Most countries have been actively fighting smoking and promoting a healthy lifestyle for several years.
Smoking bans in public places help motivate people to get rid of this addiction forever. However, for many heavy smokers, this is not an obstacle. Although many of them are already looking for a way to quit smoking effectively and quickly on their own, and this is good news. Unfortunately, scientists to this day have not developed a method for natural smoking cessation without psychological suffering, but have come close to making it as easy as possible to part with a cigarette.
Body Needs
While smoking, the body experiences a lack of important trace elements and vitamins that need to be replenished, preferably in a complex manner, but some food groups should be given special attention.
It has long been known that smokers excrete large amounts of vitamin C from the body, and nicotine helps replace it, therefore, when quitting smoking, attention should be paid to the intake of a sufficient amount of ascorbic acid. The diet should contain more foods that contain vitamin C - orange and lemon juice, currants, sea buckthorn, rose hips.
The craving for smoking is gradually decreasing, but it is worth paying attention to the functions of your body, since people with problems in the intestines and stomach should not overdo it with taking ascorbic acid.
Do not forget the fact that after making the decision to quit smoking forever, it is advisable to exclude some foods from the diet. These include products that contain caffeine - coffee, tea, coca-cola. Only caffeine removes a huge amount of nicotine from the body, and the body begins to demand replenishment of the lost.
Bad habits
Alcohol also stimulates desire. Therefore, if you are determined to quit smoking, limit the use of alcoholic beverages, and at first it is better to refuse altogether. The higher the degree of the drink, the greater the desire to receive a dose of nicotine.
Another important factor in the fight against addiction is the internal psychological attitude. Engage in self-hypnosis, analyze all the positive aspects of quitting smoking and the harmful effects of cigarettes on the body. This will be a good incentive for you to fight this harmful addiction.
It is worth noting that not everyone is able to quit smoking on the first try - this is completely normal. This is almost always a long process of working on yourself. Do not give up and continue to fight for your health, you are doing this only for yourself and for no one else.
13 actionable tips to quit smoking effectively
Find the most important reason.
To truly motivate yourself takes a strong, very personal reason. For example, unwillingness to spoil the health of their loved ones by secondhand smoke. Or a lower risk of lung cancer and heart disease, even a desire to look and feel young and healthy. The main thing is to really want it more than to smoke.
Prepare yourself before quitting smoking abruptly.
Just picking up and throwing away the last pack of cigarettes is not quite the right way. This can lead to the so-called withdrawal syndrome, when an abrupt interruption of a particular addiction causes a deterioration in both physical and mental health. It is prudent to first consult with a healthcare professional on how to mitigate the smoking cessation process.
Consider substitution therapy.
Of course, one would like to think that all that is needed is willpower, but in fact, the physical dependence of the body can be much more influential. There are special drugs in various forms, as well as techniques that will gradually reduce the amount of nicotine entering the bloodstream, thereby reducing the side effects of smoking cessation such as irritability, headaches, and the like.
Inquire about medication in advance.
Cigarettes just seem like an easy prank. Those who have smoked a pack a day may well need medication to relieve symptoms after abrupt withdrawal. This type of drug should only be taken as directed by your doctor.
Don't drop the support of your loved ones.
Share your intention to quit with your family. Warm words and understanding play a huge role in everyone's life, because it is much easier to control yourself and ignore the craving for a cigarette if there is such an incentive. Love and support can be even more effective than prescription medication.
Take a break.
Most smokers claim that cigarettes help them relax. In fact, this is not so, just for a smoke break time is allocated to rest, which can be spent profitably and without cigarettes. Therefore, quitting smoking, you need to set aside a period for relaxation. It doesn't matter what it will be filled with - exercise, listening to music or massage. The main thing is to show yourself that rest is possible without a delay.
Avoid coffee and alcohol at first.
In the minds of many, cigarettes are associated with alcohol and morning coffee. In order not to provoke yourself and not test your own endurance for strength, it is better to take a break from this as well. If smoking becomes a habit right after eating, then just find an alternative to this - brushing your teeth or a short walk, for example.
Get rid of smoking reminders.
When you quit smoking, immediately clear your home of ashtrays, lighters, and anything else that might remind you of cigarettes. Don't leave these little things in the car either. Everything must be cleaned and ventilated from the obsessive smell, otherwise the temptation will be too great to resist.
Try again and again if you fail.
Don't quit trying to quit if it doesn't work the first time. Analyze the situation in which you again took up a cigarette, and next time use this experience to avoid another breakdown. Set a clear date for yourself when you will try to quit smoking again.
Move more and more actively.
Sports activities help to distract from the thoughts of cigarettes, moreover, the hormones produced during them generally improve mood and body tone. And the result, visible externally, will be an additional motivation against smoking, which has nothing to do with the beauty and health of the body. If you can't go in for sports at all, then any physical activity will do - work in the garden or an active walk with the dog, for example.
Eat more vegetables and fruits.
Never go on a diet when you quit smoking. Psychologically, it will be much more difficult to cope if you deny yourself too much. To avoid weight gain while quitting cigarettes, simply replace snacks with baked goods and sweets for fruits and vegetables.
Calculate your benefits.
Besides the unconditional health benefits, quitting smoking is also cost effective. Calculate exactly how much money you will save by stopping buying cigarettes, lighters and ashtrays. Separately, try to estimate how much the efficiency of work with a clear schedule will increase without constant exits for a smoke break. Spend the money saved, finally saying goodbye to tobacco, on entertainment to reward yourself.
Remember, time is at stake.
It's hard to see exactly how healthy it will be to quit smoking? Then maybe a few numbers will help. It takes 20 minutes for the body to bring the heart rate back to normal after a cigarette. After one day without tobacco, the level of carbon monoxide in the blood will return to acceptable levels. After 2-3 weeks of quitting smoking, the risk of heart attack begins to decrease. And in the longer term - getting rid of the sword of Damocles lung cancer.
We hope you make the right decision in time, and our article will help you in deciding how to quit smoking effectively and quickly yourself. Be healthy!