According to statistics, 85% of smokers dream of quitting this addiction. This desire intensifies with age, when a person accumulates an impressive "bouquet" of diseases, and every visit to the doctor begins with the advice to quit smoking. However, is it possible to get rid of the habit of smoking on your own, and what problems can arise in this case?
Is quitting smoking dangerous?
It is widely accepted that a sudden cessation of smoking leads to an exacerbation of chronic diseases, the occurrence of heart attacks, as well as significant weight gain. This is also partly the case. A person with many years of experience in smoking may experience some discomfort when giving up a bad habit - this is due to the fact that nicotine is integrated into the autonomic nervous system and participates in the life process of the body.
That is why, with a strong restriction of nicotine, the body experiences psychological and physical stress. However, each person has individual characteristics, and the threshold for situational awareness is also different. Therefore, many people quit smoking "on the same day", but there are also people who cannot do this without the help of a doctor and the use of special means.
When a person is psychologically ready and wants to quit smoking himself, and his body has sufficient physical health, the process of adapting to life without cigarettes will go smoothly and imperceptibly. But for people who have smoked for more than 30 years, as well as the elderly, in poor health, it is better to seek psychological and medical support.
What happens if you quit smoking?
A person who quits smoking may notice noticeable discomfort. What exactly should he expect?
- It is possible to weaken the immune system, so there may be an exacerbation of chronic diseases.
- There is a cough, especially in the morning.
- There is an increase in weight. Most often this happens because a person replaces the habit of smoking a cigarette with an equally bad habit of chewing something. Therefore, if a person used to smoke 10-15 cigarettes a day, now it turns into 10-15 snacks, which, of course, is reflected in the figure.
- There may be bouts of bad temper and irritability due to the fact that you have to somehow limit yourself. Constant thinking about how not to detach often leads to distraction and inattention.
The negative effects can be significantly mitigated if smoking cessation is supervised by a specialist. The doctor can always provide the necessary psychological and medical assistance. Nevertheless, the main role in the process of quitting smoking is played not by drugs, but by a person's conscious desire to quit smoking. If he does it not of his own free will, but under the guidance of a doctor or at the insistence of his relatives, the process is different.
If a person himself is not psychologically ready for such an action, he will use any means: a nicotine patch, pills from candy, a quarrel or a promise. However, in the end, a breakdown will certainly occur, because the subconscious is constantly looking for a reason and an opportunity to smoke. A person is constantly in dissonance, and this situation depresses him psychologically. In this case, he just gets upset and comes to the conclusion that quitting smoking is extremely difficult.
How to quit smoking suddenly?
It is entirely possible to quit smoking abruptly, and it is much more effective than dragging on a cigarette over time. Such an approach requires will and a great personal desire. It should be noted that after an abrupt cessation of smoking, the percentage of relapses is very small, but with a slow and gradual refusal, some people return to an unhealthy habit. Therefore, situations are possible about which Mark Twain joked: "Quitting smoking is very easy, I myself have quit a thousand times. "
Tips to quit smoking on your own
- Keep a journal in which you write down each cigarette you smoke. Once a day (or every other day), shift the time to smoke the next cigarette by 30 minutes, then 1 hour, then 2 hours, etc. Thus, you can significantly reduce the number of cigarettes smoked per day.
- Buy cigarettes by the piece, each time reducing their number. Also buy less strong cigarettes each time. Gradually, the number of cigarettes will decrease, and their strength will decrease significantly.
- Collect smoked cigarette butts throughout the day so you can clearly see the damage you are doing to your body each day.
- Calculate how much money you spend on cigarettes per month, per year, all the time you smoke. Think about what you could buy with that money, as this is a clear example of the phrase "money out the window".
- Instead of a cigarette break, eat an apple, drink strong tea without sugar or mineral water with lemon, walk down the street, do some exercises - this will only benefit your figure and yourhealth, and certainly will not contribute to the appearance of extra pounds.