If you ask an ex-smoker, they’ll likely tell you that quitting smoking was easily one of the hardest things they’ve ever had to do. If you are a smoker who have tried to quit but failed, you may ask why stopping nicotine addiction is very difficult.
If you feel hooked on cigarettes, then you’re likely addicted to the nicotine that is found in all tobacco products. Nicotine calms you down and leaves you feeling good. It also works as a stimulant to keep you alert and focused.
The more you smoke, the more your body adjusts to the nicotine and the more nicotine you need to achieve the same “buzz.” There comes the point when you need nicotine just to feel “normal.” It can take a long time to kick a nicotine habit for good, which is why many people give up smoking half way through and need to quit again to make it stick. It’s important that you never give up when quitting smoking. You will feel good again, even if it takes a little time.
Quitting smoking can also be difficult because it becomes such a part of your life. You get used to holding a cigarette, and it feels good to puff on them. You can find yourself smoking when you get stressed out, bored, or angry. After years of smoking, it just becomes a part of your routine. You start smoking without even realizing that you’re doing it.
Psychologists refer to this kind of addiction as a “behavioral addiction” because even though nicotine is addicting enough as it is, you also become addicted to the process of smoking a cigarette. Smoking is also social for many people, and they lose the social activity that came with smoking. It’s not easy to let this go, and many smokers have trouble with it; especially if all of their friends smoke.
Smoking is also something people do alongside other things. Many people smoke after certain things, and this also becomes habitual. It’s common to smoke a cigarette;
- After meals
- While drinking coffee or beer
- While talking on the phone
- While driving
- While around other smokers
- After sex
You can get so used to smoking habitually that you are uncomfortable being in a situation where you normally smoke without a cigarette. The times and places you normally smoke are known as “triggers” because they trigger your cravings for cigarettes. The hardest part of quitting smoking for many smokers is to kick these particular habits.
It’s not easy to quit smoking. Reading some articles about how difficult it is can be enough to stop people from even trying. Even if you don’t successfully quit, you can still learn a lot from trying. The only way to truly quit smoking is with willpower and strength.
There are many free apps and programs out there you can use to help you quit smoking. There are also social networks and support groups that can help you make, and stick to, positive changes and behaviors.
Acupuncture Is Effective at Helping You Stop Smoking
People have used acupuncture to treat addictions such as cigarette addictions and cravings for years now. A lot of those people achieved success with acupuncture, and now there is research that helps to support these claims.
One such study, titled “Alternative Smoking Cessation Aids: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials,” saw researchers compile data from 14 different studies to understand which alternative therapy techniques helped patients to quit smoking. The acupuncture studies were performed on 823 different patients. The conclusion of the study was that acupuncture and hypnotherapy could help people to quit smoking.
Auriculotherapy
Auriculotherapy was developed in France in the 1950s by Dr. Paul Nogier, who based the system on acupuncture.
Dr. Nogier saw that the ear was connected to almost all of the body and that, if pressure is applied to a particular part of the ear, then other parts and processes of the body would be affected. This is because the reflex points produce nerve impulses which message the brain with a particular signal depending on where the ear was pressed.
These signals can be used to manage pain and stress, relax your nerves, and even help with quitting smoking. It’s also less painful than acupuncture as there are no needles involved.
Instead of using needles Auriculotherapy uses pressure (reflexology) applied to points in the ear to produce an effect. There are several ways to implement the pressure needed.
The most common way is to use the fingers, but some clinics also use laser therapy, electrostimulation, a blunt tipped wand, an ear pellet, or with magnets such as the ones found in EaseQUIT. Read the review of this product to find out how does it work.