The Basics of Nicotine Addiction
Smoking can be far more addictive than most realise. Over time, smoking alters brain functions and dependencies. In fact, it can be compared to heroin and cocaine addiction.
Dopamine is one of the chemical releases caused by smoking. This in turn can lead to feelings that may vary depending on the individual, such as mild euphoria, happiness, or even relaxed, calming moods. Whatever the feelings or sensations, they do not last long. Sound familiar?
Try looking at it this way – each time one sucks on a cigarette, inhale it and blow out, that’s one ‘hit’, and the average cigarette will yield 10 to 15 ‘hits’. If only ten cigarettes are smoked for the day, then the brain is taking in up to 150 ‘hits’. For a pack-a-day smoker, we could be talking up to 300 ‘hits’ a day; a lot in anyone’s calculations. However, over time, just like most addictive drugs, the consumer needs more and more ‘hits’ to maintain the same level of sensations and satisfaction. This can quickly lead to cravings when the brain comes down from the last ‘hit’, which becomes more and more frequent. The weird thing about it is, that the smoker often doesn’t see or realise the pattern they are descending into. So, at first, stopping smoking would never enter the mind. But when it does, quite often, willpower is not enough on its own to bring about the desired outcome.
Stopping smoking
To make a successful attempt to stop smoking, quitters will need to understand that there are two major factors that they have to grapple with. One is the addiction to the products of the cigarettes themselves, which is fairly obvious, and the other would be the habit of smoking. Confusing? Yes, we can be forgiven for that. It’s a distinction some might find hard to grasp.
How many times have smokers lit up a cigarette, only to briefly wonder why they needed one? Or lighting up after a meal, to round off their enjoyment of their food, or simply enjoying a coffee in one hand and a cigarette in the other. These are habits – things we have grown accustomed to doing without thought. That is our nature, our make-up; we all do it. The habit then feeds the addiction perfectly and the addiction reinforces the habit-forming instincts. You can’t conquer one without conquering the other. Because of that, many smokers have failed within six to eight months of quitting.
There are various ways of tackling this issue, and sometimes it’s a case of what works for an individual the best. Some try to wean themselves off the nicotine cravings using things like nicotine patches which can be of great help. That is not to say it would work for everyone, but certainly worth a try.
In Part Two, we’ll take a look at getting extra help and support.
