Even emotional reasons for smoking have their root in physiology, according to the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program. When you inhale nicotine, the substance goes to work on proteins in your brain. Nicotine triggers your brain to release dopamine. Dopamine is the chemical that tells you that you're happy, and if you keep smoking, you'll remain happy. Smokers intellectually rationalize their urges to light up because the chemical balance in their brains is promising them a reward for doing so.
History
Cigarettes were were first manufactured in 1865, according to the website Health Literacy. The habit of smoking among Americans peaked around the time of both World Wars. The United States Government rewarded 75 percent of soldiers with free cigarettes. Many men established a relationship with smoking that needed no rationalization at the time because the dangers were not well known. At the same time, women were increasingly entering the workforce and establishing independence from the men in their lives. Smoking was a way to enforce that image of independence. Health Literacy says that many women began smoking while their husbands were off at war.
Age Differences
Teenagers may smoke because they are succumbing to peer pressure--because their friends may do it, according to Health Literacy. Adults rationalize smoking in other ways. According to a survey performed by the University of Wisconsin, 79 percent of moderate smokers say they do so because it relaxes them. Twenty-one percent tell themselves that it helps them concentrate. Many moderate smokers--41 percent--say they light up because it gives them a break from their current task. Almost half of those surveyed by the University of Wisconsin said they used smoking as a coping mechanism.
Reward
Smokers tend to be just as addicted to their reasons for smoking as well as they are to the physical effects of nicotine, according to the website Smoking Cessation. When you associate smoking with a positive experience that meets one or more psychological needs and your needs are repeatedly met by cigarettes, it conditions you to light up again without considering other ways to achieve the same result. People who smoke to keep their weight down are often rewarded as well. Health Literacy indicates that smokers tend to weigh 7 lbs. less than non-smokers.
Results
Smoking Cessation says that research has proved that smokers tend to subconsciously inhale exactly as much as they need to meet their needs and to get the measure of nicotine and dopamine release that their bodies have become accustomed to. If you smoke cigarettes that are high in nicotine, you probably unconsciously puff less to get your preferred result. If you smoke light cigarettes, you might puff more frequently to get the satisfaction you expect. This is markedly true if you switch brands to cigarettes with a different level of nicotine content.
Solutions
HelpGuide.org suggests several ways to break the cycle of believing you are meeting prescribed emotional needs by lighting up again. If you tell yourself that you smoke because it relaxes you or eliminates stress, try deep breathing techniques or exercise instead. Many light smokers do so only to get them through uncomfortable social situations. HelpGuide.org recommends taking other steps to bolster your confidence, such as a makeover that might make you feel more physically attractive. If you smoke out of boredom, find a new interest. If you have never actually figured out why you smoke, keep a journal of what you are thinking or feeling when you light up, then set a plan in place to eliminate similar situations from your life, if only long enough to help you quit.
References
- Health Literacy: From the First to the Last Ash--The History, Economics and Hazards of Tobacco
- University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center: Why People Smoke
- Smoking Cessation: Nicotine Addiction
- HelpGuide.org: How to Quit Smoking
- Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program: Nicotinic Modulation of Dopamine Release During Development; Layla Azam
