Switching to a healthy lifestyle is not as easy as it may seem at first glance. The period of withdrawal or withdrawal, when the body completely rebuilds its work due to lack of nicotine, can be very painful. This applies not only to changes in psycho-emotional state - increased anxiety, nervousness, but also a deterioration of physical well-being: a cough appears, the work of the digestive system changes and headaches suffer. The listed symptoms are noticed in almost all people with many years of experience in smoking, so not everyone copes and brings what started to the end.
How to quit smoking properly without harming your health and how to improve your well-being is important for those who have experienced withdrawal symptoms. To alleviate its manifestations, a smoker must follow a number of rules - following them will improve physical and mental condition and allow someone to get out of addiction without unnecessary stress.
General rules for quitting smoking
To get the effect, follow these instructions:
- Competently composed diet. It is known that after a heavy meal: increases the fatty, fried, acute desire to smoke. However, these products should be excluded from the menu also because they create extra stress on the body. At the same time, you should consume herbal teas, fruit drinks, mineral water - a large amount of fluid will help speed up the elimination of toxins. It is recommended to consume dairy products - milk changes the taste of cigarettes, smoking ceases to bring pleasure. However, you should drink pasteurized natural milk, otherwise the required effect will not be achieved. It is advisable to drink a glass of warm drink every morning.
- It is also important to control your diet because people often "catch" the stress associated with smoking, and therefore gain a lot of weight. In order not to be afraid of gaining weight, light, low-calorie foods are recommended, which will allow you to maintain your figure. For appetizers, it is best to use not cakes and cookies, but vegetables and fruits.
- Eliminate alcohol, strong coffee and tea. All these products, along with cigarettes, are characterized by a stimulating effect on the body. Tea and coffee increase anxiety levels and lead to sleep disturbances, and alcohol deafens self-control.
- Taking vitamins. Within 1-1, 5 months after quitting smoking, vitamin complexes should be taken. Especially during this period, ascorbic acid intake is recommended.
- Use of nicotine-containing products. Patches, splashes, chewing gum, which contain nicotine in a small dose, can alleviate the manifestations of withdrawal. Some people switch to electronic cigarettes - this is easier to quit, although the product is not harmless, so its use can not be recommended.
- Breathing techniques. To calm down during an attack of nervousness, it is recommended to use "belly breathing". The technique is safe and used in yoga, meditation, sports training. The effect of relaxation is noticed almost immediately. In addition, deep breathing improves the functioning of the digestive system and strengthens the lungs. During inhalation, the abdomen protrudes, and during exhalation, it pulls strongly with the tension of the abdominal muscles.
- Proper diet and physical activity. During the period of smoking cessation, the body is exposed to great stress, so it is necessary to pay attention to restoring vitality. Full sleep and sports required. Physical activity stimulates the production of serotonin, which helps stabilize the emotional background.
Quit the habit suddenly or gradually
The opinion of psychologists is uncompromising: you need to quickly eliminate cigarettes from life. With a gradual rejection, the number of cigarettes is gradually reduced or products with a lower nicotine and tar content are purchased. A person struggles with the urge to smoke, but still lights cigarettes, so the body is under constant stress for a long time. The advantage of immediate abandonment is the immediate severance of the psychological and physical connection with this habit.
If you suddenly quit smoking, you should be patient for the first 3-5 days - after this period, the body itself will start producing nicotine and physical well-being will improve. However, psychological distress can persist for a long time - in any emotionally unstable situation, there will be a desire to smoke.
It should be understood that after a few days without nicotine, inhaling tobacco smoke will lead to unpleasant sensations - dizziness, severe tachycardia. The body cleanses itself and does not feel the need for a substance, but an old habit can take over. For many, it is these feelings that help to quit forever - it becomes clear that there is no pleasure, but some smoke a few cigarettes in a row, becoming addicted again.
In some cases, phase-out preference is faster. As a rule, this recommendation applies to people who have smoked for more than 10 years. If blood pressure rises suddenly, convulsions appear, severe headaches are tortured, it is necessary to consult a doctor: the doctor, after studying the patient's condition, will be able to respond as best as possible to quit smoking: suddenly orgradually, and prescribe medications that will help to cope with the manifestations of withdrawal syndrome. . .
For pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, quitting smoking suddenly is the only right decision.
Nicotine is dangerous in every trimester of pregnancy, you can not feed your baby with milk, which contains toxins. Some women say that after quitting smoking, their breasts began to enlarge. Once you have noticed such changes, it is recommended to go to the mammologist just in case. As a rule, these two phenomena are not related, but hormonal changes are possible, and it is better not to abandon your condition, but to control it. Female smokers should be careful when using birth control pills. This combination leads to changes in blood characteristics.
Common Mistakes and Misunderstandings
Anyone who has tried to quit smoking has encountered misunderstandings mentioned in his book by renowned author A. Carr.
These errors sound like this:
- I will smoke less.
- Only 1 cigarette.
- Will pull it once.
Eliminating all of these phrases once and for all is good advice to listen to.
By limiting yourself this way, you make smoking a pleasure, a gift you look forward to. The opposite effect is often observed: those who quit smoking even more.
There should be no exceptions called "just a cigarette" - this is a trap, from which you have to get out of it for years. As for how long it takes to quit smoking, in most cases it takes as long as it takes to shred and discard the pack. The potential possibility of smoking remains for life - it all depends on the mood and motivation of the person.
Cigarettes should not be used as an aid in the fight against stress and bad mood. They will not help you concentrate or calm down - for this purpose, breathing techniques can be used that will prove to be more effective and not harmful.
Do not think that something valuable and important is being taken away from you, making yourself a victim. Suffering is not appropriate here, but you can be proud of yourself, because despite the hardships, you return to a healthy lifestyle.
It is important to surround yourself with non-smokers, or at least avoid visits to smokers. Shaping your environment is extremely important when a person wants to quit smoking marijuana - here it is impossible to get out of addiction without changing social circle.
Conclusion
If you can not completely quit smoking at home, you should contact a narcologist. A non-smoker feels the taste of life more fully, takes deep breaths in all senses of the word, so you should not continue to poison your body if you are already attuned to health.