There is a question that invariably arises among those who are going to quit smoking, and this is the search for what to replace cigarettes with in moments of craving for smoking? If you listen to various adherents from a healthy lifestyle, you can decide that if a person asks these and similar questions, then this may mean that deep down he is not ready to part with smoking, he has doubts, either about the need for this, or about his own strength. . .
But at the same time, one should not forget that nicotine addiction in the form of smoking cigarettes is not so much a physical addiction as a mental addiction, an unhealthy craving.
It is clear that when something is taken away from a person, which has firmly entered his life and is a reason to feel positive moments, then he begins to experience expressed anxiety, which is then transformed into the need to replace the taken away.
In addition, nature abhors empty spaces, it must be filled with something. What will replace smoking in your case? What can replace the bad habit of smoking?
Advantages and disadvantages. . .
Today, smokers have no problems answering the question of how to replace smoking with cigarettes. Everyone can find something suitable for themselves, someone likes the so-called safe cigarettes more: electronic or nicotine-free; others prefer lollipops or sugary pills; for some, chewing gum or seeds are the way out.
But, unfortunately, all these substitutes have their drawbacks: lollipops spoil the teeth and figure, chewing gum causes increased gastric secretion, and electronic and nicotine-free cigarettes are not always effective for withdrawal.
What is it worth replacing cigarettes and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each "substitute"?
Cigarettes will replace lollipops
Many smokers who do not know how to replace cigarettes begin to consume large quantities of lollipops, sucking candies or pills. This helps to fight the urge to smoke quite well, lozenges act on the receptors in the oral cavity and respiratory organs, to some extent replacing the cigarette.
Mint-flavored candies are especially effective - they reduce the urge to smoke, freshen the breath and contain less sugar. The popularity of candies as a substitute for cigarettes is well founded: they are not addictive and really help to cope with the urge to smoke.
But if you replace every desire to smoke with sweets, then the number of calories, as well as sugar, will exceed all reasonable norms, and hence the problems with excess weight and impaired carbohydrate metabolism.
Chewing gum versus cigarettes
Chewing gums can be divided into 2 large groups: regular and specialty ones containing nicotine. The first "work" on the same principle as candy: replacing habitual smoking with another action - chewing.
But when choosing chewing gum with menthol or cinnamon flavor, one must not forget that constantly chewing causes an increased secretion of gastric juice, which means that it increases the risk of developing gastritis and stomach ulcers. Nicotine gum contains nicotine and, while relieving withdrawal symptoms, does not cure smoking cravings.
The electronic cigarette replaces the usual
The electronic cigarette is today considered one of the most effective ways to combat nicotine addiction. Completely copying the appearance of a cigarette and the ritual of lighting, it helps to fight psychological addiction and the habit of smoking, and due to the fact that the body does not get cigarette smoke, but steam, harm to the body is minimized.
But, unfortunately, this remedy is also not a panacea for smoking, inhalation of steam cannot replace the sensation of smoking, and the electronic cigarette itself is ordinary. Today, doctors and scientists argue about the benefits and dangers of electronic cigarettes, but it has already been experimentally proven: the electronic cigarette replaces ordinary cigarettes for those who want to quit smoking themselves.
Nicotine-free cigarettes - convenient and safe?
Nicotine-free cigarettes look and act the same way as regular cigarettes, but their tobacco does not contain nicotine. Such cigarettes are a real alternative to the usual ones, but they are recommended to be used only during the period of quitting smoking. Indeed, when the smoke of a nicotine-free cigarette is inhaled, carbon monoxide resins, benzopyrene and other components that are no less harmful to health also enter the body.
Other "substitutes" for cigarettes
You can replace cigarettes with seeds, drinking straws, chewing wooden sticks, or having a snack instead of a smoke break. But each method, in addition to its advantages, has a lot of disadvantages, and whether it is worth changing one problem to another, each smoker must decide on his own.
Is it worth changing one addiction to another?
When quitting smoking, one should not think over how to replace a cigarette, but conduct a "revision" of one's incentives to quit smoking. And if an honest answer to the question "Why do I want to quit smoking" shows that the reason lies in anything, but not in their own aversion to smoking, then even with cigarette substitutes, quitting may not be effective.
If the thrower finds something to replace the cigarette with, then you need to be prepared for the fact that there are no substitutes for safe ones, which means that problems caused by the intake of a substitute are possible.
Caramel or snacks - overweight, chewing gum - digestive disorders, vegetables and fruits are also not harmless, and even in quantities comparable to the number of cigarettes smoked per day.
Chewing all kinds of sticks, from matches to tree branches, is not harmless either. Matches are impregnated with a combustible compound, which, to put it mildly, is not useful for humans, and tree branches can have side effects, and simply be unpleasant to the taste.
In any case, it is important to understand that you should not chase two hares at once, and the harm from an extra candy and one kilogram of excess weight is hardly stronger than the harm from a day or two of smoking. And it is not necessary that you will lean on sweets for years after quitting smoking - a week, two, and that's it.
It's up to you! What do you want to get, a healthy life, albeit with minor complications at the first stage, or years of smoking?