Motivating to Quit

Why Quitting is so Difficult

Usually, no one wants to think of themselves as a "quitter." But when it comes to smoking, quitting is the best thing you could ever do. Just remember that, like anything worth doing that will bring great change for the better, giving up tobacco is a challenge.

What makes quitting smoking particularly difficult is that the addiction has two sides: the physical and the psychological. The physical symptoms are due to nicotine withdrawal, and can include headaches, irritability, trouble sleeping and other uncomfortable symptoms. Though annoying, these symptoms are only temporary, typically lasting no more than a few days. Nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) can also be used to alleviate the physical symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.

For most people, the real challenge of quitting has to do with the psychological dependency—the habit of smoking. It is easy for smoking to become linked to all different parts of your daily life, such as waking up in the morning, having a cup of coffee, eating, watching TV and any number of other situations. This is why, even with the use of nicotine replacement therapies to minimize withdrawal symptoms, you can still experience strong urges to smoke. But if you plan for how you’ll handle the psychological challenges of quitting smoking, you improve your chances of being successful.