If a person stops smoking, the consequences for the body can be dire. WHO ranks smoking as one of the most serious threats to human life and health. Every year, around 7 million people die from tobacco-related causes. Researchers say a smoker dies every 5-7 seconds worldwide. If the rate of tobacco use does not decrease, by 2030, according to researchers, 9 million people will die from smoking annually.
The effect of cigarettes on the body
Carcinogens that enter the body with smoke affect almost all human organs and increase the risk of developing:
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease);
- cancer (lung, larynx, colon, pancreas);
- cardiovascular diseases (heart attack, stroke);
- impotence and infertility;
- nervous system injuries (multiple sclerosis).
The paradox of the current situation is that smoking is a preventable cause of death! All that's left is to forget about the bad habit.
But if it's so simple, why do the WHO numbers look so daunting?
It's not just a habit
The fact is that smoking is not just a bad habit, but a psychological and physiological dependence on the body.
The first time, as a rule, there is the desire to try a cigarette in a smoking company. Everyone around is smoking, the desire to stand out from a potential smoker is not observed. A hand takes a cigarette and now you are no longer sitting in the happy company of a black sheep: you are like everyone else.
This is a psychological addiction. He is formed first. In the future, smoking is delayed and becomes a certain ritual: smoking with a cup of coffee or in the morning. Smoking in a stressful situation, calming down, smoking while working, solving problems - these are all psychological addictions, which are more difficult to get rid of. Or completely impossible. A person quits smoking, doesn't keep a cigarette for several years, but doesn't feel relaxed in a tobacco company. An ex-smoker must constantly control his cravings and stay in control.
Over time, physiological addiction is added to psychological addiction.
A person who is not addicted to tobacco does not feel well after smoking two cigarettes in a row. The smoker will not feel anything. The body, accustomed to smoking, works differently, is addicted to nicotine and already knows how to respond to its ingestion. Nicotine is delivered and the brain releases the hormone dopamine to neutralize it, which provides a feeling of satisfaction.
Ways to Handle a Cigarette
Only about 5% of tobacco addicts manage to quit smoking on their own. 80% want to stop but cannot survive without the help of a doctor. Modern medicine uses a variety of ways to help tobacco addicts:
- Psychotherapeutic methods. The doctor helps to cope with the withdrawal syndrome and to find pleasures in life that replace smoking.
- Gum or patches containing nicotine. They help to overcome the unpleasant symptoms associated with smoking cessation by gradually releasing nicotine into the body. The correct use of this therapy is very important, otherwise you will not be able to get the desired result.
- Reflexology (acupuncture, electropuncture, moxibustion, acupressure). Methods that are not recognized by evidence-based medicine but, according to ex-smokers, are significant and beneficial.
- Medicines. Prescribed by a doctor only.
There's still a chance to handle it on your own. At least it is with her that the difficult path of quitting smoking begins. Those who have successfully quit smoking share a variety of recommendations. They advise you to bring a partner, because together it's always more fun; tell everyone about your intention - then it's a shame to back off; if you wish, take a drag on fresh water, chewing gum, carrots.
If you decide to deal with the problem yourself, use the following tips:
- Decide on a specific day to stop smoking.
- Find something to do for the first time - sport is ideal.
- Remove anything that resembles tobacco: matches, ashtrays, lighters. Do not keep cigarettes at home.
- Get enough sleep. Limit your TV viewing. This will help relieve fatigue and irritability.
- Water helps relieve withdrawal symptoms. Start and end the day with a hot bath.
Breakage or withdrawal syndrome
Quitting smoking leads to nicotine withdrawal or withdrawal symptoms. Over the years, nicotine has been incorporated into all vital processes and has an effect on most human organs. Of course, the process of restructuring the body in a new way causes a lot of negative feelings.
Let's take a look at the main problems that literally every tobacco user faces.
- Weakness, dizziness, decreased performance. They occur in the first few weeks after nicotine withdrawal. Surveys of former smokers show that these symptoms resolve within the first two weeks.
- Weight gain. Nicotine lowers the metabolic rate. If you stop smoking, you risk gaining excessive weight. Quit smoking? Start by monitoring your diet and increase your physical activity. Sport also helps to get rid of obsessive thoughts.
- Shortness of breath, increased production of sputum, coughing. Tobacco smoke irritates the respiratory tract and increases the production of phlegm. With the withdrawal of nicotine, stimulation of the respiratory tract ceases and it is difficult for the person to cough. This condition can be regulated by physical activity, which is also able to naturally stimulate the bronchi and remove phlegm. If this condition lasts longer, it makes sense to see a doctor.
- Constipation. Nicotine stimulates the digestive tract. Without nicotine, your bowel takes time and proper nutrition to make it work.
Practice shows: an integrated approach to getting rid of addiction can achieve positive results.
consequences for the body
There is no easy way in this matter. Strength, patience and complete confidence in your own justice guarantee a successful completion of what you started. Improvements to the body will not be long in coming:
- On the first day, the level of carbon monoxide in the blood decreases, it becomes saturated with oxygen.
- At the end of the first week, nicotine is completely eliminated from the body. Physical addiction has been defeated.
- At the end of the first year, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease is reduced by 2-fold.
- In 10 years, a complete recovery of the body occurs.
It is worth it. Be healthy!