Smoking - Pleasure Or Addiction?
If you ask the typical smoker, especially one who has struggled with quitting, why he or she smokes you will invariably get answers like, "I like the taste" or "I like the way it makes me feel.
" You too, when questioned, may have answered in much the same way.
But in light of what we now know about cigarettes and their capacity to cause addiction many wonder if these statements are merely rationalizations, spoken by people who are hopelessly hooked.
Is smoking a pleasurable activity or are those statements nothing more than the addiction talking? Actually, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.
Smoking is horribly addictive, affecting millions of people across the globe, but the notion that people gain pleasure from this risky behavior is not too far-fetched.
People smoke for all sorts of reasons.
They smoke when they're stressed or when they're celebrating, after meals and with their coffee.
They smoke to unwind and relax.
Smoking has become part of them, linked strongly to various feelings and situations.
And yes, people come to enjoy the way smoking makes them feel.
It is this pleasure that makes smoking such a difficult habit to quit.
Despite the consequences associated with continuing this addiction-heart disease, hypertension, cancer and more-people have a hard time turning their back on an activity that makes them feel so good.
This unwillingness to relinquish something so harmful is the picture of classic addiction: Ignoring overwhelming warnings in the pursuit of pleasure.
It is risky business and the end results could be fatal.
But how do smokers who are trying to quit deal with this phenomenon? How can they cope with an abrupt loss of something so enjoyable? It's certainly not easy to let go of something that has been such a central part of your life for so very long.
Cigarettes, complete with their 43 harmful chemicals, have been by your side through the good and the bad, never once failing you.
They have activated the pleasure center in your brain and have become linked to a feeling of calm and confidence.
In light of this, it is no small wonder why the prospect of quitting is so daunting.
Who in their right mind would give up something that is so pleasurable? When attempting to quit, the pleasure you formerly derived from smoking will be sorely missed, but you need to be strong through this initial phase.
In the long run these feelings will subside, but in the short term you will need to find other, healthier activities that can help fill this pleasure void.
Exercise, gardening, reading and support groups can be wonderful alternatives to smoking, and while they may not completely take the edge off what you are feeling, they will help to combat at least some of the cravings.
Don't allow the addictive powers of cigarettes to hold you captive for one minute longer.
Turn your back on the false pleasure that smoking provides and replace it with activities that are truly healthy and satisfying.
It will be difficult at first, but it's a decision that could save your life.
" You too, when questioned, may have answered in much the same way.
But in light of what we now know about cigarettes and their capacity to cause addiction many wonder if these statements are merely rationalizations, spoken by people who are hopelessly hooked.
Is smoking a pleasurable activity or are those statements nothing more than the addiction talking? Actually, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.
Smoking is horribly addictive, affecting millions of people across the globe, but the notion that people gain pleasure from this risky behavior is not too far-fetched.
People smoke for all sorts of reasons.
They smoke when they're stressed or when they're celebrating, after meals and with their coffee.
They smoke to unwind and relax.
Smoking has become part of them, linked strongly to various feelings and situations.
And yes, people come to enjoy the way smoking makes them feel.
It is this pleasure that makes smoking such a difficult habit to quit.
Despite the consequences associated with continuing this addiction-heart disease, hypertension, cancer and more-people have a hard time turning their back on an activity that makes them feel so good.
This unwillingness to relinquish something so harmful is the picture of classic addiction: Ignoring overwhelming warnings in the pursuit of pleasure.
It is risky business and the end results could be fatal.
But how do smokers who are trying to quit deal with this phenomenon? How can they cope with an abrupt loss of something so enjoyable? It's certainly not easy to let go of something that has been such a central part of your life for so very long.
Cigarettes, complete with their 43 harmful chemicals, have been by your side through the good and the bad, never once failing you.
They have activated the pleasure center in your brain and have become linked to a feeling of calm and confidence.
In light of this, it is no small wonder why the prospect of quitting is so daunting.
Who in their right mind would give up something that is so pleasurable? When attempting to quit, the pleasure you formerly derived from smoking will be sorely missed, but you need to be strong through this initial phase.
In the long run these feelings will subside, but in the short term you will need to find other, healthier activities that can help fill this pleasure void.
Exercise, gardening, reading and support groups can be wonderful alternatives to smoking, and while they may not completely take the edge off what you are feeling, they will help to combat at least some of the cravings.
Don't allow the addictive powers of cigarettes to hold you captive for one minute longer.
Turn your back on the false pleasure that smoking provides and replace it with activities that are truly healthy and satisfying.
It will be difficult at first, but it's a decision that could save your life.
