Quit smoking after 35 years
Is it possible for a 50-year old who has been smoking for 35 years to quit?
There are two answers: ‘No’ and ‘Maybe’. No, for in general, even the most motivated quitters do not benefit from intensive treatment. Moreover, certain things happen in the brain when a person stops smoking acutely. Your amygdala will start firing rapidly, making you feel anxious. You may even become depressed because your dopamine system, which to a high extent is responsible for your feeling of happiness, no longer responds to anything but nicotine. Even if you do succeed to quit for a while, the hypersensitive nicotine receptors in your head will keep craving for a cigarette. Maybe, if you take long-term medication during the attempt to quit. For instance, anxiety inhibitors or detoxification medicine. You can also opt to have a brain area removed: the insular lobe. Evidence shows that smokers who damaged their insular lobe, also lost their addiction to cigarettes. There are probably another 50 ways to support people attempting to quit smoking. A brain scan can suggest the most successful method for each person.