Don't swallow. Rinse. I tried to sleep with a humidifier aimed directly at my mouth the next night. No go. No sleep.

By now the misery index was as high as it had ever been. No sleep for two nights and three days made me irritable. I sequestered myself. Sometime during the third night I slept, but not for long as I woke up with leather mouth. Still a mouth breather. My nasal passages still freakin' slammed shut. I skipped all family Christmas parties. Sorry DF is not feeling well. Night four I desperately used Breathe right strips and double doses of menthol lozenges. No go. But I did sleep. Leather mouth in a couple of hours. So bad my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. Day five.......a break in the vault. Just a crack, but it was a glorious crack. Still a mouth breather, I could swallow with some comfort. I slept that whole night. Leather mouth in the morning but with even more open nasal passages. Was like I had a bad cold. Finally on day seven my passages were about 50% and I could breath with my mouth closed albeit labored. Day nine I could breathe 100% with ease. I had broken the bond and was free. I will never go back there again.

I quit smoking... not quite cold-turkey, but fairly close to it! Met my now wife, and about a week after we started dating she said she didn’t want to kiss an ashtray, so I quit, and I haven’t looked back! In fact, I hate the smell so bad now it literally makes me gag!

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Then there is rock bottom where one seizes his choice back. I have a recovering alcoholic friend who says the definition of rock bottom is that moment when your circumstances decay faster than your ability to lower your standards.

Your friend is very observant.
I don't see rock bottom as where one "seizes his choice back". It's more like, "There are NO choices to make anymore".
You made poor choices and they have come back to extract their revenge.

Time to get busy living or get busy dying.

I quit smoking many years ago but it took me at least 5 or 6 times before I was successful.

I don’t gamble and I don’t video game. In the past both became compulsive and my life and relationships suffered.

I recognized they were both less important than the things they were affecting so I stopped cold turkey.

Like most things, you have to recognize it is a problem before you can be willing or able to do something about the problem. So long as there is denial or a belief you can keep it under control and not suffer you are not going to be able to change.

Quit smoking, quit drinking, quit beating my wife(never really beat my wife, quit the first two because I figured she needed me more than I needed them).

Also quit smoking, 40 years ago, and drinking, almost 25 years ago.
Going to the gym as a replacement.

I quit smoking in 1987, 3-4 packs/day, cold turkey. Actually just had my anniversary, January 7th! Used the excuse that the money saved could go toward a new boat, wife agreed and we bought a new boat! She never saw a penny of the savings, I had other stuff to buy.

I have a bit of an addictive personality but I also have the ability to stop. Drinking got me at times but I could always pull back.

Back in my 20's(1970's) I quit smoking cold turkey after about 7 or 8 years of the habit.

Booze.
I was only successful when I stopped treating it as a behavior rather than a desease.

I quit smoking in Aug. '89 cold turkey with no problems. Couldn't do the same with alcohol. Had a siezeure in Aug. '99 from "withdrawls", came close to killing me. I quit but it wasn't easy for the next few weeks.

I quit smoking ~35 years ago, after a great many unsuccessful attempts. I quit to use the money to pay for swimming at the Y, at the start of my triathlon career. There was something I wanted to do more than smoking.

It’s been years since I would bite my nails.

Mark Twain said if you tell the truth you don’t need to remember anything. My memory has deteriorated so much especially in the last year or two, I’ve come to the drastic idea, now a New Years Resolution, that I need to give up lying.

I quit smoking April 2 of 1971. I was still in the Army and wanted to quit before I got discharged. My son was less than 1 and I did not want him to get burned. I slowed down and quit smoking at home, only at work and in the car. I quit for one weekend and again the next weekend and I am still going from that Friday. I only smoked for 6 years, but heavy in Vietnam.

Smoking in 1976 and drinking around 1994. Smoking was cold turkey, successful on the first attempt. Haven't had the least urge to smoke in many years.

Drinking was a little harder. Tried in the early 80's, went several months decided that I was cured and could have "a" beer. Wrong. Few weeks later I was back to my old tricks.

Tried again late 80's, same scenario. (Slow learner...)

Finally got the hint around 1994 best I can remember. I can pin down the exact circumstances, but can't remember the year. BBQ at older daughter's house. Got ready to leave and grandson (younger daughter's boy) wanted to ride home with Poppa. Daughter (wisely) wouldn't let him cuz "Poppa's been drinking". Broke my heart, but it was the kick in the ass I needed. Haven't had a drop since.

I also quit cigarettes about 35 years ago. There weren’t several abortive attempts, it was just time. Unfortunately, I used Skoal, then Copenhagen and Key to quit smoking—exchanging one bad habit for another. Gum surgery, roughly 30 years ago, was all the encouragement I needed to give that up.

I took up cigars, maybe 20 years ago. I’m careful to make sure they are an occasional pleasure and not another habit.

Quit cigs in 96 and booze in 98. Both had become problems.

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Companion to the other addiction threads, have you ever broken a habit or addiction cycle for good?

It's only broken for Good when you die !

Sober so far for 30yrs this June first and smoke free 30 yrs this Dec 4th

This will be a bit personal and probably shock a few of our members. I started drinking in middle school and was smoking weed in 8th grade. In high school I did a lot of different drugs recreationally. Acid, ecstasy, cocaine, speed. Some more than others but all in social party mode, not hide alone and get high for days mode. When I was 17 or 18 I smoked cocaine for the first time. Then I wanted to do it all the time, and did. One day, after about a year of heavy regular binges I realized it was all that I wanted to do. I didn't like that and quite cold turkey. There was no rock bottom, no arrest, etc... I just felt that I was out of control and wanted to stop.

I also smoked cigarettes heavily through my teens and into my early 20's, at times smoking more than 2 packs per day. At 22 I quite cold turkey. I guess I am just a hard headed bastard or a control freak but I never even considered for a second that I was not in total control of my choices. Did cocaine and nicotine withdrawal suck, and hurt and push me...absolutely. Did I make a choice to ignore the impulse until it went away, yep.

I felt urges to do both from time to time for several years, but only in passing. I guess some people would have relapsed I don't know. I am in my 40's now with a great family, job and life. Don't smoke and only drink socially on occasion. As someone posted in another thread, maybe I am just immune to long term addiction as it exhibits a lack of control that I am not willing to give up. Either way, having been through what I have I don't have a lot of sympathy for addicts. If you don't want to do something just don't do it. If you don't want to smoke just stop lighting the damn things.

My alcohol addiction has been arrested for today - and only today.
Pretty soon, the days add up to years.
It will be permanently arrested when I am no longer on this earth.

I quit smoking over 10 years ago, haven't had a cig since.