There are generally three factors which make up the reasons for a smoker to become heavily addicted to smoking..
(1) Some smokers with very long smoking history can even quit the cold turkey way while others with relatively short history of smoking have very hard time to quit. This is due to in born natural differences.
(2) The longer one smoke cigarette, the greater the chance to become more heavily addicted. Because of this reason, the sooner a smoker quit, the easier it will be, and of course, the greater the chance to quit..
(3) Repeatedly quit and go back smoking again can make a smoker to become heavily addicted without having to smoke too many years. Furthermore, the longer a smoker quit, the greater addiction level he or she will encounter if he or she goes back smoking again.
(4) Some smokers only have physical addiction while others may have both physical and mental addiction. The combination is the worst of all. Some fifteen years ago, a man about 50 came to us for phantom pain treatment. He was a heavy smoker for 30 years after which, he suffered not only severe and unbearable leg pain but also untreatable:consequence from smoking. The only solution given to him by his doctor was amputation. After his right leg removal, he traded his leg pain with phantom pain and equally unbearable for which he sought pain treatment from us. He had some 30% pain reduction from the acupuncture treatment. When he came for the 5th treatment, I saw a pack of cigarette in his pocket. Needless to say, I was very surprised and asked why he would not quit to save his left foot? He replied, "I always enjoy smoking." I alerted him: "Imagine this next week, everywhere you go, the terrible inconvenience to be on a wheel chair instead of a crutch if you don't quit smoking. If you change your mind, I will treat you quit smoking free." When he came back the next week, he asked for the free treatment. How happy I was to have the chance to help him quit smoking. He quit in just one treatment. But when he came again three weeks later, he was smoking again. He knew I would ask, "why?" He reluctantly said, "I thought over this issue again and again. I figure out,... I can live without leg, but that cigarette is too good to give up." Clearly, that man has both physical and mental addiction. He will not regret for any price he has to pay for smoking.
