Every day there are more smokers, not only adults, but also teenagers. Why do people deliberately poison the body and put their health at risk? The reasons for smoking are different for each person. Some "turn on" stress, others do not want to be the black sheep in the company of friends, and others kill time in this way. An addiction takes on the scale of a disaster and destroys a person not only physically but also psychologically.
Why does cigarette addiction occur?
To answer the question of what is attractive about smoking, it is necessary to understand how nicotine acts in the body. The first cigarette is not pleasant. After inhaling tobacco smoke, dizziness, nausea, cough appear, and tremors of the extremities may occur. It would seem that all these sensations should become motivators not to pick up a cigarette. But if for some reason a person continues to smoke, the body gradually gets used to nicotine.
During the first months smoking is a pleasure. Within 10 minutes after the first puff, certain processes occur in the body. The production of adrenaline increases, the person begins to feel euphoria, the speed of thinking and concentration increases and a feeling of calm arrives. But over time, the pleasure of smoking gives way to a real addiction. Nicotine enters the metabolism and the body gets used to this substance being constantly present in the blood. When the concentration of nicotine decreases, the nervous system signals that it is time to cool down. This makes you want to reach for another cigarette. The time that passes from smoking the first cigarette to nicotine addiction is individual for each person. Most of the time it takes a year or a year and a half.
Studies have shown that the psychology of nicotine addiction is different in men and women. Men smoke because they are used to it, they like to play with a cigarette in their hand and feel the aroma of smoke. The reasons for smoking in women are to enjoy the process itself. In addition, tobacco companies themselves encourage the fairer sex to start smoking, manufacturing their products in pretty packages with different flavors. In a circle of smoking friends, a girl with a cigarette and a glass of wine feels supported, there is a desire to talk, to share her secrets.
Psychological reasons for smoking in adults and adolescents.
How many people, so many reasons. Teenagers often smoke because they feel pressure from their peers. A teenager wants to be like everyone else, to become "one of their own. "
Recruitment into a smoking group occurs among individuals who do not have an opinion. The same situation can arise in couples where one partner smokes and forces the other to join in, otherwise their relationship will end.
Another reason for smoking tobacco among teenagers is the sense of independence. Of course, this is an illusory feeling that allows you to grow only theoretically and only among your peers.
Family relationships largely become a prerequisite for future nicotine addiction in a child. If one or both parents smoke, their children will most likely start smoking in the future.
Social networks, attractive advertising on the Internet and on television, bright advertising billboards on the streets - all this unconsciously pushes young people to smoke. Even out of curiosity, the probability that sooner or later you will smoke is above average.
The reasons for starting to smoke in adulthood are somewhat different, although in some cases similar to those of adolescents:
- "hyperactive disorder and attention deficit", which translated means the desire to take care of at least something. Some cope with the situation by going shopping, others by gnawing sunflower seeds, eating, playing computer games, etc. Smokers, on the other hand, keep their hands and mouth busy with a cigarette, they like to feel the taste of the smoke and the sensation that nicotine has in their body;
- nervousness. Stress at work or at home causes constant irritability. How to get out of the situation and calm down? For some, the only solution is cigarettes. Smoking outdoors or while drinking a cup of coffee becomes a kind of ritual. Of course, you can find many other ways to relax, but not everyone wants to do it;
- shyness and inability to communicate with people.. If a person is reserved by nature and does not know how to talk to strangers, then every pause in the dialogue becomes torture. Smoking in such situations is a kind of substitute for communication, a "plug" for pauses;
- weak will. Once you get involved in the process of smoking, you can become a real domestic drug addict. Weak-willed people, no matter how hard they try to get rid of addiction, cannot do it on their own. There are many reasons: I will quit smoking tomorrow, today I had a difficult day and a cigarette will not hurt me, I will finish the pack and definitely quit. You can't get by here without qualified professional help;
- misconception that cigarettes are not as harmful as they say. And if there are no risks to life, then giving up what gives pleasure is stupidity;
- problems in the family, at work, with friends, mental pain due to the loss of something or someone. Smoking helps you, at least temporarily, to escape the realities of life and immerse yourself in peace;
- loneliness. People whose only friends are cigarettes will not give them up voluntarily. With its help, the feeling of uselessness fades into the background for a short time.
Regardless of the reasons why they start smoking, people do not stop smoking. The desire to inhale the aroma of tobacco smoke goes unnoticed. A person, in most cases, on a subconscious level, reaches for a cigarette and each time becomes addicted to tobacco.
The psychological reasons for smoking are clear, but nicotine also causes addiction on a physical level. In addition to increasing the activity of brain receptors, the alkaloids contained in nicotine are included in all body systems. Already after the first cigarette, you begin to actively adapt to a previously unknown state. And soon, certain doses of nicotine become the norm for a person, and in the future they will need to be increased as the body's tolerance develops.
Psychosomatics of smoking
Scientific research has shown that the main reasons for smoking are psychological in nature. That's why it's much easier to get rid of physical nicotine cravings than to break them psychologically. A completely adequate person, if informed about the dangers of smoking and its consequences, nods his head affirmatively, but immediately lights a cigarette. Why is this happening? The answer lies deep in the human subconscious. Internal programs, no one knows how, are activated and become dependent, without asking permission.
Why can't a person, even with a strong will, quit smoking? He does it because he feels the desire. What made you start smoking in your youth now prevents you from quitting as an adult. And it is not a simple curiosity or a feeling of euphoria that prompted you to smoke. Now these are completely different reasons - psychosomatic.
Every time a person takes a puff of nicotine, he feels relaxed and relieved, but in no way enjoys it. All smokers have their own reasons for not quitting:
- In the morning, nicotine together with coffee helps you wake up and recharge your batteries;
- at a banquet, smoking after a glass of cognac allows you to feel a double dose of peace;
- in a moment of emotional stress, it is relieved with the help of a cigarette;
- Nicotine triggers mental processes (depending on the smoker).
Quitting smoking once and for all without the possibility of relapse is only possible in cases where a person has compelling reasons to do so or stops feeling the desire to inhale tobacco smoke.
Main reasons to quit smoking
The main reasons for quitting smoking usually include health problems. Second is the fear of destroying relationships and family. And only then it will be possible to develop a conscious desire not to ruin your health and not spend money on cigarettes. Among the main diseases derived from smoking are the following:
- problems with the heart and blood vessels;
- stroke;
- cancer;
- bronchitis;
- ulcers;
- emphysema.
Recurrences of pre-existing conditions may also occur.
Increasingly, crime chronicles contain materials about fires caused by cigarettes. For some, these are simply situations that happened to someone there and have nothing to do with that person personally. But when the problem affects family, friends and even neighbors, thoughts of quitting become closer.
In many countries, the government actively fights against smoking. For example, a law has been adopted according to which appropriate measures are being taken:
- prohibition of smoking in public places;
- increase the excise tax on tobacco products;
- labeling and images with inscriptions on packages warning about the dangers of smoking;
- "information attack" by the media, teachers, parents, company directors and companies;
- prohibition of advertising of tobacco products;
- punishment for illegal cigarette trade;
- Prohibition of sales to minors under 18 years of age.
For non-compliance with all these rules, various types of sanctions are provided, from fines to compensation for damage caused to the health of other people.
How to stop smoking?
Today there are enough ways to get rid of nicotine addiction, but the main thing is the desire of the smoker himself.
- Nicotine replacement therapy. This includes medications that contain nicotine in small doses, gum, patches, nasal sprays, etc. A person, using this or that product, continues to receive nicotine, but in its pure form, without harmful impurities and smoke. Thus, it is easier to quit smoking, since there is a gradual cessation of smoking without withdrawal symptoms.
- electronic signatures. The so-called nicotine inhaler generates conflicting opinions among experts. In fact, in most cases, addiction develops precisely because of the process itself, which relaxes the person on an emotional level. The use of electronic cigarettes imitates smoking, but without the consumption of carcinogens and tars that are harmful to the lungs. Furthermore, there is no tobacco smoke that negatively affects others.
- Coding. There are many private drug treatment clinics that provide services to get rid of tobacco addiction. There are three coding methods: hypnosis, instrumental and Dovzhenko method. With the help of hypnosis, a person receives information about the dangers of smoking and the consequences that may arise. Instrumental methods include acupuncture, which affects several nerve centers, and laser directed at different areas of the patient's body. The Dovzhenko method is the oldest method of getting rid of addiction. It consists of two stages. In the first, the smoker is informed about the dangers of cigarettes, in the second, an aversion to tobacco and smoke is instilled. The doctor and the patient decide which method to choose.
- psychological help. As in the case of coding, the psychological impact occurs within the walls of the clinic. Individual sessions and group training are held there. The help of specialists increases the chances of completely quitting smoking by one and a half times.
Nicotine addiction is one of the most common in the world. Along with this is alcoholism, drug addiction and gluttony. If a person does not realize in time the harmfulness of his situation, this will lead to extremely undesirable consequences.