We all get baffled by the fact that despite knowing the health problems associated with tobacco, people continue to smoke.
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But then, knowledge, desire, and determination typically are not enough for most smokers to put an end to the habit.
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In fact, over the past 25 years, research has shown that, out of 100 people trying to quit smoking, only about 3 to 5 of them will succeed for longer than 6 months. In other words, while some people can quit this way, at least 95% of people can’t.
In this article is a closer look at why many smokers need a specialized cessation program to help them to overcome the addiction.
Nicotine dependence
Nicotine offers a lightning quick buzz, traveling from the lungs through the bloodstream to the brain in 10 seconds. As a result, smokers develop a strong association between taking a drag and feeling pleasure.
Of course, the buzz doesn’t last. Over time, nicotine can actually change the structure of a smoker’s brain, making it that much tougher for smokers to quit.
To better understand how nicotine changes smokers’ brains, view “Nicotine and the Brain” from the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center.
You can however get a hold of this recommended book for better understanding:
The smoking habit
Due to how the brain works, and the quick uptake of nicotine through smoking or chewing tobacco, the body can form so-called “habits” of continuing to pair behaviours with tobacco to form a strong bond. These then can become triggers.
Over time, according to theexprogram, the trigger-smoking connection becomes so ingrained that smokers are convinced they can’t pay a bill, talk on the phone or drink coffee without a cigarette in hand. To leave tobacco behind for good, smokers must carefully dismantle their old routines and construct new ones, a doable but overwhelming task—especially alone.
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Emotional ties to smoking
Though nicotine addiction and the smoking habit are the obvious reasons smokers struggle to quit, don’t underestimate the emotional bonds smokers have with cigarettes.
Consciously or not, those who smoke may consider smoking integral to their identity—as a member of their work crew. Or maybe cigarettes cement the bond between them and their spouse. Or they might consider cigarettes a reward for caring for a sick relative.
For many smokers, cigarettes serve as a comfort, a reliable companion, an old friend who doesn’t judge.
Nigerian Aproko Doctor also mentioned that;
Also, nicotine also makes the users enjoy activities that are done while smoking more enjoyable, it makes them less bored.
— Aproko Doctor™ (@aproko_doctor) May 28, 2020
So when they try to stop smoking, they no longer enjoy these activities as much and become bored easily, some go back
Others succomb to withdrawal symptoms