by Todd Pheifer

Created on: March 10, 2010

People try every day to quit smoking.  A few actually succeed in breaking the habit.  However, many more are unable to let go of this particular addiction.  There are also a lot of individuals who profess a desire to quit smoking but find it difficult to even know where to start.  People can decrease their intake, quit "cold turkey," chew nicotine gum, wear nicotine patches, pray, seek out support groups, go to therapy, or pursue other methods of motivation.  Still, plenty of individuals find all of these methodologies to be ineffective as they continue to smoke cigarettes.  Non-smokers may suggest that smokers should "just quit," but this is definitively difficult for some people to do.  With that in mind, here are a few thoughts on why it is hard to quit smoking cigarettes.  

Lack of desire

Some people find it hard to quit smoking because they don't really want to quit.  They may talk about quitting and part of them may actually desire to drop the habit.  However, people are often defined by their actions.  Saying one thing but engaging in a different set of actions may create a conflict within the person, but ultimately people are defined by what they actually do.  Therefore, people may "feel" like they are making progress because they express a willingness to quit.  Granted, expressing a desire may be a first step towards quitting, but if people talk about something for a long period of time but do not take any action, their verbalized desires may not mean very much. 

Physical addiction

Another reason that people have a hard time quitting smoking is that they are physically addicted.  Smoking cigarettes is not just a mental exercise that can easily reversed.  The composition of cigarettes are such that the smoker develops a true physical need for the product.  This is why people who try to quit are often driven by strong cravings.  The smoker's body is used to the nicotine, and when that nicotine is not present, it is not unusual for the body to want that feeling again.  People want to feel good, and going through withdrawals is not pleasant.  Therefore, quitting can be a hard physical exercise, particularly for the hard-core smoker. 

Comfort in habits

Finally, there is the issue of habit.  People find comfort in routine, and it can be hard to change a lifestyle, particularly if individuals have followed a particular pattern for some time.  Even unpleasant things can be hard to change because people get used to their life and the predictability of certain activities.  In addition, people are part of various communities and in the case of smoking, some individuals often hang out with other smokers.  If people want to quit smoking, they may need to stop hanging out with particular individuals, which can be hard if those individuals are friends.  When all of these factors are considered, it is understandable why some people have trouble quitting.  This isn't to say that people should not try, but they should be willing to get help to overcome this very addictive habit. 

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