We said that the first step in quitting smoking is to get clear on why you want to quit.
The second necessary step is to understand why he smokes. The easiest answer of the smoker is for him almost self-evident: But why do I like it!!! And while this answer seems self-evident, all smokers, or rather those who remember their first cigarette, describe an unpleasant experience. Dizziness, sourness, hot disgusting taste, bad smell, cough, in heavy consumption even vomiting. So unpleasant that they were almost sure they wouldn't put it in their mouths again, just like okra! For those who hate them, one test was enough to make them her enemies.
So why does the cigarette have a different treatment and the evolution of our "relationship" with it does not follow what seems logical?
Knowing why one wants to smoke is one of the most important steps in the process of quitting, because it is neither as simple nor as self-explanatory as the smoker wants to think. And it is important because when one knows why one smokes one can prepare better and find the most appropriate way to quit.
One of the main reasons why someone continues to smoke is nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical. This makes the smoker come back and overlook his first experience, but also what objectively happens, the awful taste of the cigarette. The body gets used to nicotine over time and the longer someone smokes, the more nicotine they need to feel normal. When nicotine is missing the smoker feels irritated, stressed, uncomfortable and craves cigarettes. This is the withdrawal syndrome. It takes some time to overcome deprivation.
Most physical symptoms go away in a few days, up to a week, but the craving for a cigarette can last longer because we end up associating smoking with every aspect of our daily lives.
Thus, in addition to the physical dependence that nicotine creates, over time the smoker also becomes psychologically and behaviorally dependent on cigarettes. He associates it with his break, rest, relief, stress relief as well as accompanying many pleasant and sad moments of his daily life. From waking up in the morning and accompanying coffee and going to the toilet, until the end of the day in the evening, a cigarette accompanies and facilitates the smoker. And that's why the process of stopping seems even more difficult, because everyday life seems like a mountain. The cigarette becomes the other self of the smoker, his identity and he wonders how he will part with it, who he will be next, how it will ease the difficulties of his daily life, how he will relieve his anxieties.
The smoker who wants to quit smoking must clearly understand the role of nicotine in what is experienced as "relief" and identify the dominant feelings that he associates with smoking. Is it fear, frustration, sadness, despair, hopelessness, holiday cheer? All these have been connected in the smoker's mind, and have formed beliefs through powerful influences such as role models, close family members, advertising and the all-powerful cigarette culture. A clear picture will reduce the sense of difficulty and make the goal clearer. It will also reveal the fallacy of free choice to smoke. And this is a very strong incentive to stop. Because freedom is a very strong feeling and man persistently seeks it and sacrifices many other things to have it.
So once these are clear, he can plan the steps he will need to take to get rid of nicotine addiction.
BSC, MPH, PHD
