I fully acknowledge that each of these are subjects that an entire blog can be written about (and I know have been).  In fact I could probably write a blog on each of these subjects myself.  I, in no way wish to appear to be making light of these subject by giving them only a brief overview on how they relate to Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome (MCS).  Remember, if you find yourself struggling with these issues there is a wealth of information out there and many recovery groups that are eager to assist you.

 

 

Smoking:

 

I smoked for ten years and I loved it.  I loved everything about smoking.  I loved the way it tasted.  I loved the way it smelled (and oddly still do).  I loved the affectation of smoking.  Above all I loved the emotional shield it created.  I believe that I could have stood naked in a crowd and felt completely clothed as long as that cigarette burned. 

 

Cigarettes were a constant companion that I never left the house with out.  To this day I sometimes find myself checking my breast pocket as I’m going out the door, checking for a pack of cigarettes that I have not carried for sixteen years.  No matter how great my fondness for smoking, if I wanted to get better I knew I had to quit. 

 

For the last year of my smoking career I did not feel the ease and happiness that came with each cigarette.  What I felt was confusion, depression, and exhaustion.  At the time I did not know to call smoking an MCS trigger but I felt the results none the less.  It was one of the few triggers that caused an instant reaction of depression and despair.  Each cigarette felt like someone had struck me in the chest with an almost overwhelming emotional blow.  After ten years my friend had let me down too many times, I had to let smoking go.

 

Any one who has quit smoking, or has been close to someone who has quit, knows it is no easy task.  Even after the pain of the physical craving is gone the behavioral habit can taunt you for months or years to come.  Even years after quieting I would have smoking dreams.  I would wake up in the morning with a sense of dread that I had started again, all my hard work gone in a moment of weakness.  Of course that sense of dread would quickly vanish in relief that it was only a dream and result in a reaffirming of my resolve to never smoke again.

 

As I said in a previous post, our bodies are now different.  If we wish to thrive we must change our behavior to fit our new circumstances.  If cigarettes are a challenge for you then quitting smoking is one of the most difficult and rewarding adjustments that can be made. 

 

Smoking is one of the most toxic things we can do to our bodies.  From my experience and what I have studied smoking does not only increase your background toxicity but the longer we smoke with MCS the more it may decrease our resistance to toxicity.  Smoking affects us badly on both fronts.  If you suffer from MCS and smoke then find any way you can to stop as soon as possible*.  The longer you smoke the worse your MCS will get.

 

 

Drinking:

 

If you have read all the posts before this one you know that I also loved drinking.  In fact it was a round of severe alcohol poisoning that caused MCS for me.  I know that I can never safely drink again and have not done so for a little over sixteen years now.  The good news is that many of us who have MCS can continue to drink with moderation.  There have been studies that moderate consumption of wine and beer and can actually improve health.  The real key here, especially for us, is the word ‘moderate’.  Alcohol is a toxin.  If we have too many drinks we will put ourselves over our own person toxicity threshold.  If we do this too often we risk lowering our over all resistance to toxicity.  For a fair portion of us a glass of beer or wine with dinner will do no harm.

 

Find out for yourself if moderate alcohol consumption is a MCS trigger for you.  Also be carful about what is in the drink you are having.  Many of us find such things as the sulfites in wine are a MCS trigger.  Perhaps a certain brand of beer uses an ingredient that does now react well with you.  If drinking is something you enjoy, I recommend you test it for yourself with caution.  You may find it is something you can enjoy in moderation.  You may find instead, it is something you have to give up to find true health. 

 

 

Addiction:

 

For our purposes, addiction can be seen as the consistent, compulsive, overuse of any drug.  If you have an addiction and MCS, find help to recover from your dependence.  Real thriving will not happen until the addiction has stopped.  As long as we over use anything we will continue to raise our background toxicity and lower our overall resistance. 

 

 

On all three subjects of smoking, drinking and addiction I will not say that total abstinence is the only key.  A complete cessation maybe the answer for many of us but I suspect not for all of us.  Whether complete self denial or moderate usage is the correct path is a question that can only be answered by you.  Use common sense in your experimentation with different items you may be tempted by.  Ultimately the question is between you, any experts you employ and your spiritual center.

 

 

*I would discuss one possible exception to the above rule of abstinence form smoking.  After not smoking for ten years and working hard to improve the conditions of my MCS, I discovered I could enjoy an occasional cigar with my friends.  This is something I enjoyed one or two times a month for a few years.  One day, after about three and a half years of entertaining cigars, I lost my taste for smoking.  Unexpectedly I just no longer liked even the best cigars, for the last couple of years they have ceased to be even a temptation.