The transition to a healthy lifestyle is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. The period of withdrawal, or withdrawal during which the body fully rebuilds its work due to the nicotine deficiency, can be very painful. This applies not only to changes in the psychoemotional state - increased anxiety, irritability, but also a deterioration in physical well-being: cough occurs, the work of the digestive system changes, and headaches torment. The symptoms listed appear in almost all people with years of smoking experience, so not everyone can cope with them and finish what they started.
For those who have experienced withdrawal symptoms, it is important to know how to properly quit smoking and improve your well-being without harming your health. In order to balance its manifestations, a person who smokes must follow a number of rules - following these rules improves one's physical and mental state, and allows one to get out of addiction without undue stress.
General rules for smoking cessation
Follow these guidelines to get the effect:
- Competently put together diet. It is known that after a heavy meal, the fatty, fried, acute need to smoke increases. However, these products must also be excluded from the menu because they put additional strain on the body. At the same time, you should consume herbal teas, fruit drinks and mineral water - a large amount of liquid will accelerate the elimination of toxins. It is recommended to consume dairy products - milk changes the taste of cigarettes, smoking is no longer fun. However, you should drink natural, unpasteurized milk, otherwise the required effect will not be achieved. It is advisable to have a glass of warm drink every morning.
- It is also important to control your diet as people often “take advantage” of the stress associated with smoking and therefore gain a lot of weight. To avoid fear of gaining weight, light, low-calorie foods are recommended to help you keep your figure. For snacks, it is advisable not to use sweets and cookies, but vegetables and fruits.
- Elimination of alcohol, strong coffee and tea. All of these products, as well as cigarettes, are characterized by a stimulating effect on the body. Tea and coffee increase anxiety and lead to sleep disorders, and alcohol decreases self-control.
- take vitamins. Vitamin complexes should be taken within 1-1, 5 months after quitting smoking. It is particularly recommended to take ascorbic acid during this time.
- Use of nicotine-containing products. Patches, sprays, chewing gums that contain nicotine in a small dosage can smooth out the manifestations of withdrawal. Some people switch to electronic cigarettes - this is easier to quit, although the product is not harmless, so it cannot be recommended to use.
- breathing techniques. To calm yourself down during a stimulus attack, it is recommended that you use abdominal breathing. The technique is safe and is used in yoga, meditation, and sports training. The relaxation effect is observed almost immediately. In addition, deep breathing improves the functioning of the digestive system and strengthens the lungs. As you inhale, the abdomen protrudes, and as you exhale, it is strongly drawn by the tension of the abdominal muscles.
- Correct regime and physical activity. During the time that cigarettes are given up, the body is exposed to great stress. Therefore, care must be taken to restore vitality. Full sleep and exercise are required. Physical activity stimulates the production of serotonin, which helps stabilize the emotional background.
End the habit suddenly or gradually
The opinion of psychologists is uncompromising: you need to remove cigarettes from life quickly. With a gradual refusal, the number of cigarettes is gradually reduced or products with a lower content of nicotine and tar are purchased. A person struggles with the urge to smoke, but still lights cigarettes, so the body is in constant stress for a long time. The benefit of instant withdrawal is the instant disconnection of the psychological and physical connection with the habit.
If you suddenly stop smoking, you have to persevere for the first 3-5 days - after this time the body begins to produce nicotine itself and physical well-being improves. However, psychological complaints can last for a long time - in any emotionally unstable situation there is a desire to smoke.
It is understood that inhalation of tobacco smoke after a few days without nicotine leads to unpleasant sensations - dizziness, severe tachycardia. The body is purified and has no need for any substance, but an old habit can get the upper hand. For many, these feelings help quit forever - it becomes clear that there is no pleasure, but some smoke several cigarettes in a row and return to addiction.
In some cases it is preferable to run out. This recommendation usually applies to people who have smoked for more than 10 years. If blood pressure rises suddenly, convulsions appear, severe headache is tormented, it is necessary to consult a doctor: the doctor who examined the patient's condition can answer conclusively or gradually, how best to stop smoking, and prescribe medicationthat will help manage the manifestations of withdrawal syndrome. . .
For pregnant women and mothers of breastfed babies, the only right decision is to stop smoking suddenly.
Nicotine is dangerous in every trimester of pregnancy. You cannot feed your baby milk that contains toxins. Some women say that their breasts enlarged after quitting smoking. If you have noticed such changes, it is recommended to see a mammologist just in case. As a rule, these two phenomena are not related, but hormonal changes are possible, and it is better not to give up the condition, but to check. Smokers should be careful when using birth control pills. This combination leads to changes in blood properties.
Common mistakes and misunderstandings
Anyone who has ever tried to quit smoking is confronted with the misunderstandings cited in his book by popular author A. Carr.
These errors sound like this:
- I will smoke less.
- Only 1 cigarette.
- I'll pull it out once.
It is good advice to remove all of these sentences once and for all.
By limiting yourself in this way, you are turning smoking into a pleasure, a gift to look forward to. The opposite effect is often observed: those who quit smoking even more.
There should be no exceptions to the name “just a cigarette” - this is a trap that you have to get out of for years. When it comes to how long it takes to quit, in most cases that is how long it takes to wrinkle the package and throw it away. The potential likelihood of smoking remains lifelong - it all depends on the person's mood and motivation.
Cigarettes should not be used as an aid in the fight against stress and bad mood. They don't help you focus or calm yourself down. Breathing techniques that are found to be more effective and not harmful can be used for this purpose.
Do not think that something valuable and important is being taken away from you in order to make a victim of yourself. Suffering is not appropriate here, but you can be proud of yourself because, despite the difficulties, you will return to a healthy lifestyle.
It is important to surround yourself with nonsmokers, or at least avoid visiting smokers. The design of your environment is extremely important if a person is to quit smoking marijuana - it is impossible to get out of the addiction here without changing the social circle.
Conclusion
If you cannot completely quit smoking at home, you should consult a narcologist. A non-smoker feels the taste of life better, breathes deeply in the truest sense of the word, so if you are already attuned to health, you should not continue to poison your body.