Scientists Find Stopping Mechanism In Smokers

Would you like to stop smoking ? Do you know why it is difficult for smokers to quit?

A recent study has been conducted into smoking cessation habits. A number of important discoveries have been made in this regard. The research is published in the JAMA Psychiatry Journal .

In this research, scientists have discovered what determines how easy or how difficult it is to quit smoking. This depends on the strength or weakness of the brain-inhibiting stopping mechanisms.

 An automatism in smokers

Smoking is automatic. It can only be controlled by certain brain circuits. And this behavior can also only be slowed down by these brain circuits.

In many smokers, these circuits are broken and do not work properly.

A person who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day has turned his habit into something  repetitive and mechanical. Basically, it’s something they need because their brains have become accustomed to this behavior. And this goes far beyond addiction to nicotine or other substances found in tobacco.

One of the discoveries of this research is that the lower the oxygen level in the blood of a person’s inhibitory control circuit, the more likely they are to resist the temptation to smoke. 

So there are  significant neurobiological factors that may explain why some smokers have more difficulty quitting than others.

Based on this data, scientists can analyze the potential potential of different treatments. They can determine whether they are pharmacological or based on behavioral changes.

These therapies may focus on enhancing communication in smokers’ inhibitory regulatory circuitry. This can then help these smokers to quit smoking.

Details of the tests

At the beginning of these studies, specialists examined the inhibitory control circuits in the brains of various smokers,  the so-called cessation mechanism. These smokers were nicotine dependent and determined to quit smoking with a program lasting several weeks.

At the start of the program , the researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to monitor brain activity. At the same time, the patient who wanted to quit smoking performed inhibitory control tasks.

Study participants had to press a button on the computer when a circle in a certain color appeared on the screen.  Sometimes a different color circle appeared.

Responses related to blood oxygen levels indicate that the brain uses more resources to prevent the automatic response to press the button when the ‘rare’ circle appeared.

Conclusions of the study

After two months, 50% of the participants who wanted to quit smoking had managed to quit.

Patients who had not quit smoking had comparable good scores on the inhibitory control tasks as smokers who had successfully quit. One of the conclusions of the study was that this group had very strong and deeply ingrained automatisms.

In short, these tests confirm that biological differences may help explain why some smokers trying to quit are more successful than others.

Good habits to quit smoking

So the first step to quitting smoking is to identify the times when you are more likely to smoke.  Is this especially early in the morning or just after dinner? Or after making love or while driving a car?

It also works well to ask for help from your family, friends and your colleagues.

• You should tell them if you plan to quit smoking. At that point, you should also have removed all your cigarettes and all traces of smoking.
• You should also clean anything that smells of smoke. For example, think of clothes and furniture.
• For example, you can put sweets or cookies in the places where you always had your cigarettes.
• It is very effective to find activities that occupy your hands and mind. This certainly also applies to very energetic and nervous people. Try playing games on your phone or do a crossword puzzle.

A new lifestyle

You need to change your daily habits and routine. This will greatly help you to quit smoking.

For example: you should eat at different times. It is better to eat several small meals than a few large meals. For example, change your room or your furniture and so on.

Movement is always good. Especially if you’re trying to quit smoking. It not only reduces anxiety and stress. It also provides a sense of physical and mental well-being that reduces the need to smoke.