Why do people smoke cigarettes?
We’ve all certainly heard the buzz that cigarettes are hazardous to our health. With a vast number of cancer causing substances and the fact that smoking accounts for the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., many of us continue to light up.
There are many reasons why someone chooses to smoke…understanding these components can go a long way toward helping someone deal with cigarette, or nicotine addiction.
These reasons were taken from a survey of cigarette smokers and why they choose to light up.
Does one or more of these conditions apply to you?
1. Social – part of a person’s smoking habit is social in nature. Maybe all of your co-workers smoke and you want to fit in. Perhaps a parent smoked and you in the end decided it was acceptable. This “socialization” plays both ways – some learned behaviors are good, while others not so good.
2. Need for Sucking and Chewing – Every person has this need and it’s absolutely necessary as an infant. To some extent, this need continues into adulthood. Smoking satisfies this need.
3. Automatic Repeating – If you’ve do something frequently enough, it will eventually become a regular habit. This automatic pattern of behavior is true in certain situations. Perhaps you smoke after eating for instance, making you feel comfortable and satisfied.
4. Self-medication – Nicotine also has a tranquilizing effect upon nervous feelings. It also has an anti-depressive effect, helping people stay awake in the short term. Smoking to relieve stress is a common reason for smoking.
5. Pleasure – Of course, a list like this wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the pleasure principal. Smoking does bring pleasure to many who partake in the habit because of how it attaches to nerve receptors and causes the release of dopamine in the brain, which in turn causes the smoker to feel pleasure.
6. Genetic – If you’ve had a long line of relatives and ancestors who smoked, you may be genetically pre-disposed to nicotine addiction. Like alcoholism and other diseases, some are more susceptible to this addiction because of familial traits.
Identifying these components of smoking and thinking about ways to either alter or get rid of the circumstances that bring on these components can go a long way toward kicking your cigarette/nicotine addiction.