Why is it so hard to quit smoking?
For many people, it is difficult to quit smoking as they face a physical dependence (nicotine) and a psychological dependence. That is what we know as addiction.
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What does the smoker become dependent on?
Nicotine is a drug that occurs naturally in tobacco and is as addictive as heroin or cocaine. Over time, the person becomes physically and emotionally dependent on nicotine. This physical dependence causes unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. There is also the emotional and mental dependence that makes it difficult to stay away from nicotine. Studies have shown that smokers have to deal with both physical and psychological dependence to quit and stay smoke-free (American Cancer Society, 2014a).
How do smokers get addicted to nicotine?
Nicotine causes a pleasant sensation and distracts the smoker from unpleasant sensations. This causes the smoker to want to smoke again. Nicotine interferes with the communication of nerve cells, producing a depressive effect. When the nervous system adapts to nicotine, the smoker wants to consume more cigarettes. This increases the nicotine in the blood. The smoker develops a tolerance to nicotine, which means that he requires more nicotine to obtain the same pleasant-feeling effect. This allows the smoker to increase their smoking habit. The smoker continues to smoke the same amount to keep the nicotine level nice.
Every time the smoker finishes their cigarette, the nicotine diminishes from their body, as well as their pleasant sensation, motivating them to continue smoking. When the smoker postpones smoking a cigarette they may feel irritated and tense.
What should I do to quit smoking?
Get ready to quit smoking! Consider the following steps:
- Make a list of your personal reasons for quitting. Put this list where it will be seen every day.
- Select a date to quit smoking. Make sure it is a time in your life when you are calm and don’t have a lot of stress.
- Talk to your family and friends about your plan to quit smoking. Ask for support and understanding.
- Ask a smoker friend to consider quitting at the same time.
- Look into vaping. This can be hugely beneficial. You can find Vape Supplies very easily.
What strategies are there to quit smoking?
There are different ways to quit smoking, which can be combined:
- Talk to a health professional about what would be best for the person. You can also get free advice by phone.
- Quit smoking suddenly. Throw away your cigarettes, matches, lighters, and ashtrays.
- Go leaving little by little. Smoking less and less for several weeks until you quit.
- Ask a healthcare professional if attending psychotherapy, acupuncture, or hypnosis sessions would be helpful.
- Take a class on how to quit smoking or join a support group.
It is important to attend to all these factors to obtain good results in the process of quitting smoking. Those who have smoked a few weeks or more may have withdrawal symptoms if they drastically stop smoking tobacco or if they significantly reduce the number of cigarettes.
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