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- Introduction
- Harmful Thought #1: “Why should I care what is happening in my brain? Knowing all this will not help me quit smoking.”
- So, What Is Actually Going On in the Brain?
- How Do Neurons Communicate?
- What Happens When You Smoke?
- Why Does Nicotine Become a Problem?
- How Does the Addiction Become Stronger?
- What Happens When a Person Quits Smoking?
- Why Is It Important to Understand This Process?
- Harmful Thought #2: “I Smoke Because I Like Smoking.”
- How Does Smoking Become a “Pleasure”?
- The Stages of Addiction
- 1. Artificial Stimulation
- 2. Reduced Acetylcholine Production
- 3. An Increase in the Number of Receptors
- What Happens When the Nicotine Level Falls?
- So Why Do You Smoke in the Morning?
- Ask Yourself a Few Questions
- The Mechanism of Dependence
- What Happens When You Stop Smoking?
- The Stages of Brain Recovery
- Step 1. Stopping the Supply of Nicotine
- Step 2. A Reduction in the Number of Receptors
- Step 3. Increased Acetylcholine Production
- Step 4. A Stable System
- The Real Problem with the Thought “I Smoke Because I Like Smoking”
- Harmful Thought #3: “Smoking Is Just a Habit, and I Can Quit Whenever I Want.”
- Smoking as a Habit
- Smoking as Dependence
- Symptoms of Physical Dependence
- Why Does Dependence Make Quitting More Difficult?
- Habit reinforces dependence
- Dependence reinforces habit
- Why Is It Important to Recognize Smoking as a Disease?
- Why Is It Important to Consider Both Aspects?
- Harmful Thought #4: “If I Relapse, It Will Erase Everything I Have Achieved.”
- Why Is a Relapse Not the End of the Process?
- Patches and Gum — Our Proof
- Physiological Adaptation: The Overall Nicotine Deficit Is What Matters
- “Relapse” as Part of the Process
- The Problem with Willpower
- How the Brain Recovery Process Works After a Relapse
- Why Is It Important to Understand This?
- Harmful Thought #5: “I Won’t Be Able to Handle the Physical Withdrawal”
- Why Is This Thought Wrong?
- Examples of Painful Sensations We Can Tolerate
- Why Is Withdrawal Tolerable?
- How Can You Change the Way You Perceive Withdrawal?
- Harmful Thought #6: “It Is Impossible to Reduce the Urge to Smoke.”
- Why Does This Thought Make It Harder to Quit Smoking?
- Harmful Thought #7: “I Will Always Feel This Bad”
- A Real-Life Example: Adapting to New Conditions
- What Happens in the Brain When You Stop Using Nicotine?
- Let’s Look at Another Example
- Harmful Thought #8: “I Should Always Be Comfortable.”
- Examples from Everyday Life
- Harmful Thought #9: “I Have to Quit All at Once, or Not Try at All”
- Harmful Thought #10: “I Know How to Quit Smoking. I’ve Already Quit Several Times.”
- What Does the Psychological Side Include?
- Why Is It Important to Work with All These Aspects?