Tobacco addiction is a disgrace and a serious threat to the lives of many people. The love of cigarettes is a severe and persistent addiction that subjugates the personality on a psychological and physical level. Many cigarette lovers tried to put an end to it, but only a small part of them achieved the desired goal. After all, fighting any addiction is a real test of strength.
According to the results of statistics, about 70% of smokers have a desire to quit, and about 80% of this number have repeatedly tried to quit. But what stops you from overcoming a deadly addiction? What tricks can be used to help quit smoking once and for all? These competent and effective ways should be known to everyone who has decided to go on the path of health and longevity.
Any smoker will always find a thousand reasons to justify his bad habit. The first step to quitting nicotine, of course, is realizing the irreparable harm smokers do to themselves and others.
There are some tricks that will help you quit smoking once and for all.
Why is it so difficult to quit cigarettes?
But why, knowing how much smoking interferes with a full life, what deadly diseases it causes, a person sometimes cannot cope with this habit? Explanations for this must be sought in the nuances of the individual's physiology and psyche.
According to statistics, in 2016 almost 60% of men and 15% of women consider themselves heavy smokers.
Psychologists have long found an explanation for the persistence of smoking. And they explain it for several reasons:
Ritual. For many people, cigarettes become a kind of lifesaver, a tool that can come to the rescue at any moment. Fatigue, tense conversations, hard work, fights, frustrations and just the desire to relax after a busy day - everywhere, smoking helped to distract and relax. That is, cigarettes became a kind of ritual, without which not a day passed in the life of a smoker.
Addictive. The mechanism of habit formation is extremely simple: nicotine very quickly becomes an integral part of human metabolism. As a result of regular intake of this supplement, the body stops producing certain hormones. They are replaced by a nicotine compound. For this reason, sometimes you feel like prolonging so much, when the body feels the need for this hormone.
Psychology. This aspect is explained solely by the characteristics of the character. By the way, it is psychological dependence that becomes the basis for the development of any addiction. And it is precisely with this feature that few people know how to deal with it.
Quit smoking: the beginning
All tobacco workers who want and dream of quitting must understand an important and fundamental truth: You should not plan to quit cigarettes and set an "X" date. In most cases, such a planned event is delayed and interrupted. This is explained by ordinary psychophysiology.
Just by thinking that you have to quit smoking, one more thing will be added - to regret the fragrant times of the past. And such a disagreement will prevent us from moving to the "bright, smokeless" side. But the following nuances should be known and always remembered.
competent motivation
Good motivational attitudes are extremely important in the fight against any type of addiction. In case of giving up smoking, the reasons will become an important factor that can support the will and help not to give up.
Competent motivation is based on the constant belief that quitting smoking will bring important benefits that are worth the time and effort invested.
Only motivation can survive the first time you quit smoking and help your body resist the urge to smoke that comes on at times. Where can you find this motivation? For each person it will be individual. Here you can use settings like:
- Saving money.
- own health.
- existing diseases.
- The birth (or presence) of a child.
- Unpleasant odors from clothing, body.
Helpful tips
When psychologists explain how to help the body after quitting smoking, they always advise you to take some rules with you. They must be known, remembered and realized. They are especially important in the initial stage of giving up cigarettes, when the withdrawal syndrome awakens. Here are the following simple recommendations:
- Don't stay hungry. You should always carry dried fruit, crackers, nuts or seeds with you. So that they can always be used when the desire to smoke is awakened.
- Don't accumulate negativity. Try to avoid unnecessary stress, do not get into fights, conflict situations.
- Don't be alone. In the first difficult days, you need to provide the support of relatives, relatives and friends to the maximum. Those with whom you can share about problems, talk about successes.
- Don't overload. In the first days of quitting smoking, the body will be in a stressful state, you should not load it too much. At this time, it is important to give yourself a good rest, but also not to forget about all kinds of entertainment that can distract the ex-smoker from the thought and desire to smoke.
Does replacement therapy help?
The withdrawal syndrome that occurs after quitting smoking brings with it numerous discomforts and physical ailments. In addition to mood swings, weakness, nausea, symptoms such as:
- tachycardia;
- increased salivation;
- increased sweating (hyperhidrosis).
These conditions are extremely stressful, but can be relieved. And various drugs of the nicotine replacement genre help in this. It can be patches, chewing gum, tablets, sprays. They are not always successful, but it is worth trying, perhaps in this case they will be useful.
In the first days of quitting smoking, consultation with a doctor is necessary. Your doctor may prescribe more effective medications that are available by prescription. These can be various antidepressants that help relieve negative symptoms and relieve irritability.
You can also use other methods: acupuncture, physiotherapy, a hypnotic session that will help you quit smoking. What exactly to prefer, an experienced doctor will advise, focusing on the initial state of health and smoking experience.
Healthy diet
Few people know that there are products that become excellent helpers in the fight against smoking. Choosing a suitable diet, it should be remembered that nicotine provokes the production of "joy" hormones (serotonin and dopamine) in the body. These compounds provide a person with a good mood. And that is why (when there is no nicotine) that the ex-smoker faces:
- apathy;
- depression
- depression;
- Bad mood;
- irritability.
And all these symptoms go against the background of a slow metabolism. But such problems can be avoided if you know what products help you quit smoking. First of all, in order to stop unpleasant manifestations, it is necessary to ensure that a large amount is present in the daily diet:
- meat:
- vegetables;
- fish dishes;
- vegetable oils;
- dairy products.
All of these foods are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These substances act on certain brain centers that stabilize mood. But the lack of nicotine is successfully replenished with such dishes as:
- Kiwi;
- khaki;
- plums;
- bananas;
- Tomatoes;
- pineapples;
- citrus.
Natural bitter dark chocolate perfectly improves mood. Just don't get too carried away with them. It is too high in calories and the love of "chocolate" is loaded with a set of extra pounds. When planning a healthy diet, special attention should be paid to breakfast. It must be satisfying, consisting of high-energy foods. The list of energy products includes:
- eggs;
- mate;
- walnuts;
- seafood;
- apples and bananas;
- Natural honey;
- Pumpkin seeds;
- red meat (veal or beef).
Eat well, do not forget about physical activity. The parting period with cigarettes is a good time to visit the gym, swimming pool. This will protect the former cigarette addict from gaining unnecessary kilograms and will perfectly distract him from the obsessive desire to smoke.
Help from the People's Pharmacy
Various healer recipes also come to the aid of the former tobacco addict. Among people, there are many ways to help relieve negative manifestations and stop withdrawal syndrome. Herbs and products with certain medicinal properties are used:
- Collection of catnip, dandelion and valerian. Steam all herbs (1 tablespoon each) with boiling water (200 ml) and insist in a closed container until cool. Strain the dough and take it with all the desire to smoke.
- Grind oatmeal sheets (250 g) to the state of flour. Pour with hot water (500 ml) and bring to a boil. After 1-1, 5 hours of infusion, strain and cool. You should take 100 ml as soon as you feel like having a cigarette. You can add honey to taste.
- Dissolve baking soda (15 g) in warm water (200 ml). If you want to smoke, you should rinse your mouth with this solution.
- St. John's wort (25 g) steamed with boiling water (150-200 ml) and drink the composition during the day, replacing regular tea with it. St. John's wort contains components that have a calming and sedative effect.
- Crush the roots of the highlander and pour boiling water / (200 ml). Bring to a boil and boil for 3-4 minutes. Then leave to infuse for 1-1, 5 hours. You need to drink a decoction with each desire to smoke. This herb will help develop an aversion to cigarettes.
- Grind the leaves of the plant and steam it with a glass of boiling water. Leave in a closed container for 1-1, 5 hours. Then filter the mass and add honey (in the amount of half the received portion of the drink). Drink such a drug should be for a month, making only 2-3 sips per day.
- Pour drinking water over oats, barley and millet. Boil the mass for 10-15 minutes and leave for a day. Then strain and drink 200 ml on an empty stomach 3-4 times a day.
Use of cigarettes without nicotine
Using these herbal smoking products can help cope with addiction and cravings. By the way, these cigarettes have been known for a long time and have successfully established themselves as a reliable assistant in a good cause.
Nicotine-free cigarettes have been known since ancient India. Its mention has survived to this day in ancient Ayurvedic manuscripts.
Its main difference is the total absence of nicotine in its composition. This harmful compound has been replaced by other components. In particular:
- various oriental spices: cinnamon, coriander, saffron;
- medicinal herbs: thyme, oregano, mint, motherwort, hypericum, horsetail, sage, eucalyptus.
Such cigarettes relieve unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, relieve psychological dependence on smoking. The smoker who quits smoking, using such cigarettes, successfully copes with nicotine withdrawal and helps him to get on the path of a life without smoking. You can buy such products in large pharmacies.
Cigarettes without nicotine are not harmful to health. In addition, they also have some healing effect, having a beneficial effect on the central nervous system and the functioning of the respiratory system.
summarizing
Scientists, considering the problem of smoking, recognize that cigarette smoking is late suicide. The negative and deadly effect on health accumulates over 10-20 years. Most experts consider smoking to be one of the most powerful drugs.
But there are so many wonderful and interesting things and activities in life! And it is very easy to replace one addiction (nicotine) with any other - healthy and useful. Sports, hobbies, photography, cooking, sewing, yoga and more. Each of these activities is much better than smoking. Think about it!