Quitting smoking often fails because of wrong motivation and overreliance on willpower, says addiction specialist
Addiction specialist Ilze Reire explained that nicotine dependence operates on physical, behavioural and psycho-emotional levels, and the time before the first cigarette in the morning indicates its severity. The most common mistakes people make when trying to quit are relying solely on willpower and being motivated by external factors rather than personal emotional reasons.
In a new series on quitting smoking, addiction specialist Ilze Reire offers insight into nicotine addiction and why so many people find it hard to give up cigarettes. Reire says addiction develops on three levels: physiological, behavioural or ritual, and psycho-emotional.
One key indicator of physical dependence, she notes, is how quickly a person reaches for the first cigarette after waking up. If the first cigarette is smoked more than an hour after waking, the dependence is considered moderate. If it happens within 30 minutes, the addiction is strong; if within five minutes, it is very severe. This suggests the body has spent the night in nicotine withdrawal and is demanding an immediate dose.
Reire also points to the Fagerström test used in global medical practice to assess nicotine dependence.
According to the specialist, two common mistakes often sabotage quit attempts. The first is starting with the wrong motivation. When a person tries to quit because of outside pressure — a partner, family members, financial reasons or fear of a specific health issue — it rarely works in the long run. Reire stresses that motivation must come from within and be emotional and personal. Without it, a former smoker may feel miserable and keep longing for cigarettes.
The second mistake is relying only on willpower. Willpower, Reire says, is not endless. It may last two weeks, a month or longer for some, but it eventually runs out because the person is fighting against themselves. After a relapse, it becomes even harder to gather strength for another attempt.
The author of the article series points out that society tends to treat smoking as an ordinary habit rather than a true addiction. Her own motivation to address the topic came from personal experience: her father died of lung cancer at 50, and long-term smoking contributed to the disease. The first part of the series explains what nicotine addiction is and how to evaluate its level, while the second promises practical advice on overcoming it.
