by Nikki Albert

Created on: November 11, 2010

Quitting smoking is a difficult undertaking whether you do it cold turkey or you use quit smoking medications or aids. Nicotine is "A super toxin, drop for drop it is more lethal than strychnine or diamondback rattlesnake venom and three times deadlier than arsenic. Yet amazingly, by chance, this natural insecticide's chemical signature is so similar to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine that once inside the brain it fits a host of chemical locks permitting it direct and indirect control over the flow of more than 200 neuro-chemicals, most importantly dopamine." (Whyquit.com)

Withdrawal cravings alone make it difficult to quit but aside from the nature of nicotine itself there is the habit of smoking and the underlying reasons someone is choosing to smoke rather than to release stress in a positive fashion.  There is the addiction.   Subconsciously, "you've established nicotine use cues. Those cues trigger urges or craves upon encountering a specific time, place, person, situation or emotion during which you've trained your mind to expect a new supply of nicotine. But the catalyst and foundation for both conscious rationalizations and subconscious conditioning is your underlying chemical dependency." (Whyquit.com) Once you get past the initial withdrawal you have only won half the battle, you must then stay away from the temptation to relapse. Like with all addictions, relapse can occur at any time. When you change how you think and feel about smoking it is easier to change the behaviors involved in the process. According to Health Promotion International Journal, "Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) enables addictive behaviors to be changed by facilitating the control of the psychological processes associated with the acquisition and maintenance of the habit, e.g. conditioning, reinforcement, arousal, attention to cues, moods, feelings, suggestion and imagery."

Use Distractions

That habit of smoking and the need to have a smoke, simply to have a smoke, can be prevented with distraction. It can be a passive activity like reading or watching a movie, however, if you feel fidgety, then it is better to choose something active to take your mind off the desire such as going for a walk or doing a household chore.

"Each cue driven crave episode presents an opportunity to extinguish additional conditioning and reclaim another aspect of life." (Whyquit.com). In the beginning of any behavior we consciously make choices that eventually lead to habits. Once

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