There are dozens of ways to quit smoking. Former smokers are ready to talk about their experiences, psychotherapists offer courses and write books, there is evidence-based and semi-magical ways to get rid of cigarettes. We couldn't stay away either.
Are there ways to finally get rid of nicotine addiction? Yes they are. Thanks to them, you can live six months without cigarettes - just such a period is necessary to feel that addiction is over. Well, without strong motivation, as always, you can’t.
So, let's look at the most effective ways to quit smoking.
1. Take special medications
Long-term smokers will have to consult a doctor, because it will be difficult for them to cope with nicotine addiction on their own. After all, it is part of the blood, it participates in metabolism, and if it suddenly stops entering the body regularly, the person experiences some kind of withdrawal. There is anxiety, irritability, irritability, all the way to panic attacks. Therefore, it is still better to seek medical help. Your doctor will prescribe medications that will help eliminate or reduce the severity of the nicotine hangover.
Anti-smoking drugs are divided into three groups. The first acts as a substitute for nicotine, because these tablets contain nicotine or the alkaloid cytisine, which acts in a similar way on the body. They irritate nicotine receptors, causing the development of reactions, such as smoking. Thus, a person does not develop abstinence syndrome, or, most importantly, does not inhale cigarette smoke that contains an incredible amount of dangerous substances. The disadvantage of tablets is that they remain nicotine dependent, albeit in small doses.
Drugs of the second group act on those parts of the brain in which the craving for cigarettes is formed. And the tablets of the third group, by binding to nicotine receptors, block the occurrence of reactions due to which a person experiences the pleasure of smoking and cause disgust towards this process.
2. Use patches and nicotine gum
The patch and nicotine chewing gum also help alleviate the severity of the nicotine hangover during the period of quitting cigarettes. They supply the body with a minimal amount of nicotine and the person functions more or less normally. But the insidiousness of these drugs, as well as the drugs of the first group, is that when a smoker gets rid of cigarettes, he will have to get rid of their substitutes.
3. Get hypnosis or coding
These methods of resisting a bad habit are not officially recognized by medicine, but they work. If you decide to try hypnosis or psychological coding, contact a specialized clinic. You will receive counseling and therapy.
How does it look like? The psychotherapist puts the patient into a hypnotic trance and encourages him to stop smoking. However, the psychotherapeutic effect is carried out without hypnosis. The main thing at the same time is to remember that no proposal will help if you do not decide to part with a cigarette. Hypnosis can simply boost motivation.
If you can not cope with the desire to smoke and break the coding, it is recommended to see a doctor immediately. This will improve encoding or remove received settings.
4. Apply for acupuncture
By affecting certain points on the body, doctors have been treating many diseases for more than a millennium, including smoking. At certain points on the ears, the doctor inserts special needles and the person stops feeling the need for nicotine. One or two sessions are enough for some, and six for others. An effective method, however, is not suitable for those who are afraid of injections.
5. Turn to traditional medicine
There are many recipes of traditional medicine that get rid of addiction. Here is one of them, very effective. Soak a cigarette in milk, dry it and smoke. This is such a disgusting thing that it discourages the desire to smoke forever, moreover, the very thought of a cigarette can cause an attack of nausea.
Most effective in the fight against plantain smoking. Prepare an infusion of it: one tablespoon. l. crushed leaves, pour a glass of boiling water and leave for an hour. Drink a quarter cup four times a day or twice a day: morning and evening, half a glass.
Mix 1 tbsp. l. fresh horseradish and plantain leaves large. Chew the mixture 2 times a day for 5 minutes and swallow the juice.
Prepare a decoction of oats: two tablespoons. l. boil a glass of boiling water, bring to a boil and leave for an hour. After that, strain and drink 0. 4 cups 4-5 times a day for a month and a half. Treat the gastrointestinal tract at the same time.
All sorts of conspiracies and prayers work well for unfortunate smoking lovers. And you can find a folk healer even in a big city.
6. Work hard
According to psychologists, hard work, busyness, urgent work help to overcome the craving for smoking. The person moves on to the project, all thoughts are only on him, and the number of cigarettes smoked decreases sharply, or even disappears completely. After all, there is simply no time to go to the smoking room. And to improve the effect of this method, it is worth getting a job in a company where smoking is generally prohibited.
7. Exercise
During sports, as with any other physical activity, the body begins to actively secrete hormones of pleasure - endorphins. They evoke a sense of satisfaction and thus help to overcome the discomfort associated with smoking cessation. Therefore, it is worth applying for a gym or aerobics. While running at a moderate pace, brisk walking or cycling also help relieve stress. If you want to smoke - wear sneakers and go ahead. You'll be "released" in fifteen minutes.
8. Eat right
Spicy foods, alcohol, coffee and tea increase the desire to smoke, so give up these products during the nicotine withdrawal period. And here is a list of products that should be on the table all the time:
- Celery leaves - Reduces stress hormones.
- Citrus fruits and sweet peppers - due to the high content of vitamin C, they strengthen the immune system.
- Milk - According to American studies, a glass of milk drunk before a cigarette spoils its taste.
- Water - helps remove toxins from the body, including nicotine. A glass of water before smoking dulls the desire to smoke.
- Dark chocolate - increases the level of serotonin, which is urgently needed by a person who has given up cigarettes.
- Green smoothies - leafy vegetable smoothies contain a lot of chlorophyll, which helps remove toxins from the body.
- Herbal infusions - calm the nervous system, relieve anxiety, irritability, palpitations.
9. Get some privacy
Take a vacation and turn onto a beaten path where there are no shops or cigarette stalls nearby. You should know that there is no place to buy a box of cigarettes, you can't follow it for 50 kilometers. You live in such conditions for a month, but do not pretend to be fools, but do something useful. Dig up beds for neighbor's grandmothers or weeds, chop wood for them for the winter, pick up all the garbage in the area. . . Exhauste yourself physically, and the desire to smoke will disappear.
10. Read Allen Carr's book The Easy Way to Quit Smoking
This famous book has really helped many people. You can buy, download or borrow it from someone. The author of the book started smoking at the age of 18, and he stopped this harmful activity at the age of 49. After that, he founded the international network of clinics "The Easy Way", which helps to stop smoking with its method. Try it yourself, because if it has helped many, it will help you too.
11. Call a specialized center
There are special smoking cessation counseling centers (CTCs). By calling here and reporting your desire to quit smoking, you will receive concrete help from a psychologist or doctor. The doctor will tell you about the most effective ways to quit smoking, taking into account the general health of the candidate, and psychologists, for their part, will facilitate the process of quitting nicotine.
Whichever way you choose to get rid of a bad habit, remember a few more tips:
- do not smoke in the morning on an empty stomach - have breakfast first;
- do not smoke on an empty stomach - do it half an hour after a meal;
- smoke a strictly defined number of cigarettes for yourself: one hour after breakfast, lunch and dinner;
- if you smoke more often, drink water or coffee.