Hello my dear readers! Oh, how many packs of cigarettes smokers smoked, whose boxes read: "The Ministry of Health warns: smoking is dangerous to health! " So what? How many smokers paid attention to this inscription? Maybe someone did. But did you quit smoking? Barely! But how to quit smoking on your own, once and for all, is a question that many ask themselves, since other methods do not help them. And can you quit altogether? This is what will be discussed today.
How smoking affects health
70% of smokers dream of quitting this bad habit, 80% of them have tried repeatedly, but have not been able to quit. According to statistics, more than 200 thousand people die annually from diseases caused by smoking.
Statistics on smoking say that 96-100% of smokers suffer from lung cancer, because tobacco smoke contains substances that cause mutations in the p53 gene; 75% suffer from chronic bronchitis and almost 25% suffer from heart disease. Unfortunately, mortality from this addiction increases every year. For example, before 26% of regular cigarette smokers die each year due to smoking. Many of them could have extended their lives by 20 years if they had stopped smoking 5 years ago.
What systems and organs are affected by smoking?
- Respiratory system: lung cancer, tongue and upper respiratory tract, bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive bronchitis;
- Cardiovascular system: ischemic heart disease, angina pectoris and myocardial infarction, obliterative endartaritis and atherosclerosis of the vessels of the lower extremities;
- Gastrointestinal tract: gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer, gastritis;
- Central and peripheral nervous system: neurosis, headaches, memory impairment, neuritis, polyneuritis, radiculitis, a smoker with many years of experience becomes irritable and quarrelsome;
- Vision: visual acuity decreases, color perception changes, the probability of developing glaucoma increases;
- Hearing: hearing acuity gradually decreases due to changes in the eardrum, mobility of the auditory ossicles decreases;
- Taste: taste diminishes and distorts;
- Odor: bad smell;
- Fertility decreases in women, men are more prone to impotence.
Dear smokers, have you ever thought about the harm that secondhand smoke causes to the people around you? It is especially dangerous for pregnant women. And a disease like COPD can be fatal.
Smoking dependency
The pharmaceutical industry offers many different types of plasters, gum and other products. But even this won't be enough if you don't understand this problem "at the root". There are 2 types of nicotine addiction: physical and psychological.
Physical dependence is the body's need for the next dose of nicotine. Very often, stress, irritation, bad mood, fatigue "grab" a cigarette. The point is that the action of nicotine causes the adrenal glands to secrete the stress hormones adrenaline and norepinephrine. These hormones, to some extent, have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system, forcing an increased heart rate, increasing blood pressure, and improving the smoker's mood.
Psychological addiction is considered more complex. Even if you realized that you managed to cope with the physical addiction and got over yourself without smoking another cigarette, then with the next stress or being in the company of the same smokers, it will be much more difficult for you to overcome in the irresistible needto smoke a cigarette.
How to quit smoking
To overcome cravings, of course, you need strong motivation and strong desire. I will give you a comment on my article "Are pregnancy and smoking compatible? "
I will tell you from my own experience that you can quit smoking if you have this wish yourself, took it and quit, just like with alcohol, no coding and treatment will help you, only you and willpower. I tried everything, just a waste of time and money, all these coding and different methods, this is just self-deception and yes self-deception can also have a result.
And I'll tell you what about motivation using my husband's example. He smoked a lot with me and it happened when he smoked almost 2 packs of cigarettes a day. In the workshop where he worked he relieved his work stress with a cigarette, in the forest while he hunted or fished, he saved himself from mosquitoes with cigarette smoke. In general, he smoked before a disease like obliterating endarteritis. What kind of disease is this, I wrote in detail in this article. Smokers read, don't be lazy.
The main cause of this disease is smoking, and gangrene is a formidable complication. When I told my husband that if he didn't quit smoking then he would have to move on crutches in the lumpy forest. Will it be comfortable for you to walk through the forest like this? And he simply cannot live without a forest. This was a great motivation for him. Stop smoking, he hasn't smoked for a year and a half.
How to quit smoking quickly and easily? What can be done?
It is easier to overcome physical addiction. This can be overcome with the help of medications: valerian tinctures, motherwort, or other sedatives. Aromatherapy with bergamot, geranium, orange, basil oil discourages the urge to smoke.
Psychological cravings are much harder to overcome, but you can fool them by replacing regular cigarettes with new ones.
- E-cigarettes: They create the illusion of smoking a normal cigarette, but these cigarettes do not contain dangerous compounds: benzopyrene, ammonia, various resins and arsenic compounds. The work of electronic cigarettes resembles a normal inhaler, in which the cartridges change from weak to heavy in terms of the amount of nicotine content. In this case, you can gradually reduce the dose of nicotine, thereby reducing the craving for nicotine.
Acupuncture, hypnosis, and coding can help you quit smoking. But you have to admit that if you have a strong motivation for it, it is very possible that you will quit smoking on your own and at home. Try these methods first.
What else will help you quit smoking?
How to quit on your own if there is no willpower? Of course, the example of others is important. Maybe there are people in your environment who also want to get rid of this bad habit. So why don't you join this noble cause? Here are some tips to help you:
- Tell your loved ones your intention, they will definitely support you in this matter.
- Give up cigarette buddies: coffee and alcohol.
- Foods on quit days should be light and include only plant-based foods.
- You can quit immediately, but this is more difficult, but more effective and more accurate. To make it easier to get through this stage, you can reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke each day.
- Drink a glass of water on an empty stomach in the morning. During the day, try to drink as much water as possible, it not only distracts you from the thoughts of smoking, but also allows you to better remove harmful substances from the body.
- Sunflower seeds or lollipops can be a distraction.
- Move the ashtray, cigarettes, and lighter out of sight.
- More outdoor activities, exercise, hobbies.
- On the invitation to smoke, respond with a categorical refusal.
- Join a non-smoking company. Avoid situations in which you have always smoked: do not go to the smoking room with colleagues, do not visit places where there are many smokers, at a bus stop, stay further away from people with a cigarette, remove the ashtray and cigarettes from the computer.
How to quit smoking on your own: popular methods
Popular methods tried by many people will help you get rid of nicotine addiction. Reviews of ex-smokers speak of its effectiveness.
St. John's wort tea. Put 3-4 stems of St. John's wort in a boiling kettle, let it steep during the day instead of tea.
Plant leaves. Mix about 1 tablespoon each. fresh chopped horseradish and banana leaves. Chew this mixture 2-3 times a day for 5 minutes, swallow the juice and spit out the remaining leaves.
Filler cigarettes. This is the old way, when cut nails, crayfish shells, etc. were added to tobacco. Fillers should be dried, ground in a coffee grinder, and added to cigarette tobacco. Smoking such a mixture kicked him out of the smoking habit for life, causing severe headaches, nausea, and vomiting.
Rinse before smoking. If there is an intolerable desire to smoke, rinse your mouth with a solution of baking soda or sea salt - you need to dilute 1 tablespoon in a glass of water. soda or sea salt.
Lemon juice. Lemon juice can create an aversion to tobacco, the bitter taste of which will help distract from the idea of smoking. To do this, squeeze the juice from one lemon and dilute it in a glass of water.
Herb decoction for internal use. Take 100 grams of dried dandelion and banana leaves, pour 1 liter of milk and simmer for half an hour, then cool and strain. You should take 1 tablespoon. after eating. Such a decoction will help the discharge of phlegm.
Smoking a pipe. But instead of the tobacco filler, fill the pipe with a herbal filler made from equal parts European Clefthoof, Leopard Clavate, and lingonberry leaves. Smoke this pipe 2 times a day. Then drink 2 glasses of mineral water.
Conclusion
It is important to run out of cigarettes for a week, then it will be easier for you. And also count. how much money you spend buying cigarettes. I think the figure will impress you. This money can be spent on vacation or right.
Maybe some of you dear readers faced the same problem and have experience on how to quit smoking on your own, help smokers and share with your readers, maybe your advice will help you.