Quitting tobacco: the 5 most common causes of relapse

A summary of the most common causes of Smoking relapse.

About 30% of the world's population smokes, according to the World Health Organization. Y a large proportion of this smoking population is actively trying to kick their nicotine addiction and quit smoking. and quit smoking.

Now, we are talking about an addiction, so mere willpower is not always enough, in most cases.

It takes self-knowledge, understanding the person's relationship with tobacco, the origins of his or her addiction and history of consumption, working on coping strategies and habit changes... That is why there are many possible causes that lead to a relapse in tobacco addiction..

Main causes of smoking cessation relapse

The reality is that most smokers who try to quit smoking with home "tricks" or "willpower" end up relapsing sooner or later. to smoking sooner or later.

I mean that they quit smoking for a few days or even a few weeks without special effort, but then "something happens" and they end up smoking again.

And what are these potential smoking relapse situations? I tell you about the most common ones in this article.

1. Motivations for quitting are unclear

Many people consider quitting smoking because of family pressure, pressure from their partner, the inconvenience of having to go out in the cold to smoke....

The problem sometimes is that the person considers quitting smoking because of environmental pressure, without considering why or which ones.without considering why or what their personal reasons are for wanting to quit smoking. After a few hours or days without smoking, when the "monkey" comes (the annoying sensations of nicotine withdrawal syndrome), it is much easier to relapse if the person has not made his reasons to banish tobacco from his life.

Many times, the first step to victory against tobacco is to identify a sufficiently powerful reason for not wanting any more smoke in your life. reason for not wanting more smoke in one's life. It is each person's job to find that motivation (and a specialized professional can help you with that).

Continue to associate tobacco with positive experiences.

After years of exposure to movies and series that glorify tobacco use, as well as seeing family or friends smoking, smokers develop a series of positive associations for tobacco.

I am referring to associating moments of consumption with pleasurable sensations, celebration, relaxation, sexual attraction, etc. These associations are very subtle, and often require a good process of self-awareness in therapy to realize what is happening..

When a person has not become aware of these associations, it is easier for them to be carried away by them "on autopilot" and continue to be a victim of their habits.

3. Living surrounded by smokers and not having learned to manage them

Another of the major difficulties reported by people in therapy is how to manage in social situations where there are other people smoking.

Breaks at the office, breaks between classes, having a drink with someone on a terrace, those cousins who come to the house to smoke, and so on.When those cousins who always have a cigarette in their hand come over to the house? Tobacco addiction usually has a strong social component, which is difficult to get rid of if you do not work properly.

If I am quitting smoking, am I going to stop going to social events where I know there are smokers? How am I going to refuse cigarettes when other people offer them to me? What do I do with the urge to smoke if I am with several smokers and tobacco is very accessible?

These are all questions to raise in individual therapy or in support groups, and doing so will provide the person with tools to avoid falling back into smoking.Doing so will provide the person with the tools to avoid falling back into nicotine addiction.

4. Failure to change lifestyle

Solutions to a psychological problem as complex as addiction require studying the person's lifestyle and habits and rhythms, because people are complex systems. Getting out of tobacco addiction requires a deeper understanding of the interactions between the different elements of a person's life..

For example, many smokers give up sports because of smoking. Curiously, gradually taking up sport again after quitting smoking often helps to reduce the number of people who stop smoking. people to resist the urge to smoke, as smoking and sports are incompatible activities.

In the same way, each case is unique and each person is different. Some smokers may have smoking closely associated with drinking alcohol or social situations, and others closely associated with work stress and attempts to relax.

That is why, simply "quitting smoking by force of will" from one day to the next does not usually work completely, because the person will need to introduce other completely, because the person will have to introduce other changes in his or her daily life so that tobacco no longer has a place.

5. Lack of strategies to calm cravings for smoking

Another very common mistake among people who are trying to quit smoking is to not thinking about what they will do when they feel the "craving" or symptoms of nicotine withdrawal syndrome..

As with any other addictive substance, the body reacts with a series of unpleasant sensations when it lacks a certain substance. In the same way that a person addicted to alcohol or cocaine can suffer very unpleasant symptoms when he or she has not taken his or her usual dose for several hours or days, many smokers are victims of nicotine withdrawal syndrome.

By studying the case, a specialized professional will be able to help you learn coping strategies so that you do not end up so that you don't end up smoking again a few days or weeks after buying your last pack of cigarettes.

Professional help to quit smoking

I am a psychologist specialized in addictionswith a lot of experience working with people who want to overcome their nicotine addiction and quit smoking. If this is your case, you have my contact details on this page.