Every day there are more and more smokers, not only adults but also teenagers. Why do people deliberately poison their bodies and endanger their health? The reasons for smoking are different for everyone. Some people "ignite" stress, others don't want to be the black sheep in the company of friends and still others kill time in this way. An addiction takes on the proportions of a catastrophe and destroys a person not only physically but also psychologically.
Why does cigarette addiction arise?
To answer the question of what makes smoking so attractive, you need to understand how nicotine affects the body. The first cigarette is no fun. Dizziness, nausea, coughing, and tremors in the limbs may occur after inhaling tobacco smoke. It seems that all these sensations should become motivators not to reach for a cigarette. But if a person continues to smoke for some reason, the body gradually gets used to nicotine.
Smoking is fun in the first few months. Within 10 minutes after the first puff, certain processes take place in the body. Adrenaline production increases, the person begins to feel euphoria, the speed of thinking and concentration increases, and a feeling of calm appears. But over time, the joy of smoking gives way to a real addiction. Nicotine is included in the metabolism and the body gets used to the fact that this substance is constantly present in the blood. When nicotine levels drop, the nervous system signals that it's time to refresh. This makes you want to reach for another cigarette. The time that passes from smoking the first cigarette to becoming addicted to nicotine is individual for everyone. Most of the time it takes a year or a year and a half.
Studies have shown that the psychology of nicotine addiction is different in men and women. Men smoke because they are used to it, they love to play with a cigarette in their hand and feel the smell of smoke. The reason women smoke is to enjoy the process itself. In addition, tobacco companies themselves encourage the weaker sex to smoke by producing their products in beautiful packaging with different flavors. In a circle of smoking friends, a girl feels supported with a cigarette and a glass of wine, a desire arises to talk, to share her secrets.
Psychological reasons for smoking in adults and adolescents
How many people, so many reasons. Young people most often turn to cigarettes because they feel pressure from those around them. A teenager wants to be like everyone else, to become "one of his own. "
Recruitment into a group of smokers occurs among people who have no opinion. The same situation can occur in couples where one partner smokes and forces the other to join in, otherwise the relationship ends.
Another reason teenagers smoke tobacco is a sense of independence. Of course, this is an illusory feeling that only allows you to grow up theoretically and only among your peers.
Family relationships become, to a large extent, a prerequisite for a child's future nicotine addiction. If one or both parents smoke, the offspring will most likely take up cigarettes in the future.
Social networks, tempting advertising on the Internet and on television, bright advertising signs on the street, all of this unconsciously pushes young people to smoke. Also out of curiosity, the probability that he will smoke sooner or later is above average.
The reasons for starting smoking in adulthood are somewhat different, but are partly similar to those in adolescence:
- "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder", which translated means the desire to at least keep busy with something. Some cope with the situation by shopping, others with sunflower seeds, eating, playing computer games, etc. Smokers, on the other hand, keep their hands and mouth busy with a cigarette; they like to feel the taste of smoke and the feeling that nicotine has on their body;
- nervousness. Stress at work or at home leads to constant irritability. How to get out of the situation and calm down? For some, the only solution is a cigarette. Smoking in the fresh air or while drinking coffee becomes a kind of ritual. Of course, there are many other ways to relax, but not everyone wants to do that;
- Shyness and inability to communicate with people. If someone is reserved by nature and does not know how to talk to unfamiliar people, every pause in dialogue becomes torture. In such situations, smoking is a kind of substitute for communication, a "plug" for breaks;
- weak will. Once you get involved in smoking, you can become a real household drug addict. Weak-willed people cannot do it alone, no matter how hard they try to get rid of the addiction. There are many reasons for this: I'll quit tomorrow, I had a hard day today and a cigarette won't do any harm, I'll drink the pack and definitely quit. You cannot cope here without qualified professional help;
- The misconception that cigarettes are not as harmful as they say. And if there are no risks to life, then it is stupid to give up what brings joy;
- Problems in the family, at work, with friends, emotional pain from the loss of something or someone. Smoking helps you, at least temporarily, get out of the reality of life and plunge into peace;
- lonliness. People whose only friends are cigarettes will not give up voluntarily. With their help, the feeling of uselessness fades into the background for a short time.
Regardless of the reasons why you start smoking, you don't quit smoking. The desire to inhale the scent of tobacco smoke goes unnoticed. Most of the time, a person unconsciously reaches for a cigarette and each time drives himself into tobacco addiction.
The psychological reasons for smoking are obvious, but nicotine is also addictive on a physical level. The alkaloids contained in nicotine not only increase the activity of brain receptors, but are also present in all body systems. After the first cigarette, he begins to actively adapt to a previously unfamiliar state. And soon certain doses of nicotine become the norm for a person and must be increased in the future as the body's tolerance develops.
Psychosomatics of smoking
Scientific research has shown that the main reasons for smoking are psychological. That is why it is much easier to get rid of the physical craving for nicotine than to break yourself psychologically. A completely adequate person nods in agreement when you inform him about the dangers of smoking and its consequences, but immediately lights a cigarette. Why is this happening? The answer lies deep in the human subconscious. Internal programs, no one knows how, are turned on and made dependent without asking permission.
Why can't a person stop smoking despite their strong will? He does this because he feels the desire. What caused you to start smoking in your youth is now preventing you from quitting the habit as an adult. And it is not a matter of ordinary curiosity or a feeling of euphoria that led to cigarette consumption. These are completely different reasons – psychosomatic.
Every time you take a hit of nicotine, you feel relaxed and relieved, but not pleased in any way. Every smoker has their own reasons for not quitting smoking:
- In the morning, nicotine along with coffee will help you wake up and recharge;
- At a feast, smoking after a glass of cognac gives you a double dose of peace;
- in a moment of emotional stress, you get relief with the help of a cigarette;
- Nicotine triggers mental processes (according to smokers).
Final and relapse-free smoking cessation is possible only when a person has convincing motives for doing so or the desire to inhale tobacco smoke stops.
Main reasons to quit smoking
The main reasons for quitting smoking are usually health problems. Second is the fear of destroying relationships and family. And only then is it possible to develop a conscious desire not to ruin your health and not to spend money on cigarettes. The main diseases caused by smoking include:
- problems with the heart and blood vessels;
- Stroke;
- Cancer;
- Bronchitis;
- ulcers;
- Emphysema.
Relapses of existing diseases can also occur.
Crime chronicles increasingly contain material about fires caused by cigarettes. For some, these are simply situations that happened to someone there and have nothing to do with them personally. But when the problem affects relatives, friends and even neighbors, the idea of quitting smoking becomes more and more prominent.
In many countries, the government is actively combating smoking. For example, a law was passed according to which appropriate measures will be taken:
- ban on smoking in public places;
- Increase in excise tax on tobacco products;
- labels and images on packages warning of the dangers of smoking;
- "Information attack" by media, teachers, parents, company and business leaders;
- ban on advertising tobacco products;
- Penalty for illegal cigarette trafficking;
- Prohibition of sales to persons under 18 years of age.
For non-compliance with all of these rules, various types of punishment are provided, from fines to compensation for damage to the health of others.
How to stop smoking?
Today there are enough ways to get rid of nicotine addiction, but the main thing is the desire of the smoker himself.
- Nicotine replacement therapy. These include drugs containing nicotine in small doses, chewing gum, patches, nasal spray, etc. A person using this or that product continues to receive nicotine, but in pure form, without harmful impurities and smoke. This makes it easier to give up cigarettes, as smoking cessation occurs gradually without withdrawal symptoms.
- E-Signs. The so-called nicotine inhaler causes mixed opinions among experts. In fact, in most cases, addiction arises precisely because of the process itself, which relaxes a person on an emotional level. Using electronic cigarettes mimics smoking, but without the absorption of harmful carcinogens and tar through the lungs. In addition, there is no tobacco smoke that negatively affects others.
- Coding. There are many private drug treatment clinics that offer services to eliminate tobacco addiction. There are three coding methods: hypnosis, instrumental and the Dovzhenko method. With the help of hypnosis, a person is informed about the dangers of smoking and the possible consequences. Instrumental methods include acupuncture, which affects different nerve centers, and lasers aimed at different areas of the patient's body. The Dovzhenko method is the oldest method of eliminating addiction. Consists of two stages. In the first step, the smoker is informed about the dangers of cigarettes; in the second step, he is given an aversion to tobacco and smoke. The doctor and the patient decide which method to choose.
- Psychological help. Just like coding, the psychological impact takes place within the walls of the clinic. Individual sessions and group training take place there. The help of specialists increases the chance of completely quitting smoking by one and a half times.
Nicotine addiction is one of the most common in the world. There is also alcoholism, drug addiction and gluttony. If a person does not realize the harmfulness of his situation in a timely manner, this leads to extremely undesirable consequences.