I’ve Tried to Quit Smoking Countless Times: Can You Help?

You’ve tried to quit smoking, more times than you can count. But for some reason, your efforts haven’t led to lasting success; you’re still smoking — and still wishing you could quit. 

Our team at Fivestar Pulmonary Associates knows how challenging smoking cessation can be, but we also know it’s entirely achievable. Most people who’ve smoked in their lifetime have successfully quit. The right support can make all the difference. 

Why is it so difficult to quit smoking? 

Nearly three in four smokers (70%) have expressed a desire to quit, and two in five (40%) have tried to quit — often by throwing away their cigarettes and never looking back for at least a day. But this cold turkey strategy only works for about 5% of people. 

Even with total motivation and steadfast intention, many smokers report making 8-11 attempts to quit before they finally succeed. Here’s why quitting smoking can be so hard:

Nicotine addiction

Nicotine is highly addictive, largely because it activates your brain’s reward system, rapidly triggering the near-immediate release of dopamine, a feel-good brain chemical that helps regulate mood. This sets the stage for strong psychological dependence that can lead to intense cravings and withdrawal symptoms when you try to quit. 

High stress levels 

Smoking delivers pleasurable effects that can be very hard to resist, especially during times of increased stress. To make matters worse, quitting cold turkey with nothing but your willpower to back you up can trigger intense withdrawal symptoms like anxiety, irritability, and difficulty concentrating. 

Behavioral triggers

Smoking is a habit that’s ingrained in daily routines and associated with specific situations (i.e., when stressed, during social events, or on a work break), making it hard to resist the urge to light up at such times.

Myths about quitting 

Failed smoking cessation attempts are frequently a direct result of common myths and misconceptions about quitting — either believing sheer willpower alone is enough, underestimating the severity of withdrawal symptoms, or both. 

Insufficient support

Lack of support is a common facet of most failed attempts to quit smoking, and it comes in many forms. Any one of the following can quickly derail your smoking cessation efforts and lead to relapse:

• Insufficient social support from family and friends
• Not having a structured plan with expert guidance
• Unhelpful social environments and/or peer pressure
• Foregoing medical support (smoking cessation aids)

When coupled with consistent social support, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and counseling are two strategies that significantly increase your odds of successfully quitting.

Effective smoking cessation strategies

At Fivestar Pulmonary Associates, our board-certified pulmonologists offer comprehensive smoking cessation support services that aim to help you quash:

• Nicotine urges and cravings 
• Potent withdrawal symptoms
• Smoking habits and patterns
• Stress and adverse emotions

We take an individualized approach to help you achieve these objectives, using a combination of smoking cessation tools to enhance your efforts, and ultimately making it much easier to kick the habit successfully. You may benefit from one or more of the following: 

Nicotine replacement therapy

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) makes quitting easier by easing intense withdrawal symptoms — one of the main factors in failed smoking cessation efforts. 

Prescription FDA-approved NRT options like chewing gum, transdermal patches, and dissolving lozenges give your body gradually lower doses of nicotine over time, without exposing you to the harmful chemicals found in cigarettes. 

Nicotine medications

If intense cravings from a severe nicotine addiction are troublesome for you, you may get more support from a fast-acting, nicotine-containing prescription medication for smoking cessation. 

The FDA has approved dose-adjustable nicotine nasal sprays and oral inhalers to deliver nicotine to your bloodstream instantly, ease cravings quickly, and help prevent relapse. 

Non-nicotine medications

The FDA has also approved two prescription drugs for smoking cessation that don’t contain nicotine; both are taken in tablet form for about three months. These medicines buffer the brain chemicals that drive cravings to ease withdrawal symptoms and reduce the pleasure you get from smoking. They can be used in conjunction with NRT. 

Increased physical activity

Exercise is one of the most effective ways to deal with nicotine cravings or the habitual urge to smoke. When you’re active, your mental focus and physical energy are redirected, leaving less space for thoughts of smoking. Even better, exercise releases dopamine, keeping your cravings and urge to smoke suppressed for about an hour after activity. 

Free 24/7 quitline services 

Quitline services — including call centers, national texting portals, and phone apps — provide round-the-clock access to free expert help when you need it most, strengthening your smoking cessation efforts. When you need off-hours support, text “QUITNOW” to 333888 or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW. 

Kick the habit for good with our help

When you think about smoking cessation, it’s important to recognize that smoking is the leading cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a chronic lung disease that makes it hard to breathe. Without early intervention, this progressive illness can rob you of your vitality and increase your chances of early death. 

So, as you take the first step toward smoke-free living, we also urge you to take our COPD Assessment Test (CAT) and find out if you require further care to keep breathing easy.    

Ready to kick the habit for good? We’re here to help. Contact us to schedule a consultation at your nearest Fivestar Pulmonary Associates office in Allen, McKinney, or Plano, Texas.