While I'm all for gender equality, the truth is that women have a harder time at quitting smoking than men do. What is it that makes stopping smoking harder for women than it is for men?
Women smoke for different reasons than men do. They light up more because of psychological reasons such as the scent or sight of tobacco smoke. Women are also more social creatures than men, and many women often find themselves lighting up just to get together with their girl friends. Weight control is also an important issue for females, and cigarette smoking is often seen as one way to achieve that.
While ladies are still addicted to nicotine just as men are, the reasons for a woman's smoking may be completely different from a man's. That could be why traditional stop smoking methods such as nicotine replacement therapy may not work as well on women. While something like nicotine gum may be the perfect solution for a nicotine-addicted man, a woman who smokes for social reasons and weight control may find that nicotine replacement therapy does nothing to address the psychological causes for her smoking.
Another area where women different from men is why they pick up smoking again. When a woman quits smoking and finds that she has gained weight, she may panic and pick up that cigarette again just to keep the extra pounds at bay. But if you're one of these women you need to ask yourself this. Which would you prefer - dealing with a few extra pounds, or having to go through lung cancer and chemotherapy?
Since men and women have different motivations for smoking, it only follows that women should quit smoking through methods that are different from men. That's why you as a woman looking to quit smoking should look for a plan to quit smoking that's tailored specifically for ladies.
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