I was afraid to make the commitment to myself to never have another puff because I feared failure. I have now made a personal commitment to myself to quit smoking for good. It's important to have your "why" when you quit smoking. I have my myriad reasons why I quit, but here are some of the top ways smoking was affecting my life for the negative. So you're ready to finally quit smoking?
Our free guide can help you get on the right track. Sign up and get yours today. US National Library of Medicine. Quitting Smoking resource clearinghouse page. Bethesda, Md. Topic last reviewed: 17 July Page last updated: 16 January Challenges When Quitting. Handling Stress. Coping With Stress Without Smoking. Your Privacy Rights.
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Yet, despite the constant reminders of how harmful it is for our health, many people just do not quit smoking. People have varying reasons why they started getting into the habit of smoking in the first place, even despite knowing the health risks involved. In this article, we will discuss five common reasons why people smoke and continue to do so. In the latter part of the article, we will provide a few tips on how to help you quit smoking entirely.
There are many reasons why people feel compelled to smoke cigarettes. According to the American Cancer Society, before the age of 18, at least 9 out of 10 individuals turn into adult smokers. Furthermore, the younger you are when you start smoking, the higher the chance of being addicted to nicotine. This is why people continue to smoke into their later years, even with the plans of quitting initially.
No matter how many times you tell a teenager how bad smoking can be, a large number of them will still try, especially with how glamorous it looks through advertisements shown across our screens.
The media portrays smoking in a way that smoking makes you look cooler, more sociable, or perhaps even more attractive to a potential partner.
The problem is, at least for the majority of them, the more frequent they smoke, the more they become addicted, which then leads them to continue to smoke for a long time.
Peer pressure is not limited to just teenagers, though. Individuals may also want to smoke to fit in within a workplace as smokers easily create a sense of bond over a smoke. For an individual who would want to build more meaning into their lives, they may try smoking to earn a sense of camaraderie. Meanwhile, parents who are loose with their kids and do not restrict their kids on viewing films and the like that portray smokers in a positive light set their child up to be influenced by these films as well.
Additionally, parents who show that smoking is socially acceptable behavior, even if they do not smoke themselves, may cause children to experiment with smoking too. This means that it is not just enough to raise your kids in a non-smoking environment. Parents must be fully committed to instilling and constantly communicating with a child how unhealthy, intolerable, and, most importantly, how detrimental smoking is.
This is a common occurrence worldwide and throughout different time periods. Furthermore, a large number of film characters are smokers, which can make adolescents believe that smoking is desirable and trendy. Having more campaigns that educate people about smoking and imparting how unacceptable it should be, may help reduce smokers in the future.
The research involves an addiction to nicotine, which is an active ingredient in tobacco products like cigarettes. However, it is important to remember that studies that involve addiction in genetics do not mean that a gene for addiction is automatically passed down. It regards how susceptible an individual can be to take up a habit such as smoking. If further studies can be done to continuously verify a pattern of addiction within a family line, officials may know where to direct their efforts to reduce the risk of tobacco addiction.
While cigarettes can do quite well in the short term to numb yourself, they may cause you to smoke even more solely because nicotine is so addictive. Some people become stressed and become regular smokers, even if they initially only smoked because of the calming effect the nicotine in a cigarette has. Nicotine is a drug that affects many parts of your body, including your brain. Over time, your body and brain get used to having nicotine in them.
Nicotine reaches your brain within 10 seconds of when it enters your body. It causes the brain to release adrenaline, and that creates a buzz of pleasure and energy. The buzz quickly fades, though.
Then you may feel tired or a little down—and you may want that buzz again. This up and down cycle happens over and over.
Withdrawal symptoms may include:. Medication called nicotine replacement therapy NRT can help reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Smoking can become connected to other activities of your day-to-day life—like watching TV, talking on the phone, hanging out with friends, going certain places, or taking a break to relax. Then smoking becomes a part of a pattern or routine.
But you can get help to stop the routine. In-person counseling or talking with a counselor over the telephone can teach you how to break the link between smoking and your daily activities. Ask for help to create new patterns.
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