There are dozens of ways to quit smoking. Ex-smokers are ready to talk about their experiences, psychotherapists offer classes and write books, there are evidence-based and semi-magical ways to quit smoking. Nor can we stay away.
Is there a way to finally get rid of nicotine addiction? Yes, there is. Thanks to them, you can spend six months without smoking - only such a period is necessary to overcome addiction problems. Well, without strong motivation, as always, you can't do it.
So, let's look at the most effective ways to quit smoking.
1. Taking special medicines
Long-term smokers will have to consult a doctor as it is difficult for them to deal with nicotine addiction alone. After all, it is the part of the blood that is involved in metabolism, and if it suddenly stops entering the body regularly, one experiences a kind of withdrawal. There is anxiety, irritability, irritability, up to panic attacks. So it is best to seek medical support. Your doctor will prescribe medication to help eliminate or reduce the severity of a nicotine hangover.
Smoking cessation medications were divided into three groups. The first is a nicotine substitute, because these pills contain nicotine or the alkaloid genistein, which acts on the body in a similar way. They stimulate nicotinic receptors, triggering the development of a response, just like smoking. Therefore, a person does not experience withdrawal syndrome, i. e. withdrawal, and importantly, he does not inhale cigarette smoke, which contains a lot of dangerous substances. The downside to pills is that they are still addictive to nicotine, albeit in small doses.
The second group of drugs acts on the part of the brain that forms the craving for cigarettes. Tablets in the third group blocked the development of the response that people experience the pleasure of smoking by binding to nicotinic receptors and caused aversion to the process.
2. Use patches and nicotine gum
Patches and nicotine gum also help reduce the severity of a nicotine hangover during quitting. They provide the body with the least amount of nicotine and the person functions more or less normally. But the insidious thing about these drugs, and the first class of drugs, is that when a smoker quits, he will have to quit their replacements.
3. Get hypnotized or code
These countermeasures against bad habits are not officially medically sanctioned, but they do work. If you decide to try hypnosis or mental coding, please contact a specialist clinic. You will receive counseling and treatment.
What does it look like? The psychotherapist introduces the patient into a hypnotic state and motivates smoking cessation. However, the psychotherapeutic effect was performed without hypnosis. At the same time, it is most important to remember that no advice will help you if you have not made a firm decision to quit smoking yourself. Hypnosis can simply enhance motivation.
If you are unable to cope with the desire to smoke and destroy coding, it is advisable to see a doctor immediately. It will enhance the encoding or remove the received settings.
4. Sign up for acupuncture
By affecting certain parts of the body, doctors have been treating many diseases, and for a thousand years, including smoking. In certain parts of the ear, doctors use special needles so the patient no longer feels the need for nicotine. For some, once or twice is enough, while for others, six is enough. An effective method, but it is not suitable for those who panic and fear injections.
5. Turn to traditional medicine
There are many traditional medical recipes for getting rid of addiction. This is one of them, very effective. Soak cigarettes in milk, dry and smoke. It's a disgusting thing that permanently suppresses the urge to smoke and, at the very thought of a single cigarette, triggers an attack of nausea.
Most effective against smoking plantain. From which to prepare the infusion: one tablespoon. l. The crushed leaves are poured into a cup of boiling water and left for an hour. Drink a quarter cup four times a day or twice a day: morning and evening, half a cup.
Mix 1 tablespoon. l. Large fresh leaves of horseradish and plantain. Chew the mixture 2 times a day for 5 minutes, then swallow the juice.
Prepare Oatmeal Soup: Two tablespoons. l. Boil a cup of boiling water, boil and let stand for an hour. After that, stretch and drink 0. 4 cups 4-5 times a day for a month and a half. At the same time, treat the gastrointestinal tract.
Various intrigues and prayers have a good effect on the unfortunate smoker. Even in big cities, you can find folk healers.
6. Work hard
According to psychologists, hard work, busy, urgent work can help overcome cravings for smoking. A person switches to a project, all thoughts are on it, and the amount of cigarettes smoked decreases dramatically, or even disappears completely. After all, there is simply no time to go to the smoking room. To increase the effectiveness of this approach, it is worth getting a job at a company that generally bans smoking.
7. Exercise
During exercise, like any other physical activity, the body actively releases the pleasure hormones, endorphins. They evoke feelings of pleasure that help overcome discomfort associated with quitting smoking. So it's worth signing up for a gym or cardio. While jogging at a moderate pace, brisk walking or cycling can also help relieve stress. If you want to smoke - put on your sneakers and go on. After fifteen minutes, you will be "let go".
8. Eat right
Spicy foods, alcohol, coffee, and tea can increase the urge to smoke, so give up on these products while you're quitting. Here is a list of products that should be on the table frequently:
- Celery leaves - reduce stress hormones.
- Citrus fruits and bell peppers - boosts the immune system due to its high vitamin C content.
- Milk - Drink a glass of milk before your cigarettes go bad, according to research in the United States.
- Water - It helps remove toxins from the body, including nicotine. Drinking a glass of water before taking a puff can eliminate the urge to smoke.
- Dark Chocolate - Increases serotonin levels, which is desperately needed by a person who has quit smoking.
- Green Smoothie - Smoothies from leafy vegetables contain high amounts of chlorophyll, which helps flush out toxins from the body.
- Herbal infusion - soothes the nervous system, relieves anxiety, irritability, palpitations.
9. Get some privacy
Go on vacation and stay off the beaten track with no shops or tobacco stands nearby. You know, there is no place to buy a pack of cigarettes, and you can't catch up with 50 kilometers. Live under these conditions for a month, but don't play stupid, but do something useful. Dig beds for your neighbor's grandmother or weeds, cut firewood for them for the winter, collect all the trash in the area . . . exhausted and the urge to smoke goes away.
10. Read Alan Carr's Simple Way to Quit Smoking
This famous book has really helped a lot of people. You can buy it, download it or borrow it from others. The author of the book started smoking at 18 and quit at 49. Afterwards, he founded "The Easy Way", an international network of clinics, using his methods to help quit smoking. Try it because if it helps a lot of people, it will help you too.
11. Call the Professional Center
There are dedicated smoking cessation counselling centres (CTCs). By calling here and reporting your desire to quit smoking, you will get specific help from a psychologist or doctor. Your doctor will tell you the most effective way to quit smoking, taking into account the applicant's general health, and a psychologist will facilitate the quitting process.
No matter how you choose to get rid of bad habits, here are some more tips to keep in mind:
- Don't smoke on an empty stomach in the morning - eat breakfast first;
- Do not smoke on an empty stomach - smoke half an hour after meals;
- smoke a strictly defined number of cigarettes for yourself: one hour after breakfast, lunch and dinner;
- If you want to smoke more often, drink water or coffee.