How to Quit Smoking - Essay Example

Quitting smoking Refraining from harmful addictive habits like smoking is definitely not that easy for individuals. It can be a very daunting experience as they need to get through various physical and psychological challenges during the recovery process. It has been estimated that only 5% of the smokers who intend to quit smoking actually get through succeeding in their process of stopping smoking permanently. This is because of the many factors associated with the process of recovery. Moreover, the individual’s motivation to quit the habit of smoking is what gets the person move successfully towards the objective to be done. Recent studies have suggested that certain brain functions and structures play a significant role in the human motivation process. This study has shed some light on the issues of why smokers have a hard time quitting the habit, despite their willingness and knowledge about its consequences. Furthermore, there are several intrinsic and extrinsic factors contributing to the individual’s motivation to engage in the recovery process of quitting smoking habit. These factors include hereditary and the environment issues, but is not limited to them alone. We shall analyze the brain structures and functions associated with the motivation to abstain from smoking, and also evaluate the influence of these extrinsic and intrinsic factors on motivation, particularly focusing on brain physiology and psychology. “Motivation can be conceptualized as brain activity that processes ‘input’ information about the internal state of the individual and external environment and determines behavioral ‘output’” (Chambers, Taylor & Potenza, 2003). Motivation for change among smokers plays a major part in recognizing the need for treatment and achieving the sustained change, without relapse. The recovery process for smokers is complicated by psychological and physiological addictions, which make the entire treatment hard to be continued. Oftentimes, most of the smokers relapse at one point with no intention to continue. This is mainly because of their fear to withstand the treatment and maintain the subsequent change of action. However, motivation in most of the addicts is a complex process and the recovery depends on the intensity of their addiction, and how much it has influenced their physical and psychological system. Factors influencing motivation are both extrinsic and intrinsic in nature. Motivating individuals to quit smoking is influenced by these factors, in association with several psychological and physiological interventions. Self-control and health concerns are considered as intrinsic motivational factors while reinforcement and social influence are the extrinsic motivational factors. While extrinsic factors are based on environmental and social aspects, intrinsic factors are based on goal oriented behavior. Any addict trying to refrain from substance abuse has to be influenced by several of these motivation-promoting factors in order to challenge, control and compete with their physiological and psychological limitations. “Although extrinsic motivators can be useful in bringing a client into treatment and increasing retention, self or intrinsic motivation is important for substantive and abiding change.” (Miller, 1999, p.84). However, individual success for abstaining from smoking was observed to be higher among intrinsically motivated addicts than that of others motivated by extrinsic or environmental factors. Additionally, there are also hereditary and environmental factors affecting the process of quitting smoking. Even though risks of smoking can be hereditary, a person’s environment and social influence can help in quitting smoking. Hereditary smokers are more likely to have greater relapse from treatments because of their unfavorable environment factors. However, with constant social influence, support and medications like nicotine replacement, the aggravated cravings can be controlled. Anticipation among smokers is a brain-induced activity and so intrinsic motivational factors are essential for them to quit so that they do not further agitate the stimulation that would stay dormant. Brain is a control panel not only for body functions but motivation too. To understand the brain’s association with motivation, it is important get a better knowledge about the structure and function of the brain to human body. The biological nature of the brain is to control all the necessary functions of the entire body system. Not only does it control the physical movements, but also the emotional responses, decision-making and communication aspects. Studies analyzing the brain’s structure and functions regarding this aspect of motivation have provided a deeper insight into the smoker’s psychological realm. Neurodevelopment occurring in brain regions are mostly associated with motivation, addiction control and impulsivity. The development changes involved in the neuro-circuitry and impulse control provides significant implications for understanding various motivational and emotional behaviors, addiction vulnerability as well as prevention of addiction. Understanding the functions and anatomy of the motivational brain systems can help in analyzing the relationship between impulsivity and smoking addicts. Researches have shown that three brain regions are found to affect the smokers’ cravings for cigarettes. Interestingly though, each of the region is related to specific function, inducing a specific emotion that affects the smokers’ intention and motivation to engage in smoking. The decreased activity in the thalamus region increases steadiness of mind, while an increase activity in the amygdala region induces appetitive conditioning, both of which affects the smokers’ anticipation to smoke. Similarly, increased activity in the striatum initiates mental repose while the anterior cingulate cortex enhances self-regulation, decision-making ability, empathy and other emotional responses. Since many of the regions in the brain are wired to reinforce smoking, it is hard for the addicts to quit. “The inhibition of cues-elicited responses is associated with increases in the activation of areas of the brain that implement domain-general control processes and decreases in the activation of areas supporting more circumscribed affective/motivational processes.” (Wilson, Sayette, & Fiez, 2012). For instance, it can be observed that addicts with increased anterior cingulate cortex activity are likely to experience more control and decision-making ability, which is indeed an intrinsic motivational factor that contributes to successful smoking cessation. Nucleus accumbens and the ventral tegmental area of the brain are responsible for the release of dopamine, which reinforces pleasurable behaviors. The release of this dopamine in the body is induced by nicotine and its sudden withdrawal of it would cause the smokers to crave for cigarettes. “A rapid increase in the concentration of nicotine in the VTA leads to a burst of activity in the neurons in this pathway, leading to dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. This dopamine release generates the impulse to smoke when the stimuli that preceded the dopamine release are encountered.” (West & Shiffman, 2007, p.43). All of these brain structural and functional changes are triggered by the intake of nicotine and counteracts with the smokers’ anticipation to smoke. All kinds of drugs tend to affect the brain, hindering its ability to impede with the nerves and neurotransmitters. The nicotine fed into the body through smoking is sure to show variable effects on the brain system, depending on its duration and quantity of usage. Since nicotine causes too much dopamine to be released, it affects the entire limbic system and its functions. The emotional responses stimulated in the brain has been prevalent for a longer period of time and so when there is a sudden cessation, the brain reacts abruptly to the sensation, causing the person to go through different emotional and physical withdrawals. Since the brain has been used to this sensation for a prolonged period, it becomes harder for the addicts to react to the emotional changes, caused by the dopamine release. Since the brain’s structure and function has a prominent role in enabling motivation, the addicts trying to refrain has to mitigate and counteract the damages that has been already induced into the brain’s system. Reducing the drug intake does not bring immediate relief or changes to the brain’s function as this is reason why a recovery process with increased motivation is needed. Motivation to stop the addiction involves both intrinsic and extrinsic factors, besides the hereditary and environmental influence on the addicts. When it concerns to quitting smoking, smokers with higher levels of intrinsic motivation on relative to extrinsic motivation are more likely to be successful in their recovery process. If these motivational factors would contribute to lesser cravings for cigarettes, addicts would successfully complete their smoking cessation treatment. References: Chambers, Andrew R. Taylor, Jane R. and Potenza, Marc N. "Developmental neurocircuitry of motivation in adolescence: a critical period of addiction vulnerability." American Journal of Psychiatry, 160.6 (2003): 1041-1052. Miller, William R. Enhancing Motivation for Change in Substance Abuse Treatment. DIANE Publishing, 1999. West, Robert, and Saul Shiffman. Fast facts: smoking cessation. Oxford: Health Press Limited, 2007. Wilson, Stephen J., Sayette, Michael A. and Fiez, Julie A. "Quitting-unmotivated and quitting-motivated cigarette smokers exhibit different patterns of cue-elicited brain activation when anticipating an opportunity to smoke." Journal of abnormal psychology, 121.1 (2012): 198. Read More