What Is A Smoking Addiction? A smoking addiction means a person has formed an uncontrollable dependence on cigarettes to the point where stopping smoking would cause severe emotional, mental, or physical reactions. Everyone knows that smoking is harmful and addictive, but few people realize just how risky and addictive it is. Chances are that about one in three smokers who do not stop will eventually die because of their smoking. Some will die in their 40s, others will die later. On average, they will die 10 to 15 years earlier than they would have died from other causes. Most smokers want to stop and do indeed try, but only one in three succeeds in stopping permanently before age 60. By this time, much harm may have been done to the body - some of it irreversible. * Those who eventually quit smoking usually try to stop two or three times before they're successful. * Only 2.5 percent of smokers successfully quit each year. The reason why so many people fail to stop is because they are addicted. Being addicted does not mean that you cannot stop - only that it is likely to be difficult. Anyone can succeed if he or she goes about it in the right way. How you stop - and, especially, when you stop - is a very personal matter. Only you know what you have to give up, and how the benefits of smoking can be weighed against the benefits of stopping. Harassment and pressure from others who do not understand is often unhelpful. You will only stop when you have made a firm decision. When you do make up your mind, however, you can succeed, regardless of how addicted you may be.
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