Smokers often say they find it hard, or even impossible, to give up smoking, and the main reason is a highly addictive substance called nicotine, which is found in tobacco. When you smoke, you inhale nicotine into your bloodstream, and if you chew tobacco it enters through the mouth lining. Nicotine directs the liver to produce glucose and the brain to release adrenaline. Smokers get addicted to this buzz.
Nicotine
Tobacco acts as a stimulant and as a depressant as its nicotine mixes with different neurotransmitters in the brain. According to the American Heart Association, these changes in the brain make people want to use it more and more. Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances known to man. The University of Minnesota explains that nicotine is as addictive as heroin and five to 10 times more potent than cocaine. When it is out of your system you crave it. Withdrawal symptoms include hostility, irritability, panic, anxiety, depression and anger. These subside during and immediately after smoking.
Mental Addiction
When trying to stop smoking, the pressure to relapse is often behavioral as well as physical. If you want to quit, there are several psychological issues that may hold you back. People get into the habit of smoking at a bus stop, after a meal, with a drink and so on, and it is often hard to break this pattern. Smoking can become as much a part of your day as showering or eating. The rituals of holding a cigarette, lighting it, removing it from a box or chewing tobacco are reasons given by smokers for their addiction.
Sociocultural Factors
Some people say they fear putting on weight if they quit smoking and never stop. Drinking alcohol often makes people want to smoke, and when trying to quit, you are more likely to relapse if you drink. Among adolescents, peer pressure, family influences, risk factors, advertising and availability are linked to initial and continued smoking. According to the National Institutes of Health, sexual, verbal or physical abuse significantly increases the chances of a child under 14 smoking and continuing to be addicted to smoking throughout adulthood.
Health Risks
Nicotine itself is not too harmful, but other ingredients in tobacco, such as tar, have serious consequences upon your health. Tobacco use is the world's leading preventable cause of death, disease and disability. It is responsible for around 5 million deaths a year worldwide. Smoking increases your risk of developing more than 50 serious conditions, including heart attack, lung disease, stroke and various cancers.
Breaking the Habit
Hypnotherapy has shown promise in breaking smoking's mental addictions, but this is not a foolproof means of quitting smoking. The act of holding a cigarette is replaced by some smokers with a pen. If you worry you will start eating more and gain weight, chewing sugar-free gum, eating fruit or drinking water when you get a craving may help you. Avoiding alcohol and coffee, shunning places where people are smoking and ridding your house of ashtrays and lighters may help. Be positive, take one day at a time and keep trying.
Nicotine Replacements
Nicotine gums, lozenges and microtabs are available in drugstores. Nicotine inhalators work for many as a substitute to a cigarette. Nicotine patches can be worn round the clock or during the day, slowly releasing nicotine. A nicotine nasal spray delivers a fast dose. Always consult your doctor before using nicotine replacement therapy.
