I dipped for 25 years. In February of this year I quit for the nth time. On June 10th, I celebrated 100 days of freedom from tobacco…a great accomplishment and you’ve heard from others how rewarding it is and how prideful they are (and should be) about such an achievement.

For my speech, however, I wanted to give back a little something that might be meaningful to only a handful of quitters but is not mentioned much here on the QS site.

You see, over the years I have suffered periodic bouts of depression. Some of these have been bad enough that I sought medical assistance. I have taken medication for depression off an on (but mostly on) for the last 10 years. I have battled episodes of depression for at least 25 years.

Here, on my HOF stage, I want to speak directly to those of you who may suffer from depression, either diagnosed, undiagnosed, treated, not treated…whatever. I think you know who you are (and if you don’t, go here and find out: http://www.med.nyu.edu/psych/screens/depres.html )

The quit is going to treat you a bit differently, in my opinion, from some of the brethren who are lucky enough not to suffer from depression. As I have learned from my doctor, nicotine stimulates the production of dopamine in your brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that affects emotional response and the ability to experience pleasure and pain. The production of dopamine is stimulated by nicotine that we are all so “fond” of and that accounts for the buzz on our first few dips back in high school.

I am not a doctor (I’m actually a lawyer) so I can’t give you some great thesis the cause and affect of dopamine production in the brain. Sufficed to say, dopamine can really alter your mood and there will be less of it in your system when you quit.

I am here to tell you that my quit sucked. I was more irritable than I can ever recall having been, even on prior quits. I treated my wife and children poorly. Work suffered. I did not act like “me”. This happens to nearly all quitters but if you are already suffering from depression, the results can be even more painful and debilitating. I made the mistake this time of thinking I could handle all of that. I think in retrospect that I was wrong. I am now back in treatment for my depression and feeling somewhat normal again…a GREAT feeling.

My point, however long-winded, is that if you suffer from depression whether diagnosed or not, please consider that as an integral part of your quit. Talk to you doctor and tell them about your depression, about your plans to quit dipping and learn about the interplay between the two. Get meds if necessary and give yourself your VERY BEST SHOT AT QUITTING!!!! Please!