Smoking Addiction Therapy. Why is Smoking so Addictive?
Initially, nicotine improves mood and concentration, decreases anger and stress, relaxes muscles and reduces appetite. However, regular doses of nicotine lead to changes in the brain, which then results in nicotine withdrawal symptoms when nicotine is cut. Going back to smoking temporarily reduces these symptoms. Hence, this behaviour of going back to reduce withdrawal symptoms reinforces the habit of smoking, showing how most smokers become nicotine dependent and addicted to smoking.
Risk Factors
✽ Stress
Some people smoke to relieve stress. Nicotine creates an immediate sense of relaxation, hence feeding onto the false belief that it reduces stress and anxiety. This feeling is temporary and soon after, individuals will face withdrawal symptoms.
✽ Depression
Adults with depression are twice as likely to smoke as adults without depression. Most people start to smoke before showing signs of depression, so it’s unclear whether smoking leads to depression or depression encourages people to start smoking. It’s most likely that there is a complex relationship between the two.
✽ Schizophrenia
People with schizophrenia are three times more likely to smoke than other people and tend to smoke more heavily. This is possibly because people with schizophrenia use smoking to control or manage some of the symptoms associated with their illness and reduce some side effects of their medication.
Causes
An addiction to nicotine, also known as nicotine dependence or tobacco dependence, often begins in the teen years. Most people who smoke have friends or family members who also smoke. Peer pressure and social influence play a significant role in encouraging smoking behaviour. Over time, this experimentation can quickly evolve into dependency.
Why do Young Adults Start Smoking?
Research suggests that college students who smoke are more likely to believe that smoking provides emotional benefits and enhanced body image, which may be driven by media portrayals of young, beautiful influencers who smoke. They also tend to underestimate the harms of smoking. These reasons may help fuel the decision to begin smoking or prevent them from trying to quit. Additionally, young adults may use smoking as a coping strategy to manage academic pressure, relationship stress, or the desire to fit in socially.
Consequences of Smoking
✽ Changes to the Brain
Nicotine acts on acetylcholine receptors in the brain, which help to control attention and memory. Nicotine also boosts levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine and the hormone adrenaline. Eventually the brain becomes accustomed to these changes, so when people attempt to stop smoking, they can experience symptoms of withdrawal such as cravings, headaches, dizziness, anxiety, and irritability. This cycle perpetuates the dependency on nicotine and makes quitting difficult.
✽ Mental Health
Smoking may boost mental health in the short term, but it can be harmful in the long term by exacerbating stress, anxiety, and depression. Many smokers find themselves stuck in a vicious cycle—smoking to feel better but ultimately harming their emotional wellbeing over time.
✽ Physical Health Risks
Beyond mental health, smoking has profound consequences for the body. It significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung cancer. In fact, smoking is the leading preventable cause of death worldwide, contributing to millions of fatalities every year. Other issues include weakened immune system, poor wound healing, and higher risk of infections.
✽ Social and Financial Consequences
Smoking is also expensive. Over time, the financial burden can become substantial, especially in countries where cigarette taxes are high. Socially, smoking is increasingly stigmatised, leading to isolation or conflicts in relationships. Secondhand smoke exposure further harms loved ones, including children, who may develop respiratory illnesses due to passive smoke inhalation.
Tips for Quitting
✽ Prepare for Change
Thinking about life after quitting, and the benefits quitting will bring about such as having more money, better physical health, improved fitness, fresher breath, and a reduced risk of chronic diseases. Visualising a smoke-free life can help strengthen your motivation.
✽ Get Support from Family and Friends
Stopping smoking can be easier with the support of family and friends. If those around you smoke, encourage them not to smoke around you. You may also consider joining support groups or online communities where people share their journey towards quitting.
✽ Find Other Ways to Cope with Stress
If you use smoking to cope with stress, find other ways to deal with it. Examples of activities which might help are meditation, breathing exercises, physical activity, yoga, or journaling. Engaging in hobbies can provide distractions and reduce the urge to smoke.
✽ Nicotine Replacement Therapy and Medication
Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), anti-depressants and other medication have all been shown to help smokers without mental health problems to stop smoking and they may also be helpful for people with depression or schizophrenia. E-cigarettes can also be considered as they are much safer than cigarettes and can help people stop smoking. Consulting a healthcare professional can help determine which treatment option is best for you.
✽ Smoking Addiction Therapy
Individual Smoking Addiction Therapy, group or telephone counselling can help people stop smoking. Talking Smoking Addiction Therapy can help people change their behaviour by thinking and acting more positively towards the idea of quitting. Therapy also addresses underlying issues such as trauma, depression, or stress that may be contributing to nicotine addiction.
✽ Be Prepared for Withdrawal Symptoms
You may experience headaches, nausea, irritability, anxiety, craving cigarettes, feeling miserable, difficulty in concentrating, increased appetite and drowsiness. Drinking more fresh fruit juice or water, eating more high fibre foods and reducing caffeine and refined sugar in your diet can all help you cope with withdrawal symptoms. Physical exercise can further alleviate cravings and elevate your mood.
The best option is a combination of these methods. This is how the best results are achieved in Smoking Addiction Therapy.
Long-Term Benefits of Quitting
Within weeks of quitting, lung function begins to improve, circulation gets better, and coughing decreases. Over the long term, risks of heart attack, stroke, and lung cancer are significantly reduced. Quitting after Smoking Addiction Therapy also improves fertility and overall quality of life, allowing individuals to live longer and healthier lives. Moreover, quitting means protecting those around you from secondhand smoke, creating a healthier environment for family and friends.
We recommend This Video to those who wants to learn more about what happens to the body once an individual quits smoking.
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