Why do I smoke?
Have you ever stopped to think why you smoke? There are three main reasons for smoking – addiction, habits and emotions. You may identify with all of these reasons or just one or two.
Addiction
Nicotine is very addictive. It makes your brain release ‘feel good’ chemicals. The problem is, these wear off quickly and reduce over time, making you smoke more and more to get the same feeling.
Habits
Smoking can be linked to certain activities, places or people. Being in certain situations may make you want to have a cigarette.
Emotions
The emotion most commonly linked to smoking is stress. Unfortunately, smoking doesn’t relieve stress – in the longer term, it actually increases your levels of stress hormones, making you even more stressed.