According to Mark Twain, a writer known not only for his works, but also for his excellent sense of humor, quitting smoking is not at all difficult, he himself has done it dozens of times.
But seriously speaking, according to research by sociologists, only 5% of those who quit smoking succeed in completing what they started the first time. Others need 5 - 10 - 20 tries.
But there are still working ways to quit smoking for good, and if you show willpower, then everything will definitely work out.
Only very strong-minded people can say to themselves a firm "no" and never take cigarettes again. If the craving for tobacco is very strong and your willpower is not enough, then you should seek help from a psychotherapist and do several sessions.
Is there an easy way to quit smoking?
Many people, thinking about how to quit smoking, try to find the easiest way. Some people think about how to start smoking less, others decide to give up cigarettes once and for all.
Unfortunately, only a person who has not yet developed an addiction can easily quit. That is, the one who smokes recently and little by little. Otherwise, giving up the habit will lead to unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.
The longer cigarettes have been present in a person's life, the more difficult it will be for him to quit smoking, even with the most decisive mood. Of course, willpower and confidence in success will positively affect the result, but they will not be able to reverse the body's negative reaction to the absence of substances that have become habitual.
So don't look for a mythical easy way. You must try to find the one that turns out to be the most effective and comfortable in your situation, and steadily move towards your goal.
Potential negative consequences of abruptly quitting smoking
Having decided to quit smoking, many people think about how to do it without harm to health. Some prefer a cardinal approach and give up cigarettes abruptly. Others try to avoid stress for the body and mind and quit smoking by reducing the number of cigarettes.
Each method has its positive and negative sides. In particular, abrupt cessation of smoking leads to the appearance of a withdrawal syndrome, which is expressed by the following symptoms:
- dizziness, headache;
- cough (at first dry, then with profuse sputum), shortness of breath;
- blood pressure surges;
- arrhythmia;
- sleep disturbances (nocturnal insomnia and daytime sleepiness);
- digestive disorders;
- weakening of immunity, as a result of frequent colds;
- irritability, nervousness;
- lethargy, apathy, depression;
- emotional instability;
- decreased performance, deterioration in concentration, lethargy.
Signs can appear in any combination and proceed with varying degrees of severity. It all depends on the experience of the smoker and the individual characteristics of the organism. The hardest part is in the first week. Further, as the body cleansing, the symptoms will subside.
How to overcome withdrawal symptoms and not start smoking again?
Withdrawal syndrome is different for people. But even those with severe symptoms should know that this condition is temporary and will go away quickly enough, even if it seems that every day it only gets worse and improvement will never come.
Important!The main thing at the initial stage is to be patient and in no case try to improve your condition with another "last" cigarette.
There are many recommendations on how to get through the first days after quitting smoking and not smoke again.
- One of the main conditions is the absence of provoking factors. Anything that reminds of a bad habit should be removed. Cigarette packs, lighters, ashtrays should disappear from sight.
- Motivation is very important. Understanding why you quit smoking, and what positive aspects are the rejection of the addiction, it is much easier to survive temporary malaise.
- Reading thematic literature or watching programs will help you to assert the correctness of your decision and it will be easier to get through the first days without cigarettes. Another working way to replace the smoking ritual with another. For example, you can peel and slice an apple and then eat it.
- Effectively helps to cope with sports withdrawal syndrome. True, this option will come in handy at a later stage, when the state of health improves a little. And even after that, you should not immediately load the body. But classes in the pool, walks, bike rides, skates or roller skates will be just right. This method will not only help to distract psychologically, but also contribute to the rapid cleansing of the body.
- According to experts, communication with comrades in misfortune helps a lot. If you have someone to discuss the problems with or just complain, then it will be much easier to quit smoking.
- Nutrition during the period of cessation of cigarettes plays an important role. For example, tomatoes, eggplants and cauliflower contain negligible amounts of nicotine. Eating these foods can help reduce cigarette cravings without harming your health.
Effective ways to quit smoking
It is hardly worth explaining to anyone why it is worth quitting smoking. Moreover, these explanations are not needed by heavy smokers who have already felt the negative effect of nicotine on the state of health and the body.
There are many ways that you can effectively get rid of an addiction. This is the use of special medications that reduce the craving for nicotine and reduce the manifestations of withdrawal syndrome, and folk remedies, and psychotherapeutic techniques.
Pharmacological agents
To quit smoking on your own, eliminate the craving for nicotine on a physical and psychological level, and cope with the manifestations of withdrawal symptoms, medications help.
Three groups of drugs can be distinguished:
- Nicotine replacement agents. . . These are products that contain low concentrations of nicotine. They help to gradually, that is, more painlessly, give up cigarettes. The choice is quite large, sweets, chewing gums, sprays, patches help to quit smoking easier. Smoking lollipops are very popular. According to some studies, the use of nicotine-containing drugs can help halve the intensity of withdrawal symptoms.
- Nicotinic receptor agonists.The active substance of these drugs acts on receptors that react to nicotine. As a result, the mechanism changes and the person ceases to enjoy smoking, and in some cases begins to feel disgust for it.
- Sedatives and antidepressants.The use of this group of drugs is primarily aimed at relieving psychological discomfort, eliminating nervousness and irritability.
But the transition to electronic cigarettes, which many consider an easy way to quit smoking, experts do not recommend. Such gadgets are also unhealthy and highly addictive. So the only result that can be expected is the replacement of one bad habit with another.
Non-drug techniques
Many smoking cessation methods are not drug-related. Various types of hypnosis are considered effective, which form a sharply negative attitude towards smoking in a person.
Various methods of coding from smoking are also popular, among which the Dovzhenko method is especially distinguished. Its essence is that a psychotherapeutic effect of a double direction is exerted on the patient. This means that on the one hand, the smoker is taught a negative attitude towards smoking, and on the other hand, they describe in paints all the advantages of life without cigarettes.
Traditional medicine plays a big role in smoking cessation. There are many herbal recipes available to reduce cigarette cravings and ease withdrawal symptoms. There are a great many recipes. The most popular are the following:
- a decoction of unrefined oats;
- tea made from oregano, mint, St. John's wort and yarrow;
- a decoction of chamomile, valerian, mint, fennel and caraway seeds;
- a drink with ginger and honey;
- a soothing valerian and mint tea;
- infusion of calamus root helps to relieve the urge to smoke.
Here are some more tips to help you quit smoking:
- you need to choose a specific date, and preferably at a time when important things and stressful situations are not planned (for example, exams, passing an important project or moving to a new apartment);
- avoiding coffee will greatly facilitate giving up cigarettes;
- take care of the availability of healthy snacks (fresh vegetables and fruits, dried fruits, seeds, nuts);
- communicate your intention to as many people as possible, experience shows that the attention and support of outside observers significantly reduce the likelihood of a breakdown;
- install a special application on the phone;
- find something to your liking that will take up all your free time.
Another option is to argue with someone for a decent amount. In this case, the desire to get a win will save you from falling off. Some are helped by unconventional methods such as acupuncture.
When should you see a doctor?
It is much easier to quit smoking with the help of a professional. A narcologist will advise on effective methods of quitting cigarettes and help relieve withdrawal symptoms. Depending on the chosen method of smoking treatment, you can consult a therapist with experience in the treatment of nicotine addiction, a neuropathologist or a psychotherapist.
In addition, a doctor should be consulted in cases where the symptoms of rejection syndrome are very pronounced or do not go away even after a long time. And also if there are concomitant diseases, then you need to contact a doctor of the appropriate specialization, for example, a cardiologist or pulmonologist.
Common mistakes and misconceptions
Many of those who think about how to quit smoking once and for all make a number of mistakes that call into question the success of their plans. These include the following:
- the intention not to quit, but to smoke less (practically no one succeeds in controlling the rate of cigarette consumption);
- indulgence in the process of withdrawal, for example, allowing yourself to smoke one cigarette in order to calm down (this will nullify everything that has already been achieved);
- switching to lighter cigarettes (in most cases it is possible to achieve only that the number of cigarettes smoked per day increases).
In addition, many believe that they can overcome psychological dependence at any time, which means they keep the situation under control. This illusion leads to the fact that a person more and more falls into the power of a bad habit, harms his health, and quitting smoking becomes more and more unattainable.
Conclusion
Everyone has their own way to quit smoking. A method that has helped a relative or friend may not be helpful in your case. But you should not despair, if there is a desire and persistence, then there is a suitable way for everyone.
And in order to speed up the result and make quitting the habit more comfortable, you can use an integrated approach, combining several options.