Smoking Addiction: Why People Choose To Quit

Many images surround the word addiction. The use of elicit substances and the abuse of alcohol are perhaps the most common. Even though these chemical addictions can be tragic and catastrophic, perhaps the most difficult addictions to over come are the ones that are acceptable. A smoking addiction can be one of the hardest chemical dependency habits to break because it is socially acceptable. Cigarettes are not illegal and you can smoke them in plain sight without getting arrested, fined or reprimanded. This fact alone can make it very difficult for people to find accountability, even when they want to quit.

The reasons why people choose to quit are as varied as the brands of cigarettes on the market. One of the biggest motivators for people to break their smoking addiction is the health problems that it causes or makes worse. Emphysema, lung cancer, and heart disease can all be attributed directly to smoking. Other diseases, while not directly caused by smoking, can be made worse by smoking because it weakens and compromises the body’s immune system.

Other folks are driven to combat their smoking addiction because they realize that they could have a higher quality of life. It is clear that if they stop smoking, they will be able to increase their levels of physical activity. For some this means a greater ability to interact socially with their friends. For others it means that they will be better able to participate in the day to day activities of life with their kids. When a smoker finally breaks free from their smoking addiction there is a sense of freedom that may motivate them to seek new activities to participate in with their new levels of energy.

Some smokers decide to quit purely for vanity’s sake. Yellow stained fingers, chronically bad breath, and hair that always smells like smoke doesn’t make you very attractive in the eyes of any non smokers that you may be wanting to socialize with. Health care professionals often advise smokers that they are aging prematurely by lighting up. The constant presence of smoke around the face can speed up the appearance of age wrinkles, often causing smokers to look much older than they really are. If want to not only live longer, but to look younger, tackle your smoking addiction now before the damage caused by the smoke, tar and nicotine is irreversible.

The government has figured out how to capitalize on peoples smoking addictions. The taxes applied to cigarettes are higher than anything else in the country. In some municipalities, these taxes can be nearly as much as the price of the cigarettes themselves. One great side effect for people who quit smoking is that they can save some serious money. Depending upon how much you smoke, you may find that you save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars a year. Folks who have successfully conquered their smoking addiction often report buying new TV’s, stereo’s and even cars with the money that they have saved by kicking the smoking habit.

Other smokers decide that they want to quit because they reach a point in their lives where they don’t want to be controlled by anything. The need to find a place to smoke or to make sure that they always have cigarettes on hand can make a person feel captive to their habit. Sometimes the road to freedom is found in breaking the smoking addiction.

Smoking addiction is a powerful enemy, but with the right motivations and support systems you can beat it. The road to a new life is right in front of you, you just need to choose to walk down it.