We have been told since childhood about the terrible dangers of smoking, backed up by medical research and facts from the lives of smokers. But why do people smoke without paying attention to the harm done to their own health?
Where does smoking addiction come from?
Prolonged stress
A long chain of stressful situations can upset even the most calm and balanced person. At this point, instead of looking at the situation from a different angle or diverting attention from it with some activity, many start looking for a quick way to calm down and relax. And very often it is smoking.
Having found such a quick way to get moral satisfaction, every time during the next argument with someone or just a serious conversation, a person lights another cigarette, believing that this will calm his nerves and he will be able to correctly assess the situation. The most interesting thing is that it really helps him. But not because smoking cigarettes supposedly "calms", but because he firmly inspired this idea in himself.
fashion influence
As unfortunate as it sounds, fashion trends often make people make mistakes. For example, the publication of a photo shoot in a glossy magazine with the participation of a model who smokes in the frame can become a new leap in smoking fashion. In addition, such fashion trends spread very quickly. Literally the next day after the publication of the magazine, it will be possible to observe how many teenage girls and girls who previously did not use tobacco smoke imitate the famous fashion model.
Transition age
Filling the ranks of smokers at the expense of high school students and students can happen not only because of a new round of fashion. Among the common reasons why teenagers start smoking, the following are also popular:
- The need for peer recognition and the desire to be like everyone else. Adolescents' fear of becoming a black sheep is sometimes so great that they are capable of many stupid things, including smoking.
- The desire, on the contrary, to stand out from the crowd.
- Protest. Sometimes young people start smoking as a sign of protest, thereby opposing society and trying to show everyone their independence and independence. Think 80s rockers. They had a very characteristic pattern of behavior: they smoked cigarettes, satirized the vices of society in their songs, drank a lot of alcohol and behaved defiantly, to say the least.
Nicotine addiction
The dependence of smokers on cigarettes can be of 2 types: physical and psychological. The basis of physical dependence is the body's addiction to nicotine. Psychological dependence is based on the person's clear belief that smoking relaxes, calms, helps to concentrate more quickly, etc. The difference between these types is that psychological dependence is often the reason why smokers start using tobacco, while physical dependence becomesits consequence - the main problem that people smoke and cannot give up this harmful habit.
How do I quit smoking?
Once you understand why people smoke, it's much easier to start the process of kicking the habit. However, you need to prepare for such a step from a moral point of view. It is necessary to at least briefly familiarize yourself with the medical literature and deeply understand the harm that smoking brings to health, as well as calculate how much money is spent on the purchase of cigarettes annually. Then take all your willpower into a fist and stop smoking.
Give up once and for all
Most ex-smokers are advised not to "reinvent the wheel", but to stop smoking suddenly and immediately - once and for all. Having chosen this path, in no case should you succumb to weakness and think that one cigarette (or more) per day won't change anything (excusing the fact that it's still less than it was) Once a decision is made, there's no going back!
Throw gradually
A similar method is suitable for those who have a clear nicotine addiction. To stop smoking, they must gradually reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke per day. For example, if a person smokes a pack of cigarettes a day, then you should try to reduce the number of cigarettes by at least one each day. When it comes to 2-3 cigarettes a day, you can abruptly stop smoking altogether.
Lead a healthy lifestyle
Psychologists have found that smokers who start eating right and exercising eventually get rid of this negative habit on their own. how this is done The secret again lies in self-hypnosis. The psychology of a person is such that when he starts eating healthy and exercising, he involuntarily gives up unhealthy foods and other obstacles that prevent him from leading a new, healthier lifestyle.
Also, when doing a lot of recreational exercise, the smoker will notice shortness of breath. Swimming and running are particularly telling examples in this regard. After unsuccessful attempts to combine smoking and exercise, a person will probably come to the decision to quit smoking.
Also, the following recommendations can be of great help in the fight against addiction:
- Listening to audio files and reading books about the dangers of smoking.
- Drinking enough water.
- Replacing regular cigarettes with electronic ones, which subsequently turns out to be much easier for some of the regular ones.
- Also, when you really want to smoke, you can try replacing cigarettes with something sweet or seeds. Or take a cigarette and without smoking it, imitate the process of smoking for 10-15 minutes.
- Refusal to visit places where smoking is allowed (smoking areas and halls in night clubs, restaurants, etc. ).
- Agreement with acquaintances not to smoke during communication.
- Placing affirmations on the walls of the house (words and pictures that carry the meaning of the desired) on the topic of a healthy lifestyle. For example, photos of healthy, beautiful people and photos of smokers that evoke disgust. This helps to subconsciously fix the right type of anti-smoking behavior.