Tobacco is the most popular addiction in the world, far surpassing all other drugs combined. Of course, when something is legal, the perception of danger among consumers greatly decreases.
Beyond this, there are some uncomfortable truths about tobacco use, such as:
These are data from the World Health Organization. In addition to these truths, there are a series of lies that those who profit from tobacco use to keep people hooked and continue making money at their expense. In this article I tell you some of the most popular misconceptions about tobacco.
If you smoke, you probably believe these myths about tobacco addiction.
1. You like to smoke
This is without a doubt the most widespread lie of all. Millions of people around the world believe for a fact that they enjoy smoking However, if someone asks them if they would buy their children their first pack of tobacco, they all answer no.
The Hollywood film industry has also promoted and perpetuated the belief that smoking is enjoyable. While you read this, surely a multitude of mythical characters who used tobacco during their adventures come to mind, associating with tobacco ideas such as success, strength, sensuality…
However, if we remove all that decoration and misleading advertising, we find that the cigarette itself does absolutely nothing for the person who uses it (except emptying his pocket and filling his lungs with poison). It is an addictive process disguised as pleasure.
Cigarettes are full of a multitude of stimulant substances that promote addiction. From the chemical point of view, smoking tobacco only stresses more
It is true that many people experience a subjective feeling of relaxation. But this does not happen because tobacco relaxes them, but because the nicotine withdrawal syndrome calms down.
Nicotine is the addictive substance that keeps people smoking non-stop. Within 30 minutes of lighting the cigarette and administering the drug dose, the levels of nicotine in the blood begin to decrease, because the body begins to eliminate this substance from the body.
Our brain, upon detecting that nicotine levels in the blood decrease, activates the withdrawal syndrome or “monkey.” They are unpleasant bodily sensations (similar to hunger) to motivate the person to look for more nicotine to consume (in the same way that the brain moves us to look for more food when it detects low levels of blood glucose).
By administering nicotine, we do not feel relaxation from daily stress or a bad day at work. We only feel the relief of the withdrawal syndrome or mono that the previous cigarette produced. AND with each cigarette, the process begins again This is explained by the addiction caused by nicotine.
That’s why most smokers can’t last much more than one or two hours without taking their drug. Looking for the relief of the physical discomfort that they continually cause themselves
3. You will gain weight if you leave it
Quitting smoking does no harm to your metabolism. On the contrary, it heals it. The reason why some people gain weight when they quit smoking is simple: They feel the discomfort of withdrawal syndrome the first few days, this makes them feel stressed, and they eat more food (or with more fat) to calm that subjective feeling of stress.
People gain weight because they use food to relieve stress: it is not quitting smoking that makes them gain kilos.
4. I can stop smoking whenever I want
If this were true, smokers would no longer exist.
The smokers They use this excuse to maintain a feeling and image of control The reality is that they do not feel they have the resources to quit smoking, and they often feel fear and shame at the possibility of trying to quit smoking and failing.
That’s why they prefer to say that they don’t really want to quit smoking. The sad reality is that they often feel helpless.
Quitting smoking is simple, if you know how
Willpower is not enough, otherwise there would be no smokers left in the world. The best thing you can do is contact a professional to guide you through the process and help you take the most appropriate steps in your case.
I am a psychologist specializing in addictions, and I work every day with people who want to feel free from tobacco addiction again. I also offer an online smoking cessation course, which only my subscribers have access to. To learn more about my services, visit my website luismiguelreal.es
