Remember when you used to say that to people as you began your smoking journey. "I just smoke because I enjoy it, I could quit any time if I wanted." Problem is you never wanted to quit, did you?
Once you are addicted to nicotine your mind will never want to quit. It believes it needs nicotine more than oxygen. It doesn't take long to have a full fledged addiction, in fact some studies say that after your third cigarette you can be permanently hooked.
Many factors contribute to the level of your addiction, but those who started earlier in life tend to have a stronger addiction to nicotine than those who started after their teenage years.Once you are addicted to nicotine your mind will never want to quit. It believes it needs nicotine more than oxygen. It doesn't take long to have a full fledged addiction, in fact some studies say that after your third cigarette you can be permanently hooked.
Take the quiz below to determine how strong your addiction to nicotine is.
- At what age did you begin smoking?
- After your 18th birthday
- Between age 14-18 years old
- Under 14 years old
- When do you have your first cigarette of the day?
- More than 3 hours after waking
- More than an hour after waking
- Within 15 minutes of waking
- How many cigarettes do you smoke a day?
- Less than 10
- Between 15-20
- More than 20 cigarettes a day
- When you are not smoking you tend to
- Not even think about cigarettes
- Occasionally have a smoking thought or reminder
- Constantly think about your next cigarette
Now add up your score. Each answer has a point value 1, 2, or 3. If you answered 1 (after your 18th birthday) to question 1 you would receive 1 point.
10-12 points - You have a very strong addiction to nicotine.
6-10 points - You are moderately addicted
5 or below - You have a low level of addiction.
No matter what level of addiction you have, you can quit smoking and remove nicotine from your body in 72 hours. I was so addicted I would have my first cigarette within 3 minutes of jumping out of bed. In fact it was the only reason I jumped out of bed. For those of you strongly addicted, take notice, the quit for you is so much more amazing.
Start today, tomorrow is a new year. Don't let another year go by without quitting.
