Those who want to quit smoking need a firm decision, the right strategies and, if necessary, aids. Withdrawal can be successful with this combination.
Stop smoking: Three essential steps
There are three essential steps on the way to becoming a non-smoker: 1. motivation, 2. overcoming withdrawal symptoms and 3. staying non-smokers. We want to take a closer look at these steps.
Motivation to quit smoking
The reasons for the first attempts are often found quickly. Either the children or the partner nag at you and the decision to quit smoking is made quickly. Unfortunately, this often does not work and the result is that only more smoking is done.
In order to stop smoking successfully it is crucial to find the right motivation. This should always come from yourself. It doesn’t matter what motivates you as long as the goal really means something to you.
If you only seek motivation in the negative things, like cancer or similar, you will fail in any case. It is in human nature to only allow yourself to be motivated by positive things.
The motivation to stop should always come from yourself, never from anyone else.
Because what motivates you more in the difficult hours of smoking withdrawal? Serious illnesses that you do not yet have or finally the freedom to experience not having to storm outside every 10 minutes.
In order to give you some impulses, we have listed some essential advantages in the text section “Non-smoking advantages“.
Non-smoking advantages
What are the advantages of not smoking anymore? The list is endless. It is enough to avoid the diseases listed below to justify the sense of stopping smoking. In addition, non-smokers feel more attractive and sportier. They know that they smell better, are more potent and can finally structure their day more freely again.
Non-smokers do not “have to” in every weather outside because they are not allowed to smoke in many rooms. In addition, non-smokers have more beautiful skin and whiter teeth, more positive thoughts and more self-confidence.
The polished up self-confidence is like a bonus for all former smokers. Because those who have overcome addiction have won a strong victory for themselves. Many of those concerned believe that this strong success in life will enable them to move whole mountains from now on. That doesn’t always work, but the belief in it is quite helpful. In addition, the smoking stop was for some the stepping stone to a better career.
Diseases caused by smoking
One of the worst diseases caused by smoking are the various cancer formations along the “smoking street”. The smoking street is the path of smoke through the body. So in the throat, larynx, esophagus, lungs, stomach and finally in the kidneys, bladder and pancreas.
There are also many other diseases which can be reduced by smoking. If you want to read them click on “read more”.
Often, complaints only appear when it is already too late.
Studies and evidence on the effects of smoking
More than 85 % of all lung cancer patients are smokers, 98 % of all heart attack patients under 40 years of age. Smoking increases the risk of suffering a heart attack tenfold. Existing chronic diseases are adversely affected. This applies, for example, to smoking MS patients whose disability due to tobacco consumption is clearly progressing.
Dementia and Alzheimer’s are also favoured by smoking. One wonders why such a dangerous addiction is not prevented, for example by banning tobacco products, but smoking has an ancient tradition.
It was probably already ritually practiced about 2,500 to 3,000 years ago by South American priests (the Maya and Inca), Christopher Columbus documented tobacco smoking by locals for the first time on 6 November 1492 in Cuba.
From 1497 tobacco plants had apparently reached Europe, were cultivated here and led to the spread of European and worldwide tobacco smoking. Prohibitions and approval followed, the dangers were recognized, but not banished.
Overcoming withdrawal symptoms
As if it weren’t already difficult enough to change your habits, cigarette withdrawal can even lead to withdrawal symptoms. In order to survive them and not to relapse again, you must prepare well for them. Because it is not without reason that many people fail in vain to quit smoking.
One of the most decisive factors to successfully endure the withdrawal symptoms is to set the first days of withdrawal to non-working days. For example, a prolonged waking period or a holiday is perfect to create a successful withdrawal. Such a choice has two advantages:
On the one hand, you will be torn out of your usual environment and thus also out of your “smoking habits”.
In addition, you can easily distract yourself from desire and side effects with exciting activities.
Another decisive factor is to know the withdrawal symptoms exactly. Because who doesn’t know the famous quotes which all include that you have to know your enemy to beat him. That’s why we have summarized briefly how the withdrawal symptoms become noticeable and why they occur.
Nicotine withdrawal is associated with complaints. Since the body has got used to the addictive substance and is now going to report that something is missing. Symptoms are a strong inner restlessness, sleep disturbances and serious changes in body balance.
Pressure also sometimes occurs in the chest area, which disappears again through light, rapid tapping. It is related to the affected nerve tracts from the limbic system, which “suffer” from the withdrawal.
The increased irritability is very unpleasant not only for the non-smoker but also for his environment. Even depression can occur. Last but not least, many former smokers are gaining weight. This is due to “substitute drugs” such as sweets and also to an altered body metabolism. Weaning from nicotine takes different lengths of time.
The purely physical withdrawal is completed after about two weeks, the mental withdrawal can take years. The invention of new relaxation rituals helps, because smoking was closely associated with relaxation. A nicotine replacement therapy with nicotine patches, nicotine chewing gum and nicotine lozenges helps against physical withdrawal.
