How Hard is it to Quit Smoking?

Nicotine is the drug that is contained in cigarettes and it's physically addictive. Once a smoker starts smoking he becomes hooked and therefore it becomes hard to stop. Nicotine enters the blood system and is taken to the brain where it's hooked to receptors. A chemical known as dopamine is released giving the smoker a euphoric sensation.

Nicotine gives a relaxing and calming effect that make a smoker want to smoke more and more. As one continues to smoke his/her body becomes tolerant to the drug. The level of nicotine drops so fast in the blood system and therefore the urge to smoke comes every now and then. One finds that they have to smoke more and more cigarettes to achieve the same calming effect.

The psychological-behavioral aspect of smoking may be as challenging as the physical aspect. Smokers attach smoking to life events and therefore making it harder to quit. Habits that have been associated with smoking can trigger the desire of smoking. One may also feel awkward not smoking in areas where they used to smoke. Some of these behaviors are;Drinking coffee or alcoholSeeing somebody else light a cigaretteDrivingTalking on the phoneRelaxing around the hose.

The desire to smoke can also be triggered by negative emotions. Some smokers cope with negative emotions by smoking. They find cigarettes calming and comforting during such times. Whenever these feelings recur as they try to quit the desire to smoke arises. Some of these emotions include: Anxiety, Stress, Sadness, Loneliness, Excitement and Fear

Genetics have also been linked to the behavior of smoking. They influence differently the urge of smoking on different people. This explains why some people find it hard to quit.
A smoker trying to quit experiences withdrawal symptoms making him or her want to resume smoking. Some of these symptoms include: Hostility, Anxiety, Depression, Headaches, Fatigue, Trouble sleeping, Decreased heart rate, Flu like aches and discomfort Cough and chest tightness
Not knowing what to do with their hands, most people trying to quit smoking are tempted to pick up a cigar. They enjoy puffing on cigarettes. Holding a cigar and lighting them up becomes a continuous habit to a smoker and therefore quitting this habit becomes very difficult.

Smokers who choose to cut back slowly on cigarettes are not able to quit cigarettes entirely. Nicotine still gets to the blood system even after smoking fewer cigarettes than they are used to. The minute they get depressed or get negative feelings they will still have the urge to smoke and therefore making the quitting process fruitless.

Lack of loyalty to the quitting procedure that one has adopted can make it difficult for a smoker to quit smoking entirely. Smoking while on nicotine patches doubles the level of nicotine in the system. As soon as this levels are down the urge of smoking will be higher than before.

Adopting the wrong method to help a smoker in quitting could also lead to the smoker not quitting cigarettes entirely. Methods like hypnosis are not entirely helpful to all smokers willing to quit. This method works differently for different people. Therefor seeking a suitable method to help a smoker quit is highly important. More on Quit Smoking Products