Probably all smokers at least once thought about the need to quit this bad habit, and every second or third attempt to do so. But attempts to "tie" are not always successful. Not everyone dares to quit abruptly, and the consequences of quitting abruptly can be unpredictable. Is it really so? Maybe quitting cigarettes once and for all is a lot easier? With the question of why it is impossible to quit smoking abruptly, we will solve it in this article.
Destructive nicotine
Everyone knows that smoking is not safe, in addition, the Ministry of Health does not tire of warning about it. But not everyone knows what kind of harm nicotine and its breakdown products can cause in the human body. What will happen to the body if it does not stop during that time? What are the consequences of altering the usual way of life?
Smoking tobacco products can become a trigger for the development of systemic diseases, many of which are fatal. A person addicted to nicotine has a shorter life expectancy by almost 10 years than his non-smoking partner. The harm of smoking is obvious:
- Development of oncopathologies. Smoking is practically the leading cause of lung cancer. Additionally, swallowing saliva that contains nicotine breakdown products significantly increases the risk of tumors in the oral cavity, esophagus, stomach, and duodenum.
- Chronic lung diseaseThe well-known "smoker's bronchitis" can be complicated by such serious conditions as pulmonary emphysema, bronchiectasis, atelectasis.
- Violation of the cardiovascular system. An increased load on the heart, under the influence of nicotine, leads to tachycardia, hypertension, heart attacks. There is a change in the structure of the vascular walls, the number of atherosclerotic plaques increases, the risk of blood clots and vascular blockages increases. Obliterative endarteritis develops leading to amputation of the lower extremities.
- Due to the narrowing of the vessels in the pelvic organs, various disorders develop and premature impotence occurs in men.
- Due to the harmful effects of nicotine, retinal degeneration develops gradually, the optic nerve suffers, and the smoker runs the risk of permanently losing normal vision.
- In the same way, there is damage to the auditory nerve and a destructive effect on the internal structures of the hearing aid. In addition, taste and smell are attenuated.
- The appearance of the smoker is noticeably deteriorated, which is especially pronounced in women. The skin turns yellowish, premature wrinkles appear, the lips turn blue. In the morning, you may notice that the skin on your face is swollen. All of this is a characteristic "smoker's face. "
Also, nicotine darkens teeth and bad breath appears.
How easy is it to launch?
Doctors' opinion about strong smoking cessation is also controversial. Yes, you can quit suddenly, and it really is much easier, but this is only if you are not a heavy smoker who changes cigarette after cigarette.
People with a smoking experience of no more than five years can quit suddenly. This is due to the fact that during that period of time, the body still does not have time to acquire a "bouquet" of chronic diseases, and the consequences of rejection will not be very pronounced.
If a person who has smoked a lot for a long time decided to quit the bad habit and stop smoking cigarettes, it is still better to do it gradually, since it is a very serious stress on the body, which can cause unwanted symptoms. or exacerbation of chronic diseases.
Without the nicotine constantly coming from outside, the body must rebuild itself as quickly as possible to independently produce the required amount of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter with the help of which neuromuscular transmissions are carried out. A smoker received acetylcholine from cigarettes and, after a strong rejection with a long history of smoking, a lack of acetylcholine can lead to irritability, memory impairment, lethargy, rapid fatigue, and depression. That is why many cannot stop smoking, with a break of no more than a week.
Also, quitting smoking immediately and abruptly is psychologically very difficult, and morally unprepared people break down and buy cigarettes again.
The psychological aspect of giving up this addiction is of particular importance during pregnancy. The stress caused by a lack of nicotine has a great effect on a woman's morale, but the damage caused by smoking is much greater. Nicotine and its tar have a toxic effect on the child's body, can lead to fading of pregnancy, birth defects. Therefore, when a woman is responsible for one more life, it is worth making the right decision and abruptly quitting smoking, without prolonging this process.
Experience willpower
Is it possible to quit smoking abruptly? Quit smoking abruptly or gradually? What will happen to the body then? After abruptly quitting smoking, a person is more aware of everything that happens to their body and the health consequences can be very different. Unpleasant moments and symptoms appear in your life:
The morning cough gets worse. This is one of the first signs of restructuring: the body is trying to clean the lungs, get rid of the toxic and harmful components of cigarette smoke, and get used to a life without smoking.
General weakness and lethargy are consequences of nicotine withdrawal, which can be expressed to varying degrees in different people. But they are necessarily present in the life of a person who has stopped smoking. In addition to weakness, feelings of confusion, inattention, and forgetfulness can be expressed.
With a long history of smoking, nicotine is so readily accepted by the body that metabolic processes adjust to its constant supply. Therefore, with a sharp cessation of smoking, metabolic processes, returning to the usual "unusual" channel, can cause feelings of shortness of breath, sweating, dizziness, nausea, bradycardia.
When a very experienced smoker stops smoking abruptly, he has a psychological problem: there is a feeling of losing something very personal and important. Therefore, it is important to have the right attitude and, if necessary, to work with a psychologist.
The only advantage of a sharp release is that after experiencing the consequences in the acute period, a person begins to intensely lose the desire to smoke a cigarette again. The opinion of people who quit smoking on this matter is determined: you should stop smoking as soon as possible, and it is better to do so under the supervision of doctors. Even if you really want to smoke right now, you have to hold on and then the obsessive thoughts of reaching for a cigarette will appear less and less.
Nicotine withdrawal
If you stop smoking abruptly, a stronger and younger body will more easily tolerate a lack of nicotine, you will have short-term manifestations of the symptoms indicated above. But you cannot quit smoking very abruptly in older people, as their defense mechanisms are weakened and nicotine withdrawal can occur. Nicotine withdrawal symptoms:
- increased anxiety;
- uncontrolled outbursts of anger;
- severe irritability, intolerance;
- sudden mood swings with a predominance of evil;
- concentration disorders;
- insomnia;
- a constant feeling of hunger that cannot be satisfied.
The state of nicotine withdrawal can be dangerous to health, the stress experienced by the body is especially pronounced on the second or third day of refusal and, especially if the smoker is a heart, requires medication. Therefore, it is harmful to quit smoking abruptly.
Slow but safe
When you gradually stop smoking, there are no serious nicotine withdrawal symptoms. The nicotine level gently decreases, day by day, cigarettes gradually fade into the background and then disappear from life forever. This rejection method is good with a long smoking experience, but it has a significant drawback: when gradually quitting cigarettes, a person will continue to experience nicotine cravings for a long time and begin to weaken in months. Also, if you don't quit abruptly, all of the above problems will not be relevant to you.
You can cope with the bad habit of smoking, the main thing is to feel like it and tune in to success. If you don't have the willpower to put the cigarette pack aside forever, you can use a nicotine patch. To avoid the temptation to reach for a cigarette, remove all lighters and ashtrays in the house, replace them with jars of candy.
If you smoke in your company and it is very difficult to cope with the urge to smoke, try to trick your subconscious mind - drink any beverage through a straw.
Drink green tea more often - it will help to quickly remove toxins from the body, which means that the "withdrawal" period will be less pronounced.
And of course, if you decide to quit smoking smoothly, start playing sports. Active movement and sufficient muscle loading will weaken your craving for nicotine, prevent weight gain, improve your well-being, and improve your mood.