Smoking is one of the most dangerous habits you can develop. There are plenty of horror stories that come with a pack of cigarettes. Even tobacco companies want you to know that you might find yourself on the receiving end of a long list of health complications.
Studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show horrific numbers of people suffering from diseases and dying because of smoking. Your doctors, friends, family members, and even kids will tell you to quit the deadly habit. If only it were that easy, right?
People who are smoking can reach a point where it becomes an addiction, no matter how many times they tried to quit. However, it doesn’t mean that the task isn’t possible. The road to quitting tobacco could be excruciating and torturous for most smokers, but they can do it.
Why Is Quitting Smoking Hard?
Smoking always puts people at risk of addiction. Some might say they are social smokers, puffing cigarettes when there is an event that makes it acceptable. Most of them associate it with nights where alcohol is also present, another form of addiction. However, some people smoke as a disruptive habit, interfering with their daily tasks and chores as if they need it.
Nicotine is a highly addictive ingredient of tobacco, which makes cigarettes so addictive. Your brain will adapt to it, making you crave more than one. Unfortunately, it means your body will automatically associate cigarettes with function. If you feel tired and grumpy, it might be your brain saying that you need to smoke again.
Deciding to quit means fixing your nicotine addiction, which might be more challenging than it seems. Triggers will be all around you. Your work, responsibilities, and smoker friends might be present in your life daily. With all those situations, it can be easy to identify why smokers have a hard time quitting.
What Are the Health Implications?
Smoking is one of the unhealthiest habits a person will ever develop. It shows in the warnings and signs all over medical establishments and cigarette packs themselves. Health complications will be aplenty, and it might target every part of the human body.
Smoking can cause heart diseases, stroke, diabetes, and cancer. Respiratory issues will be the most apparent complications a smoker can experience because of lung damage. Bronchitis, tuberculosis, and other chronic respiratory conditions might surface at an early age.
Smoking can even affect your vision and hearing. Dental issues will also be prevalent because it is where nicotine settles when not consumed by the lungs. In short, smoking will be bad for your overall health. If you want to live a longer and healthier life, quitting smoking should be the first thing you do. Your diet and exercise routine might be perfect, but you are kidding yourself if you continue to smoke and expect a healthy life.
Are There Tools for Quitting?
Quitting smoking is hard. It might be easy for doctors to say it, but they know how addiction can be difficult to stop despite best efforts. As a result, quit-smoking products are available on the market.
You can start by attacking nicotine, the primary cause of addiction. Replacement products include nicotine patches, slowly reducing your body’s cravings for nicotine. Gums and lozenges might also provide you with the same slow treatment.
If you miss the part where you smoke cigarettes in your mouth, a trip to the vape store could be the transition you need for lower nicotine cravings. Quitting involves reducing nicotine cravings and preventing withdrawal symptoms from overwhelming you. It might be challenging to accomplish, but smokers can utilize these tools to achieve their goals.
Is Quitting Cold Turkey Possible?
Doctors recommend quitting smoking immediately, which means cold turkey. Unfortunately, withdrawal symptoms will be at max level in that situation. Your cravings will be challenging to overcome, especially when you don’t have a plan to avoid your triggers yet.
Fortunately, you can prepare for the day when you stop smoking. It might take months before you identify the triggers or create a plan for satisfying your nicotine cravings with other alternatives, but it will be worth the patience. Quitting cold turkey does not have to happen immediately, but it shouldn’t take a while to plan because you might abandon it altogether.
Smoking is dangerous to your health, which is what ads will say. If you are currently a smoker, the best thing to do for yourself will be to quit. The habit can disrupt all your plans in life, especially health-wise. The journey might be challenging, but some people managed to win over their addiction. You can draw inspiration from past smokers, helping you lead a healthier life.