Make Time For Health

Posts Tagged ‘Tobacco smoking’

Smoking is a leading cause of disease, but many smokers find it very hard to quit. Some of them just don’t want to stop smoking, but others have tried and failed so many times that they just aren’t sure they can try again. For smokers who want to quit, and for those who want to cut down on how much they’re spending on cigarettes, there’s the electronic cigarette. E-cigarettes have gained a lot of popularity recently because they can be used even in areas where there are ‘no smoking’ signs. They don’t actually put off any smoke at all, only water vapor. That lowers the risk to people around them, but are they really safe? It would seem as though they’re safer than standard cigarettes, because the only thing the smoker is inhaling is nicotine.
The tar and other chemicals, along with all the carcinogens, are eliminated with an e-cigarette. There is an argument, of course, that inhaling nicotine vapor itself isn’t good for you – and that makes sense. Given the choice between inhaling only nicotine and inhaling nicotine along with all the other chemicals in a cigarette, the straight nicotine would appear to be the least dangerous. The best choice, of course, is to simply quit smoking, but that’s not quite as easy as it sounds. Cigarette smoking has been called more addictive than heroin, and some people simply can’t make themselves quit, no matter how hard they try. They see that it’s ruining their health, but yet they continue to smoke.
The patches and gums that are offered to smokers haven’t met with a great deal of success for most people. The prescription options can have nasty side effects, and some people just simply aren’t willing to use them. For people who’re running out of options, the e-cigarette can be a good alternative. It can help people move toward quitting their cigarette habit for good, or at least cut down on the amount of dangerous chemicals that they’re inhaling. Both of these options are better than simply continuing to smoke standard cigarettes.

There is no doubting that nicotine is a physically addictive substance. Some organizations have even stated that nicotine addiction is as difficult to overcome as addictions to substances such as heroin and cocaine. Nicotine replacement therapies, therefore, seem like a smart alternative to smoking cigarettes. Sure, the nicotine itself isn’t good for your body, but nicotine gum and other products don’t carry the large number of carcinogens present in tobacco smoke. These products, however, often fail to help addicts quit smoking because they fail to address the role that psychological addiction plays in smoking cigarettes. E cigarettes provide a substitute that satisfies the psychological craving as well as the physical craving.

When a person becomes addicted to smoking tobacco, his or her brain begins to associate certain actions with pleasurable sensations. The very act of bringing the cigarette to one’s lips can cause the brain’s pleasure centers to light up in anticipation of the upcoming nicotine reward. The brain can also learn to associate the physical act of smoking with other pleasurable psychological states. If one commonly smokes cigarettes while drinking, then the physical act of smoking becomes closely associated with the pleasure obtained by ingesting alcohol. If one regularly smokes during work breaks, then the brain begins to link relaxation with the act of smoking.

E cigarettes satisfy the psychological craving by giving smokers a fake cigarette to inhale. The E cigarette looks and taste like a tobacco cigarette, so it tricks the brain into believing that you are actually smoking. Some companies even manufacture e cigarettes that replicate the appearance and flavor of certain types of cigarettes.

Over time, you can start to decrease the amount of nicotine that you use in the e cigarettes. You can also start to alter your mental associations by using e cigarettes less throughout the day. This approach helps you overcome addiction with much less suffering.