Top Reasons Why Smokers Relapse After Trying to Quit Smoking
Breaking a cigarette habit is tough- especially for long-time chain smokers. According to several studies (for example here and here), the majority of smokers who try to quit will relapse within the first few weeks, and this pattern is even stronger among those who try to quit “cold turkey.” Moreover, smokers maintain this pattern even after making several attempts at quitting.
While there are many reasons why a smoker who is trying to quit will have a hard time kicking the habit, usually smoking relapse will occur for one or more of the following reasons:
1. Smokers are unable to cope with the withdrawal symptoms.
Many smokers may not realize that nicotine withdrawal causes several side effects in addition to craving for a smoke, such as irritability, anxiety, depression, intense hunger, coughing, headaches, and difficulty concentrating. These symptoms are temporary, usually lasting about two weeks.
2. Smokers use smoking as a stress reducer.
When nicotine is introduced into the body it produces a calming effect by increasing the levels of dopamine in the brain, a chemical that causes sensations of pleasure. One who is addicted to nicotine will also feel calmed by simply fulfilling the craving. Those who live in particularly stressful situations may find it very hard to quit smoking for good. This factor is particularly significant at a time when wide spread soci-economic stress is running so high- especially among low-income populations.
3. Smokers have positive associations with smoking.
Many smokers find it hard to quit because they have developed strong, often “positive” associations with smoking. They may associate smoking with specific situations, with a range of emotions, and with certain relationships or influential people. Smokers then find it very hard to experience these situations, emotions, or relationships without smoking.
4. Smokers fear weight gain.
As mentioned above, one of the side effects of quitting is an increased appetite. Many smokers who try to quit smoking, tend to misplace their craving for nicotine and turn it into a craving for food. As a result there can be excessive, and unwanted weight gain.
5. Smokers have a hard time breaking old habits.
After a while, smokers make a habit of reaching for a cigarette at certain times or under certain circumstances, and old, ingrained habits- especially those connected to an addiction- are hard to break.
6. Some smokers may have lost hope.
A small portion of smokers- either those who are considerably older, have already experienced adverse, irreversible effects on their health, or who have tried to quit numerous times only to fail- may have abandoned hope of quitting Some may feel that it is just “too late” or too difficult to kick the habit.
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