According to statistics, 85% of smokers dream of quitting this addiction. This desire intensifies with age, when an impressive "bouquet" of diseases accumulates in a person, and every visit to the doctor begins with the advice to stop smoking. However, is it possible to get rid of smoking habits on your own and what problems can arise in that case?
Is quitting dangerous?
It is widely believed that abrupt cessation of smoking leads to worsening of chronic diseases, heart attacks, as well as a significant increase in body weight. Partly so. A person with many years of experience of smoking can feel weak when he leaves a bad habit - this is due to the fact that nicotine is built into the autonomic nervous system and participates in the life process of the body.
Therefore, with a sharp restriction of nicotine, the body experiences mental and physical stress. However, each person has individual characteristics, and the threshold for perceiving the situation is also different. So, there are many who stopped smoking "on the same day", but there are also those who cannot do it without the help of a doctor and the use of special means.
When a person is mentally ready and wants to quit smoking on his own, and the body has enough physical health, the process of adapting to a life without cigarettes will pass easily and imperceptibly. But for people who have smoked for more than 30 years, as well as for the elderly with poor health, it is better to use psychological and medical support.
What happens if you stop smoking?
A person who quits smoking may notice a noticeable weakness. What exactly should he expect?
- It is possible to weaken the immune system, so it can worsen chronic diseases.
- Coughing occurs, especially in the morning.
- There is an increase in weight. This is most often due to the fact that 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 picture.
- An attack of bad mood and irritability can occur due to the fact that you have to limit yourself in some way. Constantly thinking about how not to freak out often leads to distraction and inattention.
Adverse effects can be significantly mitigated if smoking cessation is monitored by a specialist. The doctor can always provide the necessary psychological and medical assistance. But still, the main role in the process of quitting smoking is not played by drugs, but by a person's conscious desire to quit smoking. If he does it not of his own free will, but on the doctor's instructions or at the insistence of relatives, the process is different.
If the person himself is not mentally ready for such an action, he will use any means: nicotine patch, candy pills, quarrel or promise. However, in the end, there will definitely be a breakdown, because the subconscious is constantly looking for a reason and opportunity to smoke. The man is constantly in disarray, and this situation depresses him mentally. In that case, he just gets upset and comes to the conclusion that quitting smoking is extremely difficult.
How to quit smoking abruptly?
It is quite possible to quit smoking abruptly, and it is much more effective than delaying parting with a cigarette over time. Such an approach requires willpower and great personal desire. It should be noted that after a sharp cessation of smoking, the percentage of relapses is very small, but with slow and gradual rejection, some people return to an unhealthy habit. Therefore, situations are possible that Mark Twain joked about: "Quitting smoking is very easy, and I quit a thousand times myself. "
Tips on how to quit smoking on your own
- Keep a diary in which you write down every cigarette you smoke. Once a day (or every other day) move the smoking time of the next cigarette by 30 minutes, then by 1 hour, then by 2 hours, etc. This way you can significantly reduce the number of cigarettes smoked per day.
- Buy cigarettes by the piece, reducing their number each time. Also buy less strong cigarettes every time. Gradually, the number of cigarettes will decrease, and their strength will decrease significantly.
- Collect cigarette butts smoked throughout the day so you can clearly see how much damage you are doing to your body on a daily basis.
- Calculate how much money you spend on cigarettes per month, per year, for all the time you smoke. Think about what you could buy with this money, because this is a clear example of the term "money in the water".
- Instead of a break, eat an apple, drink strong tea without sugar or mineral water with lemon, walk down the street, do a few exercises - this will only benefit your figure and health, and certainly will not contribute to the appearance of excess weight.