Already Know Bad for Health, Why Still Smoking?

Medical Video: Smoking Causes Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema

More than a third or 36.3 percent of Indonesia's population today are smokers. If you want to compare, this figure is 10 times the total population of Singapore! Smoking in Indonesia has claimed at least 235 thousand lives per year. Ironically, even though every pack of cigarettes is now included scary images warning of the dangers of smokingthis does not necessarily make smokers quit smoking. Actually, what makes it difficult for someone to stop smoking?

Why is someone having a hard time stopping smoking?

The main answer is nicotine. Nicotine is a substance that is naturally found in tobacco, which has the same opiate effect as heroin or cocaine. When you smoke, nicotine enters the lungs and is then absorbed into the bloodstream along with carbon monoxide and other poisons, flowing throughout the body.

Nicotine works to divert negative emotions and feelings, replace them with thoughts that make you happy. Because, nicotine is associated with an increase in dopamine, a chemical compound in the brain that is responsible for enhancing moods and causing feelings of happiness. In fact, nicotine is inhaled from cigarette smoke can reach the brain faster than drugs given through blood vessels. Nicotine also acts as a depressant by influencing the flow between nerve cells.

Why are you still smoking, if you already know it's not good for your health?

When you are addicted to smoking, you can no longer control the desire for what you do so that you will justify any means to obey the addiction.

Along with the increasing number of cigarettes that you suck, the nervous system of the brain will become more accustomed to nicotine exposure. This causes an increase in nicotine levels in the blood of smokers. Gradually, your body will build tolerance to nicotine.

That is, you need more cigarettes and more frequent smoking to be able to get the happy effect that is equal when you first smoke. This makes smokers want to continue smoking again. That's why a smoker can quickly and easily become addicted to nicotine.

Therefore, do not rule out the possibility that the effects of this addiction make it difficult for you to stop smoking. No matter what risks might undermine you later, however, you should continue to smoke in order to avoid the symptoms that may arise when quitting smoking - for example, sour mouth, headaches, coughing, difficulty sleeping, to drastic mood changes (frustration, irritability, impatience, even depression).

Addiction makes you not care about your health

The above theory is agreed upon by a study from Stanford University who observed three groups of participants: active smokers, former smokers, and people who did not smoke, for three years. During the study range, each person was given a futures questionnaire related to smoking habits to an increased risk of lung cancer.

This questionnaire is the basis for researchers to know what and how far the participants perceive the dangers of smoking: whether to influence their decision to continue smoking, stop smoking, or even want to try smoking.

After the results of the questionnaire were collected, all participants were divided into 3 groups based on their perceptions of the risk of smoking: Absolute, how much chance does a smoker get from lung cancer; Connectionhow big is the chance of a smoker getting lung cancer compared to non-smokers; and Relatively, how much the risk of lung cancer increases from smoking habits. The researchers found that most participants underestimated the relative risk of the dangers of smoking.

Simply put, these people tend to be more indifferent about the dangers of smoking to health because they assume that "Smoking, not smoking, is the same, because after all I've already been unwell."Meanwhile, there are also people who decide to try smoking because they believe that" This is the first time I smoked, I certainly wouldn't be at risk the same one". In fact, smoking habits can develop into an opium, which can then increase your risk of various diseases. This means that these people are not fully aware of the large difference between the risk of smoking rather than the benefits of not smoking at all.

That is why spooky cigarette packets and giant billboards on the streets that contain advice on the dangers of smoking on the streets will not even shake a smoker's decision to immediately stop smoking. Not surprisingly, even though the anti-smoking campaign was intensively carried out, the number of smokers never decreased.

Not that stopping smoking is impossible

It is undeniable that most people have difficulty stopping smoking, especially if they were previously heavy smokers. Although difficult, stopping smoking is not an impossible thing. You can even enjoy the benefits 30 minutes after your last cigarette.

There are several ways you can start to stop smoking. Here is a compilation of various articles about how to quit smoking on the HelloSehat page: