Why Is it So Hard to Give Up Smoking?

Smoking is a habit that thousands of people try to quit each day. Many are successful, but those who aren't sit back and wonder what's keeping them from quitting. Smoking is difficult to quit because it is habit-forming, with tobacco containing addictive chemicals. It creates physical and mental attachments for the user, and experiencing the withdraws that come with quitting is not something smokers enjoy.

Habit

• Performing the same habit over and over again is known as a habit. Habits are psychological; they occur so much that eventually people just do them automatically. Smoking is a habit-forming activity because of the addictive chemicals in the tobacco. Like any bad habit, drugs are hard to give up, especially nicotine. In order to overcome a bad habit, people typically seek therapy or medication, often succumbing and going back to the habit after many failed attempts.

Chemicals

• You can thank your bad habit by directing any hate mail to the harmful and addicting chemicals found in cigarettes. There are more than 4,000 harmful and addictive chemicals in tobacco smoke, including ammonia, tar, nicotine and arsenic. When you smoke, the chemicals make their way into your bloodstream, eventually stimulating the brain, which causes a calming effect that smokers crave. Over time, the body develops a need for these chemicals or it will go through nicotine withdrawal.

Attachment

• As with any habit or addictive chemical, smokers will develop a psychological attachment to smoking. Maybe having a cigarette relives the smoker of stress and anxiety. Maybe smoking is the only reason users are able to get through the day. These sort of attachments or dependencies are the reason why many a smoker finds it hard to have a final cigarette. Like toddlers who find it tough to be away from their parents, smokers find it hard to be with a cigarette. Quitting is difficult if you feel a strong attachment to smoking, since without fulfilling the craving, a part of you feels deprived.

Withdrawal

• Cravings are intense, but with withdrawal, they are excruciating. Going through withdrawal is a painful experience for smokers hoping to quit. The headaches, restlessness, irritability, hostility, depression and anxiety are symptoms of withdrawal that occur sometimes after minutes of having a cigarette. Some smokers can't handle withdrawal, and the only way to get rid of it is by having another cigarette. Some past smokers say they still experience withdrawal after years of being smoke-free and fulfill this craving by breathing in second hand smoke.

Broken Promises

• We've all heard it. "I'll quit tomorrow." Why put off until tomorrow what you could do today? Smokers are known for saying they'll quit, then lighting up only moments later. It is extremely difficult to quit smoking, but if you really want to quit, make a promise to yourself or a loved one. Knowing you've made a promise may keep you from lighting up again. You can easily forgive yourself for breaking a promise, but knowing you owe it to someone to keep it may make you quit for good.