Addiction

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As the term addiction is commonly used today, cigarette smoking is addictive. Many smokers, who say they want to stop smoking, report difficulty quitting. The reasons they offer vary. Some say they miss the pleasure they derive from smoking. Others complain of feeling irritable or anxious. Still others speak simply of the difficulty of breaking a well-ingrained habit.

However, equating the use of cigarettes to hard drugs like heroin and cocaine, as many do, flies in the face of common sense. Smoking, unlike heroin and cocaine, does not cause acute or chronic mental disorders, any dependence is weak and poorly defined and there is no evidence of chronic tolerance or intoxication. In particular, neither social problems nor family disruption can be attributable to cigarette smoking.

Stop smoking

People can stop smoking if they are determined to do so. Over the past decade, millions of people - all over the world - have given up smoking. Most have done so by themselves. In the United States, according to government data, 90% of those who have given up smoking have done so without formal treatment programs or other assistance.

Others have relied upon one of the many stop-smoking products or programs that have been developed. People who sincerely want to stop smoking can do so. No one should think that they are so attached or addicted to smoking that they cannot quit. Similarly, no one should think that quitting smoking is so easy as to be tempted to start smoking without careful thought.