Smoking is the inhalation of smoke from smoking tobacco or other plant components.The most common is smoking cigarettes; many people replace them with electronic ones, hookahs, which work on the same principle. The so-called "electronic" is usually smoked by teenagers, considering it fashionable. Nicotine and other substances with psychoactive effects enter the body. Through the thin tissue of the alveoli, toxins are absorbed into the blood and travel through the bloodstream to the brain, causing relaxation.A slight euphoric state occurs, which is what smokers aspire to.
Why addiction occurs
When smoking, nicotine, a pyridine alkaloid, enters the human body. It binds to receptors in the nervous system and blocks the degradation of dopamine, which accumulates in the brain, and the person experiences euphoria and pleasure.There is an increase in the frequency and strength of heart contractions, an increase in intestinal motility and salivation.When you stop smoking, your dopamine levels will return to their previous levels, but your dopamine receptors will perceive the amount in a distorted way.
A cigarette contains 0. 1-1 mg of nicotine and the lethal dose for a person is 0. 5 g: a few days of regular tobacco use are enough to cause addiction.Many teenagers start smoking, imitating adults and trying to look older. , without realizing that they are already developing an addiction and, perhaps, for life.
Signs of addiction:
- headache during a long smoking break;
- the desire to quickly get to a cigarette in the morning;
- performance decline without a bad habit.
Harm of smoking
In addition to nicotine, cigarettes also contain dangerous chemicals and compounds.: arsenic, methane, toluene, carbon monoxide, cadmium, methanol and others. People knowingly inhale the most potent carcinogens into themselves.
A woman who smokesthe ovaries produce many defective eggs, so it is more difficult for her to get pregnant, especially after 30 years. During pregnancy, the risk of stillbirth increases by 23%, a low fetal weight at birth (less than 2. 5 kg) is 2 times more likely, and children with congenital malformations are more often born. To the girl who found out about her pregnancy,you must stop smoking immediately: Every cigarette will negatively affect the health of the unborn child. A woman who smokes increases the risk of her child developing bronchial asthma, mental retardation and dental problems.
But for both men and non-pregnant women with a bad habit it is better to "quit". Resins are deposited on the alveoli and bronchial tree, which is a factor in the development of chronic bronchitis, COPD and lung cancer.Nicotine consumption leads to osteoporosis due to increased removal of calcium from the body.The spread of carcinogens through the blood throughout the body increases the risk of oncology of all organs and systems. Hot smoking and calcium removal are the cause of periodontitis and tooth decay. Smokers experience bad breath and a constant sensation of dry mouth. It has a negative effect on the cardiovascular system due to the deposition of cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels.All of this is a risk factor for coronary heart disease.His options: angina pectoris, heart attack.
Often at fun parties we combine smoking and alcohol, but the body at this moment does not have fun at all. Nicotine narrows blood vessels and ethanol dilates them: it increases the risk of them breaking, and this is especially dangerous in the brain. Bleeding in the brain impairs its function. A stroke often results in death or disability.Therefore, after drinking alcohol, even after a glass of wine, you should not smoke.
Passive smoking is also harmful: often there is only one smoker in the family, but others also suffer from harmful substances.Young children and pregnant women, who should absolutely not breathe tar, are especially vulnerable to tobacco smoke.
How to quit smoking
From all of the above it is easy to conclude: you need to quit smoking.Many people have probably tried it, but for some reason it didn't work and they concluded that it was impossible to quit smoking at home and the problem needed to be solved differently. There is neither time nor money to see a doctor and undergo procedures, so they decide to continue "for now". But this is completely wrong: you can and should quit on your own and at home.
Those who smoke for a short and short time will be able to do so quickly and without suffering, but those who have lived with an addiction for many years need more time and moral strength.When a smoker suddenly gives up his addiction, withdrawal syndrome occurs: is accompanied by irritation, headache and decreased performance.
How to stop:
- The simplest and most common way is to simply give up cigarettes. , show your willpower. It works and many people use it to quit smoking for good. It requires moral and physical effort, which is not always possible for those with a weak will.
- Nicotine patches are good advice for those who want to get rid of the addiction at homewithout going to the doctor. The patch saves you when your hand reaches your backpack, it helps you overcome this moment easily and without suffering and deal with the addiction faster. But there is a disadvantage: the patches also contain nicotine, so it will take time to get rid of it.
- Sprays containing nicotine.They work on the same principle as patches. They help you quit smoking quickly, but it also takes time to quit.
- Nicotine gum.It has a very unpleasant taste, so some try to get rid of it faster, and many return to addiction.
All of these methods, except quitting smoking completely, have their side effects.All nicotine-containing cigarette analogues contain nicotine in small doses.This is also harmful, although much less harmful than cigarettes.
The easy way
But what to do if there is no willpower and smoking is no longer harmful, but simply dangerous? Type the question "how to quit smoking easily" into an Internet search and select the appropriate audio recording from the long list. In just a few hours it will motivate you so much that it will last at least a week. The most important thing you will learn after class is the feeling of joy of not smoking for an hour, two, a week. . . Each new tobacco-free day will increase your self-esteem and sense of pride in yourself. The motivation is so strong that it helps to cope with the physical ailments that accompany withdrawal.The longer you smoke, the more unpleasant the sensation, but the joy of finally being ashamed of yourself and not smoking sometimes even acts like an anesthesia, drowning out physical suffering.
Usually, when people quit smoking, they look at smokers with envy: "they're fine, but I . . . "After class you will look at them with pity: "unlucky, he still smokes. "
The main thing in smoking is not physical, but psychological dependence, this is what pushes you to seditious thoughts: "take a puff", "it starts on Monday", "everyone smokes and nothing". Every smoker can continue the list of excuses himself.
Once the impact of the audio lessons wears off, listen again. The most difficult thing is to get through the first week, when you not only feel a lot of pain, but your health also worsens.Then every day will be easier, and the knowledge that it has finally happened will give you strength and energy.
When the urge to smoke arises, respond to your body with physical activity. On the advice of a doctor who treats without drugs: "I wanted to smoke, I fell and did push-ups. "
Motivation Tips:
- the best time to start is todaywithout trying to convince yourself to do it tomorrow or in a week;
- tell your friends and family. This way you will feel ashamed in front of them if you decide to lose your temper. Maybe one of your relatives will agree to the refusal together with you, but together it is always easier;
- remove all packages, ashtrays and lighters from sightand everything that makes you think of cigarettes;
- start counting:multiply the price of one package by their number per week and find out how much money is spent on systematic self-poisoning. You can start saving them and promise to buy yourself something that you have long wanted, but could not afford;
- Playing sports- good physical exercise leads to a physiological lack of oxygen and you want to smoke less; Plus, you'll have a new hobby.
The most difficult thing is to overcome those 5-10 minutes in which an irresistible desire to smoke arises. To do this you can:
- distract yourself, do something interesting;
- meditate;
- do a small series of exercises;
- chew bubble gum;
- brush your teeth;
- take a shower.
The idea of consuming the urge to smoke is not very correct: you can quit this way, but you will develop the habit of overeating.Therefore, it is better not to replace the urge to smoke with another habit.unless it is useful.
Replacing strong cigarettes with lighter ones also does not work: subconsciously, due to the lack of nicotine in the body, a person begins to take deeper puffs or begins to visit smoking areas more often.The addiction remains and sometimes intensifies.
In any case, the suffering resulting from health problems related to smoking is much greater than that resulting from addiction to the habit.It is necessary to endure a certain moment, give the dopamine receptors the opportunity to react normally to the amount of available dopamine and everything will return to normal. But, of course, it is better not to start and set a bad example for your children.