Why Do I Smoke and Why Do I Keep Smoking?

Shortly after smoking their last cigarette, smokers start to feel a negative mood change. This “withdrawal” from the chemical nicotine makes the smoker uncomfortable. Many smokers report feeling anxious, irritable and restless when they stop smoking. This is because they are not getting what the brain feels it needs to work well. Smokers usually experience relief from these unpleasant feelings as soon as they smoke again, use other tobacco products, or nicotine replacement medications (additional information on these topics about nicotine and tobacco is available at www.thoracic.org/patients ).