If you think casual smoking will not get you addicted, you are kidding yourself. You can easily cross the line to become a smoking addict and there are telltale signs that point to this.
If you find that you are smoking more cigarettes ove time, your dependence on nicotine has increased and this is the first telltale sign of the beginning of your addiction.
Then withdrawal symptoms occur when you stop smoking, and disappear when you smoke again. You have now developed a psychological dependence and have the urge to smoke again.
From statistics, it takes six months to one year to become dependent on nicotine if your take one to five puffs of cigarette every day.
Nearly half of smokers who have tried to quit before found it difficult to do so due to psychological dependence while another quarter of smokers found it difficult to quit due to physical dependence.
Physical dependence is when you experience the characteristic withdrawal symptoms when nicotine use is cut off, such as the intense craving for a smoke. Psychological dependence occurs when you develop a daily routine and a habit of smoking cigarettes.
It is a well know fact that nicotine is extremely addictive. It reaches the brain in less than 10 seconds with just a single puff. It then binds to receptors in the brain leading to the release of a neurotransmitter called dopamine, which in turn gives smokers the temporary feeling of pleasure.
Many smokers are aware of the health risks of smoking and have tried quitting, or planned to quit. However, the World Health Organzation estimates that less than 5 per cent of smokers who tried to quit unaided were able to stay smoke-free for only one year.
on Mar 29th, 2010 at 7:01 pm
It’s better to never start then to have to quit, that’s for sure. After several attempts of quitting smoking I finally got rid of it at the end of last summer. If I knew what I know now, I would never have started.