It is a well-known fact that
nicotine is
addictive. But what most
people don’t realize is that most of it is based on
psychology. Below are some of the statements
smokers (including me) have used:
"Nicotine makes me feel good, relaxed and calm."
For someone who is addicted, nicotine will NOT make that person feel better, but the addiction does in general makes that person feel
worse, and the nicotine makes that person feel "normal", which most smokers
interpret as good, since its better than usual.
Smoking can be compared to this:
Would you wear tight shoes because it would feel good to take them off once in a while? I bet not...
This statement is a bit
vague, since wearing tight shoes is not addictive (duh), but if it was, the two cases would be pretty similar.
"Cigarettes taste good."
Do they really? Many smokers get that impression due to the effect of nicotine. The effect of nicotine is stronger than the way cigarettes taste, which makes people ignore that taste, and mistake the nicotine's
effect for something tasty.
"If smoking was that dangerous, why don’t my body reject the smoke as I breathe it in?"
It has been proven that most of the major tobacco companies add mixtures that anaesthetize the throat, so that the smoke does not feel that
painful. This is what makes many people smoke when they have caught the flu (which actually helps!)
"Whenever I decide to stop smoking, it seems as if I need nicotine even more!"
The same thing happens when you think of some sort of food you want: You start wanting it. Whenever you think of it, remember that it is all psychology that makes you THINK that you need the cigarettes.
"I've been smoking for so long now, that there is no way my health gets any better by quiting smoking"
That is NOT true. Unless you've contracted
lung cancer or something very serious, most injuries are healed within the next three days. Some injuries take a while longer, but most of them will eventually be in the same condition as they were before you started smoking.
"If I stop smoking, I will have an urge for nicotine for the rest of my life"
Not true. The first day without nicotine is
tough. The second is
hell. The third is almost the same as the first, but after that, the urge wont be that strong. Depending on how long you've been smoking, the rush will cease within the
month.
"I started smoking a few weeks ago, and now I am addicted and cant stop"
Also not true. It is all psychology. It has been scientifically proven that it takes a long time to become addicted. For
women this can be up to 6 weeks, but for
men this can take up to 6 MONTHS.
So... Can this help you stop smoking? Depends on you will. It helped me, and I’ve heard of others with a
positive result. Now I’ve been a non-smoker for three weeks, but it still remains to see if i support the
statistics that say that most of those who stop smoking will begin again within half a year. Anyway,
good luck to you.
Source: World Health Organization