Glad you're here. Personally I believe it's an addiction. Habits are more easily broken through behavioral changes alone. Addictions aren't. She said, not having a degree in psychology or anything else for that matter. I'm simply speaking from my own gut and the knowledge I've gained from having been on this site for 11 years. From what I've learned, our brains have been changed physically by smoking. We've increased our nicotine receptors. A couple of videos on the subject: What is the Single Best Thing You Can Do to Quit Smoking? - YouTube and Nicotine and Your Brain - YouTube . So, it's really a combination of both, to my mind. It's the behavioral and physical/chemical aspects that cause us to remain in NEED of a cigarette. An example: I used to bite my nails as a youth. That was a "habit." I don't think it changed my brain. So it was fairly easy to stop doing that.
Anyway, it doesn't really matter whether you conceive of your slavery to cigarettes as an addiction or simply a bad habit. The point is you want to discover the means to rid yourself of the NEED to smoke. And you will discover that as you proceed on your journey. /blogs/Giulia-blog/2018/03/01/quitting-is-a-skill-that-can-be-learned?sr=search&searchId=43558cc5-08... If it helps you to think of it as a bad habit - go with that. If you aren't succeeding with that thought - change you thinking. Part of this journey is learning to change our thinking. And so the more open minded you can be, the better chance you have of making this life-altering move. Most of us have found that we learn so much about ourselves in the process. It's actually rather thrilling. Hope you find that true for yourself. Stick around.
