Why It’s So Hard To Quit Smoking
Posted January 7, 2009 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Ever wonder why it’s so hard to kick the habit? We may be a step closer to finding out.
New research out of Duke University reveals that just seeing someone light up can push smokers attempting to quit over the edge.
The scientists, who published their study online in Psychopharmacology, took brain scans of people while smoking and compared them with scans of the same people 24 hours after quitting.
The result? A noticeable increase in brain activity when quitters looked at photos of people smoking.
But what’s more surprising, says associate professor Joseph McClernon, is the area of the brain stimulated by the photos.
“We saw activation in … an area involved in learning habits or things we do by rote, like riding a bike or brushing our teeth. That means quitting smoking may not be a matter of conscious control. So, if we’re really going to help people quit, this emphasizes the need to do more than tell people to resist temptation. We also have to help them break that habitual response.”
In other words, we now have scientific evidence for how deeply ingrained smoking really is.
“Only five percent of unaided quit attempts result in successful abstinence,” notes McClernon. “Most smokers who try to quit return to smoking again. We are trying to understand how that process works in the brain, and this research brings us one step closer.”
Stefanie Radicioni is trying to quit, but she too battles constant urges born from watching others get their fix.
“Seeing other people smoke it reminds you of the feeling you get when you smoke,” she admits.
For that reason it’s wise to avoid smoking friends or places like bars and clubs where smokers congregate in front if you’re seeking a reprieve from the addiction.
For more reasons why quitting is so hard to do, click here.
Here are some resources that may help you kick the habit:
Health Canada’s Methods Of Quitting
Quit Smoking With Laser Therapy: Results Revealed
What The Lung Association Of Ontario Says
Can Electronic Cigarettes Beat The Smoking Ban And Are They Better For Your Health?
