Quitting tobacco: the 5 most common causes of relapse

About 30% of the world's population smokes, according to data from the World Health Organization. Y a large part of that population of smokers is actively trying to get rid of their addiction to nicotine and quit smoking.

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

You need self-knowledge, understand the relationship of the person with tobacco, the origins of their addiction and their history of use, work on coping strategies and changes in habits... It is because of that there are many possible causes that lead to relapse into tobacco addiction.

• Related article: "The 14 most important types of addictions"

Main causes of relapse by quitting smoking

The truth is that Most smokers who try to quit using homemade "tricks" or just "willpower" end up relapsing in tobacco sooner or later.

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

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

1. Motivations for quitting are unclear

Many people consider quitting smoking because of family pressure, from their partner, because of the annoyance of having to leave places to smoke when it is cold ...

Sometimes the problem is that the person considers quitting smoking due to environmental pressure, without considering why or what are their personal reasons for wanting to quit tobacco. After being a few hours or a few days without smoking, when the "monkey" (the annoying sensations of the syndrome of nicotine withdrawal), it is much easier to relapse if the person has not endorsed their reasons for banishing tobacco of their life.

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

2. Continue associating tobacco with positive experiences

After years of exposure to films and series that extol tobacco consumption, in addition to seeing family members or friends smoking, smokers develop a series of positive associations for the tobacco.

I mean to associate the moments of consumption with pleasant sensations, with celebration, with relaxation, with sexual attractiveness, etc. They are very subtle associations, and that many times require a good process of self-knowledge in therapy to realize what is happening..

When a person has not become aware of these associations, it is easier to get carried away by them "on automatic pilot" and to continue to be a victim of his habits.

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

Another of the biggest difficulties that people in therapy report is how to handle themselves in social situations where there are other people smoking.

The breaks in the office, the time between classes, having a drink with someone on a terrace, let those cousins ​​come home who always have a cigarette in hand... 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, will I stop going to social events where I know there are smokers? How am I going to refuse cigarettes when other people offer me? What do I do with the urge to smoke if I have been with several smokers and tobacco is very accessible?

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

4. Not having changed the lifestyle

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

For example, many smokers stop playing sports because of smoking. Curiously, gradually resuming sports practice after quitting tobacco usually helps people to resist the urges to smoke, as smoking and playing sports are incompatible activities.

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

So, simply "quitting by force of will" overnight does not usually work completely, because the person will have to introduce other changes in their day to day so that tobacco does not have space again.

5. Lack of strategies to calm the urge to smoke

Another very common mistake among people trying to quit smoking is not wondering what to do when they feel the "monkey" or nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

As with any other addictive substance, the body reacts with a series of unpleasant sensations when a certain substance is lacking. In the same way that a person with an addiction to alcohol or cocaine can suffer very unpleasant symptoms when take several hours or days without taking your usual dose, many smokers are victims of withdrawal syndrome nicotine.

Studying the case, a specialized professional can help you learn coping strategies so as not to end up smoking again a few days or weeks after buying the last pack of cigarettes.

Professional help to quit tobacco

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