Why is nicotine so powerful?
The first reason is related to the speed with which nicotine exerts its effects on the brain. With inhaled tobacco smoke, it’s 6 seconds. That’s faster than it takes heroin to reach the brain! In other words: you get where you’re going really fast. If you are craving nicotine, you can satisfy that need without delay. This swift response leads to the development of a very strong reward circuit
When you get in your car and smoke, get in your car and smoke, get in your car and smoke 100’s or 1000’s of times, you develop a neuropathway in the brain that will fire off a signal to smoke as soon as you get in your car……even if you just put out a cigarette moments before. Think of this like installing software into your brain.
These neuropathways are developed when you repeatedly smoke at the same time, with the same people, at certain places, during certain activities, or when you feel a certain way. This is often referred to as Conditioning. Conditioning is the reason that an urge to smoke can re-surface out of blue months or even years after quitting smoking.
In order to uninstall the software, you will have to repeat the same activities WITHOUT smoking. There’s no way around this. Patience and focusing on relapse prevention techniques are very important.
Why do sudden urges come out of nowhere?
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that relapse often happens after a death, divorce, injury, disease or job loss. The urge to smoke becomes overwhelming at these times because your brain hasn’t had much practice as a nonsmoker if/when infrequent and unexpected things happen. One slip can be catastrophic because there is no such thing as just one cigarette. You are physically defenseless against nicotine.
When you leave your laser acupuncture to quit smoking appointment at Alpha Lifestyle Center for Nicotine Addiction you will immediately begin practicing being a nonsmoker while you drive, after a meal, with a cocktail, around co-workers and even when you’re lonely or upset. But when something rarer occurs those neuropathways are still intact and the signal to smoke can come on strong!
When does withdrawal end?
Your body will rid itself of nicotine in just 7 days after quitting smoking. If a strong urge to smoke re-surfaces >7 days, it is just a signal about a memory of when you used to smoke; it is not a physical need for nicotine. This is important to understand because if you believe you NEED nicotine, you are more likely to give in. A MEMORY of nicotine is a poor reason to flush your progress down the toilet. Don’t be a victim of junkie thinking. Thoughts and feelings are just visitors that come and go. A dangerous thought will exit more quickly using relapse prevention techniques you will learn in our program.
Why is nicotine harder to quit than other drugs?
The second reason nicotine is considered so powerful: Smokers, especially heavy smokers, use their drug upon awakening, with coffee, after a shower, while driving, on the phone, during work, after meals and while socializing. Alcoholics or other drug users would not survive that kind of schedule. This is not meant to minimize the struggle of other addicts; just to empathize with your unique struggle with nicotine.
So, not only are the brain neuropathways in nicotine users much stronger because of how quickly the drug reaches the brain, but there are a ton more of them!
As if that weren’t enough………
There are no legal consequences for using nicotine
If you relapse, nobody takes your children from you
When you are broke, you can still find a cigarette
One big night of smoking cigarettes isn’t usually catastrophic
“Just one” cigarette never seems harmful enough
In these ways and more, nicotine is particularly powerful and manipulative and its hold on victims is keenly disguised. Stop being taken advantage of and start working on taking back control so that you can enjoy the freedom from this horrible addiction.
Need help with quitting smoking?
Our program, which includes a laser acupuncture treatment, generally requires just a single visit, so even if you have a longer distance to travel, we can still help you!
Unsure if laser acupuncture to quit smoking is the right tool for you? Call to find out.
Unsure if you’re ready to quit smoking? We can help you get there.
Alpha Lifestyle Center for Nicotine Addiction
1010 Bowers Street, Suite B
Birmingham MI 4809
Call us at 248-594-1303 or email info@alphalaserinfo.com.
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