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Some people might smoke because it feels like it helps them cope with negative feelings and emotions, leaving them with a higher sense of wellbeing. Some people with mental health problems, such as depression or anxiety, might smoke because it helps to alleviate (Deal with)  some of the symptoms they experience. Most people start smoking in their teen from peer pressure and because their parents smoke.

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Wherever you look - on TV, in magazines, across social media, even on cigarette packs themselves - there are warnings galore about the health hazards of smoking.1 And with so few public places where you are actually allowed to sit and have a cigarette, you have to wonder - why do people still smoke?

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In smoking, there are 600 ingredients.When burned, they can create more than 7000 chemicals. At least 69 of these chemicals are known to cause cancer, and many are poisonous.
Nicotine (the addictive drug that produces the effect people are looking for and one of the harshest chemicals in tobacco smoke)
Hydrogen cyanide (Used for mining and is poisonous)
Formaldehyde (Used between plywood and compressed wood)
Lead(Used for ammunition, cable sheathing, weights for lifting, weight belts for diving, lead crystal glass and radiation protection. It is often used to store corrosive liquids.
Arsenic (Used to make special glass and preserve wood)
Ammonia (Used in explosives, textiles, pesticides, dyes and other chemicals)
Radioactive elements, such as uranium
Benzene(Used in dyes, detergents and pesticides)
Carbon monoxide gas
Nitrosamines
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)

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Smoking causes problems such as bad breath and stained teeth, and can also cause gum disease and damage your sense of taste. The most serious damage smoking causes in your mouth and throat is an increased risk of cancer in your lips, tongue, throat and voice box. Smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to develop heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer.

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Nicotine is an addictive substance. Nicotine is a drug that affects many parts of your body, including your brain. Over time, your body and brain get used to having nicotine in them. About 80–90% of people who smoke regularly are addicted to nicotine. When Nicotine reaches your brain, your brain releases adrenaline which gives you a good feeling.

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Learn how nicotine changes your brain and what makes you feel like you need to smoke.

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Cigarettes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive.

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If you can control your cravings for a cigarette, you'll significantly boost your chances of quitting.
The most effective way to tackle cravings is a combination of stop smoking medicines and behavioural changes.

Going cold turkey may be appealing and works for some, but research suggests that willpower alone isn't the best method to stop smoking.

In fact, only 3 in every 100 smokers manage to stop permanently this way.

Using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and other stop smoking medicines can double your chances of quitting successfully compared with willpower alone.

This is because untreated cravings often result in lapses.

Read more about stop smoking treatments available on the NHS and privately.

Types of cravings

Cravings happen because your body misses its regular hits of nicotine.

There are 2 types of craving.

The steady and constant background craving for a cigarette decreases in intensity over several weeks after quitting.

Sudden bursts of an intense desire or urge to smoke are often triggered by a cue, such as having a few drinks, feeling very happy or sad, having an argument, feeling stressed, or even having a cup of coffee.

These urges to smoke tend to get less frequent over time, but their intensity can remain strong even after many months of quitting.

Tackling cravings

There are 3 tried and tested ways to tame cravings:

nicotine replacement therapy

prescription stop smoking medicines

behaviour changes

Nicotine replacement therapy

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) gives your body the nicotine it craves without the toxic chemicals that you get in cigarettes, so it doesn't cause cancer.

It helps you stop smoking without having unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.

NRT won't give you the same "hit" or pleasure you would expect from a cigarette, but it does help reduce cravings.

NRT is available as gum, patches, lozenges, microtabs, inhalator, nasal spray, mouth spray and oral strips.

It's important to use the right NRT product for your lifestyle.

Some products, like the patch, release nicotine into your system slowly and steadily, so they're ideal for relieving background cravings.

Others, such as the nasal spray and mouth spray, release nicotine quickly in short bursts, so they're better suited to sudden intense cravings.

A good strategy is to use the nicotine patch to manage the steady and constant background cravings, and carry a fast-working product with you to deal with the sudden intense cravings.

Discuss the NRT products available over the counter with your pharmacist, or talk to your local NHS stop smoking adviser or GP about receiving NRT on prescription.

Read more about nicotine replacement therapy.

Stop smoking medicines

The prescription tablets Zyban (bupropion) and Champix (varenicline) are an alternative to NRT in helping you stop smoking.

They don't contain nicotine, but work on your brain to dampen cravings.

As they take a few days to work fully, you need to start these medicines for a week or two before you stop smoking.

Ask your doctor or a local stop smoking adviser whether prescription medicines may help you.

Read more about prescription stop smoking medicines.

Change your behaviour

NRT and stop smoking medicines can help curb cravings, but they can't completely eradicate them.

There are some additional things that can help.

Avoid triggers

For you, some events or times of the day may have a strong association with smoking: after food, with a coffee, after putting the kids to bed, when chatting to a friend, or having an alcoholic drink.

Try doing something different at these times. You don't have to make this change forever, just until you have broken the association with smoking.

Stay strong

Expect your cravings to be at their worst in the first few weeks after quitting.

The good news is that they'll pass, and the quickest way to achieve this is to commit to the "not a single drag" rule.

When you're ready to stop for good, promise yourself "I won't even have a single drag on a cigarette".

If you feel like smoking, remember "not a single drag" to help the feeling pass.

Exercise

Physical activity may help reduce your nicotine cravings and relieve some withdrawal symptoms.

It may also help you reduce stress and keep your weight down.

When you have the urge to smoke, do something active instead.

Going to the gym or local swimming pool are good, as is a little gentle exercise like a short walk, or something useful like doing the housework or gardening.
Find out how to do more exercise
Be prepared

Expect cravings at special events like holidays, funerals or weddings.

You may have never experienced these before as a non-smoker, so you'll associate them strongly with smoking. Have some fast-acting NRT with you just in case.
Get more self-help tips to stop smoking
Delay

When an urge to smoke strikes, remember that although it may be intense, it'll be shortlived and will probably pass within a few minutes.

Each time you resist a craving, you're 1 step closer to stopping smoking.
Find out what to do if you relapse after quitting smoking

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If you can control your cravings for a cigarette, you'll significantly boost your chances of quitting. The most effective way to tackle cravings is a combination of stop smoking medicines and behavioural changes. Going cold turkey may be appealing and works for some, but research suggests that willpower alone isn't the best method to stop smoking.

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What is inside a single cigarette stick?

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What is inside a single cigarette stick?