Tobacco addiction is a misfortune and a serious threat to the lives of many people. The love of cigarettes is an addiction, heavy and persistent, which subjugates the personality on a psychological and physical level. Many cigarette addicts tried to end it, but only a small part of them achieved the desired goal. After all, the struggle with any addiction is a real test of strength.
According to the results of the statistics, about 70% of smokers have a desire to give up cigarettes, and about 80% of this number have repeatedly made attempts to quit smoking. But what prevents 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 embark on the path of health and longevity.
Any smoker will always find a thousand reasons to justify his bad habit. The first step towards quitting nicotine, of course, is the awareness of the irreparable damage that smokers cause to themselves and others.
There are some tricks to help you quit smoking once and for all.
Why is it so hard to give up 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 should be looked for in the nuances of the physiology and psyche of the individual.
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 the smoking habit. 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 conversation, hard work, quarrels, frustrations, and just a desire to relax after a busy day - everywhere smoking helped to distract and relax. That is, cigarettes turned into a kind of ritual, without which a day of a smoker's life did not pass.
Addictive. The mechanism of habit formation is extremely simple: nicotine very quickly becomes an integral part of human metabolism. As a result of the regular intake of this supplement, the body stops producing certain hormones. They are replaced by a nicotine compound. For this reason, sometimes you so fiercely want to drag on - 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.
Quitting smoking: the beginning
All tobacco workers who want and dream of quitting cigarettes should understand one important and fundamental truth - you should not plan to part with cigarettes and set yourself an "X" date. In most cases, such a planned event is pushed back and disrupted. This is explained by ordinary psychophysiology.
Just to the thought that you have to quit smoking, one more thing will be added - regret about past fragrant times. 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 kind of addiction. In the event of giving up cigarettes, motives will become an important factor that will be able to 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 will be worth the time and effort spent.
Only motivation will be able to survive the first time of parting with cigarettes and help the body resist the desire to smoke that wakes up at times. Where can you find this motivation? For each person it will be individual. Here you can use settings such as:
- Saving money.
- own health.
- Already existing diseases.
- The birth (or presence) of a child.
- Unpleasant odors from clothes, body.
Helpful Tips
When psychologists explain how to help the body after quitting smoking, they always advise you to keep some rules with you. They should be known, remembered and carried out. They are especially important at the initial stage of parting with cigarettes, when the withdrawal syndrome awakens. These are the following simple recommendations:
- Don't leave yourself hungry. You should always carry nuts, crackers, dried fruits or seeds with you. So that they can always be used when the desire to smoke wakes up.
- Don't accumulate negativity. Try to avoid unnecessary stress, do not get into quarrels, conflict situations.
- Don't be alone. In the difficult first days, you should provide the support of relatives, relatives, friends to the maximum. Those with whom you can share about problems, talk about successes.
- Don't overload yourself. In the early 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 provide yourself with a good rest, but also not to forget about all kinds of entertainment that can distract the former smoker from the thought and desire to smoke.
Does replacement therapy help?
The withdrawal syndrome that comes after quitting cigarettes brings with it numerous physical discomforts and ailments. In addition to mood swings, weakness, nausea, symptoms such as:
- tachycardia;
- increased salivation;
- increased sweating (hyperhidrosis).
These conditions are extremely tiring, but they can be alleviated. And various drugs from the genus of nicotine replacement help in this. It can be patches, chewing gum, tablets, sprays. They are not always successful, but it's still worth a try, perhaps in this case they will be useful.
In the early days of quitting smoking, consultation with a physician is necessary. It is possible that the doctor will prescribe you more effective drugs that are available with a 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. When 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 it is for this reason (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 which 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:
- greens;
- 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 by such dishes as:
- kiwi;
- persimmon;
- plums;
- bananas;
- tomatoes;
- pineapples;
- citrus.
Bitter natural dark chocolate perfectly improves mood. Just don't get too carried away with them. It is too high in calories and "chocolate" love is fraught with a set of extra pounds. When planning a healthy diet, special attention should be paid to breakfast. It should be satisfying, consisting of energetically high foods. The list of energy products includes:
- eggs;
- mate tea;
- walnuts;
- seafood;
- apples and bananas;
- natural honey;
- pumpkin seeds;
- red meat (veal or beef).
Eating well, do not forget about physical activity. The period of parting with cigarettes is a great time to visit the gym, swimming pool. This will protect the former cigarette addict from gaining unnecessary kilograms and will perfectly distract from the obsessive desire to smoke.
Help from the People's Pharmacy
Various healers' recipes also come to the aid of the former tobacco addict. Among the people, there are many ways to help relieve negative manifestations and stop the 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 mass and take it with every desire to smoke.
- Grind oat greens (250 g) to the state of flour. Pour it 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 there is a craving for 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. 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 every desire to smoke. This herb will help develop an aversion to cigarettes.
- Grind the leaves of the plant and steam 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 of the received portion of the drink). Drinking 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 take 200 ml on an empty stomach 3-4 times daily.
Use of nicotine-free cigarettes
The use of these herbal smoking products can help to cope with addiction and cravings for smoking. By the way, such cigarettes have been known for a long time and have successfully established themselves as a reliable assistant in such a good cause.
Nicotine-free cigarettes have been known since ancient India. The mention of them has come down to our times in ancient Ayurvedic manuscripts.
Their main difference is the complete absence of nicotine in their composition. This harmful compound has been replaced by other components. In particular:
- various oriental spices: cinnamon, coriander, saffron;
- medicinal herbs: thyme, oregano, mint, motherwort, St. John's wort, horsetail, sage, eucalyptus.
Such cigarettes alleviate the unpleasant symptoms of withdrawal, relieve the psychological dependence of smoking. The quit smoker, using such cigarettes, successfully copes with nicotine withdrawal and helps to embark on the path of a non-smoking life. You can buy such products in large pharmacies.
Nicotine-free cigarettes are not harmful to health. Moreover, they also have some healing effect, having a beneficial effect on the central nervous system and the functioning of the respiratory system.
Summing up
Scientists, considering the problem of smoking, recognize that cigarette consumption is a delayed suicide. The negative, deadly effect on health accumulates over 10-20 years. Most experts consider smoking one of the most powerful drugs.
But there are so many wonderful, 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, needlework, yoga and more. Each of these activities is much better than smoking. Think about it!