Why is it so hard for smokers to give up smoking?

Question

I am a non-smoker and never really understood people who smoke and want to quit but for some reasons can't....

Answer 1

Please don't judge - I'll try and explain.
It's more addictive than heroine. If you've never smoked then the closest you can get to imagining doing without it is being very hungry. If you stop eating for a couple of days, all you can think of is food. It obsessess you from the minute you wake to the minute you fall asleep. You'll also feel very down - very similar feeling to PMT. You know why you're down but you also know what will bring you back together again. After a few days of this torment, your reasons for wanting to give up seem less important than feeding your craving. You know you can put it all right again with just one cigarette.

Lots of people want to be ex-smokers, but no-one relishes the thought of going through what can be weeks of feeling absolutely dreadful.

It takes a lot of courage. At the time it feels like life will never feel whole again and there'll always be something missing. Addiction is a terrible thing.

Answer 2

Its a crutch for some people. Something others do while they're bored. For some, its as casual a movement as a nervous moment where you run your hands through your hair. Some think the inclination to smoke is genetic, others think it has to do with how we are raised, and some still just think smoking is a required taste and it suits some and not others.

Speaking as a smoker, I started to get breaks at work. Everyone that smoked always worked less than I did and took more breaks, on the clock. I wasn't hooked, and it did nothing for me. But one day, I had a really bad day, and a co-worker offered me a cigarette outside. One cigarette turned into two, and then I really did feel better. So I started smoking when I'd get stressed out. I still smoke when I'm stressed out...and sometimes when I go out and have a few drinks with some friends I want to smoke. I'm far from smoking a pack a day, but there have been some road trips where I got close. I know quitting would be a little hard for me because I've gotten used to getting upset and smoking a cigarette to make me feel better...and since stress is unavoidable it makes it kinda tough.

Answer 3

Nicotine is addictive. That means it is naturally produced in small quantities in the body, and is needed by the brain as a neurotransmitter. Smokers are supplying their body with plenty, so it stops being produced. If they then stop smoking the body takes a while to start producing it again, in the meantime they are devoid of nicotine in their brain and problems ensue. It is responsible for controlling adrenaline and blood sugar levels so without it you hit a tremendous low - lack of energy, short temper, etc.

It's hard to express a withdrawal to someone who's never had one - imagine being really hungry and not eating. I mean, really hungry. And knowing you could stop the hunger at any moment by just having a sandwich. Then you're getting close.

Answer 4

Well I am a smoker and I don't know the medical reasons but it's definately an addiction and an addiction to the chemicals in the ciggarett. some people say it's the act of doing something, but i don't really believe that. I know people that just quit cold turkey and i know people that buy pills or whatever to quit.

It's really up to the individual to quit and if they REALLY want to.
See I would like to quit, but...I don't think I REALLY WANT to, so it makes it hard.
I know some pills are herbal remedies and they do something to the brain that makes you want a smoke.... Therefore while taking the pill for only like a week, you won't want a smoke and you quit!

Answer 5

When your body is used to a chemical like nicotine and you become used to smoking to relax, smoking after dinner, smoking when you drink or have coffee etc,it becomes a big part of your life. Think of something that you enjoy doing that you do every day and then add a physical yearning for that desire. This is addiction. I am on my third attempt to quit.

Answer 6

Because nicotine is more addictive than heroin. That is not only my opinion, but my Doctors opinion as well. I have smoked for 51 years, and have tried to stop many times without success. I now people who have given up smoking for 10 years, and they tell me that they still get the craving from time to time. A friend of mine gave up for 12 years, yet when his mother died, the first thing he did was to have a smoke. strange, but true.

Answer 7

Well my ex partner promised time, time and again to give up ...... but when I really made her an ultimatum to stop, she shouted at me that it was an addiction and what did I really expect? As far as I understand the matter, it's a bit like being on drugs but a lot simpler ..... and you ask someone why they smoke, and you will never get a straight answer .... try it?

Answer 8

One or more of the following I expect

1) addictive chemically (nicotine)
2) addictive socially - habit of smoking with others, when out etc
3) helps in social situations so dont have to think about what to do with their hands
4) don't really want to stop cos enjoy it
5) not much willpower

Answer 9

Smokers get addicted to the nicotine and it takes will power to overcome and get through the cravings.
Likewise gamblers are addicted to gambling.
Alcoholics to drink.
Obese people need willpower to eat less.
Presumably you do not suffer from any of these things........you are very lucky.

Answer 10

Because Nicotine is addictive. just like most drugs, the body has to get rid of the toxines which can talk a long time in some cases.