Quitting smoking: Helping someone quit

If you have ever been a smoker, you know how hard quitting can be. If you don't smoke, it can be hard to understand why people smoke and how tough it is to quit.

So why do people have such a hard time quitting?

Cigarettes contain nicotine, which is addictive. Nicotine changes the brain so you want more of it. If you stop smoking and stop getting nicotine, your body fights back by making you feel bad. This is known as nicotine withdrawal. For some people, nicotine is as hard to quit as heroin or cocaine.

But there's more to smoking than nicotine. People smoke for many reasons, and these reasons also make it hard for them to quit. Smoking may:

• Relieve stress and bad moods.
• Improve concentration.
• Control hunger and weight.
• Be an activity of a social group.
• Be part of a daily ritual.

These reasons seem very good to smokers. Without cigarettes, they may feel that something is missing in their lives. They may feel that they can't cope without smoking.

Imagine how hard it would be for you to give up a habit that you enjoy or that you think helps you in some way. What would you use as your replacement? How would you cope?

The combination of nicotine addiction and reasons to smoke make it very hard to quit.

Test Your Knowledge

1. It's hard to stop smoking because:

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