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How to quit smoking?: Difficult but not impossible
How to quit smoking?, is one of the most common questions in those who have bad experiences with this habit. Even when they have tried many times, they tend to fail.
However, it is a progressive methodology that does not have immediate results. Rather, it is both an internal and external process that requires time, patience, and acceptance.
Quitting smoking is difficult: Some tips to achieve it
As the title implies, quitting smoking is difficult, but not impossible. With the necessary conviction and help, great long-term positive results can be achieved.
On the Internet there are many recommendations for this, but the most advisable thing is to follow certified programs. For example, the organization Kids Health from Nemours manages one that resembles that of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention):
The first thing is to know what nicotine is and its effect
Chemically and structurally it is defined as an alkaloid, an organic substance from the tobacco leaf. Its uses are varied, but the best known is that related to smoking.
Nicotine is classified as a drug with a high rate of addiction cases. It causes the release of endorphins and other hormonal or organic substances involved in states of alertness or over-exaltation.
When nicotine consumption becomes dependent, symptoms such as tachycardia, tachypnea, sweating, among others, are experienced. When quitting smoking, the resulting scenario is a panorama of fatigue that, for the person, can only be relieved by going back to smoking.
Where to start?
Starting from the premise just explained, an endless cycle is created that is convoluted to abandon. Therefore, it is pertinent to clarify the landscape and know where to start strategically.
According to the Kids Health from Nemours program, the chances of success are immense when the goal is written down. Likewise, seeking family support, in couples and/or conscious friends, raises the percentage of improvement even more.
At the same time, he advises putting together a detailed list with the reasons why you want to quit smoking. Reading it from time to time will reinforce the idea of moving forward until the vice is discarded.
Use the calendar
It will include a specific date to quit smoking without pressure and based on the intentions to be fulfilled. It doesn't matter what day is chosen or how close or far away it is.
The relevant thing will be that, from there, the countdown will run to curb smoking.
Empty the tanks and thoroughly wash the clothes
A key step will be to empty the deposits that contain packages of cigarettes or any smoking product. Throwing them away will symbolize a turning point to not spend on them again.
Regarding the washing of clothes, it has to be an exhaustive process that eliminates the smell of tobacco (smoke). Something so basic will serve to dispense with the stimuli that cause a relapse or want to smoke.
Exclude daily habits that connect with smoking
Cigarette addiction always begins by following the lead of friends or family on particular occasions. The sooner the routine associated with smoking is removed, the better the end result.
Although it is not easy to change from day to day, starting slowly will make a lot of difference. Over time, those situations that led to smoking will be rooted out.
Understanding withdrawal symptoms
The real difficulty begins when withdrawal symptoms appear. Mood swings, fatigue, tiredness and a variety of depressive manifestations are a sample of this. As an additive, anxiety, dryness of the mucous membranes and increased appetite are presented.
With good information about them, they can be overcome with simple strategies.
As a new pattern of routine and other daily habits is established, a busier scenario will arise. And the busier you are, the less time you'll have to smoke.
Quitting smoking happens to do it gradually
From one day to the next, the desired goal will not be harvested, so progress is gradual. Reducing the number of cigarettes or other related products smoked per day will be essential.
Slips can be allowed and taken as a mistake to be learned from in the future. In this case, the essential thing is not to constantly give in and focus your mind on the routine that is just changing.
In another order of ideas, "self-awarding" in small goals is also proposed. For example, 1 whole week without smoking or, why not, go from 4 or 5 weekly boxes to just 2. As the demand increases, the intrinsic rewards may be proportional.
CDC Tips for Weighing the Bugs
No one is perfect and in new cultures you will always be prone to failure or slip up. As already mentioned, what is really important is not to give in completely and recover immediately.
Faced with this dilemma, the CDC has left valuable brushstrokes in its guides against smoking. Some of them promulgate useful tips for when slips appear:
Comprehension is vital, understanding that they are mistakes that can happen because nobody is perfect. Encourage yourself and remember the time you were absolved from the evil of cigarettes will be transcendental to get up and move forward.
The CDC encourages these patients to calculate how much money they will save by not buying tobacco products. In short, the monetary ratio was one of the main factors discovered that lead the recovery and rehabilitation.
Repeat the good habits acquired, but reinforcing some minor shortcomings. Getting fresh air, practicing a sport, going to smoke-free areas, among others, are good complements.
Think about nicotine replacement therapies that are approved and certified by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). With these products, the difficulty of the process will decrease.
Lastly, never give up and never give up. The mind plays a leading role, so it must always remain clear and focused. To do this, not being alone when seeking support and being listened to will precede great achievements in the field.
Remember these data as extra motivation
If what is lacking is motivation, these data can be used so as not to distort the procedure. Surely, throughout the stretch of the road they will attend the triumph.
In case you didn't know, smoking is a triggering factor for serious chronic diseases. And not only that, but it also generates impoverishment or, in the worst case, sudden death.
Like obesity, it is another silent epidemic that can go unnoticed.
Only in the past year 2021 it was quantified that approximately 7 million people died from this habit. An amount that is repeated annually in a similar way.
On the other hand, between one million and 1 million 500 thousand individuals died as collateral effects of exposure to smoke. An impressive figure that can serve as a pillar of therapy to stop smoking and thus protect loved ones such as family and friends.
In other words, they are digits that serve as extra motivational fuel. Not only the patient's health will be appreciated, but also that of those around him.
At the same time, quitting smoking must be taken into account as a huge personal and collective victory. If successful, the group of "bad" stats related to this habit will be abandoned. Like, for example, NOT staying among the 1.3 billion active smokers out there.
