Study shows: Smokers try to quit, but can't

by JeffHuang | July 17, 2008 at 01:21 pm

2067 views | 14 Recommendations | 46 comments

So I have a friend (he shall remain anonymous) who has a HUGE smoking problem. Everytime we hang out, he would either waste time to go buy some cigarettes, or take 5minutes off from whatever we were doing to smoke. Often times I would get annoyed and ask him "how hard is it NOT to smoke." In my opinion its just like "oh I'm craving that last donut, but I just won't eat it." Is it really that difficult to take your mind off that cigarette and stop the craving? We see advertisements everywhere and the purpose of ads is to create this craving of commodity needs in people. I know it is a really farfetched example of a craving comparison but this is coming from a person who does not smoke so you would have to pardon me in this unsophisticated comparison. What I am trying to get at is, is it really that difficult to quit smoking? From the research, supposedly it is.

Within months of their first puff, most teen smokers struggle to stop smoking but most can't quit.

A Universite de Montreal study mapping the stepping stones to tobacco addiction shows that the process has definite stages and starts even earlier than believed.

Epidemiologist Jennifer O'Loughlin, the study's lead author, found that most adolescent smokers were naive about their ability to quit.

Many made a first serious attempt to quit after 2 1/2 month of sporadic smoking - and most failed. Cravings and withdrawal symptoms grew along with discouragement.

"And by the time they've have smoked for 21 months they have lost confidence in their ability to quit," O'Loughlin said. "As soon as they experience craving, the story is over. They're on the trajectory to becoming an adult smoker."

Despite early and increasing difficulty in quitting, it took about three years for the smokers to realize that they could not quit smoking of their own free will.

Some testimonies and experiences from smokers who tried to quit, but can't quit

Participants were aged 12 and 13 and puffing occasionally at the beginning of the study and went on to smoke daily by 14 and 15 years old.

"They confidently say, 'I've quit and I'm never going to smoke again,'" said O'Loughlin. "They continue with a bravado attitude and it takes them quite a while to realize, 'Hey, I can't stop this,' or 'I'm smoking because I can't quit.'"

Having bummed a cigarette on her coffee break, computer technician Bo Martin, 19, says the study got it right.

"I've tried to quit and I've failed miserably," said Martin, who took her first puff at age 14 because her friends did and it seemed like the cool thing to do.

For Martin, smoking is a social lubricant. She smokes 15 a day and says she can't quit because it's ingrained in her daily routines. But it's a love/hate relationship.

"In our study we tried to look for kids who became weekly smokers and then quit and we couldn't couldn't find any. The kids always went back to smoking."

The literature on tobacco studies suggests that smokers at age 16 will be hooked on the habit for an average of 16 years for boys and 20 years for girls.

Previous studies looked at youth who smoked 100 cigarettes while O'Loughlin's study mapped the early onset of addiction.

"Not every kid will get hooked," O'Loughlin said. But a portion will show symptoms of nicotine dependence after the first puff, she said.

What I got from the article is that you shouldn't even start smoking. Once you start, it gets harder and harder for you to stop. I think many have the idea of "oh, I can stop anytime I want so this won't affect me." But from the research, you should try to stop as early as possible, while you still can.

I am personally not a smoker, so I have no idea what this "craving" feels like. That being said, it might be a little naive for me to think that "how can it be so hard to quit? Just don't smoke" but the truth is that I do think that. Doesn't seem that difficult to NOT smoke. I know all the smokers out there are probably screaming at their computer screen and yelling at me for that comment. However, from the article, it does seem really hard to quit after consistantly smoking for a long period of time. I guess I will never understand the "craving for a smoke" feeling until I start smoking myself but I won't be doing that anytime soon.
Is it really that hard to quit smoking?

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theunderminer

at 13:44 on July 17th, 2008

Don't start. Don't need to stop. Don't crave. Don't need to relapse. Don't do it, kids. Don't do drugs. Stay in school. And play safe.

lisam3

at 14:07 on July 17th, 2008

It is very difficult to quit smoking. Ask any smoker that actually smokes every day. I have quit several times but always found an excuse to start again. Such a horrible habit. I don't wish smoking on anyone.

lisam3

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 14:08 on July 17th, 2008

JeffHuang, I like this story. It's good stuff.

agdobson

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 20:21 on July 17th, 2008

JeffHuang, I like this story. It's good stuff.

René

at 21:14 on July 17th, 2008

Harder to quit than heroin. and easier to get the 'unquitable' habit if you start smoking before 21, believe it or not. Supposedly it is easier to quit if you started smoking after turning 21.

albertson

at 21:41 on July 17th, 2008

hi;

Smokers can quit the smoke , if they decided to stop by quiting the smoke and live a life safely.

=============================================================

albertson

Knox Leon

Knox Leon</a>

Broseffff

at 13:44 on July 27th, 2008

I like to smoke the end.

iTroyboy

at 22:29 on July 17th, 2008

To answer your question, yes, it is very difficult to quit smoking. Nicotine in the bloodstream rewards the brain in the same ways that cocaine and amphetamines do (although to a much lesser degree). As soon as a person finishes their cigarette, their dopamine levels start to return to normal. This leaves the person feeling less and less of the "pleasure" caused by the increased dopamine levels, hence the wanting to smoke more, and yet more.

Smoking is not just a nasty habit that can be changed at will. If people were able to just "turn off" smoking, we would not have nicotine addiction nor would we have any addiction (crack, coke, meth, etc.) that increases the dopamine levels within the brain.

The best way to stop these types of addictions is to never start them to begin with. It is good to hear that you do not smoke, I hope you intend to not start.

Stefan Zabunov

at 10:27 on July 18th, 2008

Thank you very much for the invitation and using my picture here!

Stefan Zabunov has contributed a photo to this story.

Pallav Dhabalia

at 10:31 on July 18th, 2008

Over the years I have encouraged several friends to quit smoking. A few have tried, some failed, but I am glad to say, some succeeded. I would urge everyone to encourage their friends to give up this deadly habit. They need a lot of motivation and support.

pdhabalia has contributed a photo to this story.

mccormackg

at 11:21 on July 18th, 2008

I've been smoking for almost 10 years . I always knew it was bad for me but continued wanting to smoke. I guess with the tax increase in NY raising the cost to nearly 9$ a pack I decided now is the time to try to quit. I quit for over a month with the help of the patch but this week slipped up.It surprises me that I feel guilty and embarrassed. I will continue to try to quit! George

mccormackg has contributed a photo to this story.

Carlos Guixeras

at 11:23 on July 18th, 2008

Willpower is the ability to exert one's will over one's actions.
It manifests as inner firmness, decisiveness, determination, resolution and persistence.

Carlos Guixeras has contributed a photo to this story.

electric-shake

at 12:27 on July 18th, 2008

my dad's been smoking since he was a teenager. he's tried to quit so many times and actually WANTS to but just can't seem to ever get it right. he leaves his butt's everywhere.. me and my brother are always on his case about it. hopefully one of these days he'll quit for good but..... yeah i've seen how hard it is and don't ever plan on picking the habit up.

electric-shake has contributed a photo to this story.

NatashaLyn

at 13:08 on July 18th, 2008

I've quit 5 times so far.
I hear 7 is the magic number.
Only 2 more quits to go.

NatashaLyn has contributed a photo to this story.

Music Hyun

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 13:54 on July 18th, 2008

JeffHuang, I like this story. It's good stuff. And thank you for requesting and adding my picture from http://www.flickr.com/photos/music-hyun/ showing my photography made in the virtual world of Second Life. Oh, to perhaps add this: congratulations to all who manage to quit smoking!! I consider myself as hopeless ;) have a good day and keep it going! music hyun - My pictures are all rights reserved by me (C) 2008

the_goldenpony

at 13:54 on July 18th, 2008

i'm no quitter.

Arty Smokes

at 13:57 on July 18th, 2008

Photo taken just under a sign saying "King's College Hospital operates a no smoking policy". In the UK, tobacco is taxed heavily, ostensibly to pay for National Heath Service treatment of people with smoking-related illnesses. What most people don't realise is that diseases caused by obesity cost even more to treat in the long-term than cancer. Perhaps hospitals should start operating a "No obesity" policy and the government could cut taxes on cigarettes and levied them on fattening food instead. Currently, smokers, who tend to be slimmer than average and yet die younger, are subsidizing the lives of fat people..

Arty Smokes has contributed a photo to this story.

Trina E.

at 14:23 on July 18th, 2008

Thanks for using my photo! I'm an occasional smoker. I know I know still pretty bad but I'm trying to quit. GOOD STORY.

uzi978

at 14:22 on July 18th, 2008

"I smoke my cigarette with style."

-- W. Axl Rose

uzi978 has contributed a photo to this story.

gnarksombre

at 14:47 on July 18th, 2008

My parents' ashtray.
Stop? I'm pretty sure they CAN, but they WON'T.

gnarksombre has contributed a photo to this story.

felixtreadwell

at 15:01 on July 18th, 2008

ooo well i found this on the floor near the train when i was about to go home. it looked dirty and stuff, but i thought it would make a great photo. it kind of reflects what smoking does to you.

felixtreadwell has contributed a photo to this story.

ZespiraL

at 16:46 on July 18th, 2008

one of my best friend

ZespiraL has contributed a photo to this story.

Sheila Smart Photography

at 17:57 on July 18th, 2008

I am always curious why folk still smoke when we all know it will eventually kill them. I took this shot of a street person dragging heavily on a cigarette. He eventually stubbed it out and lit another.

Sheila Smart Photography has contributed a photo to this story.

la préfontaine

at 17:58 on July 18th, 2008

I constantly relapse. I hadn't smoked for about a week in a half but then yesterday, while waiting for the bus, I asked someone for a cigarette. It's not as easy as it sounds. There's really a lot more to quitting then just cutting it off cold turkey. Coming from a smoker, don't start. Don't even smoke socially.

la préfontaine has contributed a photo to this story.

Jessica Heagy

at 18:02 on July 18th, 2008

Well I don't smoke since everyone else I know does. It's not a habit that I think I will pick up soon.

meunomeélip

at 18:47 on July 18th, 2008

Simply my friends and I in little five points in Atlanta, messing around and taking pictures. I just put my cigarette down to take a picture, and then thought it looked kind of cool itself and took it. Amature I know. Anyway it was my cigarette. I smoked for a good while, on and off, and luckily I never got heavily addicted. Quitting wasn't easy, but it wasn't severe in my case, especially compared with overcomming other addictions. That is actually why I think this is such an interesting topic- all addictions have the same neurological roots. Alcohol, eating disorders, drugs, co-dependence, self-harm, stealing, compulsive lying, impulsive actions, promiscuity- anything that serves as an outlet, frequently "needed" to get by.
The concept of "will-power" is a self-imposed limitation, if anything. The fact that people don't try to understand where smokers are comming from seems to be a bit ignorant. There are cases of people who HAVE lung cancer and resume smoking, not because they want to but because they feel they have to. And compared with some addictions that are mostly mental, smoking has a physiological basis that literally changes your body and brain, making it very hard to overcome.
That said, though the trial was not terribly difficult for myself, I think that it is perfectly reasonable to say that quitting smoking is not by any means easy., and that its perfectly believable that people can't (or feel its almost impossible to) stop smoking.

meunomeélip has contributed a photo to this story.

Moamen

at 19:51 on July 18th, 2008

Burn, baby! Burn!

Moamen has contributed a photo to this story.

emily maude

at 20:07 on July 18th, 2008

I took a panoramic shot of the view from my friends balcony, because she wanted to remember the place she's spent so much time in. So I also took some pictures of the things on the ground, this was one of them.

emily maude has contributed a photo to this story.

bonafidepeace

at 21:13 on July 18th, 2008

Personally I would never start something I feel that I would not be able to get control of in future. However I do know this guy who really quit smoking and from his point of view it is a matter of a -decision;and you stick to it. I would see quitting as exercising a certain level of resolve to get control over something that controls you.

bonafidepeace has contributed a photo to this story.