When we talk about tobacco addiction, nicotine often gets the blame as the cause. In reality, there could be more than that and it’s not the only thing that cause smokers can’t stop their bad habits. Smokers need to look for something much deeper than their current habit. It is often about our unconscious mind. People who can’t stop smoking often feel guilty about themselves, especially if they can’t quit, despite years of efforts. Each relapse brought them back to full time smoking that may last for weeks or months. People who still decide to smoke based on their conscious control are not yet addicted, but this can become a habit, if they continue to do so. It’s proven by the fact that conscious mind alone isn’t enough to stop tobacco addicts from stop smoking.
Conscious mind is consisted of things that we are aware of and we can control. We are able to make the proper decision and we don’t need to control impulse urge. However, our conscious mind can be overpowered by habits and there are things that we automatically do, each time we wake up in the morning. If your habit is to smoke regularly, your decision to quit is only the start. Many smokers focus only on their conscious mind when they are planning to quit. The unconscious mind is there to make our lives easier. We don’t need to micro-manage all the smallest details of our lives. They are done and completed automatically. It is also essential for self-preservation, so we will be able to automatically respond to different kinds of threats in an appropriate manner.
Smokers should think back to their very first of tobacco. Even the heaviest smoker may recall that it’s a rather disgusting experience. They hated the smell and taste. It was so repulsive that they coughed. On an emotional level, smoking is actually not an enjoyable experience and something has changed that in our mind. However, many teenagers force themselves to do that due to the alleged positive social benefits. Young people just want to look cool and older. Eventually, their unconscious mind is conditioned to the new experience and activity. Their first puff of cigarette will be followed by a few millions of others throughout their lifetime. Our unconscious minds simply did its job to make the unpleasant experience becomes something enjoyable and pleasant.
There’s no medication, pill and patch that can effectively tap into our desire to smoke every day. Dealing with the part of our mind that’s responsible for this bad habit will require constant psychological treatment. So, any attempt to stop smoking will also need to deal with our mind. Smoking isn’t only about nicotine addiction and nicotine patch isn’t the magic solution to this problem. Smokers may need external helps to deal with their mental tug of war that happens inside their mind. A part of them want to quit, but another is a strong desire to continue smoking. Without guidance, they may always lose the battle.
