Smoking is a misfortune and a serious threat to the lives of many people. Cigarette love is a serious and enduring addiction that subjugates the personality on a psychological and physical level. Many cigarette lovers have tried to put an end to this, but only a small fraction of them have achieved the desired goal. After all, fighting addiction is a real test of strength.
According to statistics, about 70% of smokers want to quit smoking, and about 80% of this number have repeatedly tried to quit. But what is stopping you from overcoming mortal addiction? What are the tricks to quit smoking once and for all? These knowledgeable and effective methods need to be known to anyone who has decided to embark on the path to health and longevity.
Every smoker always finds a thousand reasons to justify a bad habit. The first step to quitting nicotine is, of course, recognizing the irreparable harm that smokers do to themselves and others.
There are some tricks to help you quit smoking once and for all.
Why is it so hard to quit smoking?
But if we know how much smoking hinders our entire lives, what deadly diseases it causes, why can’t sometimes cope with this habit? The explanation for this should be sought in the nuances of the physiology and psyche of the individual.
According to statistics, in 2016, nearly 60% of men and 15% of women consider themselves heavy smokers.
Psychologists have long found an explanation for the persistence of smoking habits. And this is explained for several reasons:
Ceremony. For many people, a cigarette becomes a kind of lifesaver, a tool that can help you at any moment. Fatigue, tense conversation, hard work, quarrels, frustrations, and the mere desire to relax after a tiring day - smoking helped to divert attention and relax everywhere. That is, the cigarette became a kind of ritual without which not a single day of a smoker's life would have passed.
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. These are replaced by a nicotine compound. This is why sometimes you want to pull so hard - when your body feels the need for this hormone.
Psychology. This aspect is explained solely by the characteristics of the character. Incidentally, psychological addiction becomes the basis for the development of all addictions. And with exactly this feature, few know how to handle it.
Quitting smoking: the beginning
Every tobacco worker who wants to quit and dreams of a cigarette needs to understand an important and fundamental truth: don’t plan on getting rid of a cigarette and set yourself an "X" date. In most cases, such a planned event will be postponed and confused. This is explained by ordinary psychophysiology.
Just the thought of having to quit smoking comes with one more thing - sorry for the fragrant times of the past. And such a disagreement prevents us from turning to the "bright, smokeless" side. But the following nuances must be known and always remembered.
Competent motivation
A good motivational attitude is extremely important in the fight against addiction. Motives to give up cigarettes will become an important factor that will support the will and help us not to give up.
Competent motivation is based on the constant belief that quitting smoking has important benefits that are worth the time and effort.
Only motivation can survive the first separation from a cigarette and help the body resist the urge to smoke that occasionally awakens. Where do you find this motivation? It will be individual for each person. You can use the following settings here:
- To save money.
- own health.
- Pre-existing diseases.
- Birth (or presence) of a child.
- Unpleasant odors from clothes, from the body.
Useful tips
When psychologists explain how you can help your body after you stop smoking, they are always advised to follow a few rules. They need to be known, remembered and implemented. They are especially important in the early stages of smoking cessation, when withdrawal syndrome awakens. These are simple recommendations:
- Don't leave yourself hungry. Always bring nuts, biscuits, dried fruit or seeds. To be usable at all times when the urge to smoke awakens.
- Do not accumulate negatives. Try to avoid unnecessary stress, do not get into quarrels, conflict situations.
- Don't be alone. In the difficult first days, you should provide maximum support to relatives, relatives, friends. With whom you can share problems, you can talk about successes.
- Don't overload yourself. In the first days of smoking cessation, the body becomes stressed and should not be overworked. In such cases, it is important to ensure a good rest, but not to forget any kind of entertainment that may distract the former smoker from the thought and desire of smoking.
Does replacement therapy help?
Withdrawal syndrome after quitting a cigarette is associated with a number of physical discomforts and illnesses. In addition to mood swings, weakness, nausea, symptoms such as:
- tachycardia;
- increased salivation;
- increased sweating (hyperhidrosis).
These conditions are extremely tiring but can be alleviated. And the various drugs in the nicotine replacement genus help with that. It can be a patch, chewing gum, tablets, spray. They don’t always succeed, but they are still worth a try to see if they will be useful in this case.
You should see a doctor in the first few days of smoking cessation. Your doctor may prescribe more effective prescription medications for you. These can be various antidepressants that help relieve negative symptoms and relieve irritability.
You can also use other methods: acupuncture, physiotherapy, hypnotic treatment to help you quit smoking. Exactly what to prefer, an experienced doctor will give advice focusing on your initial health and smoking experience.
Healthy diet
Few know that there are products that are becoming excellent helpers in the fight against smoking. When choosing the right diet, keep in mind that nicotine triggers the production of "pleasure" hormones (serotonin and dopamine) in the body. These compounds give a person a good mood. And this is the reason (when there is no nicotine) that a former smoker faces:
- apathy;
- depression
- depression;
- Grouch;
- irritability.
And all of these symptoms are behind the slow metabolism. But such problems can be avoided if you know which products will help you quit smoking. Above all, in order to stop the unpleasant manifestations, it must be ensured that it is present in large amounts 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 the mood. But nicotine deficiency is successfully replaced by foods such as:
- kiwi;
- persimmon;
- plum;
- banana;
- tomato;
- pineapple;
- citrus fruits.
The bitter natural dark chocolate perfectly improves the mood. Just don't get caught up in them. It is too high in calories and "chocolate" love is full of extra pounds. When planning a healthy diet, special attention should be paid to breakfast. It should be satisfactory and consist of energetically high foods. The list of energy products includes:
- egg;
- mate tea;
- walnut;
- Seafood;
- apples and bananas;
- natural honey;
- pumpkin seeds;
- red meat (veal or beef).
Eat well, don’t forget about physical activity. The period of parting with a cigarette is a great opportunity to visit the gym or swimming pool. This protects the former cigarette addict from losing extra pounds and perfectly distracts from the obsessive desire to smoke.
Help from the People's Pharmacy
Various healing recipes are also available to help the former smoker. There are many ways for people to alleviate negative manifestations and stop withdrawal syndrome. Herbs and products with certain medicinal properties are used:
- Collection of catnip, dandelion and catnip. All herbs (1 tablespoon each) were steamed with hot water (200 ml) and placed in a closed vessel until cool. Filter the mass and soak up the urge to smoke.
- Grind the oat greens (250 g) to a floury state. Pour over hot water (500 ml) and bring to a boil. After 1-1. 5 hours of infusion, filter and cool. You should take 100 ml as soon as you crave a cigarette. You can add honey to taste.
- Dissolve baking soda (15 g) in warm water (200 mL). If you want to smoke, rinse your mouth with this solution.
- St. John's wort (25 g) was evaporated with boiling water (150-200 ml) and the composition was drunk throughout the day, replacing regular tea. St. John's wort contains soothing and calming ingredients.
- Crush the mountain roots and pour boiling water / (200 ml). Bring to a boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes. It is then left to stand for 1-1, 5 hours. You need to drink a decoction for every desire to smoke. This herb promotes aversion to cigarettes.
- The leaves of the plant are ground and evaporated with a glass of boiling water. Allow to stand in a closed container for 1-1, 5 hours. Then filter the mass and add honey (half the amount of the drink obtained). Such a drug should be taken for a month, only 2-3 sips a day.
- Pour drinking water on oats, barley and millet. Bring the mass to a boil for 10-15 minutes and let stand for a day. Then filter and take 200 ml on an empty stomach 3-4 times a day.
Use of nicotine-free cigarettes
The use of these herbal tobacco products can help you cope with addiction and cravings for smoking. By the way, such cigarettes have been known for a long time and have proven to be a reliable assistant in such a good case.
Nicotine-free cigarettes have been known since ancient India. Their mention dates back to the present day in ancient Ayurvedic manuscripts.
Their main difference is the complete lack of nicotine in their composition. This harmful compound has been replaced by other components. In particular:
- various oriental spices: cinnamon, coriander, saffron;
- herbs: thyme, oregano, mint, motherwort, St. John's wort, horseradish, sage, eucalyptus.
Such cigarettes relieve the unpleasant symptoms of withdrawal, alleviate the psychological dependence on smoking. An addicted smoker using such cigarettes successfully copes with nicotine withdrawal and helps them embark on the path of a non-smoking life. You can buy such products in large drugstores.
Nicotine-free cigarettes are not harmful to health. Moreover, they have a healing effect, having a beneficial effect on the central nervous system and the functioning of the respiratory system.
In summary
Scientists, considering the problem of smoking, acknowledge that cigarette use is a delayed suicide. The negative, fatal effects on health accumulate over 10 to 20 years. Most experts consider smoking to be one of the strongest 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 beneficial. Sports, hobbies, photography, cooking, needlework, yoga and more. Each of these activities is much better than smoking. Think about it!