Smoking And Addiction
Why are cigarettes addictive?
The aspect of smoking that's actually addictive is nicotine, and that's contained within the cigarette. It's actually nicotine that any smoker is addicted to.
Is smoking a habit or an addiction?
Well, smoking is both a habit and an addiction. What a smoker is addicted to is nicotine within the cigarette, but actually it's the habit that can be actually more difficult to overcome. It's the habit of wanting to wake up and have a cigarette, having a cigarette in your hand and not feeling like you know what to do when the cigarettes not there. Thats the habit, not the addiction.
What happens to my body when I smoke a cigarette?
When you actually smoke a cigarette, the damage is being done by the 4000 chemicals that you're inhaling. And those 4000 chemicals are having a sort of multi-effect on the body. Not only is the heart-rate rising but your blood pressure is rising as well. Your heart is beating much, much faster, but you're also getting the hit from the nicotine and that's the bit you're addicted to when smoking.
What happens to my brain when I smoke a cigarette?
When you are actually smoking a cigarette, your brain is getting a very quick hit of addictive nicotine. It takes about seven seconds for that addictive nicotine to get to your brain and this is the activity that will actually make you feel that smoking is a pleasurable activity. However it's the 4000 chemicals that you are also smoking that will do the damage to your body.
Does smoking reduce stress?
It's actually a common myth that smoking reduces stress. When you're smoking a cigarette, your body is actually craving the addictive nicotine. So when you haven't smoked for a little while, your brain is sending you messages to say I need a cigarette, and it's actually generating a feeling of stress in your body. It's actually the withdrawal from addictive nicotine through smoking that's causing the stress in the first place.
Why do I crave cigarettes?
When you're addicted to nicotine, your brain and your body needs your next nicotine fix. That's why you actually have a craving for a cigarette. When you're actually trying to stop smoking, those cravings for the addictive nicotine can feel like they last an eternity, but the reality is they're about three minutes.
Why are my cravings more noticeable at different times of the day?
At different times of the day, you will feel cravings for cigarettes, and this is really part of the habit of smoking rather than the actual addiction. So for example, if you smoke first thing in the morning, that might be the most difficult cigarette to actually cut out when you're actually wanting to stop. It's a combination not only of your nicotine addiction, but also the habits you've formed as a smoker when you were smoking.
Why do I find it difficult to quit?
It is really difficult to quit. And many smokers will try many times to stop smoking before they are successful. The key is to keep trying. To stop smoking, you're overcoming not only a nicotine addiction, but also a behavioral identity of being a smoker. Many smokers will have started smoking when they were teenagers. So that is years worth of identity as a smoker, so it is quite difficult. The Quit counselors are trained to actually overcome and find practical solutions to distract yourself when you have a craving, but also to find a treatment to deal with the nicotine addiction.
Is it possible to be a recreational smoker and not get addicted?
Now some smokers will actually only smoke periodically and they're referred to as social smokers. While it might not be that they're addicted to smoking what they are still doing is inhaling these four thousand chemicals into their bodies and that's still causing damage.
