But I am not addicted

We often hear people saying "I am not addicted to smoking, it’s just for fun. I can give it up any time I want." A question that flashes in the mind is "If that is true, why don’t you give it up right now?"

The answer to this is very simple. Smoking is addictive – accept the fact. It is not as easy to give up smoking as it is to throw away the stub in that moment and declare "This was the last one, no more cigarettes for me." You will invariably pick up another one the next day or a few days later.

The nicotine in cigarettes acts on that particular area of the brain which produces feelings of pleasure and reward. This is, quite possibly, one of the main reasons why it’s so difficult to give up smoking – who would want to do away with pleasure and reward? Especially in as less as eight seconds – that’s all the time it requires for nicotine to reach the brain once you take the first puff of your cigarette.

However, nicotine also has many harmful effects on the lungs, heart, blood pressure and other organs, apart from making you look and feel much older than you are (call it the rapid ageing effect). The brain literally craves for nicotine in its absence, which leads to the addictive effect.

When a person who is addicted to smoking gives up cigarettes, he/she initially experiences feelings of depression, frustration, irritability and restlessness. This can get quite overwhelming and in 90% cases, it drives the person to take ‘just one more puff’, and down into the drain goes your resolution to quit smoking – once again.

How do we remedy this, if you really want to give up smoking? Homeopathy has an answer – a simple yet effective one. Tabaccum is one of the remedies that helps you curb the craving and also helps nicotine-withdrawal symptoms such as nausea, giddiness, lack of concentration, etc. Caladium seguinum is another useful remedy that helps to quit smoking without experiencing any major withdrawal symptoms.

One important thing to be kept in mind is not to be affected by what others say about your resolution to quit smoking – there will always be people to push you to smoke just one more cigarette or those who will discourage you from quitting. However, in the end, it’s up to you to decide what’s best for you, your health and your family.