People who have tried to stop smoking many times often feel guilty that they continue to smoke and blame themselves for not having enough willpower. However, they persist in trying. Like courage is not the absence of fear but the ability to act in the face of fear, the persistence in trying to stop smoking despite the difficulty is a demonstration of willpower not the absence of willpower. If you are one of these I would encourage you to continue to persist, but stop blaming yourself and focus the anger where it belongs.
Tobacco companies have created a highly sophisticated and extremely powerful drug delivery device in the cigarette. Nicotine is the addicting substance that is delivered to the brain very efficiently by a cigarette. The nicotine molecule can travel into the brain only in an “unbound” or “free” form. Tobacco companies have ‘improved’ cigarettes by using ‘bases’ like ammonia to change the pH of cigarettes and enhance or ‘free-base’ nicotine thus making the nicotine travel to the brain more quickly, speeding up the delivery of nicotine and increasing its addicting potential. The companies also manipulate the amount of nicotine in the cigarette so that they are consistent from one smoke to the next. All of this makes it more difficult for most smokers to stop.
Unfortunately, using this product, as it is designed, will kill more than one half of the people who use it. If you smoke, it is important that you stop, even though it can be hard. Don’t blame yourself. Instead, use every tool available to help you stop smoking. Learn how to stop giving your hard-earned money to the industry that continues to hook their customers to this most deadly product.
