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Most people won’t admit that they are addicted to smoking but acceptance of this addiction can help many to quit the habit sooner rather than later. You see there are three main components to the addiction of smoking and the first one of these is habit.

Humans are very habitual beings and once we do something over and over again it becomes a habit and habits are very difficult to break. A habit will usually have a strong physical and psychological component and these are the other two components that make up the addiction of smoking.

You might say that you can give up smoking but have you tried and if you have did it work or are you still smoking?
The reason that these questions need to be asked is because most people who have tried to quit will assume that they are a failure if they succumbed to the habit once again.

People who haven’t smoked usually can’t understand why someone who wants to stop hasn’t done so and continues to spend considerable amounts of money on something that they no longer enjoy and would like to stop.

Blaming yourself for this ‘failure’ won’t help the situation and it can cause some people to give up trying where the real problem lies in the cigarettes and not the person or their strength and willpower.

The fact that nicotine is so addictive is the real reason and even those people with incredible will power can struggle to stop.

You need to be ready to stop smoking and you need to believe that you want to stop and can stop.

You need to look for alternative methods for getting the same ‘fix’ that the cigarettes are giving you and you need to understand that smoking is a habit and only by addressing the habit and the emotions and situations that trigger the habit will you be able to finally quit.

It is not you that is stopping you from quitting. It is what the nicotine has done to you that has made it so difficult. Don’t blame yourself for the difficulty of quitting. Instead focus your attention on the habits that have been created and when these are addressed you will be one more step closer to quitting smoking for good.

No matter what type of program you use to kick the smoking habit is isn’t going to happen unless you have the motivation to succeed.

A larger portion of the people who try to quit smoking do so because they know it is bad for their health but they really don’t have the right mindset to succeed. They really don’t want to stop because the addiction makes them feel good and almost everyone knows that quitting smoking is not something that is easy to do.

People will always seek pleasure and avoid pain and all quitting offers initially is more pain than pleasure. If only those same people could understand the potential for pain that they will suffer if they continue to smoke and get the health problems such as lung cancer that are associated with smoking.

The chance of successfully quitting smoking is considerably more if you have the desire to quit and the motivation to do so.

Before you even consider starting a program to stop smoking you should be concentrating on getting your plan in place and getting motivated to start and follow through. If you aren’t ready to do that then it is probably better to delay for a very short while until you really are ready as then you will have a chance of success.

Set a specific date when you will start and let others know that is what you are doing so you can also get some support structure in place before you start. It might even be worthwhile to tell friends and family that you might be a little bit grumpy around that time and you can apologize in advance and ask them to understand it is something that is very difficult to do.

By setting a specific date and creating your plan of action you are affirming in your mind the course that you will follow. Even powerful mind techniques like hypnosis that have proven to be highly effective at stopping people from smoking will have little chance of success if you don’t want to stop.

You have to have the desire and the motivation. With those two you will have a very powerful force against the evil of tobacco smoking.

Smoking is the number one cause of preventable death in the country and is the biggest cause of disease and death in most western countries.

It is the leading cause of many forms of cancer and also heart disease and stroke.

Virtually every organ in the body is harmed by smoking and this is due to the thousands of chemicals (yes that is thousands) that are present in tobacco smoke.

Many of those chemicals have been shown to cause cancer and many other health problems are caused or made worse due to smoking.

Illnesses that relate to breathing such as emphysema and bronchitis are caused or made worse by smoking.

Emphysema is where the cigarette smoke causes the air sacs in the lungs to become damaged and this makes it difficult for the oxygen to get transported to the bloodstream. Obviously with a reduction in the circulation of oxygen throughout the body it will deteriorate at an increased rate.

In addition to this damage to the air sacs in the lungs the airways can become inflamed from cigarette smoke causing chronic bronchitis.

When the combination of these two illnesses strike a person it can be an extremely unpleasant situation where the shortage of breath becomes increasingly difficult and ultimately results in early death.

Smoking also increases the problem of hypertension (high blood pressure) and along with that smokers are at more risk of having a heart attack than those people who don’t smoke.

The deterioration of the ability to breathe freely stops smokers from participating in sports at higher levels and ultimately this reduction in the ability to exercise results in poor health and for many people the sedentary life that they will tend to lead causes many more related health problems.

Each day of smoking is another step in the wrong direction where many parts of the body including the major organs are exposed to danger that can ultimately lead to death.

One of the concerns that many people have when quitting smoking is the possibility of gaining weight.

It is actually one of the reasons why many people refuse to quit and why others will start smoking again when they see that they are starting to gain unwanted pounds.

Most people will notice some weight gain when they quit smoking and on average the increase in weight will be approximately five pounds.

There are however many ways to make sure that you won’t put on weight and these are healthy lifestyle choices such as the correct food and good exercise.

Considering the major benefits you will be making to your health both now and in the future by quitting smoking you might as well go all the way and boost your fitness levels too.

The advantages of stopping smoking certainly outweigh any of the disadvantages of adding a few pounds of bodyweight.

Smoking does help people to keep their weight down and some fashion models smoke cigarettes because the nicotine in them speeds up the metabolism and that helps to burn fat due to the increased demand for energy. By burning more calories to supply the energy demands it is easier to remain thinner.

In addition to speeding up the metabolism nicotine acts like a stimulant and that can help to suppress the appetite.

A third way that nicotine helps people to stay thinner is because it causes the food to stay in the stomach longer and reduce the feelings of hunger.

So you will need to make some lifestyle changes to retain your current weight once you stop smoking. The easiest and most obvious step to take is to make sure that you are drinking enough water throughout the day. This will help you to remain hydrated and it will also give you a fuller feeling in your stomach that will reduce the amount of hunger pangs you get. This will stop you from eating excessively and it will also help to boost your energy levels which will make it easier for you to do some form of exercise that will help to boost your metabolism in much the same manner as the nicotine has done but without the negative effects on your health.

This is not to say that you will gain weight when you quit smoking as a good percentage of people will actually lose weight. Just monitor your weight and no matter which direction it goes in you will always be better off from quitting even if you do gain a few pounds.

If you have made several attempts to quit smoking in the past then this will help you the next time you try to quit. The fact that the previous attempts didn’t work shouldn’t be regarded as a failure.

You can learn by these attempts to quit and not make the same mistakes again or use the same techniques.

Different techniques and products have varying success rates for each individual. Even the various types of nicotine patches can deliver different results.

Even some methods that you might have tried and failed with at previous attempts could work if you have addressed the main factors that cause the addiction and know the habits that are causing you to continue.

A different mindset can make all the difference as many people will attempt to quit when they either don’t believe they will or subconsciously aren’t ready for it just yet.

Unless you believe that you will follow through with your actions and quit it will be almost impossible to do so as you will not only be fighting against an addiction that has been caused by the nicotine but you will also be trying to do something against your own beliefs.

Statistics have shown that the majority of people who quit smoking have made several attempts before finally quitting the habit so any attempts that you have already made that have been unsuccessful can be regarded as the ones that you had to get out of the way before you finally kicked the habit.

Give yourself a compelling reason why you want to quit. This will be all the more powerful if you are quitting for yourself rather than to please someone else although quitting smoking to enhance the health of your children or other members of your household can be a great incentive.

You could be adding years to their life and improving their health along with your own as secondhand smoke can cause all the problems that are to be expected with a smoker’s health.

How do you break a habit?

The first step is to accept that you have a habit and then look at the reasons why you have that habit.

If you know the reasons you can then think of better ways to deal with those reasons.

The reason why you started smoking might not be the reason why you continue to smoke so you will need to look at your current situation and look at the things that make you want to smoke.

Large portions of the people who take up smoking do so to be accepted by others. After smoking for some time on a regular basis and with the added evil of the addictive nature of nicotine the original reason might have little bearing on the reason why you continue to smoke.

It might be that you now find some comfort in having a smoke or it makes you feel great when you have a smoke.

The next time you pick up a cigarette to smoke think about the things that made you want to light up.

Was it something that happened (and this can even be a particular time of the day such as breakfast)

Was it something that someone else said or did? Did you get upset or angry and feel the need for a cigarette?

You need to be honest and answer the questions before you can break the habit. Smoking is a habit and you can’t hope to quit if you don’t know what the habit is. It is no use simply saying that smoking is the habit as there are almost always triggers that stimulate the need for the next cigarette.

One of the best ways to break the habit is to refrain from smoking when you are faced with the situations or emotions that would normally cause you to smoke. Even if you delay the reaction to these events initially and wait a few minutes before having the smoke you will be going some way to breaking the habit. You will begin to gain back some of the control in your life that you lose each time you feel the need to smoke.

By separating the action of smoking from the event that usually causes the desire to smoke will break the smoking habit.

It is no wonder that smoking is such a difficult habit to break as nicotine is one of the most addictive drugs in the world.

It is in fact at least as addictive as such hard drugs as cocaine and heroin.

Most smokers would never consider taking such drugs but the fact that they are smoking creates a situation where the addictive nature of nicotine can create many different health conditions and the smoker has extreme difficulty stopping even when the health problems become life threatening.

Once a person has been smoking for a while it takes a lot more than willpower to stop due to the addictive nature of tobacco.

Nicotine is so powerful that it can kill you if a small amount of pure nicotine is placed on your skin. Fortunately the amount in cigarettes is nowhere near that strong but it is enough to get you addicted and that is how the cigarette companies get you coming back for more even when you know it is killing you and you desperately want to stop.

If you inhale when you are smoking then the nicotine travels directly to your brain in a matter of seconds and once there it stimulates the brain to make you feel good. It causes the release of dopamine which will help to improve your mood and this is one of the reasons why people who are stressed, sad or depressed often seek comfort in the form of a cigarette.

After a while the body will become tolerant to the nicotine and require more and more to get the same affect. This leads to a stronger and stronger addiction where people can smoke up to several packs a day.

Aside from the obvious expense of having to pay for so many packs of cigarettes each week there are additional loads placed on a persons health from the damage that all the smoking is doing yet the addiction grows stronger and it becomes all the harder to quit.

Every day that you postpone quitting smoking you are making it harder to give up and that is precisely what the tobacco companies want.

Most people are surprised when they first learn that there are over four thousand different chemicals in a cigarette.

Many of these chemicals have been directly linked to causing cancer.

Within the four major manufacturers of cigarettes there is considerable research to deliver a product that serves the purpose of tasting and smelling good to the consumer and more importantly having sufficient of the necessary ingredients to remain addictive.

As that addiction comes primarily from the nicotine the manufacturers do all they can to ensure that the smoker’s brain gets the biggest dose of nicotine possible.

Would you believe that they use ammonia in the filters of their cigarettes as this allows more nicotine to pass through the filter and the more nicotine that can pass through the more addictive the cigarette will be?

The odds are stacked against the smoker when they gamble with their health by puffing on a cigarette and that is precisely what the manufacturers are aiming for and by all accounts winning.

Their marketing is all targeted at getting people to start smoking because they know that once a person starts they are likely to become addicted and have difficulty stopping.

In addition to the chemicals that the cigarette manufacturers add to their products the tobacco has already been exposed to numerous insecticides and pesticides that will in some quantities find their way into the body of the smoker.

These are things that most smokers will never consider when they are having a smoke and the majority would never have believed that such lengths have been taken to ensure the addiction is sufficient to create a customer for life for something that will in many cases eventually take their life.

How do you feel about the fact that someone else has this sort of control over your life? It’s enough to make anyone want to stop smoking isn’t it?

There are many different reasons why people start smoking initially but more often than not it is because of the image that is created in their minds through the use of the clever advertising campaigns of the tobacco companies.

Most people get started smoking with their first cigarettes from older friends or family. Part of the reason they smoke is to be a part of the crowd that they admire or people they aspire to emulate.

It is about image more than anything else as most people would agree that the first cigarette is certainly not pleasant. If food tasted that bad we would surely never eat it again.

The majority of people find that smoking tastes bad and makes them feel bad and it is only after they get accustomed to the taste that those feelings disappear. By that time they can’t give up due to their smoking addiction and a new problem presents itself.

Statistics also show that the majority of people who smoke wished they had never started and if they could wind back the clock they would certainly never do so again.

It is only the addictive nature of tobacco that makes so many people continue to smoke long after they realize the way it is affecting their health and encroaching on their lifestyle.

Throughout history the tobacco companies have marketed their products well and the images of Hollywood stars and musicians smoking have had an influence on people’s decisions to start smoking.

If something is seen to be cool or fashionable then there will be many people who will do it simply to be accepted by their peers.

Fortunately as more and more people see the dangers that smoking brings with it to their health and longevity it is becoming a more unacceptable practice and not seen as fashionable in many areas of society.

People will often use the excuse that they are too old to stop smoking and assume that because they have been smoking for most of their life it seems pointless to stop in their latter years.

What they should realize is their body will start repairing the damage that has been done from long term smoking as soon as 20 minutes after their last cigarette.

Yes your health will begin to start improving that soon. Within that time your blood pressure will begin to decrease as will your pulse rate.

The increased blood pressure that is caused by smoking is one of the reasons why those who smoke are more susceptible to heart disease.

Within approximately 8 hours the levels of carbon monoxide that are present in the blood will drop and there will be increased levels of oxygen and this will help to improve all aspects of your health as the bloods ability to transport oxygen to the organs of the body is crucial for optimum health.

Things continue to get better as the time from the last cigarette grows and after the first day there is a reduction in the possibility of getting a heart attack. So if you have just had a cigarette and don’t have another for the next day you have increased your chance of survival considerably.

Within two days you will begin to regain some of your sense of taste that you probably didn’t even realize you had lost. Food will taste and smell better and your sense of smell with all things (eg; flowers) will begin to improve.

Three days later and you will be having less difficulty breathing as the bronchial tubes will have relaxed. As your breathing becomes more relaxed, so does your whole body and your outlook on life. Stress levels will be lower and the chance of having anxiety problems will also diminish.

Many people will smoke in times of stress and when they are feeling anxious, yet refraining from smoking for such a short period can also bring similar aspects of well being with the improvements that you will enjoy to your health.

Over the next three months breathing will continue to improve and along with that there will be an increase in energy levels and exercising will become easier.

After the first year of ceasing smoking there will be 50% less chance of heart disease and four years or so later the chance of lung cancer will have also decreased by 50% or more.

The good news is that after 10 years or so your health will more than likely be back to that of someone who had never smoked and the pre-cancerous cells will have been replaced.