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You’ve decided to stop smoking. Great! You can do this! There are many quit smoking tips that can make it easier. 

And in this article, we’ve collected the best tips that can help you succeed.

Some of those stop smoking tips are things you can do ahead of time, and others can help you stay away from cigarettes after you quit.

Quit Smoking Tips for Preparing to Quit 

Preparing to quit smoking is important. You’re more likely to succeed if you prepare both mentally and physically. 

Tips to Prepare Yourself Mentally

1. Set a quit date. Give yourself time to get ready, but not too much time. A date within the next week or two is usually best.

2. Put the date on your calendar. Regard that date as definite, not maybe. Think of it as a promise to yourself.

3. Think about your motivation. Why do you want to quit smoking? What is the real reason you want to do this?

6. Know your triggers. Figure out when you usually smoke (first thing in the morning, after work, after a meal). Make a list of the things you usually do while you’re smoking (talking on the phone, having a drink, driving your car). Everyone’s list will be different.

Once you have that list with your smoking triggers, you’ll be more prepared when you automatically think of having a cigarette at these times. You can plan to do something else instead. Think about what you can do instead of smoking.

7. Make a plan for managing cigarette cravings. What will you do if you want a cigarette? You’ll be able to manage cravings more easily if you have a plan for handling them.

8. Follow the 4 Quit Smoking Stages. There are 4 stages your brain follows when it gets attached or detached from a habit or an addiction.

If you skip any of these stages, quitting becomes hard. But going through the stages, in the right sequence, can make quitting easy. Because the 4  stages of the CBQ method help you overcome the mental dependence on smoking. 

9. Think of yourself as a non-smoker who smokes, instead of a smoker who’s trying to quit. To apply this quit smoking tip, start spending 2 minutes every day in front of a mirror saying: “I AM A NON-SMOKER.” This simple ritual can gradually train your mind to associate your image with the idea of being a non-smoker.

More Tips to Quit Smoking…Get Support from Others

1. Tell your family and friends that you’re quitting. They’ll probably be glad to support you. Getting encouragement and support from other people can increase your commitment and help you succeed. 

2. Make quitting a group effort. See if any of your friends or family members want to quit smoking. If they do, you can quit at the same time and encourage each other.

3. Ask for advice. If you know someone who has quit successfully, ask for their stop smoking tips as well as suggestions and support. Ask if you can call or text if you feel discouraged.

4. Ask other smokers for help. If you have friends or family members who are smokers, try to enlist their help, too. Ask them not to smoke in front of you and ask them not to leave cigarettes around.

Cleaning House

1. Get rid of your cigarettes. Make sure there aren’t any in your house, workplace, or car. It’s too easy to have “just one” when they’re readily available.

2. Freshen up your house. Clean it, air it out, do your best to get rid of the smell of cigarette smoke.

Be sure to remove the ashtrays. Just the sight of an ashtray can make you think of smoking. It’s better to remove all those visual reminders of your smoking days.

3. The same goes for your car. Get it washed, empty the ashtray, clean the interior.

Quit Smoking Tips for Your Quit Day (and All Your Non-Smoking Days Afterwards)

Nicotine withdrawal symptoms are likely to start on your first non-smoking day. They’re usually strongest on the first three to six days, and then start to ease up. They may be unpleasant at first, but they’re manageable, and they will subside soon.

Also, a big part of smoking is habitual. You’ve probably gotten used to having a cigarette at certain times of day, or when you do certain activities. If you make some changes in your routines, it will be easier to stay away from cigarettes.

Quit Smoking Tips to Keep Busy

1. Stay active. Go for a walk. Ride a bike. Do some exercises. Being physically active gets your blood pumping and increases the oxygen supply to your tissues. It also reduces stress and lifts your mood. 

2. Spend time at places that don’t allow smoking. Go to a movie, a store or a restaurant where you can’t smoke. This is especially important on your quit day.

3. Spend time with other people. Make plans with a non-smoking friend or family member. Plan something active together. Spending a lot of time alone on your quit day can make it more difficult for some.

4. Keep your hands busy. You’re used to holding a cigarette. Give your hands something else to do. 

Take up knitting, crocheting, embroidery, or other needlework. You’ll need to use two hands, and it will keep your hands busy. Take your materials with you when you go out.

Do crossword puzzles or number puzzles. Again, it will keep your hands busy. And it will keep your mind occupied, too.

5. Hold a pencil in your hand or fake-smoke a straw. It can take the place of that cigarette you’re used to holding.

6. Get things done. Do those tasks you’ve been avoiding. Clean a closet, do the laundry, wash your dog, organize your papers. Put your photos in an album, go through your email, mow the lawn. Do whatever needs doing. It will keep you busy, and it will also help you feel good!

Quit Smoking Tips for What You Eat and Drink

1. Stay hydrated. Drink lots of water or juice. Dehydration can trigger anxiety, and that can trigger the desire to smoke.

2. Eat regular meals. Skipping meals can make your blood sugar drop. A craving for sugar feels very similar to a craving for a cigarette.

3. Find a healthy snack food. Nicotine suppresses your appetite, so you’re likely to be hungrier after you quit. Be prepared with some nuts or fruit or another healthy snack that’s ready to grab and eat.

4. Limit your caffeine. Nicotine affects how quickly caffeine enters your bloodstream. When you quit smoking, you’ll feel the effects of caffeine more strongly. It might make you feel irritable and restless. And those feelings can make you feel tempted to smoke. 

But it’s best to cut down on caffeine, not eliminate it entirely. Otherwise, you may have headaches, feel tired, or have other symptoms of caffeine withdrawal.

5. Be careful around alcohol. It can reduce your motivation to quit. And for a lot of people, alcohol is a trigger for smoking.

The Best Quit Smoking Tips for Cigarette Cravings

1. Use a timer. Cravings usually last for only 3-5 minutes but it feels longer. Use a timer to see how times passes. If you can manage without a cigarette for a few minutes, the craving will pass. And remember that you’ll have fewer cravings as time goes on.

2. Imagine the craving as an ocean wave. It grows larger as it approaches, then becomes smaller and disappears. Your craving will disappear, too.

3.  Focus on your breathing when you crave a cigarette. Taking slow, deep breaths will help you relax. 

4.  Drink cold water. Often the craving for cigarettes feels like thirst. Drink 2 big glasses of cold water when you have a craving and it will go away.

5. Chew gum. If you’re used to smoking while you drive, keep some sugar-free gum or hard candy in your car, right within reach.

6. Sing a song when you want a cigarette. Or whistle a tune. This is something you can do while you’re driving or doing chores. 

7. Do something else. If you can, stop what you’re doing and do something different. Stand up, stretch, do a few exercises. A short burst of physical activity can help.

Change Your Habits

1. Change what you drink. If you’ve always had a cigarette with your cup of coffee, your brain has come to link the two together. Drink a glass of juice instead. Or have tea instead of coffee.

2. Change your routines. There are probably times when you always had a cigarette. Get in the habit of doing something else instead. 

If you always had a cigarette first thing in the morning, try doing some quick exercises or going for a short jog before breakfast. If you’re used to smoking while you drive, start chewing a stick of gum as soon as you get in the car. Find a new routine that works for you.

3. Have a new after meal behavior. Are you used to having a cigarette at the end of every meal? Start getting up from the table as soon as you finish eating. Move to a different room or go outside for a while. Try taking a ten-minute walk after each meal.

4. Change where you shop. Where did you buy cigarettes? Don’t shop there–your brain associates it with buying cigarettes. 

5. Spend time with non-smokers. If you’re in a social situation, there are probably both smokers and nonsmokers around. Try to keep your distance from the smokers so you won’t be tempted to bum a cigarette from someone. Stay with the non-smokers instead.

Keep a Positive Attitude

1. Focus on the moment. Don’t think about never smoking again. Just focus on not smoking right now. That’s all you need to do. Stay away from cigarettes right now. 

2. Boost your confidence. Remember the difficult things you’ve done in the past. If you could overcome those challenges, you can handle this one, too. And if you can handle this one, then you can do anything.

3. Keep a journal. Write about how you’re feeling. Write down what you did to win over nicotine today. 

4. Look at your list of reasons for quitting smoking. Write another copy of the list if you feel the urge to smoke. It will keep you busy until the urge passes.

5. Remind yourself that you are a nonsmoker. Practice saying, “I don’t smoke anymore.”

6. Visualize yourself as a healthier person. Picture your lungs becoming cleaner and the toxins in cigarette smoke leaving your body.

7. End each day by congratulating yourself on not smoking. It’s important to recognize your progress and celebrate it.

Do Things That Make You Feel Good (Zen Quit Smoking Tips)

1. Get a massage. It relaxes your muscles, helps reduce tension and stress, and lifts your mood.

2. Get more sleep. Nicotine is a stimulant. When you smoke, your adrenal gland releases adrenaline. It speeds up your heart rate, which means more blood is supplied to your muscles and brain. You feel more alert and energetic.

Your body will adjust to the lower adrenaline levels, but it’s likely that you’ll feel tired at first. And stress is tiring, too. Be kind to yourself and allow yourself more time to sleep.

3. Take a yoga class. There are different types of yoga, but all involve controlled breathing and holding physical poses. Doing yoga can lower your blood pressure and heart rate and reduce stress and anxiety.

4. Learn to meditate. When you meditate, you focus your attention and relax your breathing. You can meditate while sitting quietly, perhaps with music playing. It helps to reduce stress and negative emotions.

5. Practice mindfulness. That means paying attention to what you’re thinking and feeling right this minute. Focus on your breathing, how your body feels, what you hear, and smell. It will help both your body and mind relax.

In a study, participants who used mindfulness techniques cut down 37% of their smoking 

6. Think of your happy place. Imagine a place where you feel relaxed and safe. It might be a beach or garden, or someplace that’s special for you. Try to visualize all the details. Think about what you would hear, smell, and feel if you were there. This is another way of reducing stress and becoming calmer.

7. Calculate your savings. How much did you spend on a pack of cigarettes? Multiply that by the number of packs you smoked each day, and then figure out what you spent on cigarettes each month. Aren’t there other things you’d rather do with that money?

8. Give yourself a reward. You’ve earned it! Use some of the money you saved by not buying cigarettes. Buy yourself a piece of clothing or sports equipment, or something else that you’ve wanted.

9. Do something nice for someone else. Focus on other people, not on yourself. Doing a good deed will keep you busy, and it will probably make you happier, too.

Nicotine addiction affects millions around the world. It can be in the form of tobacco addiction, vaping, smokeless tobacco, nicotine patch, or nicotine gum addiction. 

Just why is nicotine so addictive? How does it affect the body? And why does it cause withdrawal symptoms when you try to quit it?

We’ll answer all those questions. But first, let’s see what nicotine is.

What Is Nicotine? Facts & Definition

Nicotine is a toxic colorless or yellowish oily liquid which is the chief active constituent of tobacco. It acts as a stimulant in small doses, but in larger amounts blocks the action of autonomic nerve and skeletal muscle cells.

Nicotine Definition

• You can find nicotine in the leaves of tobacco plants. Tobacco is a plant and nicotine is a chemical compound that occurs naturally. 

• There’s a small amount of nicotine in the leaves of the nightshade plants like tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, chili peppers and bell peppers.

• Nicotine occurs naturally but that doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Nicotine is a natural insecticide and keeps plants from being eaten by insects.

• When in the human body, nicotine is a drug.

• As a drug, nicotine is a stimulant and a sedative.

• Does nicotine cause cancer? The jury is still out on whether or not nicotine is a carcinogen. Although it’s not considered to be a carcinogen, many studies have found nicotine to promote the genesis of tumors. Nicotine can also create resistance in chemotherapy.

Symptoms of Nicotine Addiction

Using nicotine, in any form, can quickly lead to nicotine dependence.

Nicotine dependence is an addiction to products that contain nicotine. Being addicted means you can’t or don’t want to stop using the product you’re addicted to. 

Below are some signs of nicotine addiction:

• Planning your activities and interests to allow smoking.
• Enjoying the taste and smell of cigarettes. 
• Experiencing cravings for nicotine.
• Not enjoying socializing with non-smokers as much as you do with other smokers. 
• Experiencing mental and physical withdrawal symptoms when you try to stop. Mood changes, irritability, headaches, increased appetite, restlessness, insomnia, are some of these symptoms.
• Continuing smoking or using nicotine despite health problems that would improve if you stopped.
• Rationalizing your behavior and finding reasons to smoke, vape or chew. 

How Nicotine Addiction Works

Cigarette smoke or vapor is drawn into your lungs when you inhale. The smoke particles carry the nicotine into your lungs.

Once it reaches your lungs, nicotine is quickly absorbed into your bloodstream. And then your blood carries the nicotine to your brain.

The process happens so quickly that it takes only about 10 seconds for nicotine to reach your brain after you inhale. 

When nicotine reaches your brain it releases dopamine and creates a buzz. This nicotine buzz has to do with why nicotine is addictive.

Smokeless Tobacco Addiction

If you chew tobacco or use snus or snuff, nicotine goes into your blood through the tissues lining your mouth. That takes a little longer than being absorbed through your lungs. 

But once the nicotine is in your blood, it goes to your brain and affects it the same way other forms of nicotine do.

The CDC reports that the nicotine you absorb from smokeless tobacco lasts in the blood longer than the nicotine you inhale.

Effects of Nicotine on the Brain

Once the nicotine is in your brain, it binds to the receptors of some of your brain cells. Think about these receptors as a lock and the nicotine as a key. 

It just so happens that nicotine can lock into these receptors, that are now called Nicotine receptors. (To be technical for a moment, their full name is nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, or nAChRs.)

The nicotine receptors are activated whenever a chemical binds to them. It’s usually acetylcholine, another chemical, that binds to these receptors, but nicotine can also bind to them. 

In other words, nicotine “steals” the place of acetylcholine and binds to the receptors. This causes a release of happy chemicals or else, a nicotine buzz.

After a while, your brain releases less acetylcholine. Now you need nicotine to bind to the receptors. And that’s how nicotine becomes addictive.

What happens if you don’t get nicotine?

If the addicted brain doesn’t get nicotine, the receptors aren’t activated and you don’t feel right. That explains a lot of the irritability and discomfort that come with quitting smoking. 

After you cut off nicotine and break the nicotine addiction, your level of acetylcholine will return to normal. You’ll be able to feel fine without nicotine.

Why is Nicotine Addictive

The nicotine receptors are located in the areas of your brain that have to do with pleasure and reward. 

When a receptor is activated, there’s a release of neurotransmitters. They are chemical substances that convey nerve impulses. And dopamine is one of these neurotransmitters that causes and sustains addictions.

Dopamine and Feeling Good

Dopamine has a lot of functions. It contributes to movement, memory, attention, and lots of other activities. When it comes to smoking, the function that’s most important is feeling rewarded. 

When a large amount of dopamine is released, you feel good. That’s why it’s the “feel-good hormone.”

A dopamine release is like getting an emotional reward.

And because nicotine reaches your brain so quickly, that reward-like feeling comes within seconds after you inhale. That instant gratification reinforces the nicotine dependence.

Dopamine is very important. It encourages us to repeat the behaviors that ensure our survival. Our brain rewards us when we eat, drink water, or have sex. Otherwise, we would starve to death and the human species would go extinct. 

But this dopamine reward system can make harmful behaviors, like smoking, seem important, too.

Nicotine is neither food nor water and it does not protect our survival. It just tricks our brain into thinking we need it, just like we need food. That’s what nicotine addiction is. It makes us believe we can’t live without the thing we’re addicted to. 

The mechanism of nicotine addiction is the same type of emotional reward you see in other addictions–to alcohol, cocaine, narcotics, and other drugs.

Dopamine and quitting smoking

Your brain releases dopamine not only when you do something pleasurable, but also when you expect to feel pleasure. So just the thought of doing something enjoyable, like having a delicious drink, can trigger a dopamine release.

For smokers, the sight of someone smoking can trigger that release. But if that sight–that expectation of a reward–isn’t followed by the nicotine your brain is expecting, your dopamine levels can drop. Now you have a low mood instead of pleasure.

And there are all sorts of cues and triggers that you’ve learned to associate with that reward. It might be a cup of coffee, a glass of wine, or taking a break.  

You’ve taught your brain to expect nicotine when you do these things. So when you first stop smoking, your brain still expects those dopamine releases from nicotine. That causes cigarette cravings.

With time, your brain’s expectations will change. You’ll have fewer cravings and your brain will start releasing dopamine naturally, without relying on nicotine.  

The More You Smoke, the More Addicted You Become

The number of nicotine receptors actually increases in smokers. If you’ve been smoking heavily for years, you probably have more nicotine receptors than you did before you started smoking. 

Having more nicotine receptors means you need more nicotine to bind to them. When receptors aren’t activated, you can begin to feel withdrawal symptoms. 

When you smoke regularly, you build up tolerance for nicotine and you stop experiencing the nicotine buzz.

Instead, you need to smoke just to avoid feeling withdrawal. 

Genetic Factors of Nicotine Addiction

Genes play a role in addiction, too. 

You can inherit how your nerve cells respond to nicotine. And the way your nerve cells respond affects how easily you become addicted or how much you smoke, vape, or chew.

In fact, some researchers believe that the risk of becoming addicted is, 50 to 75%, due to your genes!

The number of nicotine receptors in your brain increases if you’re a heavy smoker. But how much that number increases depends on your genes. 

Some people don’t develop many nicotine receptors, no matter how much they smoke. If you’re one of those people, you are a light smoker.

But if you’re someone who has formed a lot of additional nicotine receptors, you probably consume more than a pack a day.

Nicotine Side Effects on the Brain

One of the most significant dangers of nicotine is that it throws the brain chemicals, like dopamine and endorphin, out of balance. Research shows nicotine also prevents the genesis of new brain cells.

Side effects of nicotine on the brain of adults:

• Dizziness
• Disrupted sleep patterns
• Blood flow restriction

Side effects of nicotine on the brain of teenagers and young adults:

• Nicotine creates lasting impairments in memory, attention, and learning. The brain changes until the age of 25, and nicotine has a negative impact on that change. 

Is Nicotine Bad for You? What Does Nicotine Do to Your Body

Cigarette addiction has other physical effects, too. Nicotine affects the cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, renal, and reproductive systems of the body. 

Nicotine affects your blood circulation and heart 

• Causes plaque on the artery walls, known as atherosclerosis, which may lead to a heart attack.

• Blood vessels lose their elasticity which limits the oxygen that flows to your organs. 

• Your heart rate increases as your heart tries to take in more oxygen which in turn, increases your risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Nicotine affects your insulin levels, contributing to the risk of diabetes

• It stimulates the adrenal gland to release adrenaline. It’s a hormone, also known as epinephrine, that speeds up your heart rate by supplying more blood to your muscles, brain and heart. While this makes you feel more alert and energetic, it burdens your heart.
  
• Adrenaline also makes your body release more glucose into your blood. And it slows the release of insulin from your pancreas. The result is a higher blood glucose level, and insulin resistance.

Nicotine affects the respiratory system and the lungs

• It plays a role in the development of emphysema.

• Causes airway resistance by stimulating the parasympathetic ganglia.

• Nicotine affects the Central Nervous System and alters respiration.

• Nicotine can contribute to pneumonia.

• Vaping also increases the risk of pneumonia, according to a study published in the European Respiratory Journal has found.

Nicotine affects your gastrointestinal system

• Nicotine is linked to Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disorder (GERD) and peptic ulcer disease (PUD).
  
• It causes dry mouth, heartburn, and nausea.

Nicotine affects pregnancy

• The Americal Lung Association reports that nicotine during pregnancy can harm the brain and lung development of the fetus. 

• Nicotine addiction also affects the mental and physical health of the mother, causing low birth weights, premature birth, or stillbirth.

• Research shows nicotine can also cause obesity, hypertension, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, problems with brain and behavior development and even respiratory failure.

The Mental & Behavioral Side of Nicotine Addiction

Another reason why nicotine is addictive is that it becomes part of your routine and a coping mechanism. This creates a mental and psychological dependence on nicotine.

While nicotine goes to your brain and creates this dopamine release, you’re usually doing certain things or activities. 

So your brain has learned to link smoking and nicotine to those activities, routines, habits, and situations.

These situations become triggers. If you usually smoke while talking on the phone, then after a while talking on the phone will trigger cravings.

There are 4 types of smoking triggers: emotional, environmental, social, and double-habit triggers. Some of them are:

• Emotions you want to escape (anxiety, boredom)
• Seeing other people smoking or smelling cigarettes
• In between tasks
• After a meal
• Morning coffee or tea
• Alcoholic drink
• Talking on the phone
• Taking a break
• Driving
• Celebrating
• Socializing

With time, these situations seem incomplete or unenjoyable without cigarettes or nicotine. If you smoke when bored, then your brain has learned to expect a dopamine release when you feel that way.

If this dopamine release doesn’t come then you momentarily feel down. You may even think that boredom is unbearable without smoking, vaping, or nicotine.

That’s natural. The more you smoke, the more you rely on nicotine to cope with life. If you feel stressed or anxious, you probably smoke. After a while, it’s easy to think you can’t calm down or relax without that cigarette.

Fortunately, that’s not the case. Everything you do as a smoker you can do better as a non-smoker. 

When you are nicotine-free your brain gradually breaks the association between your triggers and smoking. Just like your brain learned to expect nicotine, it can learn to not expect it. 

Breaking the Cycle of Nicotine Addiction

The only way to break the cycle of addiction is to stop using nicotine.

Smoking is a mental and a physical addiction, so to quit for good you need to deal with both aspects. 

It’s natural to feel a sense of loss when you quit smoking. After all, addiction taught your brain to release most of its dopamine when nicotine is present. 

In the beginning, you may feel irritable, restless, angry, or sad. It can be tempting to reach for a cigarette to try to deal with these emotions.

Keep in mind that staying away from smoking is the fastest way to overcome those feelings. Get moving, stay busy, keep a positive attitude. You can do this! 

When you quit smoking, your brain will adjust so that you can enjoy pleasurable activities without nicotine. When that happens, you will feel happier as a non-smoker. Look at this as a learning curve.

The best treatment for nicotine addiction is to change how you think about nicotine and learn how to be happy without it. This might take some time, but it will be worth it.  

Cravings for Nicotine

After 3-6 days most nicotine will be out of your body so the physical cravings for nicotine will subside. Any cravings you experience after that are mental cravings.

Mental cravings are thoughts of smoking, vaping, or chewing.

But they’re thoughts, not commands.

If you stay away from nicotine,  those extra nicotine receptors in your brain will disappear and you’ll be back to normal levels of receptors in about a month.

Your body will heal from the effects of nicotine and smoking. And you’ll learn to enjoy life without a cigarette, even if it seems impossible at first.

Truth is, nicotine offers you nothing at all. If you believe it does, it’s because of the addiction. Once the addiction goes, you will start adapting to a new lifestyle that’s more fulfilling. 

Nicotine Withdrawal 

Just as the nicotine addiction has physical and psychological causes, nicotine withdrawal has both physical and psychological symptoms. 

Headaches, tremors, and trouble sleeping are a few of the physical symptoms. Changes in mood–anxiety, sadness, anger, irritability–are some of the psychological symptoms. You can learn about the nicotine withdrawal symptoms here.

Every withdrawal is different. Some smokers find that they crave sweets and gain weight, while others exercise more and lose weight. 

If you experience withdrawal symptoms, keep in mind that they will pass. They’re most troublesome in the first few days after you quit smoking, and will lessen over time.

You’re simply going through an adjustment period where you have to learn to live as a non-smoker. 

Your Future as a Happy Nonsmoker

Ups and downs are a natural part of life. You’ll have them whether you smoke or not. 

But if you stay away from nicotine, you’ll overcome the smoking addiction and learn other ways of coping.

Soon enough, you’ll learn to relax without having a cigarette. 

You’ll be healthier, you’ll breathe more easily. You’re likely to live longer.

And think of all the money you’ll save!

You probably already know that the nicotine addiction is a harmful, expensive, hard-to-break habit.

You may even know what the signs of nicotine addiction are. And how smoking affects your body, health, and energy.

Yet despite your best efforts, you still can’t quit.

Why?

To know why you can’t stop smoking, you first need to know why you’re smoking.

So, “Why do you smoke?”

Knowing the real reason why you smoke, makes it a whole lot easier to tackle this reason and eventually quit.

What (most) People Believe about Nicotine Addiction

Most people believe that smoking is ONLY a physical addiction to nicotine.

Nicotine comes from the tobacco plant and it’s a pesticide. Even though nicotine is an addictive substance, nicotine addiction is not a strong physical addiction, because nicotine has a short half-life and it’s easily metabolized from the body. Nicotine starts leaving your body 30 to 45 minutes after you smoke a cigarette. That’s why you need to smoke regularly throughout the day.

So nicotine may be the reason you first got hooked to this habit, as a teenager maybe, but it’s not the reason why you kept on smoking for all those years.

When you first started smoking, you probably thought you would have quit by now. So why haven’t you?

Well, if nicotine addiction was the real reason…

Then why do ex-smokers relapse back to smoking even after the nicotine withdrawal is over and there is no nicotine inside their body?

3 to 5 days after smoking your last cigarette, your body expels most of the addictive substance (provided that you don’t use nicotine substitutes).

So what can cause someone to have a smoke 1 month or even 1 year after overcoming their nicotine addiction?

And why do most people give mental and emotional reasons for smoking…like I enjoy it, I need it, it relaxes me, it’s my friend or its habit?

When I ask our members: “Why do you smoke?”

…The answers I get, are a spin on this:
“I enjoy it.”
“I need it to relax.”
“I’m afraid of gaining weight.”
“I don’t know what to do when I’m bored.”
“I’m used to it; it’s a habit. Something to do with my hands.”

(You might have answered something similar when I asked you “Why do you smoke?” just a few lines ago.)

All these reasons are mental. Psychological. Emotional.
Not physical.

The Real Reason Why People Smoke

You see, smoking is not only a physical addiction but also a mental one.

Nicotine affects our body but above all, our mind.

To be precise, 80% of the smoking addiction, is made up of the mental dependence on smoking.

Simply put, the mental addiction is your desire for cigarettes.

It’s how much you believe you enjoy and need smoking, how ingrained it is in your life, and the benefits you think you get from it.

Benefits like relaxing from stress or anxiety, taking a mental break, managing your weight, or keeping your hand busy when you are bored, while driving, talking on the phone, or watching your favorite TV show.

And only 20% of smoking, is the physical addiction to nicotine– the substance that first hooked you to this habit.

Think about it. It’s not your body that craves a smoke every time you want to take a break.

It’s your mind that wants it. And your hands that feel empty.

Because your mind has linked certain triggers to smoking and it reminds you to smoke when you have those triggers.

And if you believe you’re too addicted to nicotine… then how do you sleep?

You may sleep 6, 7, or 8 hours without smoking. Your physical cravings for nicotine don’t wake you up.

If nicotine was the real problem, then your physical cravings would wake you up every one hour just to smoke.

But they don’t. Because they make up for only 20% of the tobacco addiction.

On the other hand, what happens if you go 8 straight hours during the day when you’re awake?

Well, that’s a different story, right?

All hell breaks loose. You have cravings, you feel agitated, you think about smoking all the time.

Why does this happen?

Because your mind is awake. And your mind reminds you to smoke when you get upset, stressed, or anxious. Or when you see other people smoking.

As you can see, the REAL reason you’re still smoking is your mental dependence on smoking: how smoking makes you feel and how much you believe you need it. 

Why do you feel you need nicotine in the first place?

Because nicotine has hijacked the dopamine pathways in your brain and it makes your brain believe it needs nicotine to survive, the same way it needs food. Of course, you don’t need nicotine to survive because nicotine is poison.

So even if a part of you hates smoking, the way it makes you smell, the cost, how it harms your health, and all the worry and the guilt that comes with it… there is another part of you that is afraid not to smoke.

Because you’re used to smoking in many moments in your day and all these situations have been linked so closely with your smoking habit, that on some level you’re afraid that if you quit your cigarettes will magically take away with them your capacity to enjoy life and cope with your problems.

So what keeps you stuck, is fear.

Fear of change, fear of failure, fear of cravings, fear of the unknown, or the fear that you will turn into someone else. All this fear is caused by the mental addiction.

Do You Smoke Because You Enjoy It?

Sometimes people tell me “I smoke because I enjoy it.”

If you think you really enjoy smoking, let me ask you this:

If you could wake up tomorrow and never smoke again, no cravings, no memory of smoking, not miss it, not desire it, nothing – would you do it?

Most people would gladly take that opportunity.

And if you would also do it, it means that you don’t really enjoy smoking. Because if you really enjoy smoking then why stop? And if you really, really enjoy smoking, then why read quit smoking related articles like this one?

You do that because a part of you knows that you don’t want to be smoking. A part of you knows that smoking offers you nothing. But as long as you believe it does and as long as you believe that smoking adds some kind of value to your life you will keep craving cigarettes.

So basically what you see as enjoyment or love or friendship, in reality, it’s an abusive relationship based on lies and fear.

You smoke because you’re afraid of what will happen if you don’t. Because you think you can’t live without it.

But that’s an illusion, that’s a lie, that’s what addiction is.

Addiction makes us believe we can’t live without the thing we’re addicted to. But of course, you can.

The truth is that you will be better off as a non-smoker because smoking offers you nothing. What you do as a smoker you can do better as a non-smoker.

For example, your anxiety decreases when you stop smoking and this has been proven by research as well. Just think about it. Being addicted, worrying, having cravings, having health anxiety is a source of stress all by itself. All this goes away when you stop smoking.

Or you can concentrate better as a non-smoker because you don’t have your craving mind interrupting your train of thought all the time.

And you can cope with boredom better as a non-smoker.

If smoking was so entertaining that it relieved boredom then people would buy tickets to go watch other people smoke. Just stare at them, the same way they watch football or theatre. But people don’t do that because smoking is not taking away our boredom.

On the contrary, smoking causes boredom because it drains our energy to do things.

So to sum up:

Most people think they smoke because of the physical addiction to nicotine. But smoking is a mental and a physical addiction, and the reason why you smoke is the mental addiction. The real reason why you smoke is that you believe smoking offers you something and you worry about losing that. So you are going to quit easily and never miss it again when you realize that smoking offers you nothing at all.

The Only Way to Stop Smoking Successfully

The only way you can stop smoking successfully without any feelings of deprivation is as simple are removing the 80% of the smoking addiction – the mental addiction.

Then why only 6% of smokers quit successfully?

Simple.

Because most stop smoking methods and aids out there tackle only the physical part of the nicotine addiction: the nicotine dependence.

Which is only 20% of your addiction.

In that perspective, it makes a lot of sense that only 6% of smokers end up breaking free from smoking.

Here’s how:

Nicotine substitutes– gums, patches, lozenges, and vaping- feed your body with nicotine. So they’re simply giving you the momentary illusion, that you are satisfied without your cigarettes. Apart from that, some people end up with a dependence on nicotine substitutes such as nicotine gum addiction.

Plus, nicotine substitutes do not show you how to manage stress, boredom, and keep your hands busy without nicotine. That’s why smokers go back to smoking when they get stressed.

The same goes for smoking pills. These chemicals decrease your nicotine cravings. But they don’t show you how to feel good and enjoy life without nicotine.

That’s why many smokers relapse the moment they’re off the pills.

Not to mention all the side effects.

Now using willpower to resist smoking does not keep you addicted to nicotine. And that’s great.

But pure willpower can’t remove your desire for a cigarette either.

Instead, it makes you want to smoke more.

Because when you can’t smoke, the thought of a cigarette becomes even more precious. So you eventually smoke again. (I know I’ve been there in the past – more times than I would like to admit.)

Now does that mean that quitting is hard and that we are doomed to smoke forever?
Not at all.

It just means that we’ve been trying the wrong way.

The right way to quit, and the easiest one, is to remove the 80% of your addiction BEFORE you stop supplying your body with nicotine.

Here’s why:

When you’re no longer mentally dependent on smoking, you also no longer:

• experience stress, boredom, food cravings, or irritation when you don’t smoke.
• feel that “something is missing” when you don’t smoke after your meal, or with your coffee or when you’re driving.
• feel your hands empty without a smoke.
• get tempted to smoke if your husband, a colleague, or a stranger is smoking next to you.

Best thing, when cigarettes are out of your mind, then your nicotine withdrawal symptoms are hardly noticeable.

… so quitting becomes EASY.

That’s why in the CBQ method, you first stop wanting to smoke, and then you quit.

And you do that naturally, by changing how you think about smoking.

To learn more about how to quit smoking and overcome the mental dependence on cigarettes with the CBQ method, make sure you get the foundational video of the CBQ method.

It’s free, just enter your name and email address so I can send you the video.

Click here to get the foundational video of the CBQ method so you can beat the smoking addiction once and for all.