Tobacco smoking has become a problem for a large number of people. Most often, people between the ages of 25 and 40 suffer from this addiction. The desire to be yours in company, a false idea about the steepness of smoking, the myths that cigarettes calm the nerves and prevent you from gaining weight - these and other reasons cause a teenager or an adult to poison themselves with tobacco products.
Some people want to quit smoking but have no willpower or little information on truly effective ways to get rid of nicotine addiction. Few people turn to a narcologist, considering this problem trivial or insoluble.
This article outlines the most effective ways to start a healthy lifestyle by quitting smoking on your own.
Harm of nicotine to the body
7 million people die each year from the effects of smoking. Not only traditional cigarettes, but also their counterparts - vaping, chewing tobacco, hookah, electronic cigarettes, snuff and so on are harmful to the body. Passive smoking is no less dangerous. This is when a person stands near the smoker and inhales the smoke. It is believed that in this way a person receives even more carcinogens than the smoker himself.
The most formidable disease directly related to tobacco use is lung cancer. It takes 250, 000 lives a year. If you smoke from a young age or 20 cigarettes a day, the risk of dying at the age of 35-65 doubles. Addiction negatively affects all organs, including the unborn child of a pregnant woman who smokes. You may have a miscarriage, a premature baby or a child with medical conditions. Bad habits are dangerous for the elderly from the development of circulatory disorders and cataracts. Passive smokers are also at risk, especially children. They develop diseases such as bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma. The fetus, which is in the womb of a smoking mother, also receives toxic substances. In the future, he may suffer from SIDS - Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
If a teenager starts smoking, she may develop a craving for harder drugs in the future. Low-income, uneducated and nervous young people are at risk.
The main substance in a cigarette that causes the most harm to the body is nicotine. It is also able to penetrate chromosomes and cause their mutations. If such a mutation occurs in the germ cell, the future offspring will suffer from it, as many of them will have birth defects.
Nicotine begins its journey in our body from the mouth, then enters the lungs. From there, through the alveoli, it enters the bloodstream. After the first shot, this dangerous substance appears in the tissues of the nervous system within 8 seconds. The concentration of this substance in the blood remains high for another 30 minutes. Vital organs take the hit: liver, kidneys and lungs.
First, the cells of the central nervous system are excited, then - their oppression. Therefore, the person needs to smoke again. A cigarette contains 2 mg of nicotine and a smoker needs 20 mg to meet his needs. The person receives a short-term stimulating effect and does not think about the terrible consequences. There is no benefit from smoking, only harm. Blood clots and atherosclerotic plaques are formed from nicotine. All this leads to heart attacks, strokes.
Nicotine is addictive. Therefore, it is difficult for an experienced smoker to survive the withdrawal syndrome: irritability, insomnia, headache, fatigue. All of this can last up to 2 weeks. The cigarette serves as a kind of entertainment for addicts. If they decide to quit smoking, they often don't know how to fill their free time and how to stimulate the brain.
Some people do not become addicted to tobacco because the body rejects nicotine. Nausea and vomiting occur on the first puff. If these symptoms are not ignored, there is an aversion to cigarettes. Others remember "pleasant" sensations in the form of relaxation, excitement, loss of appetite and continue to smoke.
In any case, the ingestion of nicotine into the body does not go unnoticed. Diseases of one or more organs will occur. Bone tissue also softens and osteoporosis occurs. The voice of smokers becomes low and hoarse, a chronic cough appears. Constant pain in the stomach is also the effect of nicotine on the gastrointestinal tract.
Cigarettes and their analogues contain other harmful impurities that cause no less harm to the body. Acetoin causes diseases in the digestive tract and lungs. Diacetyl is used as a flavoring agent and causes chronic bronchitis. Acetylacetone is intended for the chemical industry. Using it internally harms the entire body. In addition to nicotine, several dozen other impurities are present in cigarette smoke, including heavy metals (lead, bismuth, polonium), poisons (hydrogen cyanide, cyanide, arsenic, formaldehyde) and others. Some of them can accumulate in the body, slowly poisoning it.
A person who smokes is easily recognized by yellow teeth, characteristic odor from the mouth, unhealthy facial skin, red eyes. If you look at its lungs, it will be a rotten black mass.
Anyone who thinks about their health or those around them should stop smoking. Yes, this is not easy, because addiction develops quickly, but it is possible with certain efforts of will. To do this, below are the ways that should help you get rid of a bad habit.
Ways to quit smoking at home
A strong man or a strong-willed woman will one day decide to quit smoking forever. The man smokes the last cigarette and no longer touches the tobacco. The support of loved ones and the addict's desire are important here. You can reward yourself for giving up a bad habit. For example, with the money that went to cigarettes, he buys something nice.
If a person stops smoking, he needs substitutes. Such products can be seeds, lollipops, rolls, nuts. Of course, all food should be consumed in reasonable quantities in order not to gain weight or high sugar.
It is impossible to imagine a healthy lifestyle without sports. Therefore, you should try to devote all your energy and free time to useful exercises. Now a series of workouts is available for everyone, for example as an application on a smartphone.
If you can't stop using tobacco right away, you can reduce your dose day by day. At the same time, relatives should provide maximum assistance: do not stress yourself, do not worry again, do not remember cigarettes. The person should have an incentive for a healthy lifestyle. Some will want to live longer and without disease, others will regret the finances, because the prices of tobacco products are rising, others will think about their loved ones, who also receive toxic substances.
Smokers who want to quit smoking will find it helpful to read Allen Carr's book The Easy Way to Quit Smoking. Contains the author's own techniques. The main idea is to get rid of fear and act decisively.
Traditional, proven anti-smoking techniques
Bird cherry tree
Collect cherry twigs before flowering. Cut them to the size of a match. If you wish to smoke, take a cherry stick and chew it. Then spit out this mass. The substances present in bird cherry produce a dislike for the taste of cigarettes. Apply this method for 7-10 days and the urge to smoke will pass.
Calamus Root
Calamus roots have a similar effect. You can buy at the pharmacy. This product can be swallowed instead of being spat out. After the course, there should be an aversion to cigarettes.
Rinse solution
If you don't feel like chewing, you can simply rinse with the following solution: take the calamus rhizome and peppermint in a ratio of 6: 3. Pour a tablespoon of the mixture into a glass of boiling water and insist. Rinse your mouth whenever you feel like smoking.
Another gargle solution: 5 parts wormwood, 2. 5 parts yarrow, 2. 5 parts licorice root. Pour a tablespoon of the mixture with a glass of boiling water and leave for 2 hours, then strain.
Herbal teas
Herbal teas can be used to calm and detoxify. The ingredients for cooking can be from your own collection or from a pharmacy.
Recipe one:
4 parts of hawthorn flowers, 2 parts of valerian, 2 parts of peppermint, 2 parts of motherwort. Pour 0, 5 liters of boiled water over 3 tablespoons of the mixture and leave for 3 hours. Drink half a glass of infusion 3 times a day. Tea has a calming effect, has a positive effect on the work of the heart.
Recipe two:
4 parts of marshmallow root, 4 parts of mother and stepmother leaves, 2 parts of oregano. Pour 0, 5 liters of boiling water on 3 tablespoons of collection, leave for 2 hours. Drink a third of a glass 3 times a day. The infusion calms the nerves and purifies the lungs.
Recipe three:
4 parts of valerian, 2 parts of cumin, 2 parts of chamomile, 2 parts of hops. Pour 0, 5 liters of boiling water on 2 tablespoons of the mixture and insist. If it is a thermos, the tea will be richer. After 2 hours of infusion, strain and drink a glass overnight. This tea relieves nervous tension, helps you sleep well.
Effective medical methods to combat addiction to cigarettes
Ideally, every person who decides to quit smoking should see a psychiatrist-narcologist. The doctor will provide medical assistance, which consists of drug selection and psychological counseling. In particularly severe cases, coding is used.
In pharmacies there are products sold in the public domain and designed to help get rid of addiction. It is necessary to follow the instructions clearly so that there are no side effects.
Pills
There are drugs that block nicotinic receptors, helping the body get rid of the poison faster. For example, drugs with nicotine should be taken only after consulting a doctor, contraindications are possible. After a short course of taking these pills, in the vast majority of cases, there is a complete weaning from cigarettes.
Modern smoking pills act on the brain and suppress the urge to smoke. It also relieves the symptoms that occur with withdrawal.
Nicotine patches
Nicotine enters the body through the skin in small quantities. It will help those who have difficulty with addiction or cannot quit smoking at the same time. In the future, it is necessary to cancel the same patches, thereby stopping the persecution of the body.
Spray for smokers
Contains the same substances as cigarettes, but in a lower dose. But a person has weaned from the sight of cigarettes, so he completely ceases to feel the need for them. Also, the sprays are expensive which means you won't get used to them. This is a help in the beginning.
Nicotine gum
Contains a small dose of nicotine. Due to the unpleasant taste, it is not addictive, and gradually a person begins to experience an aversion to all tobacco products.
Electronic cigarette
The only advantage of this method is that the environment is not poisoned by the smoker. A person inhales the vapor with purified nicotine and thus avoids a sharp deterioration in health. Gradually, smoking periods should be shortened, then stopped altogether.
Hypnosis
When the reason lies more in the psychology of the smoker, then hypnosis can be offered. This is one of the types of coding where the patient is set to not smoke.
Output
If a person has found strength and quit smoking without aids, then that's very good. The body will take a shock, but there is nothing to worry about. Gradually, all vital functions will return to normal. When an experienced smoker cannot get rid of the disease on his own, a qualified specialist will come to his aid. The course of treatment is absolutely safe, and the reward will be excellent health and a long life.