According to Mark Twain, a writer known not only for his works but also for his excellent sense of humor, quitting smoking is by no means difficult, he himself has done it dozens of times.
But seriously, according to sociologists' research, only 5% of those who quit smoking manage to complete what they first started. Others need 5 - 10 - 20 attempts.
But there are still functional ways to quit smoking forever, and if you show the will, then everything will definitely work.
Only people with very strong minds can say a resounding "no" to themselves and never smoke again. If the desire for smoking is very strong and your will is not enough, then you should seek help from a psychotherapist and do a few sessions.
Is there an easy way to quit smoking?
Many people, thinking about how to quit smoking, try to find the easiest way. Some people think about how to start smoking less, others decide to quit once and for all.
Unfortunately, only a person who has not yet developed an addiction can easily quit. Namely the one who smokes recently and little by little. Otherwise, giving up the habit will lead to unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.
The longer cigarettes have been present in a person's life, the more difficult it will be for him to quit smoking, even with the most decisive mood. Of course, the will and belief in success will positively affect the result, but they will not be able to cancel the negative reaction of the body to the lack of substances that have become commonplace.
So do not look for an easy mythical way. You need to try to find the one that turns out to be the most effective and comfortable in your situation and move steadily towards your goal.
Possible negative consequences of smoking cessation
Once they have decided to quit smoking, many people think about how to do so without harming their health. Some prefer a cardinal approach and suddenly give up cigarettes. Others try to avoid stress on the body and mind and quit smoking by reducing the number of cigarettes.
Each method has its positive and negative sides. In particular, the immediate cessation of smoking leads to the appearance of withdrawal syndrome, which is expressed by the following symptoms:
- dizziness, headache;
- cough (first dry, then with copious saliva), shortness of breath;
- increase in blood pressure;
- arrhythmia;
- sleep disorders (insomnia at night and drowsiness during the day);
- digestive disorders;
- weakening of immunity as a result of frequent colds;
- irritability, irritability;
- lethargy, apathy, depression;
- emotional instability;
- decreased performance, deteriorating concentration, lethargy.
Signs can appear in any combination and continue with varying degrees of severity. It all depends on the experience of the smoker and the individual characteristics of the organism. The hardest part is in the first week. Further, with cleansing of the body, the symptoms will disappear.
How to overcome withdrawal symptoms and not start smoking again?
Withdrawal syndrome is different for people. But even those with severe symptoms should know that this condition is temporary and will pass fairly quickly, even if it seems that every day just gets worse and improvement will never come.
Important!The main thing in the initial stage is to be patient and in no case try to improve your condition with another "last" cigarette.
There are many recommendations on how to spend the first few days after quitting smoking and stop smoking.
- One of the main conditions is the lack of provocative factors. Anything reminiscent of a bad habit should be removed. Cigarette packs, lighters, ashtrays should disappear from sight.
- Motivation is very important. By understanding why you quit smoking and what the positive aspects are of quitting addiction, it is much easier to survive temporary illness.
- Reading thematic literature or watching programs will help you assert the correctness of your decision and it will be easier to spend the first few days without cigarettes. Another functional way to replace the smoking ritual with another. For example, you can peel and chop an apple and then eat it.
- Helps to effectively cope with withdrawal syndrome from sports. True, this option will be useful at a later stage, when the health condition improves slightly. And even after that, you should not load the body right away. But classes in the pool, walks, bike rides, skates or skates will be appropriate. This method will not only help in psychological distraction, but will also contribute to the rapid cleansing of the body.
- According to experts, communicating with friends in adversity helps a lot. If you have someone with whom to discuss problems or just complain, then it will be much easier to quit smoking.
- Nutrition during the period of smoking cessation plays an important role. For example, tomatoes, eggplants and cauliflower contain negligible amounts of nicotine. Eating these foods can help reduce cravings for cigarettes without harming your health.
Effective way to quit smoking
It's hardly worth explaining to someone why it's worth it to quit smoking. Moreover, these explanations are not necessary for heavy smokers who have already felt the negative effect of nicotine on health and the body.
There are many ways to get rid of addiction effectively. This is the use of special medications that reduce the craving for nicotine and reduce the manifestations of withdrawal syndrome, as well as folk remedies and psychotherapeutic techniques.
Pharmacological agents
To quit smoking yourself, eliminate the desire for nicotine on a physical and psychological level and cope with the manifestations of withdrawal symptoms, medications help.
Three groups of drugs can be distinguished:
- Nicotine replacement agents. . . These are products that contain low concentrations of nicotine. They help you to gradually, painlessly, quit smoking. The choice is quite large, sweets, chewing gum, sprays, patches help to quit smoking easier. Types of smoking are very popular. According to some studies, the use of nicotine-containing drugs can help halve the intensity of withdrawal symptoms.
- Nicotinic receptor agonists.The active substance of these drugs acts on nicotine receptors. As a result, the mechanism changes and the person stops enjoying smoking, and in some cases begins to feel disgust for it.
- Sedatives and antidepressants.The use of this group of drugs is mainly aimed at relieving psychological distress, eliminating irritability and nervousness.
But experts do not recommend switching to e-cigarettes, which many consider an easy way to quit smoking. Such devices are also unhealthy and highly addictive. So the only result that can be expected is the replacement of one bad habit with another.
Non-drug techniques
Many methods of quitting smoking are not drug related. Different types of hypnosis are considered effective, which form a sharp negative attitude towards smoking in a person.
Various coding methods from smoking are also popular, among which the Dovzhenko method is particularly distinguished. Its essence is that a psychotherapeutic effect of a dual direction is exerted on the patient. This means that, on the one hand, smokers are taught a negative attitude towards smoking and on the other hand, they describe in ink all the advantages of life without cigarettes.
Traditional medicine plays a big role in quitting smoking. There are many herbal recipes available to reduce cigarette cravings and alleviate withdrawal symptoms. There are many recipes. The most popular are these:
- a decoction of unrefined oats;
- tea made from oregano, mint, St. John's wort and yarrow;
- a decoction of chamomile, valerian, mint, dill and cumin seeds;
- a drink with ginger and honey;
- a soothing valerian and mint tea;
- infusion of calamus root helps relieve the desire to smoke.
Here are some other tips to help you quit smoking:
- you should choose a specific date, and preferably at a time when important things and stressful situations are not planned (for example, exams, moving an important project or moving to a new apartment);
- avoiding coffee will greatly facilitate quitting smoking;
- take care of the availability of healthy foods (fresh vegetables and fruits, dried fruits, seeds, nuts);
- communicate your intent with as many people as possible, experience shows that the attention and support of outside observers significantly reduces the chance of a breakdown;
- install a separate application on the phone;
- find something of your choice that will take up all your free time.
Another option is to argue with someone for a good amount. In this case, the desire to get a victory will save you from falling. Some are helped by unconventional methods like acupuncture.
When should you see a doctor?
It is much easier to quit smoking with the help of a professional. A narcologist will advise on effective methods of quitting smoking and will help relieve withdrawal symptoms. Depending on the method of tobacco treatment chosen, you may want to consult a therapist experienced in the treatment of nicotine addiction, a neuropathologist or a psychotherapist.
In addition, you should consult your doctor in cases where the symptoms of rejection syndrome are very pronounced or do not go away even after a long time. And also if there is concomitant disease, then you should contact a doctor of appropriate specialization, for example, a cardiologist or pulmonologist.
Common Mistakes and Misunderstandings
Many who think about how to quit smoking once and for all make a number of mistakes that call into question the success of their plans. These include the following:
- the intention not to quit smoking, but to smoke less (practically no one manages to control the rate of cigarette consumption);
- indulging in the withdrawal process, for example, by allowing yourself to smoke a cigarette in order to calm down (this will negate everything that has already been achieved);
- switching to lighter cigarettes (in most cases it is only possible to achieve an increase in the number of cigarettes smoked per day).
In addition, many believe that they can overcome psychological dependence at any time, which means that they keep the situation under control. This illusion leads to the fact that a person increasingly falls into the power of a bad habit, damages his health and quitting smoking becomes more and more unattainable.
Conclusion
Everyone has their own way of quitting smoking. A method that has helped a relative or friend may not be helpful in your case. But do not despair, if there is a desire and perseverance, then there is a convenient way for everyone.
And to speed up the result and make quitting the habit more comfortable, you can use an integrated approach, combining several options.