Today, they are trying to overcome nicotine addiction with the help of various tricks - electronic cigarettes, plasters, psychotherapeutic techniques. At the same time, many wonder how to quit smoking on their own at home and whether this idea is feasible, because over the years a real addiction to tobacco is formed not only in the physical, but also in thepsychological level.
The suffering of the smoker
Today it is difficult for enthusiasts to lift. The state, taking care of the health of citizens, has severely restricted the rights of smokers. And now, a large army of fellow citizens, addicted to tobacco, is forced to congregate in designated smoking areas, to leave the usual "smoking rooms" of the entrances, to suffer from "hunger" for nicotine when visiting various institutions. .
And then there is a new law on the way - it is proposed to ban smoking within 10 meters from the entrance, as residents of the lower floors complain about the penetration of tobacco from the street intothe locals, the residents. Can you imagine the picture - a respectable father leaves the house, runs 10 meters from the entrance, and hides in the bushes to smoke? There is one thing left: to smoke at home, that is, to endanger the health of loved ones.
In this situation, even an experienced smoker is thinking about how to break a long-term habit. As he pulls himself together, he remembers the amount of silver that literally dissolves in the air with tobacco smoke. After all, the price of a pack of cigarettes has increased several times over several years, and the quality of tobacco products has fallen in the same ratio and instead of the usual tobacco flavor of a cigarette today, he smells of manure. In addition, health fails - a dry cough in the morning tears the lungs, the pressure rises, and the heart pranks.
With a resigned sigh, the person decides to quit the bad habit. But how do you quit smoking on your own if there is no will and any stressful situation is unsettling? A real "withdrawal" begins, the hand itself takes a cigarette, and the body needs a "sedative" dose of nicotine, otherwise the surrounding people are forced to communicate with an inadequate person who reacts with irritation to any trifle. . In response, the lucky ones who have successfully quit smoking argue that motivation is the key.
Motivation to quit smoking
Many experienced smokers themselves understand that their addiction is not physical, but psychological. The cigarette gives confidence, helps to relax, to calm down, to reflect on their actions in stressful situations. The daily ritual becomes a habit and now a morning cup of coffee is unthinkable without a nicotine "refill".
At the same time, a person understands that smoking seriously affects his health, but he cannot give up a bad habit. Confidential conversations on this topic, requests from relatives, an example of friends who have separated from smoking will not have the desired effect until the person is aware of their problem.
Good to know You can only quit smoking when you want to! A person needs to independently motivate himself to fight smoking and come to an agreement with his subconscious, which plays a key role in the attachment to addiction. One example is the story of two men.
The first of them smoked for many years, automatically noting that after each cigarette smoked, a characteristic cough appears, in the morning the heart crashes, and viscous sputum leaves the lungs. Gradually, he began to realize that the smell of cigarettes and smoky clothes disgusted him. As a result, one day he just realized he didn't need it and quit smoking forever, and without the "withdrawal" and breakdowns that came with it.
Another successful young man, with 10 years of smoking experience, succumbed to the persuasion of his wife and the pressure of those close to him and made a firm decision to "quit smoking". He couldn't take a cigarette in his hands for several weeks, but as soon as he got to an event with alcohol, his subconscious mind lifted the restriction, and he rapturously smoked again and returned to his old one. habit until the next attempt to deal with the tobacco monster.
How to motivate yourself to quit smoking, which method is considered the most effective and will help to cope with psychological addiction to smoking at home? Consider the most popular techniques.
How to quit smoking on your own without pills?
To start with, you need the right mental attitude. If you're determined to give up a bad habit, try following 5 basic rules:
- Don't listen to advice on how to quit smoking gradually. Reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke will not solve the problem. It is necessary to quit smoking immediately, at a time, without stretching your decision indefinitely.
- Get rid of any items that remind you of an addiction - send the remaining cigarettes to the trash, remove the ashtray, lighter, matches. Wash clothes that smell of tobacco smoke.
- Reconsider your habits and be aware of the action associated with psychological addiction. If your morning cigarette was paired with a cup of coffee, replace it with tea. If a party with booze or socializing is unthinkable without the traditional smoke breaks, give them up for a while. Better yet, bet with your friends that you won't touch a cigarette for the next 10 to 15 years. Just put something really precious to you on the line.
- Do not succumb to provocations and the opinion of "knowledgeable" people who claim that it is impossible to suddenly quit an experienced smoker, as latent diseases will appear immediately. On the contrary, every day the internal organs and lungs will be gradually cleaned of nicotine and toxins from tobacco, which will improve the state of health.
- Motivate yourself to fight smoking, realize all the 'downsides' of a bad habit, make sure that the rejection of tobacco comes from within, it will help get rid of nicotine addiction insubconscious level.
The main stages of motivation are awareness of the harms of smoking and the degree of threat to one's own health, which can be strengthened by undergoing a full medical examination and watching videos about the serious consequenceslong-term smoking.
Popular methods of smoking cessation
So you've decided to quit smoking and are considering various options to help you get through a difficult time of blackouts. In this case, simple tips will help not to require a visit to a doctor, the purchase of drugs and special equipment costs.
How to quit alone for a man at home?
There are several popular techniques for developing aversion to smoking, one of them is called:
Four stinking breaths
- It is necessary to strengthen and fix the maximum sensations of inhalation of tobacco smoke. To do this, you need to inhale tobacco smoke and hold it in your mouth for at least 30 seconds, while performing chewing movements with your mouth closed.
- After half a minute, you can allow smoke to enter your lungs. In this case, there is an urge to cough. Don't resist it, cough.
- Using the same technique, take 2 more puffs while chewing the smoke and holding it in your mouth.
- For the 4th time, simply pull on the smoke-filled lungs, then cough slowly, contracting your abdominal muscles. Then, on the packet, write the time you took “stinky breaths” and stopped smoking.
If an unbearable urge to smoke occurs, repeat the process while chewing smoke and try increasing the intervals between these sessions. Soon the body will react to cigarettes with disgust, and the desire to smoke will evaporate.
Milk cigarettes
This technique creates a strong aversion to tobacco. It is enough to dip the cigarettes with milk or fermented milk drinks and dry them well. They taste disgusting, so it is impossible to smoke them for more than 5-7 days. During this time, a special reflex develops, which causes the rejection of any tobacco product.
Substitution method
It's a much nicer way to replace cigarettes with different tasty substitutes. As soon as you feel the urge to smoke, immediately put candy, chewing gum, a chocolate bar in your mouth, or munch on seeds and nuts. This method is more suitable for men, since it has an unacceptable side effect for women - weight gain. But in this case, you can avoid the appearance of extra pounds if you replace candy with natural candied fruits (for example, from pineapple) or dried fruits.
Pain stimulation
A classic bracelet can instantly bring a former smoker back to his senses when there is an uncontrollable urge to smoke a cigarette. Just click on the elastic of your hand and the thoughts about smoking turn into painful sensations. With strong motivation, this is a pretty effective way to avoid relaxation.
How can a girl quit smoking on her own?
Many psychologists note that women are much more motivated to quit smoking than men. And this is not surprising, because smoking affects the appearance in the most unfavorable way.
Teeth yellow from plaque, bad complexion, hoarse and smoky voice, the smell of tobacco from clothes and hair do not add charm to a woman. Such a lady would rather alienate a man than get his attention. In addition, nicotine has a very negative effect on reproductive function and can cause fetal abnormalities if a pregnant woman smokes. Therefore, women are much more successful in overcoming the urge of a bad habit and returning to a healthy lifestyle. What methods help them do this?
Nicotine patch
You can buy such a patch at any pharmacy. It is glued to the forearm or the outside of the thigh. They change files every day. The nicotine from the patch penetrates the skin and deceives the body, suppressing the desire to smoke. On average, the duration of treatment lasts about a month; each week the nicotine concentration should be reduced. For the same purpose, you can switch to nicotine chewing gum, herbal cigars and similar substitutes.
Electronic cigarettes
For many, it is vaporizers (electronic cigarettes) that have become a real salvation from nicotine addiction. It's even fashionable to be a vaper now. Instead of tobacco, these devices contain a special liquid that evaporates from the surface of the heating element and turns into a cloud of aromatic vapor that resembles tobacco smoke. This is a real find for a smoker with a strong psychological addiction, since all the signs of smoking remain, but without the harmful component of nicotine.
Tablets and drops
Nicotine cravings can be relieved with medication. For this, take Tabex or Nicorette tablets. The dosage of drugs and the duration of treatment should be determined by the doctor. These drugs gradually reduce the urge to smoke and form an aversion to nicotine.
Another drug, Tabamex, has recently entered the pharmaceutical market. This innovative drug against nicotine addiction is available in the form of drops and gel. For many smokers, the drug has become a real lifeline that discourages the desire to smoke without the side effects that come with it - weight gain or mental instability.
The preparation contains a complex of vitamins and extracts of medicinal plants, the action of which is aimed at reducing the need for nicotine. Users note that taking the drops almost immediately discourages the urge to smoke, and the gel removes yellow plaque on the teeth and eliminates the smell of tobacco. One treatment is enough to achieve the desired effect. So far, you can only order the drug from the manufacturer's website, it is not sold in pharmacies.
Acupuncture
Psychological dependence on nicotine is formed at the level of the reflex, fixed in the cerebral cortex. During the acupuncture procedure, the reflexologist acts on certain points which interrupt the chain of impulses going to the brain and thus suppress the urge to smoke. After only a few sessions, a person stops feeling hungry for nicotine and can quickly get over the addiction.
Neurolinguistic programming method
Judging by reviews, this is one of the most effective methods, but only if the person himself has decided to quit smoking, and the procedure is carried out by a professional practicing this method. In fact, it is ordinary hypnosis that reprograms consciousness. As a result, negative attitudes turn into positive ones, and a person gives up a habit that is harmful to health.
Of course, all of the above techniques are suitable not only for women, but also for men. In addition to these options, a variety of folk remedies can be used to help relieve cravings for nicotine.
Folk recipes
To reduce tobacco addiction, herbalists suggest using the following recipes:
Oats
Old grandfather's way of mixing tobacco with dried, powdered oats helps fight tobacco addiction well.But today, no one smokes hand-rolled cigarettes, and pouring the tobacco from a cigarette, mixing it with the desired ingredient, and then filling the shells is a long and dreary process. Therefore, it is better to use a decoction of oats. To prepare it, grind the oat grains and add 1 tbsp. l. powder in a glass with cool boiled water. Leave the composition to infuse overnight, boil in the morning, strain and drink instead of tea.
Anti-smoking gum
Peel, chop and mix the fresh horseradish root with an equal amount of chopped plantain leaves. Then pour this mixture into your mouth and chew. The released juice must be swallowed and the dry residue must be spat out. This way you can drown out the urge to smoke and prevent relapses. For the same purpose, you can use branches of cherry, black currant, ginger root or calamus.
Rinses
Mouthwash with soda or saline solution is recommended to combat nicotine cravings in the first few days of quitting smoking. As soon as there is an irresistible urge to smoke, you need to rinse your mouth with a solution prepared in the amount of 1 tbsp. soda or salt in 200 ml of lukewarm boiled water.
The benefits of life without cigarettes
When you quit smoking the first week is the hardest thing to do, and then it will be much easier. With cigarette smoke, the ailments will go away, health, mood will improve and soon you yourself will notice the following positive results:
- a smoker's breathlessness and dry cough go away;
- free breathing will return, the lungs will be cleansed of toxic substances;
- the risk of cardiovascular and oncological diseases will be significantly reduced;
- chronic pathologies of the upper respiratory tract will disappear;
- the functions of the immune system are normalized, the body's defenses are restored;
- the mood will increase, the nervous system will be strengthened;
- the condition of complexion, skin and hair will improve;
- slab of yellow tobacco will brighten your teeth;
- efficiency and mental activity will increase, as the brain will not suffer from hypoxia;
- the unpleasant tobacco smell of clothes will disappear;
- and finally, a significant saving in the family budget will be a nice bonus.
For the sake of this list of benefits, it is worth considering quitting smoking. In addition, a healthy lifestyle, snow-white smiles, a fresh complexion and other evidence of excellent health are all the rage, which is absolutely incompatible with smoking.
Reviews of smoking cessation methods
Revision # 1
Smoked for over 20 years, smoked his first cigarette as a teenager. At that time, cigarettes were for me a symbol of independence, they gave me authority in the eyes of others. Over the years, the health problems started, the young people left, but the habit stuck. When the doctors warned that there were blood vessel issues and it could all end in a stroke, I seriously thought about quitting.
I have tried many remedies - from nicotine patches and pills to e-cigarettes, but have consistently failed. In the end, the remedy for smoking cytisine helped me. Since he cut. Now even the smell of cigarettes is disgusting.
Revision # 2
Quit smoking two years ago. By this time my wife and I were expecting our first child and she just couldn't stand the smell of tobacco. Even though I immediately used toothpaste, my clothes and hair were still soaked in smoke. I myself have long thought about how to say goodbye to a bad habit.
In the end, I just gave myself a set of instructions, but didn't stop abruptly, but gradually reduced the number of cigarettes smoked. When I had 2 a day, I noticed that I hardly felt like smoking. And there was no time for smoking breaks - work, part-time jobs, family, little kid. As a result, I just forgot about the cigarettes and now I am absolutely indifferent to smoking.