Breaking the habit

FeetMagicII

Hi all,

Looking for a bit of help here. Im doing a project for college atm that is related to smoking. One of the parts Im having trouble with is the psychology of smoking. Im hoping that a few smokers will respond to the thread and this question: why do you persist in smoking and what makes the habit so hard to break?

I will be thankful for any response, even a few words, just to get my head into it.

Im also hoping to get a response from someone that has successfully given up cigarettes; why and when did you give up cigarettes and was there any single motivation behind it?

Thanks alot.

The Hill Billy

Not appropriate to the Smokimg forum. Moved to Giving Up Smoking.

HB

kakee

why do you persist in smoking and what makes the habit so hard to break?

This is a question that probably every smoker asks but nobody can really answer. Most smokers will say that they smoke because they enjoy a fag in the mornings/at night/with a drink etc. but the reality is that a cigarette is not really enjoyable at all save for the first few cigarettes when someone begins smoking. The number one reason why the habit is so hard to break is because the chemicals in cigarettes are so damm adctive and the price of patches and gums etc. is stupid. If the government really wanted people to stop smoking these could be supsidised or something. It is of course a fact that our government makes a lot of money from smokers.

kakee

Im also hoping to get a response from someone that has successfully given up cigarettes; why and when did you give up cigarettes and was there any single motivation behind it?

I dont think I can say succesfully give up smoking. In my case I have only really tried to quit twice. I can remember back in 2003 I gave up smoking. I was at work and I was only smoking bits of fags and half fags and throwing the rest away. This went on for a few weeks and one day I said to myself thats it, "Iam giving up". I did not so much as take a drag of a cigarette for 2 years after that. One day I woke up in the morning and had a terribke longing for a cigarette and went straight out and bought some and was back on them again. At the moment I am off the cigarettes again since may 11 and is going well at the moment, but who knows. I didn't decide to quit to be healthy or to save money or any major reason, I just stopped.

tombliboo83

I smoked for 10 years the stupidest years of my life. I'm now 27 and havn't smoked in a year. The key is that I didn't 'give up'. I simply stopped and remembered life before the addiction. I don't know why it isn't promoted more but Alan Carrs' "the easy way to stop smoking" was a revelation to me, showing me how silly a thing and how disgusting a thing really is. I stopped on holidays with no effort (20-40 a day I was on)

oeb

FeetMagicII wrote: »

Hi all,

Looking for a bit of help here. Im doing a project for college atm that is related to smoking. One of the parts Im having trouble with is the psychology of smoking. Im hoping that a few smokers will respond to the thread and this question: why do you persist in smoking and what makes the habit so hard to break?

I will be thankful for any response, even a few words, just to get my head into it.

Im also hoping to get a response from someone that has successfully given up cigarettes; why and when did you give up cigarettes and was there any single motivation behind it?

Thanks alot.

I don't know why I persisted in smoking. Every smoker knows smoking is stupid. We know it will likely kill us, we know it's the reason we are out of breath after even light exercise, we know it's a waste of money, we know that it's the reason out teeth are just a bit yellow no matter how much we brush, it's the reason our car and house stinks. We know that smoking is the reason that we wake up with that awful taste in our mouths in the morning.

I think that the problem is is that smokers look at smoking as a comfort, and it has always seemed, just easier I guess, to smoke. You don't actually feel addicted to them (Until you quit). You know you should quit, you just always justify putting it off. "I'll be all stressed out with my exams, I'll quit after that", "When the kids start school, it will be a bit calmer. I'll quit then", "I can't quit now, it's Greg's birthday next month and I know I'll end up smoking that night.".

I am currently off the smokes 3 weeks, I am quitting because of all the reasons that I know I should quit.

Little Miss Curious

I quit almost 5 and a half years ago successsfully after attending the Alan Carr Clinic. Once the psychology behind the addiction is explained it makes it easier to understand the cravings and over come them as they arise. If you are doing a project on this I suggest you read his book as this will give you exactly what you are looking for.

I still get the odd craving but its not worth it to give in.

overmantle

I gave up by testing myself to see how many days I could last without them. i'm still off them 17 years later - and counting.

mrshappy

FeetMagicII wrote: »

Hi all,

why do you persist in smoking and what makes the habit so hard to break?

.

Because it's not a habit but an addicition