Since childhood, we have been told about the terrible dangers of smoking, which is confirmed by medical research and facts from the lives of smokers. But why do people smoke, without paying attention to the damage it does to their own health?
Where does tobacco addiction come from?
prolonged stress
A long chain of stressful situations can unsettle even the most calm and balanced person. At this point, instead of looking at the situation from another angle or getting distracted by 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 quarrel 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 you. But not because smoking cigarettes supposedly "calms", but because he himself strongly inspired this idea.
fashion influence
As unfortunate as it sounds, fashion trends often cause people to make mistakes. So, for example, the publication of a photo shoot in a glossy magazine with the participation of a model smoking in the frame can become another increase in smoking fashion. Also, these fashion trends are spreading very quickly. Literally the day after the launch of the magazine, it will be possible to see how many adolescents and girls who have not used tobacco smoke before, imitating the famous model.
transition age
The replenishment of smoking lines at the expense of high school students and students may occur not only due to a new round of fashion. Among the common reasons why teenagers start smoking, the following are also popular:
- The need for recognition by peers and the desire to be like others. Teenagers' fear of becoming 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 of rockers from the 80s. They had a very characteristic pattern of behaviour: they smoked cigarettes, ridiculed the vices of society in their songs, drank a lot of alcohol and behaved, to put it mildly, defiantly.
nicotine addiction
Dependence of cigarette smokers can be of 2 types: physical and psychological. At the heart of physical dependence is the body's addiction to nicotine. Psychological dependence is based on a person's clear belief that smoking relaxes, calms, helps to concentrate faster, etc. The difference between these types is that psychological addiction is often the reason why smokers start using tobacco, while physical addiction becomes its consequence, the main problem that people smoke and cannot quit this evil habit.
How to stop smoking?
Once you figure out why people smoke, it's much easier to start the process of kicking the habit. However, you must prepare for that step from a moral point of view. It is necessary to at least briefly get acquainted with the medical literature and deeply understand the damage that smoking causes to health, as well as calculate how much money is spent on the purchase of cigarettes per year. After that, take all your will in a fist and stop smoking.
give up once and for all
Most ex-smokers are advised not to "reinvent the wheel" but to quit abruptly and once and for all. Having chosen this path, in no case should one succumb to weakness and think that one cigarette (or more) a day will not change anything (justifying himself by the fact that it is still less than it was). Once the decision is made, there is no turning back!
pull gradually
A similar method is suitable for those who have a clear addiction to nicotine. To quit smoking, they need to gradually reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke each day. For example, if a person smokes a pack of cigarettes a day, he should try to reduce the number of cigarettes by at least one piece each day. When it comes to 2 or 3 cigarettes a day, you can quit abruptly.
Lead a healthy lifestyle
Psychologists have found that smokers who start eating right and playing sports eventually get rid of this negative habit. How did this happen? The secret, again, is in self-hypnosis. The psychology of a person is such that when he begins to eat healthy food and exercise, he unintentionally rejects unhealthy food and other obstacles that prevent him from leading a new and healthier lifestyle.
Also, by doing a lot of recreational exercise, the smoker will notice shortness of breath. Swimming and running are particularly illustrative examples in this regard. After unsuccessful attempts to combine smoking and exercise, a person is likely to make the decision to quit.
Also, the following recommendations can be of great help in the fight against addiction:
- Listen to audio files and read books about the dangers of smoking.
- Drink enough water.
- Replacing regular cigarettes with electronic ones, which then turns out to be much easier for some than 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 club rooms, restaurants, etc. ).
- An agreement with acquaintances that they do not smoke during communication.
- Post affirmations on the walls of the house (words and images that convey the meaning of what is desired) on the subject of a healthy lifestyle. For example, photos of beautiful and healthy people and photos of smokers that cause disgust. This helps fix in the subconscious mind the right kind of anti-smoking behavior.