Why people smoke: finding the root cause

There are more and more smokers every day, not only adults, but also teenagers. Why do people deliberately poison the body and risk their health? The reasons for smoking are different for everyone. Some people "burn" the stress, others don't want to be the black sheep in the group of friends, and others pass the time. Addiction is a disaster, it destroys a person not only physically, but also psychologically.

Why does cigarette addiction develop?

To answer the question of what is so attractive about smoking, you need to understand how nicotine affects the body. The first cigarette is not enjoyable. After inhaling tobacco smoke, dizziness, nausea, coughing occur, and tremors may occur in the limbs. It seems that these feelings should become motivators to not pick up a cigarette. But if for some reason a person continues to smoke, then the body gradually gets used to nicotine.

In the first months, smoking is enjoyable. Within 10 minutes after the first puff, certain processes take place in the body. Adrenaline production increases, the person begins to feel euphoria, thinking and concentration speed up, and he calms down. But over time, the pleasure of smoking turns into a real addiction. Nicotine is involved in metabolism, and the body gets used to the constant presence of this substance in the blood. When the nicotine concentration decreases, the nervous system signals that it is time to refresh. It makes you want to reach for another cigarette. The time from smoking the first cigarette to nicotine addiction is individual for everyone. Most often it lasts a year or a year and a half.

Studies have shown that the psychology of nicotine addiction differs between men and women. Men smoke because they are used to it, they like to play with a cigarette in their hand and feel the aroma of the smoke. The reason women smoke is to enjoy the process itself. In addition, the tobacco manufacturers themselves encourage the weaker sex to start smoking by producing their products in beautiful packaging and with a variety of flavors. In a circle of smoking friends, a girl feels supported with a cigarette and a glass of wine, the desire to talk and share her secrets appears.

Psychological causes of smoking in adults and adolescents

How many people, so many reasons. Most often, teenagers pick up a cigarette because they feel peer pressure. A teenager wants to be like everyone else, to "become their own. "

Recruiting to the smoker's group is done among people who don't have an opinion. The same situation can arise in couples where one partner smokes and forces the other to join or their relationship will end.

Another reason teenagers smoke is a sense of independence. Of course, this is an illusory feeling that allows you to grow only in theory and only among your peers.

To a large extent, family relationships become prerequisites for future nicotine addiction in the child. If one or both parents smoke, their offspring are likely to smoke in the future.

Social networks, enticing advertisements on the Internet and on television, bright billboards on the streets, all of this drives young people to smoke at an unconscious level. Even out of curiosity, the likelihood that you will eventually smoke is above average.

The reasons for starting smoking in adults are somewhat different, although in some cases they are similar to teenagers:

• "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder", which translates to the desire to occupy yourself with at least something. Some cope with the situation by shopping, others by munching on sunflower seeds, eating, playing computer games, etc. Smokers, on the other hand, occupy their hands and mouth with a cigarette, they like to feel the taste of smoke and the sensation that nicotine creates on their body;
• nervousness. Stress at work or at home leads to constant irritability. How to recover from the situation and calm down? For some, cigarettes are the only solution. Smoking in the fresh air or drinking a cup of coffee becomes a kind of ritual. Of course, you can find many other ways to relax, but not everyone wants it;
• shyness and inability to communicate with people. If a person is reserved by nature and does not know how to talk to unfamiliar people, then every pause in the dialogue becomes torture. In such situations, smoking is a kind of substitute for communication, a "stopper" for breaks;
• weak will. Once you get involved in the process of smoking, you can become a real household drug addict. Weak-willed people, no matter how hard they try to get rid of addiction, cannot do it on their own. There are many reasons: I'll quit tomorrow, I had a hard day today, and a cigarette won't hurt, I'll finish the pack and definitely quit. You cannot cope here without the help of a qualified professional;
• it is a misconception that cigarettes are not as harmful as they say. And if there is no danger to life, then it is stupid to give up what gives you pleasure;
• problems in the family, at work, with friends, mental pain due to the loss of something or someone. Smoking, at least temporarily, helps you emerge from the reality of life and immerse yourself in peace;
• loneliness. Those whose only friend is a cigarette will not give it up voluntarily. With their help, the feeling of uselessness fades into the background for a short time.

Regardless of the reasons for starting smoking, people do not quit smoking. The desire to inhale the smell of tobacco smoke comes unnoticed. People most often reach for cigarettes at a subconscious level, driving themselves into tobacco addiction every time.

The psychological reasons for smoking are all clear, but nicotine is also physically addictive. In addition to increasing the activity of brain receptors, alkaloids found in nicotine are found in all body systems. Already after the first cigarette, he begins to actively adapt to a previously unknown state. And soon certain doses of nicotine will become the norm for a person, and in the future they will have to be increased, as the body's tolerance develops.

Psychosomatics of smoking

Scientific research has proven that the main reasons for smoking are psychological in nature. That is why it is much easier to get rid of the physical desire for nicotine than to break yourself mentally. A completely adequate person, when told about the dangers and consequences of smoking, nods in the affirmative, but immediately lights up. Why is this happening? The answer lies deep in the human subconscious. Internal programs, no one knows how, are turned on and suspended without asking for permission.

Why is it that people cannot quit smoking even with a strong will? He does this because he feels the desire. What got you started smoking in your youth now prevents you from quitting as an adult. And it wasn't ordinary curiosity or a sense of euphoria that prompted the cigarette. Now these are completely different reasons - psychosomatic.

Each time a nicotine is inhaled, a person is relaxed and relieved, but by no means enjoys it. Every smoker has their own reasons for not quitting:

• In the morning, nicotine together with coffee helps to wake up and recharge;
• smoking after a glass of cognac at a feast allows for a double dose of peace;
• in a moment of emotional stress, he gets relief with a cigarette;
• nicotine triggers mental processes (according to the smoker).

Quitting smoking once without the possibility of relapse is only possible if the person has compelling reasons for doing so or if the desire to inhale tobacco smoke ceases.

The main reasons for quitting smoking

The main reasons for quitting smoking are most often health problems. In second place is the fear of destroying relationships and family. And only then can you develop a conscious desire not to ruin your health and not spend money on cigarettes. Major diseases caused by smoking include:

• problems with the heart and blood vessels;
• stroke;
• Cancer;
• bronchitis;
• ulcers;
• emphysema.

Recurrence of pre-existing conditions may also occur.

Crime chronicles increasingly contain material about fires caused by cigarettes. For some, these are just situations that happened to someone there and have nothing to do with them. But when the problem affects relatives, friends, and even neighbors, the thoughts of quitting smoking become closer and closer.

In many countries, the government is actively fighting against smoking. For example, a law has been passed, according to which appropriate measures will be taken:

• prohibition of smoking in public places;
• raising the excise tax on tobacco products;
• labeling and pictures on packaging warning of the dangers of smoking;
• "information attack" from the media, teachers, parents, company and business leaders;
• ban on advertising tobacco products;
• penalty for illegal trade in cigarettes;
• prohibition of sales to persons under 18 years of age.

Failure to comply with all these rules will result in various types of punishment, from fines to compensation for damage caused to the health of others.

How to quit smoking?

Today there are quite a few ways to get rid of nicotine addiction, but the most important thing is the smoker's desire.

1. Nicotine replacement therapy. These include medicines containing small doses of nicotine, chewing gums, patches, nasal sprays, etc. A person who uses this or that product still receives nicotine, but in a pure form, without harmful impurities and smoke. This makes it easier to quit smoking, as they stop smoking gradually without withdrawal symptoms.
2. E-Sigs. The so-called nicotine inhaler causes mixed opinions among experts. In fact, in most cases, addiction develops precisely because of the process itself, which relaxes a person on an emotional level. Using electronic cigarettes mimics smoking, but without consuming lung-damaging carcinogens and tars. Also, there is no tobacco smoke that negatively affects others.
3. Coding. Many private drug treatment clinics offer smoking cessation services. There are three coding methods: hypnosis, instrumental and Dovzhenko method. With the help of hypnosis, the person receives information about the dangers of smoking and the possible consequences. Instrumental methods include acupuncture, which affects different nerve centers, and laser, which targets different areas of the patient's body. The Dovzhenko method is the oldest way to get rid of addiction. It consists of two stages. In the first case, the smoker is informed about the dangers of cigarettes, in the second case, they create an aversion to tobacco and smoke. The doctor and the patient decide which method to choose.
4. Psychological help. As with coding, the psychological impact occurs within the walls of the clinic. Individual sessions and group training sessions are held here. The help of professionals increases the chance of completely quitting smoking by one and a half times.

Nicotine addiction is one of the most common in the world. Along with this are alcoholism, drug addiction and gluttony. If someone does not recognize the harmfulness of their situation in time, it has extremely undesirable consequences.