Why is it so hard to quit smoking?

On the occasion of World No-Tobacco Day that was yesterday, we will talk about the harm of smoking, and why is it so difficult to get rid of this bad habit? Most smokers know the harmful effects of tobacco and smoking and know that it can be the reason for many diseases, like cancer, and meanwhile, the increase in complications resulting from COVID 19.


But the question is why smokers are still not affected by these health risks, and they are not able to quit smoking.


In this article you will know are about nicotine addiction and the harm of tobacco from another perspective and not the traditional and cliche about smoking and how it leads to cancer and other diseases, but we will put you as a smoker in the place of tobacco companies, and how to quit smoking in simple steps?

The direct effect of nicotine on your health

You must know that the nicotine in cigarettes breaks down vitamin A in the body and therefore it leads to aging and the appearance of wrinkles and reduces your appetite for food and weakens your immunity and vision, and of course, smoking reduces the ability of the respiratory system to use oxygen.

What the tobacco companies do and what they use to make cigarettes?

We will get more into the manufacture of cigarettes all the way from tobacco leaves to the cigarettes.


First, tobacco leaves are frozen by using freon gas which is harmful to the ozone layer, and toxic to the human body.


Then they use some chemicals to double the size of tobacco leaves for more production and to increase profit.


Then they do a process called reconstitution, which is treating tobacco leaves to be mixed with other elements of tobacco plant like roots and woods which are not tobacco leaves, and also to increase the production and the profit.


They also add chemicals to increase the flavor of the original taste of tobacco.


Then they use a lot of preservatives to preserve the cigarettes from changes in the taste and smell.


And finally, they cut and roll the tobacco to make cigarettes.

What the tobacco companies do to make you an addict for cigarettes and why is it so hard to quit smoking?

since the 1960s research and statistics began associating between smoking and diseases, that's why lots of people began to quit smoking and since that time sales of tobacco companies began to decline.


As a result of this issue, the companies started to use chemistry to let the client craving for cigarettes and unable to quit smoking.


They began to use ammonia in cigarettes and with ammonia nicotine becomes free in the blood and reaches directly the brain.



To keep the cigarette burning and not extinguished when exposed to air they put butane gas and on the tip of the cigarette they put some of the gunpowder.
The lines that you see on the cigarette paper comes from the trees woods, but the paper is always white because it is bleached with chemicals which are all carcinogenic.


These lines contain methanol alcohol to keep the combustion of the cigarette.


It is normal to add some artificial flavors to cigarettes like cinnamon, licorice, vanilla, caramel, and chocolate and this is not a problem comparing to the mint flavor used by some companies.


The mint will numb the trachea cells and stops the cough reflex, and it will become more difficult to feel any symptoms affecting the respiratory system such as inflammation or cancer.


One of the other chemicals used is formaldehyde, to preserve cigarettes for a longer period, and formaldehyde is used to store corpses.


The filter that is located at the end of the cigarette is used to cool the smoke from cigarettes, and this filter is made of cellulose, and it can tolerate heat to a certain level, but when you finish the cigarette, cellulose will break down and precipitates in the body because the human body is not designed to deal with cellulose and to digest it.

How do you quit smoking in easy steps?

You must know that there are two major problems concerning nicotine addiction


First, nicotine raises dopamine and serotonin levels which are the neurotransmitters responsible for happiness.


Also, nicotine leads to endorphins secretion, and endorphins are responsible for reducing pain.


Therefore, once you stop smoking, the feeling of pain increases because the brain stops producing endorphins.

Smoking is considered a bad habit and to get rid of it it must be replaced by a new habit, and here are some tips to help you get rid of this habit:

Avoid stress.


Stay away from smokers and non-free smoking zones as much as possible.


Avoid what reminds you of your old habit by holding anything other than cigarettes like a pen or stress ball and the brain will gradually replace the old habit which is smoking by the new habit.


You can use an electronic cigarette to help you quit smoking but it also contains nicotine.


You must know that craving for cigarettes and smoking does not last for more than 10 minutes.



You can occupy yourself by speaking to a friend or doing a certain activity or to be eating some food you like.


It will be better to take the challenge with someone else if you find another friend or a colleague who also wants to quit smoking and you can talk to each other whenever you feel weak and to give support to each other.



It may seem hard to quit smoking but it is not impossible and it needs consistency and willpower because your health and your life are way more important and worth more than the satisfaction that cigarettes give you...