There is a question that inevitably arises among those who will quit smoking, and this is the question of what to replace the cigarette with in the moments of longing for tobacco? If you hear different worshipers from a healthy lifestyle, then you may decide that if a person asks these and similar questions, it may mean that deep inside him he is not ready to part from smoking, he has doubts, whether for the need of it. , or for its strength. . .
But at the same time, it should not be forgotten that nicotine addiction in the form of smoking is not so much a physical addiction as a mental addiction, an unhealthy desire.
It is clear that when a person is deprived of something that has strongly entered his life and it is a reason to feel positive moments, then he begins to experience expressed anxiety, which then turns into the need to replace what isremoved.
Moreover, nature hates empty spaces, it must be filled with something. What will replace tobacco in your case? What can replace the bad smoking habit?
Advantages and disadvantages. . .
Today, smokers have no problem answering the question of how to replace cigarettes with cigarettes. Everyone can find something suitable for themselves, someone likes the so-called safe cigarettes more: electronic or without nicotine; others prefer cakes or sugar pills; for some, chewing gum or seeds are the way out.
But, unfortunately, all of these substitutes have their drawbacks: lollipop spoils teeth and figure, gum causes increased gastric secretion and e-cigarettes, and those without nicotine are not always effective for withdrawal.
What is the value of replacing cigarettes and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each "substitute"?
Cigarettes will replace lollipops
Many smokers who do not know how to replace cigarettes start consuming large amounts of lollipops, suction candies or pills. This helps to fight quite well the desire to smoke, the tablets act on the receptors in the mouth cavity and respiratory organs, replacing the cigarette to some extent.
Mint-flavored candies are especially effective - they reduce the urge to smoke, freshen the breath and contain less sugar. The popularity of sweets as a substitute for cigarettes is well-founded: they are not addictive and really help to cope with the urge to smoke.
But if you replace any desire to smoke with sweets, then the number of calories, as well as sugar, will exceed all reasonable norms, and consequently the problems with excess weight and impaired carbohydrate metabolism.
Chewing gum against cigarettes
Chewing gum can be divided into 2 major groups: common and specialized nicotine-containing gums. The first "work" on the same principle as candy: replacing ordinary smoking with another action - chewing.
But when choosing menthol or cinnamon-flavored gum, it should not be forgotten that constant chewing causes an increased secretion of gastric juice, which means that it increases the risk of developing gastritis and stomach ulcer. Nicotine gum contains nicotine and, while relieving withdrawal symptoms, does not cure smoking cravings.
The electronic cigarette replaces the ordinary
Electronic cigarette is considered today as one of the most effective ways to fight nicotine addiction. By completely copying the look of the cigarette and the lighting ritual, it helps fight psychological addiction and smoking habit, and for the fact that not cigarette smoke but steam enters the body, the damage to the body is minimized.
But, unfortunately, this medicine is also not a medicine for smoking, inhaling steam can not replace the feeling of smoking, and electronic cigarettes themselves are common. Today, doctors and scientists debate the benefits and risks of e-cigarettes, but it has already been proven experimentally: e-cigarettes replace regular cigarettes for those who want to quit smoking on their own.
Nicotine-free cigarettes - convenient and safe?
Nicotine-free cigarettes look and act the same as regular cigarettes, but their tobacco does not contain nicotine. Such cigarettes are a real alternative to the usual ones, but they are recommended to be used only during the period of quitting smoking. In fact, inhaling the smoke of a nicotine-free cigarette also releases carbon monoxide, benzopyrene, and other ingredients that are no less harmful to health.
Other cigarette "substitutes"
You can replace cigarettes with seeds, drink straw, chew on wooden sticks or eat a snack instead of a smoke break. But each method, in addition to its advantages, has many disadvantages, and if it is worth changing one problem to another, each smoker must decide for himself.
Is it worth changing one addiction to another?
When you quit smoking, you should not think about how to replace a cigarette, but do a "review" of the stimuli to quit smoking. And if an honest answer to the question "Why do I want to quit smoking" shows that the reason lies in everything but not in their aversion to smoking, then even with cigarette substitutes, quitting smoking may not be effective.
If the thrower finds something to replace the cigarette, then you should be prepared for the fact that there are no substitutes for the safe ones, which means that there may be problems caused by already getting a substitute.
Caramel or foods - overweight, chewing gum - digestive disorders, vegetables and fruits are also not harmless, even in amounts comparable to the number of cigarettes smoked per day.
Chewing on all kinds of sticks, from spruce to tree branches, is also not harmless. Matches are saturated with a combustible composition, which, to put it mildly, is not beneficial to humans, and tree branches can have side effects and simply be unpleasant to the taste.
In any case, it is important to understand that you should not chase two rabbits at the same time, and the damage from an extra candy and a pound of excess weight is no stronger than the damage from a day or two of smoking. And you do not need to rely on sweets for years after quitting - a week, two, and so on.
Depends from you! What do you want to get, a healthy life, albeit with minor complications in the first stage, or years of smoking?