Probably every smoker at least once thought about the need to give up this bad habit, and every second or third tries to do it. But attempts to "tie" are not always successful. Not everyone dares to quit smoking suddenly, and the consequences of a sudden quit smoking can be unpredictable. It's really like this? Maybe giving up cigarettes once and for all is much easier? With the question of why it is impossible to suddenly quit smoking, we will find out in this article.
Destructive nicotine
Everyone knows that smoking is not safe, moreover, the Ministry of Health never tires of warning him. But not everyone knows what kind of harm nicotine and its decay products can do to the human body. What will happen to the body if you don't stop over time? What are the consequences of interrupting the usual lifestyle?
Smoking tobacco products can become a trigger mechanism in the development of systemic diseases, many of which are fatal. A person who is addicted to nicotine has a shorter life expectancy of nearly 10 years than his non-smoker peer. The harm of smoking is obvious:
- Development of oncopathologies. Smoking is practically the leading cause of lung cancer. Furthermore, ingestion of saliva containing nicotine breakdown products significantly increases the risk of cancers of the oral cavity, esophagus, stomach and duodenum.
- Chronic lung disease. The well-known "smoker's bronchitis" can be complicated by such serious conditions as pulmonary emphysema, bronchiectasis, atelectasis.
- Violation of the cardiovascular system. An increase in the load on the heart, under the influence of nicotine, leads to tachycardia, hypertension, heart attacks. There is a change in the structure of the vascular walls, the number of atherosclerotic plaques increases, the risk of blood clots and vascular blockages increases. Obliterating endarteritis develops, leading to amputation of the lower limbs.
- Due to the narrowing of the vessels in the pelvic organs, various ailments develop, and premature impotence occurs in men.
- Due to the harmful effects of nicotine, retinal degeneration develops gradually, the optic nerve suffers and the smoker is in danger of permanently losing normal vision.
- Similarly, there is damage to the auditory nerve and a destructive effect on the internal structures of the hearing aid. In addition, the taste and smell are blurred.
- The appearance of the smoker is noticeably deteriorated, which is especially pronounced in women. The skin becomes yellowish, premature wrinkles appear, the lips turn blue. In the morning, you may notice that the skin on your face is swollen. All of this is a "smoker's face" feature.
In addition, nicotine darkens the teeth and bad breath appears.
How easy is it to throw?
The opinion of doctors about the abrupt cessation of smoking is also controversial. Yes, you can quit smoking suddenly, and it really is a lot easier, but that's only if you're not a heavy smoker who switches cigarette after cigarette.
People with a smoking experience of no more than five years can suddenly quit smoking. This is due to the fact that during such a period of time the body still does not have time to acquire a "bouquet" of chronic diseases, and the consequences of rejection will not be very pronounced.
If a person who has been smoking for a very long time decides to give up the bad habit and quit smoking cigarettes, it is still better to do this gradually, as this is a very serious stress for the body, which can cause unwanted symptoms or exacerbation of chronic diseases.
Without nicotine constantly coming from the outside, the body has to rebuild itself as quickly as possible to independently produce the necessary amount of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter with the help of which neuromuscular transmissions are carried out. A smoker received acetylcholine from cigarettes, and after a sharp refusal with a long history of smoking, the lack of acetylcholine can lead to irritability, memory impairment, lethargy, rapid fatigue, depression. It is for this reason that many are unable to quit smoking with a break of no more than a week.
Furthermore, quitting smoking immediately and abruptly is psychologically very difficult, and morally unprepared people break down and buy cigarettes again.
The psychological aspect of giving up this addiction is of particular importance during pregnancy. The stress caused by a lack of nicotine has a heavy effect on a woman's morale, but the harm of smoking is much greater. Nicotine and its tar have a toxic effect on the baby's body, can lead to fading of pregnancy, birth defects. Therefore, when a woman is responsible for another life, it is worth making the right choice and quitting smoking abruptly, without prolonging this process.
Experience willpower
Is it possible to quit smoking suddenly? Quit smoking abruptly or gradually? What will happen to the body then? After an abrupt cessation of smoking, a person is more aware of everything that happens to his body, and the health consequences can be very different. Unpleasant moments and symptoms appear in his life:
The morning cough gets worse. This is one of the first signs of restructuring: the body is trying to cleanse the lungs, eliminate the toxic and harmful components of cigarette smoke and get used to a smoke-free life.
General weakness and lethargy are consequences of nicotine withdrawal, which can be expressed to varying degrees in different people. But they are necessarily present in the life of a person who has quit smoking. In addition to weakness, feelings of confusion, inattention and forgetfulness can be expressed.
With a long history of smoking, nicotine is so easily accepted by the body that metabolic processes adapt to its constant supply. Therefore, with an abrupt cessation of smoking, metabolic processes, returning to the usual "unusual" channel, can cause feelings of lack of air, sweating, dizziness, nausea, bradycardia.
When a very experienced smoker has suddenly stopped smoking, he has a psychological problem: there is a feeling of missing out on something very personal and important. Therefore, it is important to have the right attitude and, if necessary, to work with a psychologist.
The only advantage with a sharp throw is that after experiencing the consequences in the acute period, a person begins to intensely lose the desire to drag a cigarette again. The opinion of people who quit smoking on this matter is determined: it is necessary to stop smoking as soon as possible, and it is better to do it under the supervision of doctors. Even if you really want to smoke right now, you have to put up with it and then the obsessive thoughts of taking a cigarette will appear less and less.
Nicotine withdrawal
If you stop smoking abruptly, a stronger and younger body will more easily tolerate a lack of nicotine, will have short-term manifestations of the above symptoms. But you cannot quit smoking very abruptly in older people, as their defense mechanisms are weakened and nicotine withdrawal can occur. Nicotine withdrawal symptoms:
- increased anxiety;
- uncontrolled outbursts of anger;
- severe irritability, intolerance;
- sudden mood swings with a predominance of the bad guy;
- disturbances in concentration;
- insomnia;
- a constant feeling of hunger that cannot be satisfied.
The state of nicotine withdrawal can be dangerous to health, the stress experienced by the body is particularly pronounced on the second or third day of rejection and, especially if the smoker is a heart, requires medication. Therefore, it is harmful to quit smoking abruptly.
Slowly but surely
When you quit smoking gradually, there are no severe nicotine withdrawal symptoms. The nicotine level gradually decreases, day after day, cigarettes gradually fade into the background and then disappear forever from life. This method of refusal is good with a long smoking experience, but it has a significant drawback: when you stop smoking gradually, a person will still experience the craving for nicotine for a very long time, it will begin to weaken in months. Also, if you don't quit smoking abruptly, all of the above problems won't be relevant to you.
You can cope with the bad habit of smoking, the main thing is to have the desire and tune in to success. If you don't have enough willpower to put the pack of cigarettes away forever, you can use a nicotine patch. To avoid the temptation to take a cigarette, remove all lighters and ashtrays from the house, replace them with jars of candy.
If you smoke in your company and it is very difficult to cope with the urge to smoke, try to fool your subconscious: drink any drink with a straw.
Drink green tea more often - it will help to quickly remove toxins from the body, which means that the "abstinence" period will be less pronounced.
And, of course, if you decide to quit smoking not abruptly, start playing sports. Active movement and sufficient muscle load will weaken the craving for nicotine, prevent weight gain, improve your well-being and improve your mood.