Smoking has become a problem for many people. Most often, people aged 25-40 suffer from this addiction. The desire to be your own in the company, a false idea of the steepness of smoking, the myths that cigarettes calm the nerves and prevent you from gaining weight - these and other reasons lead a teenager or adult to be poisoned by tobacco products.
Some people want to quit smoking but lack the willpower or some information about really effective methods to get rid of nicotine addiction. Few people turn to a narcologist, considering this problem insignificant or unsolvable.
This article describes the most effective ways to start a healthy lifestyle by quitting smoking yourself.
Harms of nicotine to the body
7 million people die from the effects of smoking each year. Not only traditional cigarettes, but also their counterparts: vaping, chewing tobacco, hookah, e-cigarettes, snus and so on are harmful to the body. Passive smoking is no less dangerous. This is when a person stands near the smoker and inhales smoke. It is believed that in this way a person gets even more carcinogens from the smoker himself.
The most frightening disease that is directly related to tobacco consumption is lung cancer. It takes 250, 000 lives a year. If you smoke a small or 20 cigarettes a day, then the risk of dying at the age of 35-65 is doubled. Addiction negatively affects all organs, including the unborn baby of a pregnant woman who smokes. She may have a miscarriage, a premature baby or a child with pathologies. Bad habits are dangerous for the elderly from the development of circulatory disorders and cataracts. Passive smokers are also at risk, especially children. They develop diseases such as bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma. The fetus, which is in the womb of a mother who smokes, also receives toxic substances. In the future, he may suffer from SIDS - Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
If a teenager starts smoking, he may develop a craving for heavier drugs in the future. At risk are young people with low incomes, uneducated, nervous.
The main substance in cigarettes that causes the most damage to the body is nicotine. It is able to penetrate even chromosomes and cause mutations. If such a mutation occurs in the germ cell, future offspring will suffer, as many of them will have birth defects.
Nicotine begins its way into our body from the mouth and then enters the lungs. From there, it enters the bloodstream through the alveoli. After the first swelling, this dangerous substance appears in the tissues of the nervous system within 8 seconds. The concentration of this substance in the blood remains high for another 30 minutes. The vital organs take the blow: the liver, kidneys and lungs.
First the cells of the central nervous system are excited, then their suppression. Therefore, one must smoke again. One cigarette contains 2 mg of nicotine, and the smoker needs 20 mg to satisfy his needs. The person gets a short-term stimulating effect and does not think about the terrible consequences. There is no benefit from smoking, only harm. Nicotine forms blood clots and atherosclerotic plaques. All this leads to heart attacks, strokes.
Nicotine is addictive. Therefore, it is difficult for an experienced smoker to survive the withdrawal syndrome: irritability, insomnia, headache, fatigue. All this can last up to 2 weeks. Cigarettes serve as a form of entertainment for addicts. If they decide to quit smoking, they often do not know how to fill their free time and how to stimulate the brain.
Some people are not addicted to tobacco because the body rejects nicotine. Nausea and vomiting appear at the first swelling. If these symptoms are not ignored, then there is aversion to cigarettes. Others remember "pleasant" sensations in the form of relaxation, excitement, loss of appetite and continue to smoke.
In any case, the absorption of nicotine in the body does not go unnoticed. Diseases of one or more organs will occur. Even the bone tissue softens and osteoporosis occurs. The voice of smokers becomes low and hoarse, a chronic cough appears. Persistent stomach pain is also the effect of nicotine on the gastrointestinal tract.
Cigarettes and their analogues contain other harmful impurities that cause no less harm to the body. Acetoin causes diseases of the digestive tract and lungs. Diacetyl is used as a flavoring and causes chronic bronchitis. Acetylacetone is intended for the chemical industry. Using it internally damages the whole body. In addition to nicotine, cigarette smoke contains several dozen impurities, including heavy metals (lead, bismuth, polonium), poisons (hydrocyanic acid, cyanide, arsenic, formaldehyde) and others. Some of them can accumulate in the body, slowly poisoning it.
A person who smokes is easily recognized by yellow teeth, characteristic mouth odor, unhealthy facial skin, red eyes. If you look at his lungs, it will be a black rotten mass.
Anyone who thinks about their health or the people around them should quit smoking. Yes, this is not easy, because addiction develops quickly, but it is possible with some effort of the will. To do this, below are ways that should help you get rid of the bad habit.
Ways to quit smoking at home
A strong man or strong-willed woman will one day decide to quit smoking forever. The man smokes the last cigarette and no longer touches tobacco. The support of the relatives and the desire of the addict are important here. You can be rewarded for giving up a bad habit. For example, with the money that went to cigarettes, buy something nice.
If a person quits smoking, he needs substitutes. Such products can be seeds, lollipops, sandwiches, nuts. Naturally, all food should be consumed in reasonable quantities so as not to accumulate extra pounds or high sugar.
It is impossible to imagine a healthy lifestyle without sports. So you should try to devote all your energy and free time to useful exercises. Now a set of workouts is available to everyone, for example as a smartphone app.
If you cannot stop smoking immediately, you can reduce the dose day by day. At the same time, relatives should provide maximum help: do not stress, do not worry again, do not remind about cigarettes. One should have an incentive for a healthy lifestyle. Some will want to live longer and without disease, others will regret finances because tobacco prices are rising, and others will think of their loved ones who also receive toxic substances.
Smokers who want to quit smoking will find it helpful to read Alan Carr's book The Easy Way to Quit Smoking. It contains the author's own techniques. The basic idea is to get rid of fear and act decisively.
Proven traditional anti-smoking techniques
Cherry Cherry
Collect bird cherry twigs before flowering. Cut them to the size of a match. If you want to smoke, take a cherry stick and chew it. Then spit out this mass. The substances found in bird cherries cause aversion to the taste of cigarettes. Apply this method for 7-10 days and the desire to smoke will pass.
Air root
Calendula roots have a similar effect. You can buy from the pharmacy. This product can be swallowed instead of spit out. After the course there should be aversion to cigarettes.
Rinse Solution
If there is no desire to chew, you can simply rinse with the following solution: take a rhizome of calamus and mint in a ratio of 6: 3. Pour a tablespoon of the mixture into a glass of boiling water and insist. Rinse your mouth whenever you smoke.
Another solution for gargle: 5 parts wormwood, 2, 5 parts yarrow, 2, 5 parts licorice root. Pour a tablespoon of the mixture with a glass of boiling water and leave for 2 hours, then strain.
Herbal teas
Herbal teas can be used to soothe and detoxify. The cooking ingredients can be from your own collection or a pharmacy.
Recipe one:
4 parts hawthorn flowers, 2 parts valerian, 2 parts mint, 2 parts motherwort. 3 tablespoons of the mixture is poured with 0, 5 liters of boiled water and leave for 3 hours. Drink half a cup of infusion 3 times a day. Tea has a calming effect, has a positive effect on the heart.
Recipe two:
4 parts white rose root, 4 parts mother-and-stepmother leaves, 2 parts oregano. Pour 0, 5 liters of boiling water on 3 tablespoons of the collection, leave for 2 hours. Drink a third of a glass 3 times a day. The infusion calms the nerves and cleanses the lungs.
Recipe three:
4 parts valerian, 2 parts cumin, 2 parts chamomile, 2 parts hops. Pour 0, 5 liters of boiling water on 2 tablespoons of the mixture and insist. If it is a thermos, the tea will be richer. After 2 hours of infusion strain and drink one glass at night. This tea relieves nervous tension, helps to sleep well.
Effective medical methods to combat cigarette addiction
Ideally, anyone who decides to quit smoking should see a psychiatrist. The doctor will provide medical care, which consists of the choice of medication and psychological counseling. In particularly severe cases, coding is used.
There are products in pharmacies that are sold publicly and are designed to help get rid of addiction. You must follow the instructions clearly so that there are no side effects.
Pills
There are drugs that block nicotine receptors, helping the body to eliminate the poison faster. For example, nicotine medications should be taken only after consulting a doctor, contraindications are possible. After a short course of taking these pills, in most cases there is a complete cessation of smoking.
Modern smoking pills act on the brain and suppress the desire to smoke. It also relieves the symptoms that occur with withdrawal.
Nicotine patches
Nicotine enters the body through the skin in small amounts. It will help those who find it difficult to cope with addiction or cannot quit smoking at once. In the future, it is necessary to cancel the plasters themselves, thus stopping the persecution of the body.
Smoking sprays
Contains the same substances as cigarettes, but in smaller doses. But a person distracted from the sight of cigarettes then completely ceases to feel the need for them. In addition, sprays are expensive, which means you won't get used to them. This is a help in the beginning.
Nicotine resin
Contains a small dose of nicotine. Due to the unpleasant taste, it does not lead to addiction and gradually a person begins to feel disgust for all tobacco products.
Electronic cigarette
The only advantage of this method is that the environment is not poisoned by the smoker. One inhales vaporized nicotine vapors and thus avoids a sharp deterioration in health. Gradually, smoking periods should be reduced and then stopped altogether.
Hypnosis
When the cause lies more in the smoker's psychology, then hypnosis may be offered. This is one of the types of coding in which the patient is set not to smoke.
Exit
If a person finds the strength and quits smoking without aids, that's fine. The body will experience shaking, but you have nothing to worry about. Gradually, all vital functions will return to normal. When an experienced smoker cannot get rid of the disease on his own, a qualified specialist will come to his aid. The course of treatment is absolutely safe, and the reward will be excellent health and long life.