4 Weird Reasons Why People Smoke
We have all heard smokers say different things to justify their smoking addiction. Some say that “it helps me relax ” while some believe”smoking boosts my mood” or “it is fun”. These are the common reasons why people smoke. But let’s take a look at how far-fetched the justifications for smoking are. According to the founder of the QuitSure app, which made more than 600k smokers stop smoking, some of the most illogical reasons smokers give for smoking are:
1. Smoking is my best friend. It helped my loneliness go away.
By repeatedly smoking in sad times, smokers develop an emotional bond with cigarettes. It apparently becomes ‘their saviour’, ‘their companion’.They start thinking that it removes their sadness and supports them emotionally like a friend. But if you think logically, all smoking does is give a 5 minute distraction. The person remains lonely even during or after smoking. It can’t provide the emotional support that a friend can provide by listening to and understanding their issues.
We, as human beings, are wired to be social. Hence, spending quality time with your loved ones is the only permanent solution to deal with loneliness.
2. Smoking helps me to lose weight.
A few smokers feel that smoking reduces their food intake. But there is no scientific proof that smoking reduces hunger. In fact, the negative effects of smoking on the body results in the consumption of its nutrient storage. So the body needs more food to replenish those nutrients. Also, smoking deprives an individual from fully enjoying the flavour of food due to dulled taste senses.
3. Smoking helps me think clearly.
Smokers can develop a mental dependence on smoking. So every few hours, when the nicotine leaves the brain, the brain craves for nicotine again. Because of these cravings, the person is not able to think clearly. Once they smoke again, the nicotine is refilled in the brain and the brain becomes normal again. They thus start thinking that smoking helped them think clearly. Whereas the reality is that smoking took away their ability to think clearly. It has become a crutch.
4.Smoking improves the taste of coffee or tea.
In reality, smoking tastes and feels disgusting. That is why most beginners start coughing when they smoke. But slowly, smokers acquire the taste, and then the smoking experience becomes less unpleasant. But it is still unpleasant. So, sweet coffee or tea makes it easier to smoke and improves the experience. But smokers start believing that they enjoy tea or coffee more when they smoke.
I hope now you are enlightened enough to understand that smoking can trick you into believing in any type of false reason or justification. It is because of the effect of nicotine on our neurochemicals such as dopamine, that it becomes highly addictive. But every addict comes up with some reason to justify their addiction. In the case of smoking, people can come up with a thousand justifications for smoking. But non-smokers are living happier lives without smoking, right?
To live a smoke free life, we have to change our thoughts and beliefs about smoking. This can be done using psychological techniques and rewriting these behavioural thoughts. All smokers can easily quit smoking if they remove these justifications from their minds.
There is an app QuitSure – a program that works by changing their thoughts about smoking and removing the desire to smoke.
