Probably every smoker at least once thought about the need to quit this bad habit, and every second or third try to do it. But attempts to "tie" are not always successful. Not everyone dares to quit smoking abruptly, and the consequences of abruptly quitting smoking can be unpredictable. Is it really so? Maybe just giving up cigarettes once and for all is much easier? With the question of why it is impossible to abruptly quit smoking, we will figure it out in this article.
Destructive nicotine
Everyone knows that smoking is unsafe, besides, the Ministry of Health does not get tired of warning about it. But not everyone knows what kind of harm nicotine and its decay products can do to the human body. What will happen to the body if you do not stop during the time? What are the consequences of disrupting the usual way of life?
Smoking tobacco products can become a trigger mechanism in the development of systemic diseases, many of which are fatal. A person who is addicted to nicotine has a shorter life expectancy for almost 10 years than his non-smoking peer. The harm of smoking is obvious:
- Development of oncopathologies. Smoking is virtually the leading cause of lung cancer. In addition, swallowing saliva containing nicotine breakdown products significantly increases the risk of tumors in the oral cavity, esophagus, stomach, and duodenum.
- Chronic lung disease. The well-known "smoker's bronchitis" can be complicated by such serious conditions as pulmonary emphysema, bronchiectasis, atelectasis.
- Violation of the cardiovascular system. An increase in the load on the heart, under the influence of nicotine, leads to tachycardia, hypertension, heart attacks. There is a change in the structure of the vascular walls, the number of atherosclerotic plaques increases, the risk of blood clots and vascular blockages increases. Obliterating endarteritis develops, leading to amputation of the lower extremities.
- Due to the narrowing of the vessels in the pelvic organs, various disorders develop, and premature impotence occurs in men.
- Due to the harmful effects of nicotine, retinal degeneration gradually develops, the optic nerve suffers, and the smoker risks permanently losing normal vision.
- In the same way, damage to the auditory nerve occurs and a destructive effect on the internal structures of the hearing aid. Also, taste and smell are dulled.
- The appearance of the smoker is noticeably deteriorated, which is especially pronounced in women. The skin becomes yellowish, premature wrinkles appear, lips turn blue. In the morning, you may notice that the facial skin is swollen. All this is a characteristic "smoker's face".
In addition, nicotine darkens the teeth and creates an unpleasant odor from the mouth.
How easy is it to throw?
The opinion of doctors about the sharp cessation of smoking is also controversial. Yes, you can suddenly quit smoking, and it really is much easier, but this is only if you are not a heavy smoker who changes cigarette after cigarette.
People with a smoking experience of no more than five years can suddenly quit smoking. This is due to the fact that during such a period of time the body has not yet had time to acquire a "bouquet" of chronic diseases and the consequences of refusal will not be very pronounced.
If a person who has been smoking a lot for a long time decided to give up the bad habit and stop smoking cigarettes, it is still better to do it gradually, since this is a very serious stress for the body, which can cause unwanted symptoms or exacerbation of chronic diseases.
Without nicotine constantly coming from the outside, the body must rebuild itself as quickly as possible in order to independently produce the required amount of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter with the help of which neuro-muscular transmissions are carried out. A smoker received acetylcholine from cigarettes, and after a sharp refusal with a long smoking history, a lack of acetylcholine can lead to irritability, memory impairment, lethargy, rapid fatigue, depression. It is for this reason that many cannot quit smoking, with a pause of no more than a week.
In addition, quitting smoking immediately and abruptly is very difficult psychologically, and morally unprepared people break down and buy cigarettes again.
The psychological side of giving up this addiction is of particular importance during pregnancy. The stress caused by the lack of nicotine has a heavy effect on a woman's morale, but the harm from smoking is much greater. Nicotine and its tar have a toxic effect on the child's body, can lead to the fading of pregnancy, congenital defects. Therefore, when a woman bears responsibility for one more life, it is worth making the right choice and quitting smoking abruptly, without prolonging this process.
Experiencing willpower
Is it possible to quit smoking abruptly? Quit smoking abruptly or gradually? What will happen to the body then? After a sharp cessation of smoking, a person is more acutely aware of everything that happens to his body, and the health consequences can be very different. Unpleasant moments and symptoms appear in his life:
Morning cough gets worse. This is one of the first signals of restructuring - the body is trying to cleanse the lungs, get rid of the toxic and harmful components of cigarette smoke, and get used to a smoking-free life.
General weakness and lethargy are the consequences of nicotine withdrawal, which can be expressed to varying degrees in different people. But they are necessarily present in the life of a person who has quit smoking. In addition to weakness, feelings of confusion, inattention and forgetfulness can be expressed.
With a long history of smoking, nicotine is so easily accepted by the body that metabolic processes are adjusted to its constant supply. Therefore, with a sharp cessation of smoking, metabolic processes, returning to the "unusual" habitual channel, can cause feelings of lack of air, sweating, dizziness, nausea, bradycardia.
When a smoker with a long experience has abruptly quit smoking, he has a psychological problem - there is a feeling of losing something very personal and important. Therefore, it is important to have the right attitude and, if necessary, work with a psychologist.
The only plus with a sharp throw is that after experiencing the consequences in the acute period, a person begins to intensely lose the desire to drag on a cigarette again. The opinion of people who quit smoking on this matter is determined - you need to quit smoking as soon as possible, and it is better to do this under the supervision of doctors. Even if at this moment you really want to smoke, you need to endure and afterwards the obsessive thoughts of reaching for a cigarette will appear less and less.
Nicotine withdrawal
If you quit smoking abruptly, a stronger and younger body will more easily tolerate a lack of nicotine, it will have short-term manifestations of the symptoms indicated above. But it is impossible to very abruptly quit smoking in elderly people, since their defense mechanisms are weakened and nicotine withdrawal may occur. Nicotine withdrawal symptoms:
- increased anxiety;
- uncontrolled outbursts of anger;
- severe irritability, intolerance;
- sudden mood swings with a predominance of bad;
- concentration disorders;
- insomnia;
- a constant feeling of hunger that cannot be satisfied.
The state of nicotine withdrawal can be dangerous to health, the stress experienced by the body is especially pronounced on the second or third day of refusal and, especially if the smoker is a heart, requires medication. Therefore, it is harmful to quit smoking abruptly.
Slowly but surely
When you quit smoking gradually, there are no severe symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. The level of nicotine decreases gradually, day by day, cigarettes gradually fade into the background, and then disappear from life forever. This method of refusal is good with a long smoking experience, but it has a significant drawback - when quitting smoking cigarettes gradually, a person will still experience craving for nicotine for a very long time, it will begin to weaken in months. In addition, if you do not quit smoking abruptly, all of the above problems will not be relevant for you.
You can cope with the bad habit of smoking, the main thing is to have the desire and tune in to success. If you don't have enough willpower to put the pack of cigarettes aside forever, you can use a nicotine patch. To avoid the temptation to reach for a cigarette, remove all lighters and ashtrays from the house, replace them with vases of candy.
If people smoke in your company, and it is very difficult to cope with the urge to smoke, try to deceive your subconscious mind - drink any drink through a straw.
Drink green tea more often - it will help to quickly remove toxins from the body, which means that the period of "withdrawal" will be less pronounced.
And, of course, if you decide to quit smoking not abruptly, start playing sports. Active movement and sufficient muscle load will weaken the craving for nicotine, prevent weight gain, improve your well-being, and lift your mood.