Today they try to conquer nicotine addiction with the help of various tricks - electronic cigarettes, plasters, psychotherapeutic techniques. At the same time, many are thinking about how to quit smoking at home and whether this idea is feasible, since over the years a real addiction to tobacco arises not only on the physical, but also on the psychological level.
The suffering of the smoker
Today it's hard for amateurs to lift. The state has severely restricted the rights of smokers in its concern for the health of its citizens. And now a large army of tobacco addicts is being forced to band together in designated smoking areas, leave the usual "smoking rooms" in the entrances, and suffer from nicotine "starvation" while visiting various facilities.
And then there is a new law on the way - it is proposed to ban smoking closer than 10 meters from the entrance, as residents of the lower floors are complaining that the tobacco house invades the premises from the street. Can you imagine the picture - a respected family man leaves the house, runs 10 meters from the entrance and hides in the bushes to smoke? Only one thing remains - to smoke at home, that is, to endanger the health of loved ones.
In this situation, even an experienced smoker is thinking about how to break a long-term habit. As he winds up, he remembers how much money literally dissolves in the air along with tobacco smoke. After all, the price of a pack of cigarettes has risen several times over several years, and the quality of tobacco products has decreased in the same proportion, and instead of the tobacco aroma of a cigarette that is common today, it smells like manure. In addition, health fails - a dry cough in the morning rips the lungs, the pressure rises, and the heart plays tricks.
The person sighs in resignation and decides to give up the bad habit. But how can you quit smoking on your own when there is no willpower and a stressful situation is worrying? A real "withdrawal" begins, the hand itself reaches for a cigarette and the body needs a "calming" dose of nicotine, otherwise the surrounding people are forced to communicate with an inadequate person who is irritated to every little thing. In response, the lucky ones who managed to quit smoking argue that the main thing is motivation.
Motivation to quit smoking
Many experienced smokers themselves understand that their addiction is not physical but psychological. The cigarette gives self-confidence, helps to relax, calm down and think about their actions in stressful situations. The everyday ritual becomes a habit and now a cup of coffee in the morning without nicotine "charging" is unthinkable.
At the same time, a person understands that smoking causes a serious blow to their health, but they cannot give up a bad habit. Confidential conversations on this subject, inquiries from relatives, an example from friends who have broken up with cigarettes, only have the desired effect when the person is aware of their problem.
Good to knowYou can only stop smoking if you want to! A person must independently motivate themselves to fight smoking and to come to an agreement with their subconscious, which plays a key role in bonding with an addiction. One example is the story of two men.
The first of them smoked for many years and automatically noticed that after every smoked cigarette there is a characteristic cough, in the morning the heart is crushed and viscous sputum leaves the lungs. Gradually he realized that the smell of cigarettes and smoky clothes put him off. As a result, one day he simply realized he didn't need it and gave up on tobacco forever, without the "retreat" and mishaps that came with it.
Another successful young man with 10 years of experience in smoking succumbed to his wife's convictions and pressure from relatives and was determined to "quit". He couldn't pick up a cigarette for several weeks, but as soon as he got to an event involving alcohol his subconscious lifted the restriction and he smoked again with rapture and went back to his old habit until the next time he triedto deal with the tobacco monster.
How can you motivate yourself to quit smoking? Which method is considered the most effective and will help manage psychological addiction to smoking at home? Let's consider the most popular techniques.
How can you stop smoking on your own without pills?
First of all, you need an appropriate mental attitude. When you're determined to give up a bad habit, follow these 5 basic guidelines:
- Don't listen to advice on gradual smoking cessation. Reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke will not solve the problem. It is necessary to stop smoking immediately without prolonging your decision indefinitely.
- Remove any objects that remind you of an addiction - throw the remaining cigarettes in the trash, remove the ashtray, lighter and matches. Send clothes that smell of tobacco smoke to the wash.
- Reconsider your habits and pay attention to the measures associated with psychological addiction. If your morning cigarette has been associated with a cup of coffee, replace it with tea. If a party with alcohol or friendly gatherings without traditional smoking breaks is unthinkable, give it up for a while. Better still, make a bet with your friends that you won't touch a cigarette for the next 10-15 years. Just put something really valuable to you on the line.
- Do not succumb to the provocations and opinions of "knowledgeable" people who claim that it is impossible to quit an experienced smoker abruptly because latent diseases appear immediately. On the contrary, every day the internal organs and lungs are gradually cleansed of nicotine and tobacco poisons, as a result of which the state of health improves.
- Motivate yourself to fight smoking, spot any "minuses" of a bad habit, and make sure tobacco rejection comes from within. This will help get rid of nicotine addiction on a subconscious level.
The main levels of motivation are awareness of the harm and health harm of smoking, which can be heightened by having a full medical examination and watching videos about the serious consequences of long-term tobacco use.
Popular smoking cessation methods
So you've made the decision to give up cigarettes and are looking for various options to get through a difficult phase of breakdowns. In this case, simple tricks that do not require a visit to the doctor, the purchase of medicines and special costs of materials will help.
How can you stop alone for a man at home?
There are several popular techniques for developing an aversion to smoking. One of them is called:
Four stinking breaths
- It is necessary to improve and correct the maximum sensations when inhaling tobacco smoke. This involves sucking in the tobacco smoke and holding it in your mouth for at least 30 seconds while performing chewing motions with your mouth closed.
- After half a minute, you can let smoke into your lungs. In this case, there is a desire to cough. Don't resist him, cough.
- Using the same technique, take two more puffs while chewing the smoke and holding it in your mouth.
- Just pull up on smoky lungs for the 4th time, then slowly cough them out, which will contract your abs. Then write on the package the time you took "smelly breaths" and stopped smoking.
If unbearable smoking cravings occur, repeat the process with chewing smoke, trying to lengthen the intervals between these sessions. Soon the body will react to the cigarette with disgust and the desire to smoke will evaporate.
milk cigarettes
This technique creates a persistent aversion to tobacco. It is enough to soak the cigarettes with milk or fermented milk drinks and dry them thoroughly. They taste gross, so it is impossible to smoke them for more than 5-7 days. During this time, a special reflex develops, which leads to the refusal of tobacco products.
Substitution method
This is a much nicer way to replace cigarettes with various tasty substitutes. As soon as you feel the urge to smoke, put candy, chewing gum, chocolate bar in your mouth or nibble on seeds and nuts. This method is more suitable for men, as it has an unacceptable side effect for women - weight gain. In this case, however, you can avoid the appearance of extra pounds by replacing sweets with natural candied fruits (for example, from pineapple) or dried fruits.
Pain stimulus
A normal bracelet can bring a former smoker to their senses immediately if there is an uncontrollable desire to smoke a cigarette. It is enough to click the elastic band on your hand and thoughts about smoking will turn into painful sensations. With a strong motivation, this is a pretty effective way of preventing relaxation.
How can a girl stop smoking on her own?
Many psychologists find that the fairer sex is much more motivated to quit smoking than men. And that's not surprising, because smoking has the worst effect on appearance.
Teeth yellow from plaque, poor complexion, hoarse, smoky voice, tobacco smell from clothes and hair do not give a woman any charm. Such a woman would rather alienate a man than attract his attention. In addition, nicotine has a very negative effect on reproductive function and can cause fetal defects when a pregnant woman smokes. Hence, women are much more successful in overcoming cravings for a bad habit and returning to a healthy lifestyle. What methods help you with this?
Nicotine patch
You can buy such a patch in any pharmacy. It is taped on the forearm or the outside of the thigh. They change the records every day. Nicotine from the patch penetrates the skin and fools the body, drowning out the need to smoke. 
On average, the treatment lasts about a month, and the nicotine concentration has to be reduced every week. For the same reason, you can switch to nicotine gum, herbal cigars, and similar substitutes.
Electronic cigarettes
For many, it is vaporizers (electronic cigarettes) that have become a real savior from nicotine addiction. It's even fashionable to be a vaper right now. Instead of tobacco, such devices contain a special liquid that evaporates from the surface of the heating element and turns into a cloud of aromatic vapor that looks like tobacco smoke. This is a real find for a smoker with a strong psychological addiction as all the signs of smoking remain but without the harmful nicotine component.
tablets and drops
The craving for nicotine can be alleviated with medication. To do this, take Tabex or Nicorette tablets. The dosage of drugs and the duration of the course of administration should be determined by the doctor. These drugs gradually reduce the urge to smoke and create an aversion to nicotine.
Another drug, Tabamex, recently appeared on the pharmaceutical market. This innovative drug for nicotine addiction is available in the form of drops and gel. For many smokers, the drug has become a real lifesaver, discouraging the desire to smoke without the associated side effects - weight gain or mental instability.
The preparation contains a complex of vitamins and extracts from medicinal plants, the effect of which is aimed at reducing the need for nicotine. Users notice that ingesting drops almost instantly relieves the urge to smoke, and the gel removes yellow plaque on teeth and eliminates tobacco odor. One therapy is enough to achieve the desired effect. So far, you can only order the drug on the manufacturer's website, it is not sold in pharmacies.
Acupuncture
A psychological nicotine addiction arises at the level of the reflex, which is fixed in the cerebral cortex. During the acupuncture procedure, the reflexologist works on certain points that interrupt the impulse chain to the brain and thereby suppress the desire to smoke. After a few sessions, a person ceases to feel cravings for nicotine and soon can easily give up the addiction.
Neurolinguistic programming method
According to the reviews, it is one of the most effective methods, but only if the person has decided to stop smoking and the procedure is performed by a professional who practices this method. Indeed, this is a common hypnosis that reprograms the mind. As a result, negative attitudes change into positive ones, and a person gives up a habit harmful to health.
Of course, all of the above techniques are not only suitable for women, but also for men. In addition to these options, a variety of folk remedies can be used to relieve nicotine cravings.
Folk recipes
To reduce tobacco addiction, herbalists recommend the following recipes:
Oats
The old-fashioned way of combining tobacco with dried oats that is ground into powder is good at helping with tobacco addiction.
But nobody smokes hand-rolled cigarettes these days, and pouring tobacco from a cigarette, mixing it with the desired ingredient and then refilling the trays is a long and bleak process. Therefore, it is better to use a decoction of oats. To prepare, grind oat kernels and add 1 tbsp. l. Powder in a glass with cold boiling water. Let the composition steep overnight, boil it in the morning, discard and drink it instead of tea.
Anti-tobacco rubber
Peel and chop fresh horseradish root and mix with an equal amount of chopped plantain leaves. Then spoon this mixture into your mouth and chew. The released juice should be swallowed and the dry residue spit out. This way, you can drown out the urge to smoke and avoid relapse. For the same purpose, you can use twigs of bird cherry, currant, ginger root or calamus.
Flushes
Mouthwash with soda or saline solution is recommended to combat nicotine cravings in the early days after quitting. As soon as there is an irresistible desire to smoke, you should rinse your mouth with a solution that is prepared at the rate of 1 tbsp. Soda or salt in 200 ml of warm boiling water.
The advantages of living without cigarettes
When you quit smoking, the first week is the hardest, and then it becomes a lot easier. Together with the cigarette smoke, the symptoms go away, your health and mood improve, and you will soon notice the following positive results yourself:
- A smoker's shortness of breath and dry cough go away;
- free breathing returns, the lungs are cleansed of toxic substances;
- The risk of cardiovascular and oncological diseases is significantly reduced.
- chronic pathologies of the upper respiratory tract disappear;
- Functions of the immune system are normalized, the body's defenses are restored;
- Mood will rise, the nervous system will be strengthened;
- the complexion, skin and hair condition improve;
- yellow tobacco sticker cleans your teeth;
- Efficiency and mental activity will increase as the brain does not suffer from hypoxia;
- the unpleasant smell of tobacco from clothes will go away;
- and finally, a substantial saving on the family budget is a pleasant bonus.
For this list of benefits, it pays to quit smoking. In addition, a healthy lifestyle, snow-white smile, fresh complexion and other signs of excellent health are fashionable, which are absolutely incompatible with smoking.
Reviews of smoking cessation methods
Check # 1
Smoked for over 20 years, he smoked his first cigarette as a teenager. At that time, the cigarette was a symbol of independence for me, it gave me authority in the eyes of others. Over the years, health problems began, the youth were gone, but the habit persisted. When doctors warned that there were blood vessel problems and that it could all end in a stroke, he thought seriously about quitting smoking.
I've tried many drugs - from nicotine patches and pills to electronic cigarettes, but I've kept failing. In the end, the cytisine anti-smoking drug helped me. Then it cut off. Now even the smell of cigarettes is disgusting.
Check # 2
Quit smoking two years ago. At that time, my wife and I were waiting for our first child, and she just couldn't stand the smell of tobacco. Even when I immediately used toothpaste, my clothes and hair were still soaked in smoke. I myself spent a lot of time thinking about how to get rid of a bad habit.
In the end, I just gave myself a series of instructions, but I didn't stop abruptly, but gradually reduced the number of cigarettes smoked. When I got 2 a day, I noticed that I almost didn't feel like smoking. And there was no time for smoking breaks - work, part-time work, family, young child. As a result, I just forgot about cigarettes and now I absolutely don't care about smoking.